Kegerator Conversion (GE SMR04DASBCS)

[crlova2]

Walker,

Thanks for posting all of this. I already have this fridge converted to a kegerator but I can only fit one keg because I haven't moved the termostat yet.

How did you take it off and reattach it?

Also I think you said something about maybe putting a faucet through the door of the fridge. I only have a one tap tower and I really need two kegs and two faucets. Would going through the door be feasible and my best option for getting a second faucet?

Any other suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

[ThinMan]

There is one of these available on CL for $60 close to me. Problem is that I have only pin locks. Could I fit them in if I cut down the shelf ridges on the sides?

 

[Walker]

Walker,

Thanks for posting all of this. I already have this fridge converted to a kegerator but I can only fit one keg because I haven't moved the termostat yet.

How did you take it off and reattach it?

Also I think you said something about maybe putting a faucet through the door of the fridge. I only have a one tap tower and I really need two kegs and two faucets. Would going through the door be feasible and my best option for getting a second faucet?

Any other suggestions welcome.

Thanks

crlova... my apologies. I never saw your comment from last year! Did you get everything figured out?

There is one of these available on CL for $60 close to me. Problem is that I have only pin locks. Could I fit them in if I cut down the shelf ridges on the sides?

ThinMan: I really can't say if cutting out the shelf ridges will let you get two pinlocks in there. It's been quite a while since I did this conversion and I know that I could not get 2 pin locks in, nor could I get 1 pin lock and one ball lock in together But, i also didn't entertain the idea of cutting out the shelf ridges.

My gut tells me that if I had cut out the ridges, I probably could have gotten one pin and one ball in, but I am not so sure about getting two pins in there.

I no longer have my pin lock kegs (sold them), or I would offer to check and give you an opinion.

Sorry, man...

 

[ThinMan]

Thanks Walker, I have limited inside space so a mini fridge coversion would be best for me. Problem is that most people post their conversions using ball lock dimensions.

 

[cincybrewer]

There is one of these available on CL for $60 close to me. Problem is that I have only pin locks. Could I fit them in if I cut down the shelf ridges on the sides?

I have a different model GE but it looks pretty similar. I cut the sides out but still can't get two pin locks in them. I can get one ball lock and one pin lock.

 

[abugg]

Walker,
I performed a similar conversion with the exact same fridge. I ended up puncturing the coolant line when bending the freezer down!
I've repaired the leak and added new gas but I am having trouble determining if I have the correct amount.

Do you know what type of frost pattern (if any) forms on your evap coils? Does the compressor run at a warm-hot temp or is it too hot to touch?

 

[Walker]

Do you know what type of frost pattern (if any) forms on your evap coils? Does the compressor run at a warm-hot temp or is it too hot to touch?

with the plate bent down like this:

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I get a frost pattern like this:

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|*                                  *|
|**                                **|
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|***                              ***|[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]
|*****                          *****|[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]
|************************************|[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]
|************************************|[/FONT][FONT=Courier New]
+------------------------------------+[/FONT]

I don't think I have ever got behind it to feel the compressor, though. No idea how warm/hot it is.

 

[New2Brew3]

Does anyone know if you can fit a regular sized 1/2 barrel keg in there?

 

[Walker]

Does anyone know if you can fit a regular sized 1/2 barrel keg in there?

No chance in hell.

 

[mattvv]

Hey Walker, Wanted to thank you for this post. This inspired me to build my own kegerator with a similar GE Fridge. Built today and wanted to share some snaps!

I only have one keg in at the moment while my friends home brew is fermenting, I was looking at it though it looks like it will be pretty tight to fit that second keg in, did you have to punch down those side grooves at all?

 

[zds]

mattvv,

Will you be able to fit two 1/6 barrel sankey kegs in there (with or without cutting out the shelf ledges)?

 

[Walker]

mattvv,

Will you be able to fit two 1/6 barrel sankey kegs in there (with or without cutting out the shelf ledges)?

it would be damn close. ball lock kegs are 9" in diameter. 1/6th barrel sanke kegs are 9.25". pin locks are 9.5"

I know you cannot get two pin locks in there, but *maybe* you could get two sixtels.

 

[Flyingbear]

Walker -- am having similar problems with my copper tubing. I'm going to try a last ditch effort and run some kind of copper connection from my bend freezer section up to the tubes. If that doesn't work maybe a fan can get enough cold air up into the tubes... Ideas? If not, a foamy first pull isn't the end of the world.

 

[Walker]

I'm going to try a last ditch effort and run some kind of copper connection from my bend freezer section up to the tubes.

Don't waste your time. My copper pipes actually rest against the freezer plate and it doesn't matter.

If that doesn't work maybe a fan can get enough cold air up into the tubes... Ideas? If not, a foamy first pull isn't the end of the world.

I'm not going to make any further attempts. I just deal with the first pour being foamy. To hell with it.

 

[zds]

it would be damn close. ball lock kegs are 9" in diameter. 1/6th barrel sanke kegs are 9.25". pin locks are 9.5"

I know you cannot get two pin locks in there, but *maybe* you could get two sixtels.

Can someone with 2 ball locks in one of these units measure and see if there's a way to get a half-inch of space between them?

 

[Flyingbear]

Can someone with 2 ball locks in one of these units measure and see if there's a way to get a half-inch of space between them?

I looked at mine, and if I wanted to keep the co2 in there, then the only way to get a half inch would possibly be to shave the space out of the door insulation...

 

[mattvv]

I'm working on getting a second Keg int here today, I'm not exactly sure which type but i'm cutting out some of the side installation, I will post pics when done!

 

[mattvv]

Ok so I carved out each of the shelve spots using a rather large knife. But the end result is good!

Door closes, everything is working

 

[zds]

Awesome. Awesome x100.

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

Just wanted to give a big thanks to both Walker and DavidP - you helped my kegerator conversion go very smoothly.

Bending the freezer down was no chore at all (had me nervous though). I let the fridge thaw for a couple days and bent it down at room temp - no kinks or anything.

My thermostat cable was very short, so I soldered in a 12 inch extension. The two ball lock kegs fit perfectly as well as a 10 lb. CO2 tank behind them (was debating 5 vs. 10 - just go with 10. It will fit!)

Here's the final result:

 

[Walker]

Looks good! I scored a second fridge exactly like this off craig's list a couple weeks ago. I am not adding any taps to it or anything, but I bent the plate down and drilled a hole through the back so I could run the gas hose from a 20# tank into it.

That fridge is now basically my "carb and chill" station. Fresh kegs sit in that one in the garage on 12psi to clear up and carbonate. When a keg in the house kicks, I can just walk out to the garage and grab a new keg, ready to drink.

The thermostat cables on both of mine were also short, but I was able to just relocated the thermostats a little deeper into the fridge and rotate them so that knob faces up. With no cable extensions, I can get them deep enough that a keg can sit in front of it without issues.

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

That's pretty sweet, would be so nice to have a carbing station!

I'm looking forward to eventually moving to a place with a garage. Then I can pick up a full size fridge which will be a lagering/fermenting/carbing chamber.

 

[Walker]

That's pretty sweet, would be so nice to have a carbing station!

I used to just prime my kegs with sugar. but, I always get chill haze, so when my beers were carbed, I would throw one in the kegerator, wait a day for it to chill, and then start drinking it. It would be a week or so before the chill haze went away.

Now I can force carb and let the chill haze go away at the same time.

I'm looking forward to eventually moving to a place with a garage. Then I can pick up a full size fridge which will be a lagering/fermenting/carbing chamber.

You won't be able to do them all with the same fridge! Lager and carb you could do, but not ferment.

One whole friggin' wall of my garage is refridgeration units. Large up-right fridge temp controlled to 65*F for fermenting, small chest freezer for hops and grain, and the new mini-fridge for lagering and carbing.

edit: the opposite wall is shelving for buckets of base grain, the electric HERMS system, and my motorized mill.

I've never parked a car in there. When my wife asks about putting a car in there, I respond, "Who the hell parks a car in a brewery?! That doesn't even make sense!"

 

[Tom2365]

I'm picking up a GE WMR04GAVBB tomorrow off of Craigslist. I only have one keg at the moment so I don't anticipate having to move the thermostat just yet. I've seen mentions of problems with the fridge running too cold and freezing things, even with the thermostat turned way down. Anybody have this problem? Is it because the freezer has been bent down?

Also, has anyone run a tap off the door instead of the top? I kind of don't want to mess with that wire that might be up there.

 

[New2Brew3]

Tom2365, I have a fridge I ent the freezer plate down for and yes it runs extremely cold near the lowest setting. I did accidently freeze a keg of mine. I assume that is because of the freezer plate as I also have an Oster that does not come with a freezer and it does not have that problem.

 

[Tom2365]

Picked up the fridge last night, bent the freezer out of the way with no problem and got the keg in. Turns out my fears are well-founded, on lowest setting the fridge was 34 degrees this morning and still running. Shut it down and put the keg outside (where it's a nice 40 degrees).

I think the problem is that the thermostat sensor is now apart from the freezer plate----it was attached directly to the bottom of the plate before I pulled it off. So now it won't get cold enough at the sensor to shut the fridge off, even at a setting of "1".

My plan is to move the thermostat so I can flatten the freezer plate on the top of the fridge, right now it's on the side because of the positioning of the thermostat. Next I will reattach the sensor to its original spot on the freezer plate and then seal off the top of the fridge with a sheet of 1/2" insulating foam or something similar.

Essentially I will be creating a wider, thinner freezer at the top where the thermostat sensor (I'll have to cut a slit in the foam to get the sensor through) and freezer plate will reside. The insulating foam will seal it off from the rest of the the fridge. It should get very cold up there and since the sensor will be there it should shut down the fridge while leaving the lower part where the keg is a more reasonable temperature. I don't like my beer really cold so I'd love to be able to keep the lower part at 40 to 50, depending on the beer.

If this doesn't work I'll have to change out the thermostat to one that is much more sensitive, one that I will be able to set to an actual temperature rather than a vague number.

Since I am new to kegging, I would love to hear feedback on this plan. What do you think?

 

[Tom2365]

Also, this fridge is the perfect size. I didn't even have to remove the door shelves to fit my corny keg inside. Now if I can just get the damn thing to run a little warmer.

 

[Tom2365]

Well, don't know if anyone gives a rat's ass but my idea worked great. I ended up placing the freezer portion to the back of the fridge and sealing it off with the insulating foam with the thermostat attached to the back. Now I have the opposite problem, the fridge turned off before it got to 50 inside at a mid-range setting. Not enough cold air was getting into the main body of the fridge before the thermostat shut the thing down.

No worries, I just "drilled" three holes at the bottom of the insulating foam panel with a screwdriver to let cold air seep into the main body of the fridge. I put the keg in and I'll see what temp I end up with those holes. If I really geeked out enough I could determine what temp I would get at a mid-range setting with three holes, four holes.....etc. I could just use some extra foam to seal up holes when I want a warmer temperature inside. If I knew how I would post some pictures.

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

Good to hear you got it figured out.

I was a little unclear in my description when I talked about "relocating the thermostat".

What I relocated was the thermostat body itself which has the white plastic body and adjustment knob and is located in the front/top/right of the fridge. I had to unscrew it, clip the power cable (with white, black, and green wires inside) and solder/crimp in an extension.

The actual thermostat probe cable (silver) was plenty long and I never removed the thermostat probe from the freezer plate. Removing the thermostat probe from the freezer plate would certainly affect the temperature the fridge is running at.

 

[Tom2365]

Yes, moving the thermostat sensor away from the freezer plate essentially turns it into a freezer.

Tapped the beer last night and it was excellent. Got the fridge leveled off at 40 degrees, just need to figure how many holes to plug to get it up to 45 if I want.

Thanks everyone for the hints and descriptions of what you did to build your fridge up. It made it pretty easy for this newbie.

 

[Walker]

What I relocated was the thermostat body itself which has the white plastic body and adjustment knob and is located in the front/top/right of the fridge.

Same here. Just relocated the control for the thermostat and did not mess with the temp sensor.

I had to unscrew it, clip the power cable (with white, black, and green wires inside) and solder/crimp in an extension.

On both of the fridges that I have converted, I have not had to cut any wires. The thermostat control only needed to be moved back about 3 inches or so to make room for a keg on the right-hand side, and there was enough wire there to make that small adjustment.

 

[jsmith32]

I just started kegging (got a 3 gallon keg as a gift) and I got this same fridge from my local HOBO for around $70. Right now, I am just using the fridge to house the keg and am using the keg with a keg charger and picnic tap. The only modification I've made to the fridge so far is to remove all of the shelves (in the door too). I plan on...slowly...doing an incremental kegerator build.

A few questions:

1. Has anyone who has successfully used this fridge as a kegerator fit 3 kegs (I assume one of which would need to be a 2.5 or 3 gallon keg) plus a CO2 tank in it?

2. Has anyone drilled the taps through the door instead of using a tower? In general, would this be easier to do?

I'm just trying to get ideas for the future. When I start building it up, I want to make sure that I don't restrict future expansion as others on this forum have suggested (e.g. by buying a two-tap tower when three kegs are possible).

Thanks!

Jason

 

[Walker]

there would be no way to get a 2.5 gallon keg in there behind the two 5 gallon kegs. There isn't enough space. Something the size of a 5# CO2 tank is as big as you can fit in there behind them.

You would have to build a collar (or would it be called a sleeve?) to extend the depth of the fridge and give you more space. If you go that route, you could extend it 10" and put 4 kegs in the thing.

I have seen people put taps on the door way up high to avoid hitting the kegs with the shanks when the door closes, so I know it works, but the tower was really easy to install. It's a matter of 1 large hole or 2 smaller holes.

 

[birvine]

I like the idea of the carbing station. That combined with the double-ended liquid-out QD for the kegs and you can be chilling, carbing and getting off the sediment in no time.

B

 

[jsmith32]

Walker, thanks so much for your reply & for starting this thread in the first place - I'm sure I'll be referencing it later.

Cheers!

 

[Walker]

I like the idea of the carbing station. That combined with the double-ended liquid-out QD for the kegs and you can be chilling, carbing and getting off the sediment in no time.

B

I actually bought one a cheap air tool trigger like this:

and put it on a hose connected to my regulator. It's just a utility hose for CO2 now. I do all my transfers in a closed system (carboy to carboy, carboy to keg).

A carboy cap with racking canes and some extra quick connectors and a blast from the utility hose and I get transfers with no exposure to air.

 

[BR240]

Is it verified that two sankey 5 gallon kegs will fit in this GE Compact Fridge?

 

[Looper]

are those ball lock or pin lock kegs?

I have this fridge, but would like to know which size keg fits best in this particular fridge.

thanks

edit: Nevermind, ball lock..

 

[Looper]

Hey Walker,

I'm currently in the middle of doing this exact conversion, and following your instructions so far. I have run into an issue with the fitting of the HDPE sheet.

What did you use as a guide to find the right dimensions? I used the original door shelving unit as a guide to trace the outline of the HDPE sheet, and also marked where to put the screw-holes. The HDPE fit into the rubber/magnet seal perfectly, and screwed it onto the door. The problem arose when I tried to close the door for the first time. When the door approached the final 3-4 inches, the HDPE sheet (towards the inside hinge) impeded the door from reaching the final destination.

It appears the thickness and/or width of the HDPE sheet are just barely too big to close the door properly. I'm thinking that its the width of the sheet, only because I compared it with the original shelving unit and noticed that the edges were tapered into a super thin metal.

Just curious if you ran into this same issue and what you did to solve it?

Thanks!

 

[Looper]

So, I figured it out. I went ahead and trimmed the hinge-sided edge of the HDPE about 1/4 inch..

Turned out awesome. Thanks walker!