Every keezer build video has the same advice about the hinges springing out. The hinges are designed so that you can loosen the screws slightly, open the top and then lift the hinges over the screws whilst they are still attached to the freezer.
a little pro tip from someone who works in environmental science... put the temperature probe in a jar of water or oil... much more accurate temperature reading and prevents the machine from starting up unnecessarily
Great instructional video. The only thing I would add is some stain or paint for the collar. If it's going to sit for a few days while the adhesive cures, why not make it look pretty, too?
If you cut the two side pieces with a taper from front to back you do not have to remove the top or change the hinges. If you want to return it to use as a freezer just remove the wedge with the taps in it.
Only modification that I would recommend is to make the beer line 10 feet or so. At 4 feet I was getting all foam, saw Larry's solution on "beer n bbq by larry" and I just implemented it a few days ago and now I'm getting perfect pours for about $2 more worth of tubing.
Some other tips for next build/guide: Please use some dressing grade timber next build, your seal is going to be better on something smooth rather than that framing timber. Do the finishing work before you silicone it down. And please do not tell people to goto their hardware store for cuts; yes we offer it, but we hate you for it. Thanks for the video. I’m so very keen to build one. Your voice over is 10/10
Could you do this just a beer line to a button pour spout thingy without making a collar and whatnot? Just open the freezer door grab the line and pour a beer? That would essentially just need a freezer and an inkbird making a basic refrigerator, but I don’t see anyone ever doing this. It cuts out all of the building. The only downside Is you’d have to open the door anytime you want a beer which might mess up the temp and cause it to turn on and off more frequently with the Inkbird.
Thinking of adapting this for a home bar - could I run the lines out of the faucet holes you drilled, provided they're sealed round the edges to keep the freezer working? Then connect to 'traditional' bar style pull faucets?
Interesting.. But why not use plastic lumber, like Versatex or Trex ? You could use 2 pieces of thinner width 1/2 wood try 1/2 trim sandwiched between 1/2 insulating foam. Glue it all together than attaching to your keezer. Just a thought. Wood can get moldy from moisture. The plastic trim is awesome.
I like the idea. But, why not? Well " ... Like most things in home brewing there's more than one way to do this porject .... we're just going to show you one way to get it done ... " 0:28
***** ~ Fine. Hut you must agree Versatex or Tree, would last longer not grow mold like the wood... & Foam Sandwich between 2 1/2 " Sheets of Plastic would be better.. they use it on Houses & commercial buildings + Marie Applications. JUST SAYING IT COULD HAVE BEEN MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT! NO MOLD.. NEATER CLEANER WITH VERSATEX & Foam..
You stain the wood and seal it with polyurethane. We have had ours well over a year. No mold. Temperature in kegerator is 33 degrees. Besides, no matter what you build, you still have to disassemble the taps and clean them. We simply wipe down the inside as well. We attached purs with a bead of Liquid nails and caulked the joint as well. The lid seals fine. We know this because the unit is housed in an outside man cave that usually is not air conditioned and is humid. Never any condensation around the lid area or mold. Normal wood is fine.
Cody, the video's host and asst. manager at NB Minneapolis added this moments later: "It's called Lexel - a silicone alternative. I chose it because it worked at low temps, and I was building mine on the porch in the winter. Also liked it because it worked on both plastic and wood, which we needed."
don't *need* a buddy for the hinges (i drink alone?)... just get saran wrap ( pallet wrap ) and give a tight wrap around the whole thing, then take the screws out through it.
Love this Video Man! But can I mount my taps on top and turn the lid in to a counter? All in all I Especially love how to tell that YOU NEED TO CLEAN YOUR LINES REGULARLY which to me is Monthly. Most places I've had beer don't even know your suppose to do that and that's why they lose business or when they clean there lines they don't properly flush the lines and I sometimes get soapy beer. Love the Video though!!!
Great video, guys! Looks like a clean way to build this without allowing for outside interference. The biggest issue with my Keggerator is that I drilled through the door, and every time I open a door it pulls kegs around and is a cluttered mess. Should have watched this video first!
Great Video, thank you! I have a couple of questions if you don't mind: 1. Is the Stout line hooked up differently than the other 5 main lines? Or, did you just put it on the side to dedicate it to stouts and identify it? 2. Are there advantages other than space to keep your CO2 tank in or out of the freezer? Will it be affected if it is outside and it's in very high temperatures during the summer? 3. Do you also run star san through the lines after they're cleaned with pbw? Thanks!
@@NorthernBrewerTV ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zHWy_Vlw3J4.html (2:23) I see 5 taps in the front and 1 hose pointing to the left side.
You would use a temperature controller such as our Dual Stage Temperature Controller: www.northernbrewer.com/products/northern-brewer-dual-stage-temp-controller
@@NorthernBrewerTV thank you for the reply. Sorry i'm late the whole basement remodeling came to a stand still for a bit. The 5-8f will be outside of the keezer.
If:the video author can reply, that would be great and/or anyone else who knows the answer to my question below: When using a freezer this way as a keezer, does this cause any bad effects to freezer parts (compressor etc). Afterall a freezer is designed to operate in the -20degF deep freeze range so when adding a controller to only go as high as 40-45 degF (similar to fridge type temps) was wondering if any issues to be aware of ..if any. Thanks for truly a great video!
I will be building a version of this myself in the not to distant future and was curious what temperature controller you used. I looked on your web site at this video and it gave a list (with pictures) of the products used but oddly enough the most important and vital componant was missing, , , The Temperature Controller. Which one did you use and why? Any advice on this would be helpful. One more question if I may; When using the Temperature controller is it better to have the Freezer set to its Highest, Lowest or somewhere in the middle temperature setting ? Thanks.
Yes, outside in the summer time it works normally. During the winter, I place a small shop light with an incandescent bulb inside the freezer, then plug it into my temperature controller on the heater side. If the temp drops below 32 degrees the controller turns on the light which raises the temp inside the freezer to a set temperature. The beer did freeze in my tower once, but that was because my tower chiller, or heater in this case, had gotten unplugged.
Freezers will freeze the beer if you don't use a temperature controller that allows you to keep the temperature in the freezer at above-freezing/serving temperatures. You could totally use an upright fridge as a keezer, but most people like the horizontal deep freezers because they fit a lot more kegs (or even fermenters). www.northernbrewer.com/products/northern-brewer-dual-stage-temp-controller
Keezer (made out of freezer), Kegerator (made out of a fridge). They both work just fine, its up to you. However, the freezer can reach a lower temperature which I find interesting and has much more space for the kegs. The only extra component you would have to buy for the freezer is the temperature controller which is not that expensive, then you can set as low as -1C depending how alcoholic the beer is.
Has anyone tried this with an upright or mini frdge/freezer? Fastening and supporting the wood would be an issue, but it would be easier than carving out all the innards.
Are you asking if you could use this kegerator setup (or something like it) to serve beer at a pub? If so, I don't see why not. Although a more commercial scale setup might be preferred and move a higher quantity of beer quicker and more efficiently. But there are definitely nanobrewery taprooms that have smaller setups like this one.
Useful vid, a couple suggestions: 1) You don' show how to connect the CO2 canister to the distributor. Compounding the problem in the shots where you show this connection, your arm is in the way, so you can't see how you connected it. 2) Why use a barbed connect for the liquid line and an mfl for the gas side? Barbed are harder to clean. I use the MFL for the liquid, so I can disassemble and clean and a barb for the gas side, since you don't need to clean it.
I'm a bit late here but you guys just emailed me with this information so I'm here now. Being new to brewing and haven't kegged yet, don't different beers like to be at different pressures? Meaning, having 1 set PSI on the CO2 could have some beers running flat and some over carbonated, right? Is there any reason you couldn't have a regulator for each line to set it to the ideal pressure for each tap?
Those are the large grain bags we use for bagging malt for customers at both our retail locations and online orders. Not sure how to source them a la carte. I'm sure a gardening and home supply store would have some similar that you could dual purpose for this.
Hey Great Project. I wondering if its always necessary to have to deal with wooden column, why not drill the top part of the freezer coz I doubt there any cooling wire. thanks
In a lot of posts on the subject I've seen on other sites the freezer is too short inside to house the kegs, so it became standard practice to make the extra space.
You use a temperature controller that you set to a certain temperature, and it makes the unit stop and start at that temperature to maintain a non-freezing temperature. Here is a video about our Dual Stage Temperature Controller that might help expain it better: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2jDmAn4TlLY.html
Hello there! Measure the height of the board according to the screws on the back. Where did you measure this and how many cm was it? Should it be determined by the distance between two screws? Thank you
alright, so not all lumber you get at the hardware store is gonna be perfectly smooth. you could have some sealing problems. if you're keeping your freezer in the garage or the storage area is just hot you could have some problems. The lid to most freezer has a gasket that uses magnets to seal itself to the body of the freezer to keep a tight fit. kinda hard for magnets to stick to wood. If your already set on making a "keezer". try to utilize the lid as your mounting for any taps. you can use a tower or make a box out of wood, metal, or something you might have laying around the house and use the parts they listed for the beer taps. obviously allow for enough space to open the lid without damaging anything. the freezer in this video looks great. But may not work for you. Cheers.
Chest freezers are easier to drill through the top as there are no freon lines in the lid. Main issue is switching kegs, a longer line would take care of that and the benefit is having your drip tray up top with the tap, not hanging out on the side (oh also need a tap post). Nice plans though.
Kevin, you'll want to use a thermostat. I use the Johnson Controls Refrigerator Thermostat sold by NB. The sensing probe goes into the freezer and the freezer plugs into the thermostat then the thermostat plugs into the wall. You set the temperature on the thermostat and it will turn on and off the freezer to maintain that temperature. Works great.
I would suggest running some sanitizer through them -- or better yet a line cleaner like BLC -- once a month or whenever you see noticeable build-up inside the lines.
opps that post was meant for someone else, your videos good too though the one I was talking about I was watching and while I was writing,,, it switch to your video the guy was using like a small freezer for like ice cream and stuff the you see in the convenience stores you walk up and slide the doors had the clear glass sliding doors and he converted one like that, but yours is good too sorry for the screw up
Cody, nice video, well done!! I am currently brewing my very first batch. American Ale for first try. Beer smelled and tasted wonderful on bottling day. Going to drink first bottle next week, but condition the remaining for another three weeks. Learning a ton of info. Going to brew my own spirits today...not gonna say what kind. :) Hope to see you @ NB someday. Miss you brother! (Dennis - M&B)
When you drill a hole in the collar to run the c02 line to the outside, how do you seal the hole so air doesn't escape? Do you just fasten the tube in place with caulk, or is there a way to seal it where you can still take the tube out easily?
Silicone would work.... ask your hardware store with plastic/vinyl-to-wood adhesive they suggest. Explain your project and I'm sure they'd love to help - then come share in the final product!
THIS IS AWESOME! I just got my taps and kegs for Christmas, and I have a small, two keg, freezer I've been planning to modify. This is a MUCH better plan than I had.
I think I would respect you guys a little more if you would actually ADMIT Goose Island AND Northern Brewer is totally owned by AB INBEV! SHAME on you trying to lie to the public. "Collaboration", my ass - it's all owned by the same company.
question... do you need a freezer in which you are able to adjust the temperature, or would the temperature control unit do that for you? i have a chest freezer that you can't set the temp on. you just plug it in, and it's cold. i'm wondering if the external temp control unit adjusts the temperature for you.
ok fella's looks like I am not the only one to notice that at the point where in the video you mention a temp control unit and all we see is a thermostat end ...............can you do or suggest a video of an install of a temp control unit to a freezer Thanks guys
started this build last night..got all the wood cut and perfectly lined up using 2x4 ..then noticed the hinge doesnt match! going to get larger 2x6 and mount entire hinge to wood
It looks like they're using an external control unit that controls the power to the freezer. Once the probe hits the desired temperature, the control unit shuts off power to the freezer. You can see the plug that goes into the wall has an extra plug coming out of it.
Dudes... you are destined to have me piss off the old lady now with this new project. I've been bottling for a year now & I'm getting tired of having to wait for the priming sugar to get some carbonation going!
This is s great video!...but....how to you regulate temperature control? Obviously we don't want temperatures below 3-4 degrees C in the keezer...are most/all chest freezers capable of holding temeratures as high as 8-10 degrees C (required for most ales)?
I bought some parts from you guys for this project. The swivel nuts do not seem airtight. by which I mean the tailpiece inside the nut doesn't have a gasket or anything. Is this ok?
Great vid....regarding the drip tray....How do you know where to drill versus not to drill to avoid hitting your cooling lines. I have a 7.2 CU GE ....I want to add a drip tray but magnets wont work...I am scared to death of drilling and hitting a line - rendering my whole project useless. Any Tips?!? Thanks
Jamie, it would be pretty easy to dress this "basic construction" up and add your own style. Beside, for the price, and the pride of having built your own, you can't go wrong with this design, or a variant that works best for you. How about using a black freezer and some stainless over the wood?
I made a similar comment elsewhere, but the control unit they use will shut off power to the freezer when the temp falls within the desired range. Similar to how a timer on your living room lamp will turn off the lamp at certain times, this will shut off power to the freezer at certain temperatures.
a keezer would be the cross between a keg and freezer, but you dont freeze kegs. hate that name kegerator may sound lame as well, but at least it describes itself better.
