23 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I have kind of an ambitious project. I want to turn a whiskey/wine/beer barrel into a kegerator. So what I want to do is gut a dorm fridge completely of it's refrigeration components, cut open the barrel, and then put the fridge components in the barrel, insulate and seal it all up and put a tap tower on top of the barrel. I think ti can be done, but I'd like to know if anyone knows what style dorm fridge might I be able to pillage easily without having to worry about a million miles of copper fridge line that's impregnated in the insulation.

 

Any ideas?

 

Cheers!

 

 

[Big Nake]

No ideas but I'll be cheering for you. Pictures and full descriptions when you're done... that would be cool. You probably need to get ahold of Brewman since he seems to be handy with all things including fridges.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Can't google "dorm fridge barrel kegerator conversion"? 

 

https://www.homebrew...gorator-285887/

[Big Nake]

Can't google "dorm fridge barrel kegerator conversion"?   https://www.homebrew...gorator-285887/

Sweet. I assumed that some sort of insulation would be involved but the fact that he had to build the fan into bottom didn't occur to me. Looks like quite a project but if you have the tools, materials and know-how... giddy up!Here's a vid too...httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YdGnUnUBBo

Edited by Village Taphouse, 21 January 2015 - 12:20 PM.

[BlKtRe]

That is really cool. Lots of work for one keg though.

[SchwanzBrewer]

That is really cool. Lots of work for one keg though.

 

I think if you got the 61+ gal wine kegs it would work for two kegs.

[Big Nake]

My apologies... my vid features a barrel that is not refrigerated and they used a kitchen faucet for the tap. Ugh.

[HVB]

I think if you got the 61+ gal wine kegs it would work for two kegs.

If you wanted more than one and did not mind changing them more often I bet you could get at least 2, maybe 3 of the smaller 3g kegs in there.

[SchwanzBrewer]

My apologies... my vid features a barrel that is not refrigerated and they used a kitchen faucet for the tap. Ugh.

 

Nitro tap!

[SchwanzBrewer]

I still haven't seen a decent recommendation for the donor fridge.

[Poptop]

I've been trying to find a pic or brand of one I saw at Sams Club. It was a Coca Cola can cooler that had the cooling unit on the bottom. Cylindrical and everything.

[Buzz Buzzard]

I think those are peltier based.

Edited by Buzz Buzzard, 22 January 2015 - 04:05 AM.

[ChefLamont]

I still haven't seen a decent recommendation for the donor fridge.

If you are going to completely cannibalize it, I don't think it really matters.  Like most things any more, I am not sure there is a ton of difference in brand especially when you get down to the operating guts.  It will likely be made in China and it will probably vary little between models and brands.

 

I will say with that amount of insulation, you probably can get away with a pretty small fridge though.  All you are doing is maintaining temp.  Depending on the humidity where you are, I would keep condensation in mind when you build it.  It didnt look like it was addressed in the linked project.  You will want to make sure the top seals really well and you have a way of dealing with that.  Here, you would be mopping all sots of water out of a dehumidifier kegerator like that.

[Buzz Buzzard]

https://www.ebay.com...?lpid=82&chn=ps

 

[SchwanzBrewer]

What is the cooling capacity of one of those?

[SchwanzBrewer]

If you are going to completely cannibalize it, I don't think it really matters.  Like most things any more, I am not sure there is a ton of difference in brand especially when you get down to the operating guts.  It will likely be made in China and it will probably vary little between models and brands.

 

I will say with that amount of insulation, you probably can get away with a pretty small fridge though.  All you are doing is maintaining temp.  Depending on the humidity where you are, I would keep condensation in mind when you build it.  It didnt look like it was addressed in the linked project.  You will want to make sure the top seals really well and you have a way of dealing with that.  Here, you would be mopping all sots of water out of a dehumidifier kegerator like that.

 

What I would be looking for is a fridge that doesn't have a million lines going through it. Some of them have a simple chilling plate in them I think.

 

I know most commercial keg fridges have a separate chilling system from the cabinet.

[Big Nake]

What I would be looking for is a fridge that doesn't have a million lines going through it. Some of them have a simple chilling plate in them I think. I know most commercial keg fridges have a separate chilling system from the cabinet.

A lot of these have the "cooling capillaries" that run through the system and that would clearly not work for this project... I think that's what Rich is getting at. Something simpler is the way or just screw the idea of getting a 'fridge' that you can cannibalize and get the parts as Buzz is suggesting.

[SchwanzBrewer]

A lot of these have the "cooling capillaries" that run through the system and that would clearly not work for this project... I think that's what Rich is getting at. Something simpler is the way or just screw the idea of getting a 'fridge' that you can cannibalize and get the parts as Buzz is suggesting.

 

I dont think that peltier will work. I'd probably need a half dozen of them and a lot of air circulation.

[positiveContact]

I dont think that peltier will work. I'd probably need a half dozen of them and a lot of air circulation.

 

I agree.  those things generally do not have the balls to do any serious chilling.

[Buzz Buzzard]

httpss://tetech.com/faqs/

 

 

15. How do I determine if thermoelectric cooling is best for my application?

Thermoelectric cooling is ideal for very small cooling systems. Thermoelectrics are also ideal when both heating and cooling is needed and when precision temperature control is required. Thermoelectric systems are also ideal for aerospace applications because the cooler can be mounted in any orientation and still function properly. However, as the heat load increases, the advantages that thermoelectric cooling offer in comparison to compressor systems diminishes. When evaluating on the basis of heat load alone, a compressor system will likely be more cost effective when the heat load is greater than approximately 200 W.

Edited by Buzz Buzzard, 22 January 2015 - 07:18 AM.