Another kegerator post

I named the post thusly since a search for "kegerator collar" yields about every shred of information possible about this topic, including lots of good pictures. The Sarasota Beer Geek columnist gave me the collar idea. Thanks, Alan.

So there are a lot of homemade kegerators out there, but this one is mine. I started with a small 5 cubic foot freezer (as opposed to a large 5 cubic foot) which can fit two cornelius kegs and a 5 lb CO2 tank, as well as a few bottles on the little shelf. A larger freezer would have been nice, but this one was a gift and, well, do I really need more than two kinds of beer available at once? One actually, since I am starting out with only one faucet.



Speaking of the faucet, I ordered the Perlick forward-sealing kind. It just seemed easier to maintain, and the reviews have all been good. I got mine, and the other needed hardware (shank, tailpiece, beer line, ball lock liquid disconnect) from Austin Homebrew Supply. I might also need to get one of their OG/FG T-shirts!

So this appliance had spent a few years of its life keeping food frozen at my parents' house, but they didn't need it anymore. So it came to my house for its rebirth. Here's what I did:

Removed the lid, hinges and all

Built a "collar" out of untreated 2x4, screwing it together, that exactly fit the square top of the freezer

Attached 1x6 plates to the outside of the collar, top edges flush with the top edges of the 2x4 collar, to create a kind of "skirt" that would hug the outside of the freezer. I screwed the plates to the 2x4 collar with drywall screws from the inside, to keep the outside of the collar attractive and screw-hole free. I mitered the 2x6 plates with a table saw to create nice corner seams, and cut the plate in the back to accommodate the hinges





Stained/treated the whole thing with some cherry wood preservative that I had lying around

Let it dry

Reattached the lid to the new collar by the hinges, using wood screws

Stuck low-compression foam weatherstripping to the bottom edge of the 2x4 collar, so it forms a tight seal where it rests on the top edge of the freezer

Stuck high-compression (softer) foam weatherstripping to the top edge were the lid comes to rest (it now closes with a good, solid thump)

Drilled a hole with a 7/8" hole saw in the front plate, all the way through the 2x4 collar as well, for the faucet shank



Installed faucet shank, tailpiece and Perlick faucet (if you get a faucet, MAKE SURE to get a faucet ("spanner") wrench as well -- I didn't have one and had to wrap a strip of leather around the faucet ring so I could screw it on with some vise-grips without marring it) I also left room to install a second faucet at a later date

Ran the probe of my temperature controller into the freezer itself, letting the wire pass through a seam in the top weatherstripping. Set temp control for about 38 degrees

Put in my 5 lb. CO2 tank, a 5 gal. keg of Three-Hearted Ale, hooked everything up

Came home from work and drew a pint of cold Three-Hearted Ale, which is the subject for another post. Oh wow!