Kegerator is almost done

I am almost finished with the Kegerator. All I have to do now is hook up the CO2 and the kegs. Here are some pictures of what I did.

First, I cut the wood and assembled the collar. I checked the fit to make sure all the gaps were close. It was hard to keep it flat. I used the concrete garage floor. It is flat enough for my needs.


I wanted to be sure the corners were as tight as possible. Therefore, in addition to the 8 screws holding the collar together, I added some angle brackets on the inside. Simple enough, 4 screws.



The next thing I did was fill the holes with wood filler. You can see it here in the screw holes. I also filled the areas where the wood was screwed together. I wanted it to be smooth when I painted it.

Then I took the collar off, sanded down all the wood filler, and painted it white. I used a kitchen semi-gloss white. I wanted it to resist moisture and mold. This is what the Home Depot recommended I use.



I'm sorry didn't get a picture of the weatherstripping between the collar and the freezer. But what I did was lay down a 1" wide layer of 1/4" thick adhesive backed weatherstripping all the way around. It worked out well. It fills in all the gaps between the collar and the freezer for a tight fit.

I was worried about the weight of the lid pulling the front end of the collar up. So I added these little brackets. I made a tiny hole in the freezer lip to get that little screw in there. I hated doing it, but it gives me a little more confidence in the strength of the collar.



Here you can see the back side of the freezer. This is the one hinge with the spring in it. The other one doesn't have one. I don't know why, but it works. Everything worked out well with the alignment. I used the same holes in the lid, made 2 new ones in the wood collar, and used the original top holes for the bottom.

The next step was to drill the hole for the temperature controller. I used a 1/2" drill bit to make the hole. I am going to fill the hole with something after I stick the probe through it. Not sure what yet, but I will fill it to try to keep the keezer sealed the best I can.


You can also see the manifold in there. I screwed it to the collar. I had to buy a 6 piece unit because they didn't have a 5 piece. O well, it was cheaper than adding an extra one to the 4 piece. I plan on having 5 kegs in it eventually.

Here is the inside of the keezer as of right now. I am letting it sit flat before I plug it in. You can also see the rubber mat I added. It is an entry mat from the Home Depot. It is a 24"x36" rubber mat, and fit perfectly. I traced the hump and cut it out. Not bad for $7.00

So this is where I am at right now. My plan is to plug it in tomorrow morning. It will be cold by the time I get home. Good thing, because I am picking up 2 kegs on my way home from work. I will put them inside and let them settle for a day. This will give me time to sanitize the lines and hook up all the plumbing and air lines.

If all goes well, I will be able to pour my first pint on Wednesday. So check back and see how it goes.

-Prost!