I purchased a 7.2 Cu Ft chest freezer using points I earned at christmas. Then I added a wood collar around the top using some left over Mahogany I had from another wood working project.
The key with making the collar is making the height of the collar equal to the distance between the 2 sets of screws on the hinge. This allows you to just move the hinge up by 1 set of screws and you don’t need to put any new holes into the chest freezer. After installing the collar, I used silicone chaulk to glue it to the chest. I also drilled a hole in the back of the collar for the temperature probe. Make sure you get the probe all the way to the bottom as it’s colder down there. I originally had the probe hanging about 1/2 way down and ice started to form in the bottom. I set the temperature on the thermostat to 36 degrees, so only 4 degrees above freezing.
For me, not damaging the freezer was important as this freezer only holds 3 kegs. If I want to upgrade later, I can just remove the collar and sell it for money towards a larger freezer or (more likely) re-purpose the freeze for temperature controlled fermenting. I’m sure I can fit at least 2 SS BrewTech Brew Buckets into this freezer with or without the collar.
When I finished, I was able to fit 3 kegs very nicely into the keezer. I even have space to store chilled glasses and even some moonshine.
My wife was nice enough to make these chaulkboard cards with magnets on the back for labeling what is on each tap. I can store extra/unused cards along the back of the lid.
To finish it off, I got a wall mounted drip tray. Again, I didn’t want to put screw holes in the freezer, so I created a little “L” shaped stand out of left over hard wood flooring. I mounted the drip tray to the stand and slid the base of the stand under the freezer. I left the screws a little bit loose, so I can remove the drip tray for draining/cleaning.
In addition to the freezer and wood, here is a list of items I had to purchase:
- Drip tray
- Temperature Controller
- Kegs with CO2 tank, regulators and lines
- Faucets with knob and shank