4 Tap Keezer (Kegerator + Freezer)

Welcome to my first Instructable! I apologize that the images start a bit into the project.  I had posted some pictures of the project on a home brew forum and was asked for a "how to" guide to building the kegerator.

This Kegerator design is a popular setup using a freezer with a temperature controller to keep it as a desired temperature and not freeze the kegs.  

Finally, I built this in the living room of my condo, so anyone with a few simple cordless tools and a home depot close by can build one.  Hope you enjoy.

Wood List:
Pine:
1: 1 x 1 x 8
2 : 1 x 6 x 8
1 : 2 x 4 x 10

Plywood:
8' x 4' x 3/4"


Red Oak:
(please feel free to substitute..... red oak gets really expensive)
All red oak used to frame was done in 3/4 inch width.  Thinner pieces were used for small trim work.
Frame:
8: 3.5" x 36"
6: 3.5" x 24" 
3: 5.5" x 24"
2: 11" x 24"

Trim:
4: 1.5" x .5" x 36"


Parts List:
1 x Professional Series 7.0 cu. ft. Chest Freezer
1 x computer fan
4 x Stainless Steel Perlick taps
4 x 4 1/2" long nipple shank assembly
12' x red Thermoplastic super vinyl gas hose with snap clamps.
16' x vinyl beer hose
10 lb CO2 Cylinder
4 x Cornelius Kegs
1 x Primary Regulator
3 x Gas Shut Off Valve - 3/8"
3 x Gas Line Splitter
2 x LED Spot Lights
1 x LED Rope Light
1 x Johnson Digital Temperature Controller
1 x Mahogany Stain 
1 x 8 foot foam board insulation
2 x rolls of Foil Insulation Tape
7 x 12" marble tiles
2 x liquid nails
1 x silicon
4 x "L" brackets
A bunch of screws & nails

LCD Skyline:
Red Oak : 8" x 24"
4 x Push Buttons
1 x Arduino Uno R3
1 x Ardruino Proto Shield
1 x LCD 4 row 20 column character screen
A bunch of 22 gauge wire
Solder


Tools:
Drill
Hole Punch Bits
Router
Table Saw / Miter Saw
Soldering Gun
Stain Brush
C clamps

Step 1: The Beer Parts

If you are planning to fill this kegerator with your own beer, I would recommend using 4 x 5 gallon Cornelius kegs.  These kegs will fit perfectly inside the 7.0 cubic foot freezer which I purchased at Menards.  In addition the shelf above the freezer's compressor works perfect for the CO2 tank. (You'll see that I have 2 CO2 tanks, but that is because I was upgrading from a 5 pound to 10 pound tank.  Only 1 tank is necessary.

As you can see in the second picture.  You will need to stagger the kegs, but they fit perfectly.

Comments

[vjdjchadisrad]

Awesome build!

[doctressjulia]

This is GORGEOUS. Great work! :D

[burningsuntech]

Excellent work! Love this thing. Looks very Pro.
Have you considered just replacing the original thermostat with one of a different model and range sensor? There is a site called http://www.freezer2fridge.com that has a kit and there would be no messy programming and commitment of your arduino to a single project. Last I checked, it was cost effective too.
Cheers!
RA

[angelabchua]

Wow! What a pretty amazing first project! Totally subscribing to you! This is really a phenomenal final product!

[KiltLifter]

Very Nice! The skyline is a unique touch - way cool.

Yours might be different, but most chest freezers have the coils in the walls and use the outside metal skin as the heat-sink to release the heat pulled from the freezer. The small side vent is just for the compressor, not the evap coils.
If you find your unit struggling to keep cool, it may be because the heat-sink walls are covered.

Hmmm, I think I have a winter project now.....

[cahillicus]

This is very true. I had intended to have front mounted taps in mine without a lid-spacer. I used the condensation on the inside to locate the cooling lines. I drilled a test hole to investigate. What I found was that while I could have gotten a shank between cold lines, the heated lines that run on the outer wall are offset relative to the cold lines making the shank fit impossible.

[cahillicus]

That is awesome. Have you thought about loosing the controller and just having the Arduino run the keezer ON/OFF? I would be interested in your sketch to run the lcd, you got farther than i did trying to do the same thing. Love your keezer! I hope to do something similar in the future when there is enough floor space in the house. Till then I have a 3 kegger out in the garage.

[KozyWhiskey]

I had thought about using the arduino for the temperature controller, but I decided against it because I would have to hardwire the freezer to the arduino. Also the LCD was an afterthought and by not using the arduino it allows me to remove the skyline LCD (which I need to do to update what's on tap in the code). I will be adding a temperature controller on the front in the future and have already wired it to the arduino. I just need another LCD panel.

[lsymms]

here's how it's done: http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2007/10/08/arduino-beer-thermostat/

[cahillicus]

That's super cool. I look forward to seeing the future upgrades.

[GumboJones1]

Awesome project! That's one classy looking Keezer. I've been wanting to do the same thing with a 2 tap system.

[Ockham]

Well done, my friend, well done. Minus the Kegs/Co2/Regulator/ how much are we looking at in $ here? I need to give the CFO (wife) a budgetary number in order to proceed.

[KozyWhiskey]

The Freezer: $150
Wood: Depends on type, Red Oak was probably $200-300 for trim and another $100 for frame.
Temperature Controller: $80
Hoses, Fittings, Taps: $100
Foil Tape, Liquid Nails, Screws, Etc: $100

These numbers are total ballpark, but probably around $700-800. That doesn't include the skyline LCD setup, add another $100 for that.

[eXtremeSomething]

Great work, I look forward to any future projects of yours. * Followed

[Penolopy Bulnick]

That is pretty darn fancy!

[KozyWhiskey]

Thank you