My Science Project is Done for Now

The draft system is complete for now.  I still need to do something a bit more permanent with the shank box by attaching better than it is now.  The cooler seems to be holding at a pretty consistent temperature but the beer is taking some time to get to a nice drinking temperature.  I can fit either four 5 gallon corny kegs in it or one corny keg and a 1/2 barrel and the CO2 bottle still fits fine.  Here's a few pictures as it looks now below.

Shawn also had his first cross country meet of the year.  I'm pretty sure the team won his age group but we left before the results were posted.  Shawn ended up 100th out of what I would guess 150-165 boys.  Not bad considering he is now running with 4th-6th graders and he's a 4th grader.  He seemed to peter out during the last 150 yards and let a few boys pass him.

Here's Shawn after about his first half mile

Beer lines and recirculation tube run out of the cooler to a Styrofoam cooler 

My recirculation blower is mounted in the middle and move cold air up a duct and to the back of my faucets

Point where the recirculated cold air and the beer lines run out of the cooler and up a PVC tube to the back of the faucets

Gas distribution valves and CO2 tank/regulator

Temperature controller

New Kegerator build Day one

Well, the final step in the basement project is to build a more reliable, as far as temperature control and a slightly larger capacity beer cooler to supply the taps I built into the bar.  Today my recirculating fan and temperature controller finally arrive and I started the process of converting our old 7 cubic foot chest freezer into a beer cooler.  Of course the first thing I had to do is buy a new chest freezer to replace the one I'm butchering up for the sake of beer.

Tonight I build and installed the collar that will give the freezer additional depth as well as a place to drill holes for things like the beer lines, CO2 lines, temperature controllers and the like.  I'm still torn on if I will keep the CO2 bottle inside the cooler or outside.  I will have plenty of room to keep it in the cooler along with 4 of my 5 gallon homebrew kegs so I think I'm leaning on the inside to cooler option at this point unless someone can tell me why I shouldn't.

I build the collar out of cedar 1X8 lumber.  I cut the boards at 45 degree angles and then attached the pieces with small brads, L brackets and filled the gaps with silicone.  I then used silicone to attach the collar to the freezer frame.  I also used the silicone to seal the collar to the frame where the two meet.  Once I let the silicone set for a bit, I reattached the freezer lid using the original hinges and some wood screws.  Tomorrow night, I will run the beer lines, install and wire the recirculation blower and the temperature controller.  I will also mount the gas splitter inside the freezer on the collar.  Then it will be beer time.

Below are some pictures so far:

  Just your typical chest freezer

Nothing special

The Collar 

Checking the fit of the lid (nice dent but I swear it was like that when we got it)

Collar installed on the freezer frame.  A pretty good fit too.

Inside view

Hinges reinstalled (notice the holes where the flanges were attached originally)

All seems to function well up to this point.