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.