Guffalo Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I am looking for advice (I'm not Chef Jim). I am kicking around the idea of making a wine/Whiskey barrel kegerator. I have looked over a few online DIY projects on the subject but have some questions. The basic structure is a wine barrel cut open and fitted with the remains of a small cube refrigerator (think of the dorm refrigerators). These fridges have 3 main components, the condenser, the coil on the back and the freezer compartment that chills the cube refrigerator. In the examples I have seen, the 3 components are stripped away from the shell of the fridge and fitted into the barrel. As I understand it the 3 components are sealed and cannot be taken apart without having to have special refrigeration tools and skills to reassemble. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=285887 http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=368443 The questions I have for the experts here are : Can the cooling coil be mounted under the barrel? (I plan on a small platform to elevate the barrel on wheels for portability) If the coil can be mounted underneath, how can I rotate it so as not to snap off or pinch the fine tubes that are connected to the condenser and chill plate? If the coil cannot be mounted underneath and rotated, can it be placed inside the chilled barrel without ruining the efficiency of the system? Will the condenser need extra ventilation if I were to enclose it in a false bottom inside the barrel? A half keg is a tight fit, so I may have to go with ponies, can I get standard brands in those sizes or just craft beers? With ponies, I can probably squeeze 2 in the space, should I get a double tap or stick with a single and just have the extra pony as a backup? Any help is appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 LoL! You seem like he is not helping the chick to guy ratio w/the topic of the post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Best left to the experts in refrigeration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Here's what I would do: buy a big tub, put in 10 gallons of water and 6 blocks of ice, put in 3 or 4 cases of LaBatts...let it get good and cold. Then open 2 or 3 beers and reconsider if you want to build a kegerator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Buy one like the one in my pic. Holds full kegs and keeps the beer super cold! But I am lazy, I just want the beer without the work! Cheers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 What did you end up doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 The questions I have for the experts here are : Can the cooling coil be mounted under the barrel? (I plan on a small platform to elevate the barrel on wheels for portability) If the coil can be mounted underneath, how can I rotate it so as not to snap off or pinch the fine tubes that are connected to the condenser and chill plate? If the coil cannot be mounted underneath and rotated, can it be placed inside the chilled barrel without ruining the efficiency of the system? Will the condenser need extra ventilation if I were to enclose it in a false bottom inside the barrel? Any help is appreciated Your questions sound like something this guy already figured out, have you seen this page? http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=285887 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guffalo Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 Your questions sound like something this guy already figured out, have you seen this page? http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=285887 Yes, I saw that page, the question is the malleable nature (or not) of the cooling coils and structure of the refrigerant loop. I am hoping to find a barrel over the next few weeks, and from there I will try a few cheap craigslist finds for the refrigerator parts. Hopefully I can get it done for less than $300 but we will see how many variations of the cooling system I break trying to compact it into a barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts