Here are some pics from my 5-tap kegerator build. The kegerator has been operational for a few months, but I just finished designing a logo and had a sign printed. I used a new Kenmore 11.7 cu ft freezer and built a collar as most do. I decided to go with a new freezer to avoid having potential issues with buying used. Yes, I know many of you have had sucess with used freezers, but I have bad luck with stuff like that.
The collar is 2"X8" pine with a 1"x10" oak outer sheath. The outer sheath rises about 1/4" above the inner collar, and hangs down 1.5" below the top of the freezer. I built the 2x8 part to be exactly the width and length of the freezer so that the outer sheath would fit snugly.
I cut the collar a little shorter than 2x8 so that the lower screews of the freezer lid hinges would fit into the upper holes on the freezer, with just the upper screws in the collar. I thought the added stability would be worth the lost of ¾” of depth.
I used Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner, stained it with Minwax WoodFinish red chestnut, and Minwax Helmsman spar urethane to help prevent rotting from condensation. Wood was all glued and screwed together, then two more coats of the urethane were applied. I used a roll of rope caulk between the top of the freezer and the bottom of the collar.
Holes for the faucets were drilled with a drill press. I am still deciding what to do for tap handles, but it works fine without them for now. Rbower’s tap handle project with the magnetic labels looks like a pretty good idea, so I may do something like that.
Anyway, I can fit 6 kegs plus the CO2 tank inside with room for bottles (or a half keg in the future) on the hump. A 7-way spitter allows me to keep all 6 kegs on tap, plus an extra hose for jumping beer, pushing santizer, filling bottles, etc. Used Perlick faucets and a Johnson Temp Controller, which is mounted to the wall. The kegerator sits in my laundry room which is about 10’ away from my couch/recliner and TV!
Finished product!!
I designed the logo myself from scratch with Adobe Illustrator (used the free trial). I took a photo of my own hand and stylized it with the software for the label. It is printed on vinyl and has a hard plastic backing. Also had a few 5”x7” stickers made to put on stuff like my truck window, kegs, etc.