Keezer Build Guide

Parts list

Everything the build needs

• Chest freezer, 5 to 7 cubic feet for four to six cornies. Check interior floor dimensions against keg diameter -- about 8.5 inches each -- and note the compressor hump, which eats usable area at one end.
• Collar timber. 2x6 or 2x8 is standard. 2x8 gives more height for shank clearance and more room for a manifold inside.
• External dual-stage temperature controller. Not optional -- see below.
• Shanks and faucets, one per tap. Shank length must match collar thickness.
• Beverage line, several feet per tap for balancing.
• CO2 cylinder, primary regulator and a secondary manifold if running more than one keg.
• Weatherstripping or adhesive foam for the collar-to-freezer and collar-to-lid seals.
• Silicone sealant, food-safe where it faces the interior.
• Finish for the timber -- paint, stain or veneer. The interior face will see condensation, so seal it properly.

The collar

Why it exists and how to build it

The collar is a timber box that sits between the freezer body and its lid, raising the lid by the collar’s height. It exists for one reason: you drill the collar, not the freezer. Drilling the freezer wall risks the refrigerant lines running through the insulation, which turns the appliance into scrap.

It also solves the height problem. A corny keg with posts and disconnects fitted is around 27 inches, and a chest freezer interior frequently is not. A 2x6 or 2x8 collar adds the clearance that makes the kegs fit.

1. Measure the freezer’s top rim and build a rectangular frame to match, with corner joints of your choosing -- butt joints with screws and glue are entirely adequate.
2. Dry fit it and check the lid still closes and the hinges still clear. Lid hinges mounting to the freezer body rather than the collar is the detail that catches people -- plan how the hinges will attach before you cut.
3. Seal both faces. Adhesive foam weatherstripping between freezer and collar, and between collar and lid. The seal is what keeps the running cost low.
4. Finish the timber inside and out. The interior face sits in a cold humid box and bare wood will grow mold.
5. Drill the shank holes last, after you have decided the tap spacing. Measure faucet handle clearance -- taps too close together cannot both be pulled.

The controller

Why the freezer thermostat cannot do this

A chest freezer’s own thermostat is designed to hold a freezing temperature and typically cannot be set anywhere near 38°F. The standard solution is to leave it set to its coldest position and override it entirely with an external dual-stage controller:

• The freezer plugs into the controller’s cooling outlet rather than the wall.
• The controller’s probe goes inside the box, hanging in the air away from the compressor wall and not touching a keg.
• Set the target to 38°F with a sensible differential (1 to 2°F) and a compressor delay so it does not short-cycle.
• In an unheated garage, the heating outlet can run a small tube heater so the box does not drop below target in winter.

Controller options are in best temperature controllers.

The detail nobody mentions

Condensation on the floor

A keezer at 38°F in a humid garage collects water. Every time the lid opens, warm moist air enters and condenses, and over weeks a puddle forms on the floor of the box -- which, in a chest freezer, is a stainless or painted steel tray with nowhere for the water to go.

Left alone it causes rust and smells. The fixes, in order of effort:

• A towel on the floor of the box, wrung out occasionally. Crude and effective.
• A tub of desiccant or a damp-absorbing product in one corner.
• A small drain. Some builders fit a drilled drain in the floor with a tube to a bottle outside. Effective and involves drilling the freezer floor, which risks refrigerant lines -- check where they run before considering it.
• A computer fan inside to circulate air. Reduces stratification and helps surfaces dry between openings.

Still deciding whether to build or buy? Kegerator vs keezer has the comparison. Once it is running, CO2 regulator settings covers dialing in the pours.