Brewing Master » Homebrew Beer » Refrigerator Penetration
Refrigerator Penetration
Question:
: (Charley) writes:
: Anyway, question is, is there a problem with going in through the side : of the refer? Are there refrigeration lines hidden in there? And what Some refridgerators have heating coils is the side to prevent condensation from forming on the outside of the fridge ( that’s what that ‘energy saver’ switch controls). I don’t know what would happen if you hit that… Chris Hubbard
Response:
Some refridgerators have heating coils is the side to prevent condensation from forming on the outside of the fridge ( that’s what that ‘energy saver’ switch controls). I don’t know what would happen if you hit that…
The coolant would escape. This isn’t desireable 
As long as there are no coils n the sides, there is not a problem drilling through them. I have 3 taps through the side on mine in the living room. Having drilled the door of the prior unit, i find that the side works *much* better; there aren’t as many tangles dealing with the hosing when getting at the keg, and the hoses aren’t constantly pulled when the door is opened rick — R E HAWKINS These opinions will not be those of ISU until they pay my retainer.
Response:
: (Charley) writes: : Anyway, question is, is there a problem with going in through the side : of the refer? Are there refrigeration lines hidden in there? And what Some refridgerators have heating coils is the side to prevent condensation from forming on the outside of the fridge ( that’s what that ‘energy saver’ switch controls). I don’t know what would happen if you hit that…
I think (haven’t tried it) that you owuld drill through the first layer of sheet metal, and then stop and probe around in the insulation to make sure there wasn’t anything in the way, before drilling the rest of the way through. I bet it’s fairly safe if you are careful. And unplug it first. Never know where some engineer decided a wire should go, or if there might be a short somewhere. Roses are red Mike Huber Violets are blue http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2111 this would rhyme.
Response:
(Charley) writes: This is a duplicate to the question posted to hbd. Neither the hbd or this
newsgroup seems to be – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -100% healthy these days so I went both ways, sorry for the wasted bandwidth, but I really don’t want to ruin my refer. I’ve heard (not seen yet) that a lot of homebrewers who keg, end up putting the keg in a dedicated refer and poke a hole through the door to install a tap. This seems like it would be a lot of trouble with opening the door, ie getting hoses all over the place. I have a refer which is now dedicated to beer (what a wonderful thing). My idea is to keep 4 or 5 kegs in there, punch 5 holes in the WALL, one for C02 and 4 for taps. This way I can have a blonde, a brown, a porter and stout all available all the time. Right now I’ve just got a "T" in the gas line so I can handle 2, but I always have to open the refer door. Anyway, question is, is there a problem with going in through the side of the refer? Are there refrigeration lines hidden in there? And what kind of drill bit should I get? Always lookin for the easy way, Charley When hell freezes over, I’ll ski there too.
Hi Charley I know of one person that has done just what you plan to try. It has been working well for him. My understanding is that the cooling coils are on the back plane you shouldn’t hit anything drilling through the side. All of the shanks that I have seen need a 1" hole drilled through the side for the taps. Use a or 1" or 1 1/8" hole saw that will cut metal. The parts that come with the shank will cover the hole (I think that a 1" hole will be tight). I have found a unit called a "bulkhead adapter" that works well for getting the gas into the fridge, but they have a max. lenght of 4" which allows 2 3/4" of wall thichness. The bulkhead adapter only works if you have 1/4" FFL nuts and stems on the ends of your gas lines. You can also use the it with quick disconnects, but it is a bit pricey. There is also a 5 port manifold availible so you can tap 5 kegs at once. It will connect to th bulkhead adapter on the inside of the fridge. let me know if I can help Mark Hafterson Don’t let your beer be a stranger. HOMEBREW! http://www.jcave.com/~dejabru/
Response:
This is a duplicate to the question posted to hbd. Neither the hbd or this newsgroup seems to be 100% healthy these days so I went both ways, sorry for the wasted bandwidth, but I really don’t want to ruin my refer. I’ve heard (not seen yet) that a lot of homebrewers who keg, end up putting the keg in a dedicated refer and poke a hole through the door to install a tap. This seems like it would be a lot of trouble with opening the door, ie getting hoses all over the place. I have a refer which is now dedicated to beer (what a wonderful thing). My idea is to keep 4 or 5 kegs in there, punch 5 holes in the WALL, one for C02 and 4 for taps. This way I can have a blonde, a brown, a porter and stout all available all the time. Right now I’ve just got a "T" in the gas line so I can handle 2, but I always have to open the refer door. Anyway, question is, is there a problem with going in through the side of the refer? Are there refrigeration lines hidden in there? And what kind of drill bit should I get? Always lookin for the easy way, Charley When hell freezes over, I’ll ski there too.