Drilling holes in fridge

[aero-spaced-out]

I was able to get the top cover off mine and go through the insulation on top.
I'm going to run the tubing under the cover using the elbow joints to leave the top free for storage and still looks tidy.
Plus if I want to sell it on after or just go back to using it as a fridge, I can without there being visible holes in the casing
Just need to wait for this foam to cure properly before I go drilling any more holes lol.

Just keep caution on your side at all times as you work.

 

[jof]

I think almost all the fridges radiate from the sides now rather than the back.
Our old one still has the black radiator grill on the back & I guess they changed it because it collects dust that doesn't get cleared as it's shoved against the wall & in kitchen design nobody allows a ventilation gap for under counter fridges any more.

To be honest, side cooling reduces the internal useable space. Our new freezer seems really narrow compared to the old one.

 

[MashBag]

Glad to hear nothing went wrong.

When I did mine I did some exploratory poking around with a thin but blunt screwdriver. I found that the internal wall plastic was very soft and thin so just pushed that through gently and it came out the back no problem, the back plastic sheeting was a bit tougher but still pokeable. Moved up to a bigger screwdriver that was just shy of 3/8"s and the hole was now big enough for the line to get snugly pushed through.

I'm sure if I had come into contact with any steel refrigerant pipes at any point it would have been obvious and I could have just tried another spot.

No drill required.

I have never considered that it is plastic & foam at the back so far more pokeable.

Lol... Says the man who used a hole cutter

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Assume all fridges have pipes in the sides.

Commercial fridges or old fridges with the metal condenser exposed on the back of the fridge have no pipework in the sides.

Use a soldering iron to melt a hole in the internal plastic of the fridge wall. Then use an Allen key to poke around for proximity of any condenser pipes.

Also of note the fridge roof doesn't have condenser pipes in.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I know there’s no cooling in the sides of mine as only the back gets cold, but the sides can feel warm.

The sides are warm because they do have pipes in, if anything the back is cold due to poor insulation and doesn't have any pipes in.

 

[aero-spaced-out]

The sides are warm because they do have pipes in, if anything the back is cold due to poor insulation and doesn't have any pipes in.

This

The exterior walls on my fridge are warm
Couldn't feel any temperature change other than ambient on the exterior rear
Internally, the back is colder as that's the primary cource of cooling but the inside walls were still cold.

 

[stripeyjoe]

Generally, for a fridge, if there is a grill on the back then it is very unlikely for there to be heat dissipation in the sides. If the back of the fridge is sealed up then it is more likely that the heat is dissipated from the sides rather than from a grill on the back.

 

[dlowe1992]

The sides are warm because they do have pipes in, if anything the back is cold due to poor insulation and doesn't have any pipes in.

The exterior walls on my fridge are warm
Couldn't feel any temperature change other than ambient on the exterior rear
Internally, the back is colder as that's the primary cource of cooling but the inside walls were still cold.

That description mirrors exactly what I've observed with mine.
Better be careful as I go!

 

[aero-spaced-out]

Generally, for a fridge, if there is a grill on the back then it is very unlikely for there to be heat dissipation in the sides. If the back of the fridge is sealed up then it is more likely that the heat is dissipated from the sides rather than from a grill on the back.

Aye, i had suspicion and my friends dads thermal camera confirmed it along with the actual feeling, I was able to see linear "hot spots" quite close together after I turned it on and watched it warm up

That description mirrors exactly what I've observed with mine.
Better be careful as I go!

Aye just keep caution on your side as you work and you should be grand

 

[MashBag]

Commercial fridges or old fridges with the metal condenser exposed on the back of the fridge have no pipework in the sides.

Close but no cigar. It was a Derby commercial I decommissioned!

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Close but no cigar. It was a Derby commercial I decommissioned!

AHH but did it have the metal grill on the back?
Commercial fridges without the metal grill on the back don't comply with my statement.

 

[MashBag]

I come across a lot of things that don't comply with my statements.

 

[aero-spaced-out]

I think that this is finished until after the holiday season.

Plans for what to do next with this?
1. Probably come back and look at changing to some form of dual manifold system with secondary regs so that I can choose between isolating each line to an individual gas or else have both lines running the same gas.

2. Check valves... maybe. Not entirely sold on them. Nearly made a blunder by connecting my mixed gas up to the keg with no pressure coming from the tank. Immediately started to purge through the regulator. Thankfully the ball valve connected to the reg was an easy isolation so that I could get my reg up to the appropriate pressure before feeding back in.

What do yall think... any thoughts for ways to improve?

 

[Clint]

I know only one thing that is essential....buy a check valve...or two.

 

[stripeyjoe]

I think some of the manifolds have a check valve in.
You would only need one secondary reg, set the main one for the higher pressure and the secondary for the lower one.
TBH, unless you brew beers with vastly different carb level needs you’ll get away with setting the same pressure for both kegs. I just set mine for around 2-2.5 vols, seems to work for most beers.

 

[aero-spaced-out]

I know only one thing that is essential....buy a check valve...or two.

I initially typed out a response wanting an answer as to why I should get them if I'm unsure about them but the more I typed, the more I answered my own question. The price of a couple of check valves will certainly sting less than the price of a new regulator or the time it'll take to try clean one out.

Have them in the basket waiting until the new year.

 

[aero-spaced-out]

I think some of the manifolds have a check valve in.
You would only need one secondary reg, set the main one for the higher pressure and the secondary for the lower one.
TBH, unless you brew beers with vastly different carb level needs you’ll get away with setting the same pressure for both kegs. I just set mine for around 2-2.5 vols, seems to work for most beers.

I had to read this a couple of times... not because it didn't make sense, but because it did not occur to me to use the main regulator as the higher setpoint should I need to
Well, that's that sorted. Gonna draft up some ideas and add some extras into the basket.
Need to stop spending money on gear and start spending money on ingredients for beer! (or wine, 2025 is going to be an interesting year)