Drip tray on front of Fridge

[PeterB]

Hi

I have 4 taps on the front of my larder fridge (and 4 cornies within the fridge). How best to I secure a drip tray, and what are the best drip trays to use?

Cheers

 

[BarnBrian]

Hi

I have 4 taps on the front of my larder fridge (and 4 cornies within the fridge). How best to I secure a drip tray, and what are the best drip trays to use?

Cheers

Self tapping screws will do the job. Personally I'd screw and glue timber on first and then have the tray support screws through the timber.

 

[pottsworth]

I used plaster board rawlplugs, the ones with a metal tube, with 4 legs that open out when you tighten the screw.

They work a treat.

 

[simon12]

Could you use the salad draw

 

[HoppyTommy]

My dog acts as a drip tray. He is consistently sat under the taps each time I draw a pint ready to lick up the over spill.

 

[PeterB]

Currently it is suspended with thin nylon rope from the taps. The trouble is the front of the fridge is curved.

 

[Ghillie]

Can't see your images by the way @PeterB

Superglue and silicone are two good options for consideration. Really depends on whether your tray is to hold the weight of a pint or just catch the drips from the tap...

If you were to fit a drip try like the style in the link below, it would be a no brainer to use self tappers.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/30CM-St...ip-Tray-Beer-Kegerator-HomeBrew-/292339739724

 

[pottsworth]

The problem I found was that the outer skin of a fridge door was very thin metal, so wouldn’t support much with just self tappers.

The plaster board plugs distribute the force across the back.

These are the sort of thing I’ve got.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-x-45m...db:m:mT6SM5ICyENIbSD1Fo4xovw&var=583539659576

 

[Ghillie]

The problem I found was that the outer skin of a fridge door was very thin metal, so wouldn’t support much with just self tappers.

The plaster board plugs distribute the force across the back.

These are the sort of thing I’ve got.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M5-x-45m...db:m:mT6SM5ICyENIbSD1Fo4xovw&var=583539659576

Self tappers would definitely support the whole tray of full pint glasses!

But, no harm in being over cautious if you want to be.

 

[Bill_g]

It's just a question of spreading the load and understanding the effects of leverage. If put in properly the self tappers will be hard to pull out via a straight pull but if the shelf can move/wobble at all the fixing will fail. Equally liquid towards the outer side of the tray will develop large forces via leverage. I would be inclined to build a shelf for the tray with angle bracket supports at least as long as the tray is wide. A stronger fixing method would be to use M4 studding and some lareg stainless steel washers on the inside of the door. So overall a question of spreading the load and make sure there's no movement in the assembly. If the door is curved then I'd simply shape the back of the shelf to fit the door.
The wall anchors you mentioned will work ok but again I think that you will get a better fixing by spreading the load over a big area and making a shelf out of ply or whatever say 150mm wide and 150 deep the overall structure will be a lot stronger, plus it will allow you to remove the tray for a wash.
If DIY isn't your thing find a friend ... beer bribery works wonders!
good luck
Bill

 

[pottsworth]

It's just a question of spreading the load and understanding the effects of leverage. If put in properly the self tappers will be hard to pull out via a straight pull but if the shelf can move/wobble at all the fixing will fail. Equally liquid towards the outer side of the tray will develop large forces via leverage. I would be inclined to build a shelf for the tray with angle bracket supports at least as long as the tray is wide. A stronger fixing method would be to use M4 studding and some lareg stainless steel washers on the inside of the door.
Bill

I thought about doing something similar. My first attempt was to just screw it which didn't last. The plasterboard plugs can comfortably home a 1 lite Pyrex jug full of liquid, and I've walked into it a few times without any lasting damage. You can also unhook the tray easily to wash, and it doesn't pierce the inside of the door.

If it ever does fail next option will be threaded bar all the way through the door with some meaty size washers.