Need help with Kegerator Project

[BitterPunk]

I recently built a kegerator out of a chest freezer, adding a wooden collar to it.
My only problem with it is getting the lid to close all the way..
So far I stacked some stuff on top to weigh it down, & that works for now, but I'm looking for some ideas on a permanent fix.
If you want to see what it looks like or how I built it, check out our free podcast on iTunes: Crude Brew Crew
and it will give you a better understanding what I'm talking about. Let me know if you have any suggestions, thanks!

[Whitebeard_Brewer]

Without seeing any pictures, just going off your description, my guess is that maybe the hinges on the back are located too low.....are they mounbted to the collar?? Maybe moving them up a touch might allow the lid to close better. You didn't say what part of the lid was not closing, so I'm stabbing in the dark here!

Pictures would go a long way in helping get this resolved in the shortest amount of time.


EDIT: OK, after watching the video, first, did the lid stay closed before you added that bubble insulation?? If so, cut that flush with the top of the collar on the inside, the rubber seal of the freezer will seal it good enough.

Next thing, if the lid is not closing, without the bubble insulation, then I would go back to my original suggestion, of adjusting the hinges.

Hope all that makes sense!

[TheDarkSide]

In addition to Whitebeard's advice, is the wood collar level across the top, i.e. warping of the boards. When weight is put on the top, it would cause the rubber seal to compress but when there was no weight, it may leave gaps. Not sure how much it doesn't close with out pics.

[bcmaui]

I'd loose the foil around the top edge of the collar for starters.

You also need to adjust the hinges as suggested above - the wooden collar might not be perfectly square and a shim under the bottom part of the hinge (a washer or two) will help the front close up if the back is touching but the front is not. If both the back and the front are not touching you need to lower the hinge slightly.

Did you have the lid in the closed position before attaching the screws?

At 7:51 in your video it looks like the right hand side hinge (behind the taps) is a bit higher than the left hand side hinge.

There is also a small adjustment in the spring tension on some of these hinges, or just adding a piece of plywood or some other sort of countertop will give you a little extra weight to seal the thing up and give you some counterspace.

[CRBrewHound]

Go to your local hardware store (homedepot, lowes, ext...) get some replacement refridgerator seal stripping that you find around the door of a fridge or freezer. Take a router and router out the collar to hold the stripping. Then Silcon the strpping in place. This should replace provide the seal that you are looking for.

[BitterPunk]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will try some attempts when I get home and let you know the results. To answer a few of the questions....

The wooden collar is level...
The lid closed before adding the wooden collar, but still wouldn't close before adding the insulation...
I screwed the hinges on with the lid in the closed position...


I appreciate all the feedback. The kegerator is performing very well, I just have to add weight on top of it to close the lid (temporary).