Deep freezer question.

[Rat407]

OK, we got an old deep freezer from my father-in-law that passed. My question is can I drill a hole in the top of the cabinet to put the thermostat control thermocouple through? By looking at the diagram of the freezer which is here, it looks like the cooling coil is in the back only that a fan runs over to cool the cabinet and there isn't any cooling coils in the walls or top, but I want to make sure that is what I'm seeing here. Anyone else think that it is safe to put a hole in the top for the thermocouple?

I'm going to use this as keggerator. Perfect for kegs and I can run a tap through the door, or taps if I get really thrifty with brewing more.

 

[rjundi]

Those old freezers can cost $20-$25/month to run. Just something to keep in mind if for full time use. A new one(Energy Star) pays for for itself quite quickly.

 

[Rat407]

I'm keeping an eye on the electric bill. Since it isn't going to keep things frozen and just around 40 degrees or so to keep the beer cold, I wouldn't think it would be to bad, but then it could I guess. Only time will tell and my electric bill.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Rat407
Since it isn't going to keep things frozen and just around 40 degrees or so to keep the beer cold,


beer is better around 30 degrees if you are pumping it out of a keg.

 

[Quest]

I'm with rjundi on this one RE: old chest freezer and energy consumption.

I know it's free but somehow, just like CRT monitors and TeeVees...this is one of the things that personally I wouldn't take advantage of (even if it's a freebie).

just me though.

Q.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Those old freezers can cost $20-$25/month to run. Just something to keep in mind if for full time use.


Keeping a keg full can cost that much per day if you're thirsty enough. With a fun project like this you've got to keep things in perspective.

 

[JTK]

Our last home had a massive and ancient commercial chest freezer in the basement. Looked like a giant casket. It was so big I swear they had to drop it in the basement and build the house around it.

I had to disassemble it as far as I could go and then take my electric hatchet (sawzall) to it. Gawd what a terrible mess. Had wet insulation in it, even though it hadn't been used in 25yrs.

I couldn't imagine how much juice it would draw. It was 120V. Had the cloth covered cord and a compressor that was partly cast iron.

Anyhoo.. put a small, cheap new chest freezer in it's place and never noticed an increase on my electric bill. I would just look on CL or the likes for one to blow a hole in.

 

[Donald]

I just got a GE 7 cu ft chest freezer and the energy use is listed as $30/yr. The min and max for this size group was $25 to $35.
So $2.50/month. Not bad at all.

But I have no teenagers to open the refrig (I know this is a freezer) and stare inside for 5 minutes deciding what to eat.

And yes, I probably did that 45 years ago.