Updated: 5/3/2024
Chest freezers are great. They’re generally well priced and they’re space and energy efficient and can be easily had.
The primary idea with a chest freezer is to… freeze food. Also referred to as Deep Freezes, most models do not go through a defrost cycle. That’s a bummer come manual defrost time but outstanding for energy savings and food preservation.
Limited Time Deal on Chest Freezers at Wal-Mart:
As of this posting, Wal-Mart this chest freezer on sale for $165. Shipping is also free to many US addresses.
TCL CF073W, White 7.0 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
You could use this to put together a freezer based kegerator/keezer (See: Tips and Gear for your Kegerator) or temperature controlled fermentation chamber.
Side note… Because of the lack of a defrost cycle, chest freezers are great for storing hops – our hop deals roundup
Many people including myself have repurposed chest freezers as kegerators or “keezers”.
What does Keezer mean? Keezer = kegerator + freezer.
To do the conversion you basically add a compatible temp controller – Inkbird deals and reviews – that will allow you to operate a chest freezer at fridge temps. After that add some taps, maybe a collar, some kegs and a CO2 tank and you’re off and going!
The problem: Chest freezers are generally meant to operate at freezing temperatures, not beer serving temps. This causes issues with condensation and airflow. Left unhandled these issues can cause other problems, like sanitation issues.
Through several iterations of my own keezer, I’ve experienced all of these problems. I have a library of tips and resources that specifically apply to serving draft beer, but these are the top three when it comes to keezer conversions.
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