DIY Fridge/Beer cooler

Feb 24, 2004 7 Replies

I've bought a fridge. Nothing unusal there but it turns out to be a



1970's naval beer cooler and it weighs 450kg!!

You can see pictures and a full description here

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looks fantastic but is very noisy when running and I'd like to replace the workings with something more modern and quiet.



So my questions are:-



What problems am I likely to encounter? Where can I get the necessary components? Am I mad?



thanks



Nick


I would think the cheapest way would be to buy a cheapo fridge and tear it to pieces, preferably without losing its gas and install the whole lot . Maybe have to regas if you need to cut pipes.

Yes, you are mad, but so is everybody.

MrCheerful

The noise is probably because it uses a commercial grade where noise wouldn't matter very much.

Look at moving the existing compressor out of doors and piping back to the fridge.

You would need a refridgeration engineer, possibly one of the engineers who deal with pubs and the like.... They often have the compressors outside the pub.... Ask in your local pub who does there work perhaps. Do the pipe run yourself after getting him to drain the system and ask him to do the joints and refill.

Probably :-)

It will fall through the floor.

Ask a sailor.

No.

Well, only a little bit, for being bothered by the noise. Keep it outside.

Mary

Be careful, if it's 1970's it'll be loaded with CFC's.

I dont think theyre a safety hazard. But it will be power hungry: todays fridges eat something like a third the power. If it really has been recharged I dont know how that would affect its power eating. It might be worth metering it to see what it eats, just so you dont get a nasty shock. You can do that approximately without any equipment.

I would seriously look at the floor structure where youre putting it,

450kg is a beast. It really could take a floor down.

Regards, NT

are children around. A child could trap themselves inside and then suffocate. If you ever chuck the fridge out, make sure you break the lock mechanism first so it can't lock the door shut.

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