Beer fridge alterations....?

[fretlessman71]

Has anyone ever had to put a shelf IN BETWEEN slats in their fridge? I would really like to get a shelf to exist halfway between where the standard slats go in my new fridge because I feel like I'm wasting a lot of space. If I'm able to do this, I'll have 3 shelves on which I could place upright beer bottles. As it is, the top shelf has too much headroom, and the middle shelf is unusable unless I lay bottles down, and the idea of bottles rolling back and forth on a glass shelf just isn't that appealing to me. Anyone fix this problem for themselves?

[O2 Mash]

Hmmm, haven't tried it before. The only thing I can think of is to perhaps remove the metal bar on the back of the fridge and raise it up a half notch, if you will, and reattach it to the back of the fridge. This idea would only help with the TOP shelf, but you'd still have the problem of limited space between the middle and top. For this, you might consider a small grinding tool and make your own slats to the right or left side of the standard stats, if space permits. Or, you could just drink less beer.

[noby]

I've seen one guy's fridge where he just took out all the shelves, and made up a wooden frame to hold the shelves. He had bottles on the bottom , and kegs on a shelf above them.
For this, it seems you want to raise the top shelf, so maybe four 2x1's cut to length, on the four corners of the second shelf, stuck to the side of the fridge. Then your top shelf could sit on these. That's probably what I would do (if I had a beer fridge:( )


noby

[pangea]

Without seeing it it's kind of hard to solve, but could you remove the metal bar like O2 mash suggested and replace it with a strip of wood? 1 X 3 or something even smaller. Then you could install the shelves anywere you wanted along the length of the wood.

You may have to buy different shelf supports than you have now that you could screw into the wood.

Good luck with it.

[fretlessman71]

I think I like the idea of adding in pieces of 2x1 wood the best. The shelf slats (not sure what else to call them... they hold up the shelves!) are molded into the inside of the unit, so there's nothing to remove. If I added in wood "corners" to put a shelf on, should I glue them in? Screw them in? If I need to screw them in, what dangers are there in permanently ruining a perfectly good $170 fridge (and voiding the warranty as well)?

[noby]

Fret, I think I would avoid screws and go with glue, just in case. Actually, thinking more about this, instead of 4 corner pieces, maybe a frame might be more sturdy. Perhaps 4 lengths of timber made to a rectangle on either side of the fridge (Just thinking a shelf full of beer would have a nice bit of weight)

noby.

[O2 Mash]

If you decide to glue them, I would recommend a 100% silicone sealant, it should do a good job. It comes in large tubes that you can use in a caulking gun.

[stronk]

As Noby said, the shelf is going to be pretty heavy. I don't think I'd trust glue, but I wouldn't want to screw anything into the side of the fridge. If I had the problem I'd follow an earlier suggestion and build a frame to fit inside the fridge. That way it'd also be easier to alter and you could easily convert the fridge back if you needed to.

[fretlessman71]

I had an idea of cutting 5-6 pieces of 2x1 to a length just longer than your standard beer bottle, placing them inside in either the shape of a 5 or a 6 on one side of a die, and resting the upper shelf on top of that... but now that I think about it, that lower shelf would be holding all the weight of TWO shelves of beer, wouldn't it? Hmmm...

Since I'm not handy at all, I'd probably have to have someone ELSE build that frame, and I'm not wild about the prospect.

[stronk]

Well, if you go for gluing shelf supports on the sides and always fill the fridge from the bottom, the shelves will never have far to fall and they'll always fall onto a shelf-full of upright bottles (which is pretty strong in itself). That's what I'd do if I weren't good with building things (which I'm not, incidentally!).

[sallad]

i've spent some time measuring my fridge and contemplating about this as well. and i think i've come up with a plan...

my fridge measures approx 21" deep and 26" wide. cornies look to be about 8.5" diameter, so i think i can fit 6 kegs in that space.

the problem is that there is a little step in the back of the fridge that take up about half the depth, and is about 6" high. also, the floor is slightly grooved, causing the kegs to tilt forward. as it is, can fit 2, maybe 3 kegs in there. i've already taken all the shelves and drawers out except the top shelf.

so, i'm going to build a wooden shelf. i'm going to take out the top shelf and make it as high as possible while still allowing myself room to access the co2/beer disconnects. i should have room underneath for some bottles (upright) and the co2 tank (on its side). basically, i'll cut some plywood to the fridge width and depth, and screw in some legs made from a 2x4 or something. also, i'll drill a small hole in the plywood to run my co2 line up to a manifold.

i'll post pics if i ever actually get around to doing this.. unfortunately, it isn't very high on my "honey-do" list... :(

[toneyc]

Ya can't put the co2 tank on its side. Liquid co2 expands rapidly as it turns to gas and will eat your regulator and possibly damage your shutoff valve.

:eek:
Toney.

[sallad]

DOH!!

well, i guess i'll be able to store 5 kegs and a co2 tank in there then.... :o

[fretlessman71]

OK... so here's my newest idea...

Go and get some 2x1 and really strong silicone sealant.

Cut short pieces for the 4 corners of the shelf.

Cut notches in each piece so that they will coincide with the molded shelf slats, which have an upper and a lower part to them so that the glass shelf can't move up OR down when it's in place. (This way, when the corners are in, I'll get help from the glue, PLUS the wood will have something to rest upon for gravitational purposes.)

Glue 4 corners in place.

Take remaining 2x1, cut a piece long enough to span the gap between the one in front (maybe a little longer so it's reeeealy snug) and do the same for the ones in the back.

Leave the spanners in to push hard on the corner pieces so as to make sure the glue seals tight and that the corners don't move at all during the process. I might even leave them in permanently.

BTW, I don't know what else to call the lengths of wood other than "spanners"; I know that's what the British call wrenches. If you've ever had to take a length of wood and lay it in a window track so no one could open it, you've got a vague idea at worst of what I'm thinking of.

Any thoughts on this?

[O2 Mash]

Originally posted by toneyc
Ya can't put the co2 tank on its side. Liquid co2 expands rapidly as it turns to gas and will eat your regulator and possibly damage your shutoff valve.

Toney.

Hey Toney, that avatar can't be you could it??? What's with all of the pictures of the long hair and pony tails these days. This board is starting to look like a John Kerry campaign fund raiser (not that there's anything wrong with that) ;)

[toneyc]

Fret: That's "1x2", not "2x1".

O2Mash: Yep, that's me and I am so glad Kerry didn't get it. That fella jest skeert me!

:D
Toney.