Will this work?

[dogismycopilot]

First question: Is it safe to keep an operational CO2 tank on its side (or at least, laying at an angle)? I have a 50 lb tank, which is too tall for my chest freezer or fridge. I ferment in the chest freezer, so I can't store kegs cold for more than a couple weeks, without interfering with the next batch.
Also, until I can find a schematic of my fridge, I'm hesitant to start drilling holes for gas lines.
So, I'm thinking of carbonating a keg in the freezer, with the tank inside, leaning against the compressor hump. Then moving the keg to the fridge, and just bumping it with CO2, when the pressure drops too low to pour.

Will that work?

Alternatively, can I run the gas line through the fridge door weatherstripping on the hinge side, without a big cold air leak? And is the line stiff enough to allow the CO2 to flow, with the door closed?

Thanks for any input.

[BadRock]

If you are worried about hitting a line, you can always drill through the door and run your line. Just drill the hole where it can be covered later by your drip tray when you finalize your setup.

[Bugeater]

Definitely don't lay the tank on it's side while using it. Liquid CO2 will get into the regulator and really fuck things up. The easy thing to do is build a collar for your freezer out of 2X4 or 2X6 boards. Just take the lid off, put the collar on, and then fasten the lid to the collar. You then can drill holes in the wood for taps and to run in your CO2 line.

Here is my old kegerator:



I used 2X4's for the collar and then wrapped it with 1X6 poplar with some walnut stain to make it look pretty. My current kegerator is pretty much the same only bigger with 4 taps. I put holes on the side of the collar for the gas line and for the temp probe wires.

Wayne

[Quin]

You can take the outside back cover off the refrigerator, inside freezer cover, and look under the bottom and see where the refrigerant lines are running. The condenser coil (hot side) is normally near the compressor in the bottom of the fridge. The evaporator coil (cold side) is normally in the freezer. There are two gas lines connecting the two coils. It shouldn't be a problem to drill unless you have a 1950's era refrigerator.

[Cody]

Bugeater...that's brilliant.

[dogismycopilot]

Thanks for the tips! I had a feeling laying the tank down wouldn't be good, with all the warnings I've read about propane tanks...
I'll try taking the back cover off the fridge first; that sounds like my best option. I love the collared kegerators, but until I have another fermentation chamber, I can't keep the freezer at serving temp for very long, and I think the CO2 tank will have to be near the fridge (freezer's in another room.) If that doesn't work, I might try BadRock's idea to find an inconspicuous place to drill the door.

Cheers!