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The first thing you'll notice is - the thermostat is in the top
and is also dead center. You'd think that this would get in the way of
the kegs and the tower but you can see from the picture that there is
plenty of room for the kegs. |

Corn starch ready to paint onto top

It's hard to tell from the photo but only the front edge is dry. The
rest is still wet.
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Eric verified through Danby that there were no refrigerant lines running
through the center of the top. According to Danby there is a
refrigerant line running across the top front. There are several ways to
confirm this and my method is to plug the fridge in & feel around the
top until an area is warm.
Eric did the corn starch test. To do this test, you mix a batch of
corn starch & rubbing alcohol into a paste then you smear it onto the
top. The area above the refrigerant line will dry first because of the
heat.
The test confirmed that the line is running across the front. |

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Eric still had questions to answer, like what was under the thermostat
and were there any wires where he wanted to drill. He went ahead &
pulled loose the thermostat, looked underneath and found some wire
leading to the front (good news). |


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Instead of just trimming away the door features that were in the way,
Eric decided to install a clear acrylic sheet. You can buy the sheet
from any home improvement store. To install the sheet:
Remove the door panel screws
Lay the door panel over the sheet as a template
Trace the panel outline on the sheet
Install the sheet in place of the original panel
It helps to remove the door panel so that you can work on it on a
table top.
Also, you could do the same thing with a thin sheet of plywood.
Picture of the inside of the door with the sheet installed over the
door insulation.
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Eric made a template from the bottom of the tower. He even drew the
screw holes, which will help later. |

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Then he carefully centered the template on the refrigerator top. This is
a critical step because even a small amount off center will be very
noticeable. |

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Once he was happy with the centering, Eric started drilling. |

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Drilling goes very slow because hole saws are designed to cut through
wood, not steel. But if you take your time the saw will eventually cut
through the top. |


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As soon as the hole saw breaks through, you should stop and check for
wires.
Eric did not find any in his fridge but you never know when the
manufacturer will change things.... |

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Once you determine there are no wires then it's safe to drill all the
way through to the inside of the cabinet. |

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Picture from the inside. |


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After cutting the hole & cleaning up the mess, Eric lined the opening
with foil tape to help keep out moisture. This tape is available at
all home improvement stores - just ask for the foil tap that's used on
air conditioner ductwork. |

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It's getting close! Here's a picture of the inside with the foil tape
in place & the beer tower just sitting on top. |

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Because the steel on these refrigerators is very thin and the inside
liner does not give too much support, many who convert a kegerator mount
some kind of board on the inside for additional support. Eric decided
to do this and he used a piece of "Marine Lumber" polysheet because it
will not absorb moisture.
A support cut from plastic cutting board or thin sheet of plywood
also works great.
Notice, he also drilled the mounting holes through the support panel
- he drilled the 4 mounting holes through the top at the same time. |

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Our beer towers come with mounting hardware but the hardware is intended
for mounting on a wooden bar. You will need to purchase 4 each:
10-24 X 2-1/2" screws
1 pack #10 washers
1 pack #10 lock washers
1 pack #10 nuts
Eric bought all stainless steel hardware. |

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It's all down hill from here. You just place the tower on top of the
fridge, drop the mounting screws through and slide the plate onto the
bottom, slide on the washer lock washers and then tighten the nuts.
The refrigerator top is sandwiched between the tower and supporting
plate, making the tower mount very strong. |

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And when you are done - the completed conversion! |