Fridge drilling question

[adamzworld]

I know that this has probably been asked before, but am I okay to drill a hole in the front of my fridge door without damaging any of the electronics?

I currently have adapted an old Philips under counter fridge to take a pressure barrel. It's connected up to an Inkbird 308 so I can store the beer around 11oC. I'd like to hook it up to my Angram beer engine, so my plan is to drill a hole in the front door so I can then feed the beer line through to the pressure barrel. I plan to fit a rubber grommet so that it doesn't damage the line when I feed it through, but just wanted to check whether I can drill a hole in front door without buggering up the fridge?

Cheers,


Adam

[adamzworld]

Fridge internals

[Hairybiker]

There should be NO electrical connections on the front door. Or chilling ones.
The fact that you can REMOVE the door completely by undoing the hinge gives this away.

[Dave S]

Wouldn't you prefer to drill into the side, so you can still open the door? There have been queries as to whether there are any electronics/pipes running around the sides of a fridge, but plenty of people do drill into the sides.

[adamzworld]

There should be NO electrical connections on the front door. Or chilling ones.
The fact that you can REMOVE the door completely by undoing the hinge gives this away.

Thanks for the response. I guess I should have been able to figure that out myself really as it's pretty obvious when you think about it

[adamzworld]

Wouldn't you prefer to drill into the side, so you can still open the door? There have been queries as to whether there are any electronics/pipes running around the sides of a fridge, but plenty of people do drill into the sides.

Thanks Dave, that makes sense and I hadn't thought about the issue of the beer line coming out the front rather than the side. Good job I posted on here before I started drilling!

I'll go for the hole in the side and then I'll be able to open an close the door without any issues.


Cheers,



Adam

[Wilfy]

Wouldn't you prefer to drill into the side, so you can still open the door? There have been queries as to whether there are any electronics/pipes running around the sides of a fridge, but plenty of people do drill into the sides.

Thanks Dave, that makes sense and I hadn't thought about the issue of the beer line coming out the front rather than the side. Good job I posted on here before I started drilling!

I'll go for the hole in the side and then I'll be able to open an close the door without any issues.


Cheers,



Adam

Be careful of hitting something when you drill the side. I read somewhere that if you leave the fridge on with the door opens for a couple of hours, condensation forms where the cooling circuits are.

[adamzworld]

Thanks Wilfy. The general consensus on other posts that I've read is that your beat of starting with a sharp blade on the inside of the fridge. That way you can cut through the plastic first and hopefully then expose any pipework before you start drilling.

[adamzworld]

I was thinking I could use a hot soldering iron to melt a hole on the internal plastic casing. This should then enable me to see whether there's any pipework in the way.

[BenB]

I just go through the doors / lids.

[donchiquon]

Side works well. Drill a small trial hole through the outside skin just to puncture the steel. Then you can use a thin screwdriver to have a waggle around inside and check that there are no pipes, before drilling through and enlarging the hole.

[Addled Jim]

I used the micro screwdriver but from the inside, it goes in easy through the plastic & you can wiggle the hole to enlarge - once you determine there are no pipes/wires (unlikely) use a hammer to tap the screwdriver thus creating a dent on the metal outer wall, it makes drilling easier & the holes are neater if you go out to in

[Kev888]

I was thinking I could use a hot soldering iron to melt a hole on the internal plastic casing. This should then enable me to see whether there's any pipework in the way.

The (mini-time-team style!) careful excavation approach is a good one IMO if you want to drill anywhere thats uncertain. It may be unnecessary, but it won't hurt.

'Usually' the cooling is at the back and there are additional wires/tubes leading to a light, thermostat, and some kind of door switch. BUT some fridges can be different and have lines running in unexpected places. As mentioned above, letting warm air in and condensation form can help identify the main players, but won't necessarily detect smaller linking tubes buried in the insulation.

[adamzworld]

Thanks for the pointers chaps. I will go nice and easy when I do get round to making a hole in the side. The fridge only cost me 15 quid, but it works fine so would be a shame to destroy it!

[alexlark]

Side works well. Drill a small trial hole through the outside skin just to puncture the steel. Then you can use a thin screwdriver to have a waggle around inside and check that there are no pipes, before drilling through and enlarging the hole.

This is the method I used. Worth doing it as you're not going to break anything.