Safe place to drill an EdgeStar KC7000 for a CO2 line?
[also posted to https://homebrewtalk.com/threads/where-to-drill-an-edgestar-kc7000.740454/, will update both threads with whatever I learn]
Hi all - Looking for help with a kegerator mod here...
I have an EdgeStar KC7000 that I bought in 2019 (https://www.fergusonhome.com/edgestar-kc7000odtwin/s1167704?uid=2794254.)
I've always used 5lb CO2 tanks, which store nicely inside the unit on a little shelf in the back. I am trying to move to 20lb tanks to save money and cut down on trips to the local homebrew store to refill.
I really like this guy's setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/lzor6e/i_finally_moved_my_20_lb_co2_tank_outside_my/
I'm looking for guidance on how to find a safe place to drill. In my younger (and broker) days we ruined a dorm room fridge trying to drill a spot on the top for the tower, but it wasn't a big deal; we found another one basically for free, and mounted the taps on the door. My current unit was $1800 in 2019 and new ones are $2300 now so I'd prefer not to ruin it!
What I know:
- the unit's actual nameplate says "BR7001SSOD"
- there are no existing holes for a CO2 line, at least nothing obvious
- both exterior side walls get warm to the touch while running; the back does not.
- there’s an internal finned evaporator behind a cover on the inside back left
- when I remove the cover over the whole compressor guy on the back exterior bottom, it looks like the refrigerant tubes run up to the left and right, consistent with the condenser coils being run in the sidewalls, not the back
Looking at it from the inside, I'd love to drill through the back right, well to the right of the evaporator. I've emailed EdgeStar to see if they'll share a diagram of the tubing, but I doubt they'll tell me anything useful.
Any advice on how to determine whether/where it's safst to drill? Will the cornstarch-and-everclear trick work? A thermal camera? Even if I'm clear of the condenser coils, are there any other types of tubing that I could hit that would brick this guy?
Photos here: https://imgur.com/a/edgestar-kc7000-safe-location-drilling-8Tl5YsG