Installing taps is where things need to be 100% right, as it's what I will see the most (and so will my guests).
The inside of this fridge has a "ridge" starting from apx 10" up inside the door, all the way to the top. I measured the width of this ridge to about 3", from flat to flat. I decided that the spacing between taps would have to be 3 1/2" (center to center) to allow this ridge to be skipped over. Therefore, I will need 17 1/2" to draw up the 6 locations (there are 5 gaps of 3 1/2" = 17 1/2").
I drew a line, using an wet-erase marker and a level, on the fridge, which passes exactly half-way through the center of the handle. No particular reason for being in the center of the handle, but it just seems logical and it also seemed like the right pouring height for me.
I marked the center line (which is where the ridge inside the fridge door is), and proceeded to mark my 6 tap mounting points with the marker. It was actually rather difficult to mark the line, as the fridge door has a slight convex shape, so using a level was quite difficult. I think a soft tape measure or a ratchet strap would have been easier.
(mounting spots are hard to see on the pic, but the center spot is pretty obvious.)
I proceeded to use an automatic center punch to mark the mounting location, and to prevent the drill bit from dancing.
(Looks offset but it was the revised mounting spot, and was correct, the one to the right was caused by the yard stick moving due to the convex shape)
You can see the dimple left by the automatic punch.
I used a small drill bit to create the first set of holes in the place I center punched.
Then I used a 1" hole saw to drill very slightly oversized shank holes. The hole saw works pretty hard at cutting stainless, so I'd use it for 15 seconds, let it cool down a bit, etc. I'd say it took about 30-40 seconds to make it through the metal. Once the metal is punched, I'd remove the slug from the hole saw, then drill the insulation, as squarely as possible to have a vertical hole. It's pretty darn hard to have a perfectly straight hole, but I did my very best.
The final set of holes, lined up perfectly.
I used a small amount of Rustoleum paint to cover the edge and around the holes, just in case the heat from the hole saw denatured the stainless, and I let it dry.
Last night, I got to installing the shanks, tap heads and the hoses. I went with an 8-foot length hose as my previous fridge was at 7-feet and was giving a slight amount of foaming. I can always shorten a touch if needed. The shanks were pretty well aligned, but I went ahead and installed them slightly loose (so they could move a touch), and with the slightly oversized shank hole, I used my level to make them all perfectly aligned and level. I think only one tap was slightly low by about 1/32", but I was able to level them perfectly.
I plan on using Stainless chrome covers, so I didn't put any spray foam in the shank holes yet. I will do that later, as a preventative measure to condensation running down from shanks.
The taps are Perlick 525SS.
MC