• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

Keggerator question

Damrite

Grandmaster Brewer
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
103
Reaction score
0
I will be shopping soon or building a keggerator, anyone know how many 5 gal cornelius keg I can fit a regular small beer fridge, any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated...
 
Read a lot of buyer reviews.  Some are pretty noisy when they run.  Cornys come in 2 different sizes.  I think its the difference between Coke and Pepsi. One is about 1" wider and 2" shorter than the other.  Converted pin locks are the shorter ones.  You can see the coke/pepsi dimensions at cornykeg.com.  Dont forget to account for the space for your CO2 bottle.  Used kegs are way cheaper and you wont care how they look in the long run.  Built in drip trays are harder to clean. Removeable ones you can just blast with hot water at the sink.  Watch out for the materials used for the tower.  The manufacturers (Perlick for sure) just sells the boxes to their distributors who install whatever tower they want.  Most towers they advertise as stainless they are just talking about the outer tower tube itself.  You can get 100% stainless component ones (shanks too) at micromatic.com but dont get their faucets.  You will want a Perlick faucet.  Watch for how easy/hard it is to replace your tubing where it connects to the tower. 
 
i cannot remember where it was posted (maybe homebrewtalk forums) but someone has posted a chart for chest freezer corny capacities and there may be a link for fridges as well.
also you need to consider:
where the compressor hump is (in most small fridges it is half the lower level making them unusable)
where is your gas canister going to be (in or out) -out takes more planning and parts as well as more risk
are you going to use pin lock or ball lock (for sizes check the web since i can't remember) i use pin lock and they are 'fatter'
do you want a tower or do you want shanks through the door/wall...or do you want to use a picnic tap?
where the internal cooling component is. for most small fridges this is the ice compartment and will need to be bent to hold kegs....

hope these are helpful. because oft eh above consideration i paid more and just ordered one instead of making one. a LOT less work goes into selecting one than making one. (that and i wanted to make a 'real' 6 keg chest kegerator).
 
Thanks guys, now I got a good idea what to look for when I start my shopping, the thing with brewing beer you got 2 options, go cheap or buy the good stuff rite away.
Now after 5 batch after I sell this house, I will design my brew room, but I got a good idea how much this is gonna cost me.
But my wife does'nt lol ( Bar, keggerator inside and outside the house, pool table including specialy design brew room,

If anybody has great design for brew room setup I'm open for idea, did some home work, their people out there with very nice one, probably cost them I would say 10k to 15k, I just want to make it a real man's room.  8)
 
When we remodeled the kitchen we bought all new appliances.  Our old fridge became "available".  I had demolished a planter and was able to salvage redwood 2 x 6s that I used to build a platform that would be flat over the sloped compressor space at the bottom when all the shelves are removed.

Net, I can barely (I had to backspace over "barley" twice :p) fit two corny's and my 7 gallon conical at the same time.  This way I can have two beers on tap and one fermenting all the time.

In a perfect world, I'd have room for one more to be carbonating at the same time.

-Rick
 
Depending on what you are trying to build...this may be of use in making some educated choices:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/?s=a4a0a82ac28a104dbf77894b6a80c7cf

 
Back
Top