Kegerator help

So SWMBO is going to buy me a kegerator for our anniversary coming up soon. I want a nice one that I won't try to replace for a VERY long time, but money is very much an issue. I would use it for lagering, as well as kegging my beer (as soon as I can afford the equipment). I really like the keezers on here, they have plenty of room inside and aren't too tall and bulky. So my questions are this...What steps should I take to getting this kegerator? With money being an issue should I buy the freezer and convert it? Would this be cheaper? Any advice would be great. Thanks you guys.

Id check craigslist for a freezer or a fridge... I got both there... kegerators are never cheap, but this would make it cheap(er).

I would recommend buying a chest freezer (check craigs) and converting it by installing a collar and standard taps. That's what I did, and I typically have 3 beers on tap with one lagering (that's in 7.2 cu ft. freezer).

If I bought a chest freezer, would I need some type of external temperature control unit?

Yes you would need a Ranco or other controller if you used a fridge or freezer to have good control over the temperature.

ref: http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc11....html?osCsid=5ae03014f721669783d0513d811c3a48

Buying a freezer, even new, and converting it is much cheaper than buying a pre-built unit. Plus, you can do it in stages: freezer & controller, kegs, cobra taps & CO2, then build a collar or towers and add your gold-plated forward-sealing taps.

david_42 said:

Buying a freezer, even new, and converting it is much cheaper than buying a pre-built unit. Plus, you can do it in stages: freezer & controller, kegs, cobra taps & CO2, then build a collar or towers and add your gold-plated forward-sealing taps.

Click to expand...

This may be the route I end up traveling.

As far as size, I only need the bare minimum now, but would like to be able to expand. How big is too big though? It can't be overly bulky. Would 13.3 cubic feet be a good size? Or would it be overkill?

Any one else have a different perspective on this? Thanks again for all who replied.

This last item is especially important. You will definitely want room to expand. If you don't take this into account, you'll be replacing it in a few years. 14 or so cu ft is good....but you need enough room to have 3-4 cornies on tap, and still be able to store another couple of kegs for the long term. 8 is a good number, I'd say....but it all depends on how much you drink/brew. Remember, things like barleywine and RIS are going to need a home for 8-12 months at controlled temps....even if you're not drinking them.

I know a kid who has an old chest freezer, probably 14 cu ft. It is pretty rusty, and hasn't been plugged in for a few years. Do you guys think that it is worth the risk of building my kegerator in this? That is if it even turns on. He is willing to give it to me for a few beers.

It can't hurt to try. Plug it in for a few days and see if it gets cold. There really isn't a lot that goes bad on a freezer. If it works you could clean it up pretty easily.

Your local hardware store should have appliance paint to take care of the rust (if it works). I just spent this past weekend re-painting my kegerator and it turned out pretty good. Total cost for the re-painting was under $25.

So I bought a Signature 2000 chest freezer for $100 bucks off craigslist. It worked when I plugged it in. I think it is pretty old, so I am kind of worried about how long this thing will work. It was kept in good shape though. Looks nice. Anyways I have been searching for conversion instructions. Does anyone know of a good link to some step by steps? I would like to have two towers out the top and one with two taps.

I have a million questions now...

If you guys don't mind answering such an open question...where should I go from here? Thanks

WBC said:

Yes you would need a Ranco or other controller if you used a fridge or freezer to have good control over the temperature.

ref: http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc11....html?osCsid=5ae03014f721669783d0513d811c3a48

Click to expand...

Also. Does this look like a good buy?

http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc111000000-digital-temperature-controller-prewired-p-87.html

I went with the Johnson Controls Temp Control at the top of this page: http://www.northernbrewer.com/temp-control.html

It may not be as fancy as the Ranco Temp control, but it did the trick for turning my chest freezer into a year round lagering chamber.