Small Refrigerator for kegs

crum · 02-11-2005, 01:27 PM

I am looking for the smallest fridge I can use for kegging. Maybe one of them dorm room refrigerators that I can convert would be nice. I do not have any kegs yet so I don't know the dimensions that I am looking for. Here is about the smallest I have found: http://www.micromatic.com/product.php?pid=DDBE-1-KIT , it is made for kegs and says it holds 2 home brew tanks. When it says home brew tanks I assume it means 5 gallon soda kegs. This is still more than I was hoping to spend right now.

rightwingnut · 02-12-2005, 01:15 AM

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/item_list/cat00654/Beer_Coolers_Kegerators.html

http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer.shtml?utm_id=beermain&utm_source=google&utm_m edium=ppc

http://search.ebay.com/kegerator_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1QQxpufuZx

They are all expensive, the ebay link has the cheapest...

**Dude** · 02-12-2005, 01:22 AM

I jsut finished buying the parts to make my own today. I bought a Whirlpool mini fridge that was dented and I got it for 80 bucks at Lowes. Then I surfed online for the cheapest kegging setup, and got a 15lb CO2 tank using the discount from my jeeping club for 60 bucks. All total I spent less than 300 bucks for the system, including hoses, kegs, faucet, CO2 tank, fridge, etc. Like I said I just got the complete set-up today so my batch that is in primary right now will be the first one kegged.
Keep an eye out at Best Buy, they have a Sanyo 4911 fridge that goes on sale ($150 bucks) almost bi-weekly that is very popular to convert into a DIY kegerator because it doesn't have a freezer unit to get in the way of kegs. My little Whirlpool one only holds one 5 gallon corny and one 3 gallon corny, but that is the exact set-up I wanted.
I did tons of research and saved tons of money.

Janx · 02-14-2005, 06:32 PM

I'm a scrounger like orrelse. Refrigerators are one of the easier things to scrounge cheaply or freely. Around here, people give away fridge's a lot to avoid disposal costs. I got an old beater full size fridge for free this way. It holds 4 kegs after some modification. Check the local junkyard.

Kegs can be scrounged too. I've found mountains of them in junkyards for $5 apiece. Sometimes you can get them from restaurants or something. Morebeer has used ones pretty cheap.

Good luck! You'll love having a draft system

crum · 02-20-2005, 11:36 PM

Normally I would be a scrounge also, but the refrigerator is turning in to a problem to find with my space requirements on a used one. I have gotten 2 free soda kegs and the junk yard and looking for the rest of the equipment weekly.
Best Buy has a fridge on sale this week that might work Link. I am going to stop at the store and measure it to make sure I can get a keg inside. What are the minimum requirements for inside space? I was thinking around 30” high, 10” deep and 10” wide for 1 keg. This fridge post as: height: 33 ¾", width 21 ¾", length 22 ¾" . Hopefully the inside will work out.

Edit: I think this is the Sanyo 4911 orrelse is talking about.

**Dude** · 02-21-2005, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crum

Best Buy has a fridge on sale this week that might work Link. I am going to stop at the store and measure it to make sure I can get a keg inside. What are the minimum requirements for inside space? I was thinking around 30” high, 10” deep and 10” wide for 1 keg. This fridge post as: height: 33 ¾", width 21 ¾", length 22 ¾" . Hopefully the inside will work out.

Edit: I think this is the Sanyo 4911 orrelse is talking about.

That is the exact one that goes on sale often and is the one used by many homebrewers to convert into home-made kegerators. It will hold two 5 gallon cornies easily. I can provide some links from people doing the conversions if needed. Many drilled holes in the top and used draft towers, which looked extremely cool. If I'm not mistaken a small (5lb.) CO2 tank will fit inside with the kegs as well. Otherwise you can drill a small hole in the back and run your air lines through to the outside.
I'm kind of kicking myself right now for not paying the extra 80 bucks or so for the Sanyo, as my Whirlpool mini-fridge is proving to be a royal PITA in the kegerator conversion process.

crum · 02-21-2005, 01:55 PM

orrelse, that would be great if you have the links. I think I might be picking this fridge up.

**Dude** · 02-21-2005, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crum

orrelse, that would be great if you have the links. I think I might be picking this fridge up.

Tons of great info and pics on these sites!

http://www.groupedia.com/?q=kegerator

http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/beer/homekeg.html

http://www.vonnieda.org/images/dc/20031015-00/

http://www.chaddickerson.com/gallery/kegerator

http://www.draftbeerstuff.com/Keginator.pdf

HTH!

D-brewmeister · 04-05-2005, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orrelse

That is the exact one that goes on sale often and is the one used by many homebrewers to convert into home-made kegerators. It will hold two 5 gallon cornies easily. I can provide some links from people doing the conversions if needed. Many drilled holes in the top and used draft towers, which looked extremely cool. If I'm not mistaken a small (5lb.) CO2 tank will fit inside with the kegs as well. Otherwise you can drill a small hole in the back and run your air lines through to the outside.
I'm kind of kicking myself right now for not paying the extra 80 bucks or so for the Sanyo, as my Whirlpool mini-fridge is proving to be a royal PITA in the kegerator conversion process.

Which brand whirlpool is it? I have been looking at Model: EL05CCXMB throug ebay because it is on sale for $139 delivered. says it is a 4.3 cubic foot model. WIll it work at all? I realize it has a freezer compartment, which generally makes things trickier.