Build or Buy a Kegerator

I still haven't gotten into kegging yet but got a question for you kegerator people. I don't think I'm going to convert a full size fridgerator because of space constraints. But has anyone ever compared purchasing a mini fridge & all the accessories and doing all the work yourself to just purchasing a premade setup such as this and doing the rest of the adapter conversion to fit a HB soda keg? (Can this be done?). I got a friend who works at Sams who could buy this for me for $400. Not a dual tap like I'd like but... If you save $50 I don't know if that's worth the added work... How much did you pay to build your own excluding kegs.

Fridge - $200 (new) could have done for $50 used
Taps - $35 each ($70)
Hoses and fittings - $30

A better setup, cheaper than the pre-made kegerator - priceless

desertBrew said:

I still haven't gotten into kegging yet but got a question for you kegerator people. I don't think I'm going to convert a full size fridgerator because of space constraints. But has anyone ever compared purchasing a mini fridge & all the accessories and doing all the work yourself to just purchasing a premade setup such as this and doing the rest of the adapter conversion to fit a HB soda keg? (Can this be done?). I got a friend who works at Sams who could buy this for me for $400. Not a dual tap like I'd like but... If you save $50 I don't know if that's worth the added work... How much did you pay to build your own excluding kegs.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy one of those, but that's me. I like building stuff.

I built mine for about about 250 bucks.

Fridge--$90 dented special at Lowe's. If i did it over again, I'd use the Sanyo 4912. Little bit more money but less hassle to get it right. My fridge needed some "manipulating". Works like a damn charm though. It has a freezer unit in it (towards the top), but I can fit a 3 gal and a 5 gal corny it with room to spare for extra beer bottles.
Tower-$100 Its a dual tower. I just upgraded due to jealousy.
CO2 tank-$65 Local jeep club offer. 15lb tank. I've been using the same tank for about 2 months now, and that included filling up about 10 tires as well.

Its all up to you man. I think the best route is to buy the Sanyo 4912 and build one. Sam75 can help you out--he's a master at it now.

i think i spent $50 on four spickets (used, but included a jockey box), got the fridge from someone who was throwing it out, got the cabinet i threw the fridge unit into with the same deal, spent $50 on insulation and plastic sheeting and another $40 for some hardware (hinges and such) to make it look perty

guess it depends on how much you can (or, are willing to) find in used condition

oh, and i made it a chest style fridge to maximize space, so i can easily get 4 corneys in there, five if i take out the tupperware bottom i use to collect condensation

The Haier model you posted is a good model...BUT:

Its has a "Single Faucet Tower" which limits you to only one type of beer to drink at any given time. Yes, you could change the tower, and cut the hose to use cornie kegs, but then thats more and more money.

When I went to BestBuy to pick up a Sanyo 4912 for conversion, they had the Haier complete Kegerator right next to it.
$500 (plus any additional changes) compared to:

Sanyo 4912 - $179.00
MicroMatic 2 Faucet Tower w/5' Hoses - $78 (clearance section)
Drip Tray - $35
Total Cost - $292

And with that savings, it makes it easy to buy kegs, regulator, connections etc... So for the price of the ready made kegerator, which you will need to alter even more to allow for two beers at once, you can make your own AND buy all your supplies, and probably enough supplies to brew two batches!

Plus, its EASY as hell to do. All it takes is a 3" hole saw, piece of 5-3/4" square by 1/2" plywood, and some silicone sealant.

Here are two sites which can help you build one:
Kegerator
How to Make A Kegerator

Build it yourself and be proud of every glass you pour!

if you are a handy person then build it yourself, much better anyway. Use a standard fridge so you have the icebox on top (great for frozen mugs). Look in the paper I built one for a friend who found a fridge for $15 in the paper, got the conversion kit from wholesaledraft.com for $149. Much Better than $800 for premade. As for driptrays mine is in the garage so nothing for how it looks, I use a waste paper basket I got from the dollar store ($.89) works nice and cleans easy.

Great replies guys. Yes, I'm mechnical and yes I'm fruggle with my $ so build it yer own is where I'll head! Thanks again.

Well, still haven't figured out if I'm kegging with a full size fridge and door faucets or a smaller fridge and a two tap tower. But I do have a spare full size fridge, it's just a matter of battling with the wife if I take all her room.

So I said feck it & just purchased 2 kegs from Homebrewing.org and all the other stuff (lines, co2, gauges etc) from BeverageFactory.com but opted for only picnic faucets for now. I gotta get my butt going with kegging. Just busted a bottle while bottling Thu and that was the straw to break the brewers back! Figured this way the wifey can see all the stuff in our spare fridge and decide if she can deal with it or not. Then I merely have to purchase the dispensing equipment for the final setup.

By the way, thanks Sam for the tips on these two companies. You're correct, it looked to be the best price out there. Someone mentioned micromatic as cheaper but that's false. About the same on everything that I checked on. Actually more expensive on shanks & CO2 cylinders so think I'll stick with your choice when I figure out my final dispensing setup. Service on the phone was great.

Last thing will be if I want to dive into TNLandsailors cadillac recommendation of Perlick Forward Seal Faucet SS or Vent-Matic Ultraflow Faucet SS if I do door dispensing.

Time to start really reading those kegging threads. Happy Brewer!

keg just a test i repeat just a test

just a test again

I purchased a used 14 cuft ($85 US) that holds four kegs and the CO2 bottle/regulator ($65). Four taps @ $40 each. I keep hops and extract in the freezer. No drip tray, just a towel that gets washed occasionally. Since it's an older frig, it can't get much lower than 45F, which is fine.

Evening Ya'll,

Back in the hot weather I bought a temp. controller
for a fridge. And some lager yeast, not knowing where I would ever find an old fridge. I was over at friends house and mentioned my problem,
and one of them looked up and said:
" I just sat an old fridge out on the driveway today!"
The freezer doesn't work but the rest of it does.
And I got that gleam in my eye,
thoughts of brewing more ale and beer faster... than I can drink it up...
I am looking at my fingernails...
"How much do you want for it? .. $40. ??? 50.???
He smiled and said you can have it, and I will even deliver it.

So ... the point ...

I seem to be getting into making 'beer', rather than ale.
I have an old fridge coming for ferminting the 'beer', in corny kegs.
Now, about kegging, about taps on the front of the fridge door, and all that.

Can I use one fridge for both purposes?
They are both corny kegs are they not?
Room for four, I recon.
Sure, you just hook some of the 'ready to drink' batch,
to the air tank and run it to the door taps. The ones which are just ferminting would take up even less room.
They would basically, just sit there.
And I love the taps on the door.
If it is true that I will be able to use my 'old fridge' for ferminting as well as a kegerator with free beer access.
I guess I answered my own question, never mind.

Is that getting living down or what?


J. Knife

If by 'beer' you mean lagers and if you like your lagers really cold, you should be able to use one frig for aging and dispensing. By the way, if the main compartment will hold 36F and the freezer isn't working at all, it could be as simple as a failed circulation fan for the freezer section.

David 42,

Thanks, It is in the works then, one question:
Is 50 degrees alright for ageing and dispensing?
The guy, old Gary, at the supply store, said set it for 50 degrees.


But he was refering to ageing.


Knife