Igloo Kegerator at Walmart - $369

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Im bumping this, just in case anyone has seen it. I noticed it when I was looking on WalMart's website for something else the other day, even at $390 it isnt bad. If anyone has some info, please share! Also, check your local location and see if a store has one near you. I tried several cities, and not one came up, so Im not sure they would be in store, but I am really curious how many cornys could be crammed in there at 6cu feet. If I decide to buy one with my tax return, I will report back.
 
I can't seem to find any reviews on this either. I think I'm going to buy it today though.. so I'll post my findings. I think the Igloo unit will work out better than the other prevelelant unit in the under $400 market, the Nostalgia Electrics Kegerator Beer Fridge and Dispenser, Black, KRS-2100 or 2150.
From what I can tell there were numerous complaints in reviews from consumers regarding the single pressure gauge set up Nostalgia had with its unit. Igloo is using a dual gauge unit.
I'll give it a shot and let you guys know how it goes.
 
Well it should be interesting to see what the inside looks like. I know my 1/2 barrel kegerator wasn't too hard to convert to a 3-tap tower with cornies squeezed in.


Regarding single/dual pressure gauge...I will be honest I pretty much never look at the tank pressure gauge. I find it completely useless.
 
weirdboy said:
Well it should be interesting to see what the inside looks like. I know my 1/2 barrel kegerator wasn't too hard to convert to a 3-tap tower with cornies squeezed in.


Regarding single/dual pressure gauge...I will be honest I pretty much never look at the tank pressure gauge. I find it completely useless.
Click to expand...

yeah that was the problem w/ the nostalgia unit.. it was ONLY the tank pressure wtf...
 
Also interested in this. This seems like the best value at 6 cubic feet for 379 shipped for free to your local Walmart.

The 5.2 or 5.6 Danby is more expensive but specifically lists being able to hold 1/2 bbl kegs while the igloo doesn't. Surely at 6 ft^3 you would be able to. Also do you think you could fit 3 corny kegs in there? Thinking 2 for home brew and 1 for something commercial.

One last question, would it be very hard to convert this to a two or three tap tower?
 
I don't have the unit, but I'd think that since the single tower is already there, converting to a 2 or 3 faucet tower would require just buying a new tower and swapping it out. But, maybe I'm over simplifying it.
 
badbrew said:
There is one at my local home depot in the $300 something range.
Click to expand...

Could you make some cutouts like these and check out how many might fit? I would be willing to make the jump if I know it can fit 3 or four. Also note if there is a compressor hump, and if so, how high it is? This unit is supposed to come with a smaller tank (2.5lbs?) so I want to make sure we can still fit a 5lb in there. Thanks!

Henry22 said:
Also interested in this. This seems like the best value at 6 cubic feet for 379 shipped for free to your local Walmart.

The 5.2 or 5.6 Danby is more expensive but specifically lists being able to hold 1/2 bbl kegs while the igloo doesn't. Surely at 6 ft^3 you would be able to. Also do you think you could fit 3 corny kegs in there? Thinking 2 for home brew and 1 for something commercial.

One last question, would it be very hard to convert this to a two or three tap tower?
Click to expand...

Converting the tower should be easy, if the in place hole is already large enough, it is a simple swap (well, should be) if not, a little drilling may be required. The biggest issue now is finding out how many cornys we can fit in. I think three should fine, given the size, and there is slim chance that we might be able to get away with 4 or 3 and a 3 gallon, with the gas outside.

Pardon my lack of knowlege, but is there a difference between 1/2 and 1/2 bbl? The Igloo claims it can fit a 1/2, and at 6 cubic feet, it should!


Im excited about this, I have the "Go Ahead" from SWMBO on this unit (matches the kitchen :rolleyes: ). If it can fit three, Im going to dive in within the next week or so (when my bonus rolls in)
 
Based on the conversion I did on my Vassini kegerator, you will need to:

- Replace the tower with a 3" diameter multi-tap. Once you get the kegerator, you can determine if 2 or three kegs will fit. If three will fit, I would guess one of the the three will have to be a three gallon keg sitting partially on the compressor hump. You WILL have to drill four holes in the top for the new tower.

- If you can fit a three gallon keg on the hump, you will need a little stand to hold it. I made one out of a bit of plywood and some 1x2 legs. Very easy.

- You might have to use the thermostat-coarse-adjustment-screw trick to get the temperature low enough.

- You will probably want to buy or make a tower fan to keep the tower and taps cold.

:mug:
 
Trying to figure out if converting the igloo to a 2 or 3 tap system would be cheaper than taking a Sanyo and converting that to a kegerator 2/3 tap system.

Someone said they did their 2 tap Sanyo for 400 with Perlicks so I think that might be cheaper and also negates the whole building aspect because you have to drill the igloo for a new 3" tower.
 
Henry22 said:
Trying to figure out if converting the igloo to a 2 or 3 tap system would be cheaper than taking a Sanyo and converting that to a kegerator 2/3 tap system.

Someone said they did their 2 tap Sanyo for 400 with Perlicks so I think that might be cheaper and also negates the whole building aspect because you have to drill the igloo for a new 3" tower.
Click to expand...

If you can find the Sanyo for a good price, probably. IIRC, the Sanyo can do 2 5 gallons, and 1 3 gallon.

The hope I am holding out for the Igloo is that it can fit 3 5 gallons, possibly more. 6cuft is a LOT. I believe the Sanyo is 4.9cuft. That provides the potential for more room. Another plus for going for a per-configured kegerator is the fact that you do already have one tap. What I will probably do is use the stock equipment on the Igloo (you do have to buy the corny taps) until I can piece everything else together. Over the course of a month or two I can slowly buy a new manifold, new regulator, new tower, a larger C02 tank, and more kegs, and SWMBO wont even notice as the money trickles, and I can still enjoy having that first tap up.

Ultimately it is going to depend on your needs, and to some degree it may matter how many the Igloo can fit. If the Igloo can fit 3 five gallons and C02 (unlikely, but possible) then that is probably one of the largest fridges that we can use. If you dont want a keezer, that is also a big plus.
 
JoshuaW said:
If you can find the Sanyo for a good price, probably. IIRC, the Sanyo can do 2 5 gallons, and 1 3 gallon.

The hope I am holding out for the Igloo is that it can fit 3 5 gallons, possibly more. 6cuft is a LOT. I believe the Sanyo is 4.9cuft. That provides the potential for more room. Another plus for going for a per-configured kegerator is the fact that you do already have one tap. What I will probably do is use the stock equipment on the Igloo (you do have to buy the corny taps) until I can piece everything else together. Over the course of a month or two I can slowly buy a new manifold, new regulator, new tower, a larger C02 tank, and more kegs, and SWMBO wont even notice as the money trickles, and I can still enjoy having that first tap up.

Ultimately it is going to depend on your needs, and to some degree it may matter how many the Igloo can fit. If the Igloo can fit 3 five gallons and C02 (unlikely, but possible) then that is probably one of the largest fridges that we can use. If you dont want a keezer, that is also a big plus.
Click to expand...

That is true. I only work part time because I am a student so piecing it together over a couple of months sounds good. 6 cubic ft is a lot, I really hope it can fit 3 cornies, that would be ideal for 2 homebrewing and then one for commerical/cheap beer.

Does anyone have this and can attest to how many kegs it can fit?
 
I would love to hear reviews on this if anyone gets it. Anyone know if the co2 mounts on the back?
 
Shu5 said:
I would love to hear reviews on this if anyone gets it. Anyone know if the co2 mounts on the back?
Click to expand...

According to the post on the Walmart website, the tank is like 2.5lbs, so it is probably inside. I think the final interior size (or someone buying one) will be the only way to know what it is capable of, we can speculate all we want. I emailed the company when I bumped this thread, so we will have to see how/if they respond.
 
I did some research, just to drive us all insane. All of the below models (excluding the Igloo, which we do not know for sure) can hold 3 5 gallons. I didnt note which needed the C02 on the outside, it probably is all of them. These are OUTSIDE dimmensions, since that is all we know about the Igloo unit. The size is very similar to the other units that can hold 3, so as long as it doesnt have a weird hump, it should be good for at least three.

(L x W x H)
Igloo 26.6 x 21.3 x 33.2
Haier 23.6875 x 23.9375 x 33.25
Danby 20.75 x 23.875 x 33
Sanyo 23.625 x 25 x 37
 
Larzean said:
Did anyone end up ordering this? If it will hold 2-3 would it be difficult to modify the tap to support that?
Click to expand...

Likely no, you would just need to install a new tower. If you install it where the current one is, you wouldnt have to worry about hitting coolant lines.
 
I ordered mine last night ($12 shipping too!)

Anyhow, I'll take measurements for you all when it gets here. Its my very first kegerator, so I'll be relying upon you guys for modding help.
 
Okay, here we go. FACT: This is my first kegerator, so if I slip up and give any opinion, please take it with a grain of salt.

Here are the measurements. I am able to take pictures (although the inside is black plastic, so can't guarantee how it will turn out). Please excuse my noobie-ness.

First and foremost, I paid $12 shipping to FEDEX ship this from WALMART to my door. Think FEDEX quoted it at being 97 lbs, so you know that there has to be a screw up here. Jump on it before they figure out that the shipping is out of whack.

I ordered mine Wednesday night, and it arrived Friday morning. I live three hours west of Chicago.

Really impressed with shipping and packaging.

The inside of the door concaves outward about 1". In other words, the inside of the door bends outward to make room for a round belly of a keg, but only by an estimated inch.

The compressor shelf is in the back and is 18"(w) x 7"(h) x 5.75"(d) <- estimated depth since the cooling plate sticks out from the back wall about a quarter inch and runs the entire width of the unit.

The base level (taking out the tray) where the keg is supposed to sit is 15.25"(d), 28.5"(h) and 18"(w).

Please note: There are ribs along the walls for where the wire shelf can sit on. The one that most protrudes is .5" on each side... which begs the question, can I take a sander and grind these things down and then fill the empty holes with some kind of caulk?

The tower hole is customized for this particular tower. It is 3 5/8" wide, but it appears that there is a custom snap-in mechanism where the owner is supposed to drop it in, and rotate the tower 45 degrees clockwise to lock it in. The hole where the lines go down is a mere 1.5".

The top of the unit is plastic and the sides are metal.

There are included wire shelves with this unit. Again, its a cooling plate in the back which gives me a little more faith to drill through this puppy (barring anyone warning me differently).

The temperature control is a knob control that's mounted to the top of the inside ceiling of the unit, and a wire that is exposed and free-floating that leads back to the cooling plate.

I didn't see any back-of-unit holes to run the gas line out of, so I'm guessing that will have to be part of the "improved design"

Of course, if anyone has any other measurement or general questions or needs pictures, fire away. I haven't unpacked the tower or the CO2. I already own a triple tap, and was planning on installing in onto this.

=== here's where I need help ===

someone with autocad or some other plotting software plug in my dimensions and let us know if three sixtels will fit or maybe even two slim quarters?

will i need to invest in low-profile sankes or L-adapters for this unit?

thanks much!
 
Had the unit running balls out (that's on "high" setting, for those of you not growing up in the 1980's) for 20 hours. 40 degrees. No compressor modifications yet.

I just conducted a very crude measurement by cutting out cardboard circles 9.25" in diameter and checked. Will only fit 2 sixtels but will have enough room to leave the CO2 tank on the interior.

I believe there may be some cooling lines that go throughout the fridge, and that this unit isn't solely cooled by the plate in the back of the fridge. Is that fairly common? Will take a picture of the back where the compressor is, if there is anyone interested.

I have noted that my triple tap with copper liquid cooling lines will go down the stock-width hole if I rotate them a few times.

More on this fridge as I discover it.
 
For the the shelves, are they the molded insulating plastic? On the Danby I bought, I just took a Dremel tool to them, then put some tape over them to keep it from dropped insulation foam every time I bumped it. No one knows anything about this Igloo, which is why I ultimately passed it up (and WalMart wanted more like $75 to deliver it to my door, I live two and a half hours east of Chicago). I think some pictures with some cutouts are in order. I would be really surprised if you couldnt get three corny kegs in there, even if it requires some slight modification.

Be careful with drilling, as there very well could be some lines running through there.
 
They're molded plastic Was thinking about grinding them down, but here's what stopped me:

I did the ol' rubbing alcohol / cornstarch trick to find the cooling elements on the top of the unit. Let the fridge run for about a half hour with the door open. The sides of the unit were pretty darn warm, but the top was cool to the touch and no evaporation lines were left. So, I'm pretty sure that the sides of the unit have the coolant lines, but the top has none. Thus, I'm shying away from doing any kind of work to the sides of the unit.

Snapped three pics:

http://imgur.com/mWue6

http://imgur.com/MUPBk

http://imgur.com/wEvR3

For the pic of the whole interior of the fridge, that white thing in the upper left corner is a P.O.S. outdoor thermometer.

Other notes about this fridge: The plastic top easily comes off by removing the three screws in the back, then lifting the plastic up just enough to clear the edge, and then push the plastic forward towards the front of the fridge. Also, the door is reversible (movable so that it opens to the left).

Will check in occasionally for more questions.
 
Finally, I used GIMP to create circles with specific diameters (9" and 9.25") to demonstrate how much overflow each are

9.25"
------
http://imgur.com/ghUbZ
http://imgur.com/7S4dT

9"
------
http://imgur.com/n3DKn
http://imgur.com/KPnMN

You'll see that there is definitely no way three sixtels can fit, unless there's a vertical collar installed (which is something I'm considering in the future). There is a realistic chance the three cornies will work... I measured the overflow, and it's 2", so it might just work if the third corny towards the front of the fridge is lifted up 3" or so. It appears that it would take advantage of the concave area of the door.

But no way on a trifecta sixtel solution out of the box.
 
OmahaVike said:
They're molded plastic Was thinking about grinding them down, but here's what stopped me:

I did the ol' rubbing alcohol / cornstarch trick to find the cooling elements on the top of the unit. Let the fridge run for about a half hour with the door open. The sides of the unit were pretty darn warm, but the top was cool to the touch and no evaporation lines were left. So, I'm pretty sure that the sides of the unit have the coolant lines, but the top has none. Thus, I'm shying away from doing any kind of work to the sides of the unit.

Snapped three pics:

http://imgur.com/mWue6

http://imgur.com/MUPBk

http://imgur.com/wEvR3

For the pic of the whole interior of the fridge, that white thing in the upper left corner is a P.O.S. outdoor thermometer.

Other notes about this fridge: The plastic top easily comes off by removing the three screws in the back, then lifting the plastic up just enough to clear the edge, and then push the plastic forward towards the front of the fridge. Also, the door is reversible (movable so that it opens to the left).

Will check in occasionally for more questions.
Click to expand...

Have you checked if you can do a 3gal on the hump? Im glad I backed out on this one, because three on tap was a requirement for me. I would just cut out those shelves, if you havent already done it, I can take some pictures of mine, they look exactly the same.
 
have been looking at purchasing this kegerator as well, does it come with shelves? I am going to have to use it as a actual fridge for a couple months (I think that will turn into a few days though because a kegerator without beer is sad :D )
 
3gal on hump? Dunno, but I think the dimensions I gave in the first post should cover it, non? I know it'll fit a 5 lb co2 tank.

Shelves -- yes, there are two wire shelves. 16.25 x 17.75 & 12 x 17.75
 
I hope nobody minds if I document this fridge's exploits without their prompt...

The model is FRB200

So, I was a little disappointed that I could only get the unit down to 40 degrees. So, in doing my normal research, I decided to take apart the temp control unit.

I unscrewed the control box from the top of the fridge, and discovered that (indeed!) there are wires going through the top of the unit (see image below)

http://imgur.com/CsJSd

I thought I could see some kind of screw under one of the wires, but couldn't get to it because of the plastic housing. The only way to get the plastic housing off was to pry the knob off (see image below)

http://imgur.com/U5Zi4

Now I see one lone screw, with some red wax over it. I'm guessing this is it. Must be. (see below)

http://imgur.com/XRPdJ

So, I turned the screw 180 degrees (1/2 full turn) every couple of hours and logged what temperature it dropped to. Well, it took 4.5 full turns to drop it to 37 degrees. That seemed like a lot compared to what other people were reporting on other fridges and I truly hope I don't burn out a motor or compressor.
 
Ball Locks are 8 1/2" diameter, right? So I wonder if it's possible to get 3 ball lock kegs in there. I don't think this model is in stock in my local walmarts (I just checked) or I'd go there with some cardboard footprints and see for myself.
 
ya, at that price, it's really hard to beat.

since I last posted, here's where my exploits have taken me....

1) I installed a three tap tower. I drilled a 3" hole about the same depth FROM THE FRONT as it was originally from the rear. No cold lines (read prior posts of mine).

2) Swapped door swing from left to right.

3) My tower is liquid cooled, so added a water jug in the back (add salt to avoid freezing!) and have a cheapo aquarium pump to circulate up into the tower.

4) Added a PC fan. Actually, this is my third in there. I tried one of those (approx 9" diam) big case fans and it really didn't move a lot of air. I installed a 40mm that I had lying around, and velcro'd it to the ceiling and pointed it to the cooling plate. The smaller ones actually do a better job than than huge ones, i'm guessing because they push more punch in a smaller area.

5) I ended up dialing the screw back a few full turns, simply out of paranoia.

6) here's the biggie: shortly after posting my last update, I added a 9.75" vertical collar. that adds a lot of space to this unit, and increases the cooling demand, but i haven't had a problem with the fridge keeping up with the cooling yet. in fact, it's been sitting at 34 - 36 for weeks (using a professional remote meat thermometer i normally use for my smoker).

Sorry, but for the ball-n-lock poster, i currently have three kegs in this baby (a european half barrel (technically 50l), and two sixths), so I can't measure for you until we drink it dry. My gut feeling is that it will handle it. Refer back to my original post for measurements.

Gotta say, I've probably dumped a total of a $800 or so into it, and I blow everyone's mind having a three tap system. now... only if yuengling would expand their distribution area, we'd be in some serious trouble!!!
 
Thanks OmahaVike for keeping us posted. Can you post some pics of the collar? Was it fairly straight forward considering the how easily you were able to remove the plastic top? I think I'm going to grab one of these asap. I only have a need for 2 cornies at the moment.
 
not a problem, geonjay.

Here's a side shot, with my fabric cover pulled back. You'll see that I prefer bungie to ensure that the door remains closed. Those black strips are remnants of velcro that didn't work out so well. I used weatherstripping tape for the seal of the door.

http://imgur.com/30oBo

Here's a front shot (crappy, sorry!) of the collar with the door open and two sixtels in it.

http://imgur.com/0OGDZ

And finally, a shot that will display to everyone what kind of hack I am. You'll see that I'm using housing-siding insulation. I forget what F value, but I think it's only a 4. You'll also see that I have caulking to seal the gaps.

http://imgur.com/CMcw9

Everything you CANT see: Behind the sixtels, I have that european half barrel (wife insists that we have Stella on tap at all times - I married very well). Lying on top of that, I have the triple gauge regulator. Way on the back shelf, I have a 5 lb CO2 tank and a jug of water (to cool the tower).

The one thing I wish I would have done differently: I would have given a few more inches to the collar, so that I could have the regulator in the front of the unit.

Please keep in mind that this is my very first kegerator, and everything I've learned about modding them I have learned on these very boards, which I guess is why I'm contributing my own experiences back to the community.

As always, if you have further questions, PM me or drop a line out here on the thread. It may take me a few days to get back, but I will. Of course, if you end up getting this unit, post your experiences to this thread to help others.
 

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