Need advice on kegging equipment

Here is my situation. I have a refrigerator in the garage that I want to turn into a kegerator. I have the money to do it and its burning a hole in my pocket.

I would like for it to have 3 total taps for now.

2 – 5 Gallon Corny kegs for my home brew. I can fit more than that but for now only two.

Now don’t flame me for this next part, but I would also like a third tap for kegs that I would like to buy commercially from my favorite local craft brewery. I have room for a 15.5 gallon keg and the two 5 gallon cornys in my fridge along with a Co2 tank also I’m pretty sure.

I need to know what I need to buy equipment wise. I have just bought two ball lock corny kegs from craiglist. I know I need new O rings and keg lube, but that’s about it. I have been reading and researching like mad trying to figure it out but need help.

The brewery I want to buy beer from has the 15.5 gallon ½ barrel and the 1/6 barrel also.

Are the connections the same for those sizes of commercial kegs?

Ideally I would like to get the 15 gallon keg when I buy, but I have to directly ask how long will it last and remain fresh and tasty in the keg when its hooked up on my system?

If it would be bad in the time it would take me to drink it then I would like the option of the smaller commercial keg or possible others from other companies.
What equipment is needed for the corny kegs and how does that differ? Would one Co2 tank work for all three taps if its setup correctly? Would it require a big multigage regulator?
I would appreciate any advice and answers you might have.

I know 1/2 bbl kegs do not have the same connections, and I'm not sure about the 1/6 ones. You can use 1 co2 tank and you'll need either a single gauge regulator and a 3 way splitter or a 3 gauge regulator. You'll need the taps and tubing and connections to hook them all together. I'm sure others can go in to more detail as I don't have a kegorator setup myself.

Thanks Tony but I know the connections are separate. Just need more insight into how to best set this up.

Have you seen the kegging FAQ sticky at the top of this forum? Lots of links with all the info you should need. I'll add another:

http://morebeer.com/content/kegging-homebrew

Edit: another link regarding couplers for commercial kegs

Thanks for the help. I still have a few specific questions.
I have found a sanke conversion to faucet kit for 199 it has its own co2 tank.
I have also found a kit for two corny kegs, but it also comes with a co2 tank.
Isnt there a way I could do this with one co2 tank?

also i would still like to know:

15.5 gallon ½ barrel and the 1/6 barrel

Are the connections the same for those sizes of commercial kegs?

Definitely go with keg connection and email them with what you would like to do. On my keezer I have four taps total. Two are interchangeable with sanke kegs for when I am too lazy to brew. Its really just a matter of swivel connections that fit on the lines you want to be interchangeable with sanke. But it was a pain in the xxx to do it myself and took multiple trips to the homebrew store.

Keg connection is close to cheapest and will custom make what you want. My friends just did the exact same thing except two taps interchangeable instead of one.

Yes you can do it with one CO2 tank.
The different sized commercial kegs would all fit commercial couplers, but as you see in the second link I referenced not all brands of beer use the same type of valve. Most in the US are going to be the D type, but you can read the long list of others on that site for yourself.

I think mosquito's suggestion is a good one. They should be able to help you with which fittings/adapters you would need.

I have a three tap keezer that is currently set up for two corny kegs and one sanke style commercial keg.

I have one CO2 tank that connects to a three way manifold. I use a 1/4" MFL manifold so that I will be able to change from corny to sanke using a wrench.

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843459.htm This piece can be used instead of barbs on the shanks and the commercial keg coupler.

Send me a PM and I can type up a list of everything I used to set up my taps.

Here is the list of parts and equipment I think I need.
All parts and prices from ritebrew.com

drip tray 10 inches $26.49
Co2 tank 5 gallon $60.99
sanke keg coupler $24.49
4 way gas splitter $34.99
perlick perl faucet $55.47 x3 18.49
regulator $53.49
shank assembly 3.5 w/ 3/16 barb $10.19 x3 10.19
beer line $10.00 x20 ft 0.49
Co2 tubing $11.00 x10 ft 0.69
Hose clamp large $12.00 x20 .59 each


$299.11


I added the 4 way splitter since it was very little more than 3 way.
I think this would work to have three taps with one being a dedicated sanke tap.

I would appreciate feedback

I think you're missing the disconnects for the corny kegs (ball lock or pin lock depending on your kegs - you'll need one gas and one liquid disconnect for each). I'd also highly recommend you get a splitter/manifold with check valves for the homebrew lines. Or maybe you just have one at the regulator?

chickypad said:

I think you're missing the disconnects for the corny kegs (ball lock or pin lock depending on your kegs - you'll need one gas and one liquid disconnect for each). I'd also highly recommend you get a splitter/manifold with check valves for the homebrew lines. Or maybe you just have one at the regulator?

Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Not sure what you mean by splitter manifold with check valves? I thought the 4 way split which has 4 gas shut off valves is that? Am I wrong?

One other question. Can the gas tank be outside the fridge? This fridge has a freezer above it which might hold the gas tank also or I could run one line inside. Space is tight for the sanke and two cornys. Im not sure if I could fit the co2 tank inside or not.

Here is the full list of parts now.. please review.

Item price $ per each
drip tray 10 inches $26.49
Co2 tank 5 gallon $60.99
sanke keg coupler $24.49
4 way gas splitter $34.99
perlick perl faucet $55.47 x3 18.49
regulator $53.49
shank assembly 3.5 w/ 3/16 barb $10.19 x3 10.19
beer line $10.00 x20 ft 0.49
Co2 tubing $11.00 x10 ft 0.69
Hose clamp large $12.00 0.59
liquid couple corney $9.18 x2 4.59
gas couple corney $9.18 x2 4.59
swivel nuts $5.16 x4 1.29






$322.63

The disconnects for corny kegs do not have built in check valves to prevent backward flow the way that commercial couplers do. Some regulators may have them but many do not, so there is a chance beer could flow back into your regulator and damage it if you lose pressure on the regulator end or hook it up to a keg with higher pressure then it's set at. Been there, done that unfortunately. Some manifolds that you buy pre-built have check valves, but some are just simple on/off valves so if open will allow flow both ways (see example of check valve here).

CO2 can be in or outside the fridge, I also prefer mine outside for space.

chickypad said:

The disconnects for corny kegs do not have built in check valves to prevent backward flow the way that commercial couplers do. Some regulators may have them but many do not, so there is a chance beer could flow back into your regulator and damage it if you lose pressure on the regulator end or hook it up to a keg with higher pressure then it's set at. Been there, done that unfortunately. Some manifolds that you buy pre-built have check valves, but some are just simple on/off valves so if open will allow flow both ways (see example of check valve here).

CO2 can be in or outside the fridge, I also prefer mine outside for space.

Click to expand...

I see what you mean now. The regulator I selected is 53 bucks but no check valve. NB has one for 75 with so Ill shop around for a good price on those.

If I am going from the regular to a 4 way gas split I would only need the check valve on the main gas line into the regulator is that correct?
is any of the items on my list worth searching for used?

PastorofMuppets said:

is any of the items on my list worth searching for used?

Click to expand...

CO2 tank for sure. Maybe the faucets and shanks - I guess it would depend on how much of a deal you can find.

One other suggestion, you may want to get more beer line than you think. It's cheap and folks often start with their lines too short for their system then start threads about foamy beer. For example, I keep my system at about 2.6 vols CO2 and 40-41 degrees so that's about 14 psi. I need 10 ft beer lines to balance.