Portable igloo cooler kegerator

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abandonhope16 said:
Has anyone tried a collar on the 70 quart to accommodate a 5gal without having to cut up the cooler?

Once I find a deal on a cold plate, my plan is to construct a "wedge" for two MORE faucets, plus the beer-in lines. Instead of moving the hinge, I'll keep that intact and do a 3-sided collar. The two side pieces will be triangular and wedge the lid slightly open, but the front (with the taps) will be just like every other rectangular collar. Does anyone see issues with doing it this way?

I actually have a Coleman 75-qt cooler, which holds two 2.5 gallon kegs with plenty of room to spare. It already has two taps drilled through the front for serving out of the two kegs. My reason for this wedge is so that I can occasionally serve 4 beers: two out of the small kegs (and through the existing taps) and two from a cold plate that sits under the kegs. The cold plate will be sitting under 75 quarts of ice and cold kegs, so does anyone think there will be a problem with heat transfer doing it this way?

I'll post pics once this is made - hopefully no later than right after Christmas.
 
That is a very interesting concept. I wonder what sort of height would be required to clear a 5 gal corny. I also assume that the front of the collar would need to angle back to meet the lid. Hard to visualize without a cooler in from of me.
 
My setup! Fits my 7.5lb gas bottle out of my keg fridge, so I only disconnect my fridge beer line then put it straight in the igloo and pack with ice, tap on and I'm away!

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My setup! Fits my 7.5lb gas bottle out of my keg fridge, so I only disconnect my fridge beer line then put it straight in the igloo and pack with ice, tap on and I'm away!

How low do you set the serving pressure to keep down the foam?
 
Haha they just had a six pack there. We finished that keg. I leave the pressure the same and just let it settle for 5 minutes before pouring.
 
For those of you who have made the coolers fit 5 Gal's by cutting a hole in the top and letting it hang out... what temps are you using these in? I want to go that route but down here in Ga, if I bring this thing poolside the sun and heat will toast it pretty bad. I might have to do that half igloo cooler cover thing.
 
Mate I'm in Australia Queensland! The sunshine capital of aus! And it will last for two three days in heat between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius. That with an igloo!
 
Mate I'm in Australia Queensland! The sunshine capital of aus! And it will last for two three days in heat between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius. That with an igloo!

Even with the metal top exposed to direct light? I guess the liquid is down below and it is stainless steel so the heat from the top is no match for a heavily cooled mass below.
 
For those of you who have made the coolers fit 5 Gal's by cutting a hole in the top and letting it hang out... what temps are you using these in? I want to go that route but down here in Ga, if I bring this thing poolside the sun and heat will toast it pretty bad. I might have to do that half igloo cooler cover thing.

Check out the thread for a 5 gallon keg cooler in my signature.
 
Yer definatly! Because the beer is drawing from the bottom it is icey cold! I make up my own ice in ice cream containers cause it holds 10 kg of ice or more! And it take a long time for the sun to melt that amount of ice in a cold esky!!
 
Reviving this old thread. Due to a lot of strange deals and things, I am going to be trying to build one this weekend with a collar or the "wedge" collar idea mentioned here. 5 Gallon corny, 60qt cooler. From looking at things, the only difference in the 60 and 70qt are the lids and through viggle (weird tv watching app) I get $25 off lowes so I can pick up the 60 for like $10. Ill post pics and results!
 
Still have a good bit of work to do, but the rought part is out of the way. Mind you, this project is supposed to be as cheap as possible. We drank a few homebrews and contemplated building a collar, but the wood would have to be solid, and the oak available would have cost about $20, plus getting it to match up, and this thing will be moved around a lot, it just was not a good option.

SO, break out the roto zip and let's cut the lid up. The blade on the roto zip was like a light saber through butter. The first blade, the second it hit bounced a bit and just disentigrated the plastic. Got a smaller blade, and even though there was a little hopping, it was not too bad. Keg fits VERY snug. I am going to go back and clean up the cuts, line with some old fridge strippign to get a better seal.

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Now for the CO2. You guys all went with Paintball tanks because they were small, cheap and easy. Well I got my full co2 setup for what is now -$20. I sold the extra pieces and made a profit while still having a full 5lb tank. So this is what I had to work with. I drilled a hole in the back for the line before realizing that the line will just run up to the top of the keg... gotta find a use or plug for that one. Might run the beer line down through it up to the faucet. The mounting for the co2 tank is actually a commercial grade roofing truss brace. My dad had a ton laying around and we just trimmed the bottom a bit and split it in two and mounted it behind the handle. VERY sturdy and don't have to worry about the tank dropping or slipping. I'll update some more once we finish it up this weekend or next.

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Question for you guys that have built portable kegerators out of a 70qt Igloo cube coolers...what would be the best keg size to go with...2 1/2 or 3 gal kegs?? Both kegs I'm looking at have a claimed 8 1/2" dia bottom with the 3 gal having a 16 1/2" height. Co2 will be mounted on the exterior.
Thanks in advance
 
Either will work, 2 1/2 or 3 gallon. I have 3 gallon kegs and they work great. Of course I also built one from a rolling 5 gallon beverage cooler that uses much less ice ( none actually with an ice blanket from keglove) and does not need a shank, it's direct tap.

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I think I'm going to try the DrHops 5g roller for my single 2.5G keg. Was originally thinking I wanted the c02 inside just to look clean but don't want a huge cooler for just 1 small keg.
 
cbehr said:
I think I'm going to try the DrHops 5g roller for my single 2.5G keg. Was originally thinking I wanted the c02 inside just to look clean but don't want a huge cooler for just 1 small keg.

Do a search on here for my build info. It was very easy but there's a little more to it than what is easily seen in the pics.
 
I just got the 3 gallon kegs and the 70qt cooler in the mail, however I can not fit them inside. They seem to be too large in circumference.

What should I do? Am i missing something?

I have also cut off the small rubber protrusion on the bottom of the keg, but they still do not fit.
 
Thanks for the inspiration, guys!

I attached a picture of my 5 gallon keg cooler... its maiden voyage was a success today at work.

When you cut the hole into the cooler lid, is there foam or insulation exposed? if so how do you close that up?
 
I just got the 3 gallon kegs and the 70qt cooler in the mail, however I can not fit them inside. They seem to be too large in circumference.

What should I do? Am i missing something?

I have also cut off the small rubber protrusion on the bottom of the keg, but they still do not fit.

Are they the ones with the rubber top or the single metal handle. I got my 2.5 gallons to fit but i had to use vegetable oil to get the second to slide in. Once you have done it let them sit and it will strech the plastic a bit. The first time it took a lot of effort and wiggling back and forth. All attempts after that were easier
 
Ned Keggy​
Being a lurker, I sometimes forget that I might should share things. So, today, after unloading more stuff from the Old Settler's Music Festival, I saw my portable keggerator and decided that I needed to share. A friend has christened it "Ned Keggy" after the Australian fellow with the funny outfit.
These coolers come without insulation in the lid, so that was fixed in the construction. This still has ice in it that was put there on Friday (4 days in the sun). The lid and tower are filled with insulative spray foam. It ain't pretty but it is bomb-proof and stays cold for a long damn time.

Ingredients:
1 cooler
1 sheet metal place (approx. size of the lid)
Pop rivets
Spray foam
Galvanized metal duct collar
Galvanized bucket
Spare wood (2X2s and a 2X4 for the frame that the thumbscrews use to hold the bucket on top of the collar)
tap and hoses
old regulator
paint ball tank
silicon caulk
tee nuts and thumb screws

Basic build instructions.
Cut hole in lid. Cut hole in sheet metal. Place duct collar over the hole, place sheet metal over duct collar, drill holes around edge of sheet metal pop rivet in place. Screw three 2X2s and one 2X4 inside the collar (upright, height of the collar). Place bucket over collar, drill holes for thumb screws through bucket, collar and frame. Countersink the back of the holes for the tee nuts. Mark the location of the 2X4 in the bucket for the tap shank. Attach 2X4 to bucket and drill hole for shank. Fill the lid with spray foam and line the collar and bucket with spray foam, allow to cure. Carefully trim so that the foam in collar and bucket meet when placed together. Paint the foam for easier cleaning. Assemble tap, beer and gas lines. Caulk edges of the sheet metal place and any open spaces in lid.

Still needs:
Drip tray or bucket.
Something to hold the paintball tank inside the box.

Has run probably six corny kegs of drink (a few small meads, a small cyser, a Ranger IPA clone and a few of our House brown ales).

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Nice work. Definitely looks less like a bomb than mine does... ill get another pic up soon. Broke in in 2 weekends ago and was a massive hit. As we walked to the pool some guy saw it and was like "Damn... y'all know how to party right..."
 
I now have all the parts to make this happen, going to try and wrap it up this weekend or next.

I did a quick test fit of the kegs and it appears like others have noted some modification is required. The current AEB 3 gallon rubber bottom kegs have a slight ridge where the rubber protrudes slightly wider than the diameter of the keg itself. I think some strategic shaving will make them fit in the 70qt igloo properly..... I hope!
 
Yessir, a little shaving on that ridge plus a little Vaseline or keg lube to slide it in should get those kegs to fit. It will be tight, but you wont have to worry about them sliding around at all :mug:
 
I just need to decide on the post alignment in the cooler so I can shave the right spots...... decisions decisions
 
Pic 2: This is the inside of the cooler. The day I took the pics I had it setup for a single keg with the coldplate. Had 4 bags of ice inside and it took the beer from about 65 degrees (ambient) room temp to about 40 degrees after a few cups.

The coldplate is a 3 pass, and I can remove it for two 3 gallon kegs when using it as a standalone rig.

I think I'm going to do the same thing, but with dual 70ft stainless coils instead of a cold plate, that would make this perfect for my needs! a jockey box when I need it to be, a compact portable cooler when I need it to be. and it will take up a small foot print.
 
I think I'm going to do the same thing, but with dual 70ft stainless coils instead of a cold plate, that would make this perfect for my needs! a jockey box when I need it to be, a compact portable cooler when I need it to be. and it will take up a small foot print.

That will work, too!

I went with the coldplate just because it was cheaper (3 beverage cold plate) as I picked it up for $80 shipped (used). However, steel coil should be lighter and possibly more efficient as there is more surface area for the ice to cool down the lines. Be sure to post pics when you are done!
 
That is a good point on no insulation in the lid... might need to get some spray foam and fill that thing out. My lid is cut for a pin lock but I have one true ball lock now that has a good bit of wiggle room. Still was fine all day in the sun but there is always room for improvement.
 
Didn't get to foaming but I did use some left over white duct tape and chalk board paint. Just gotta get the SWMBO to chalk up whatever is on tap.

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If anyone is looking at doing this build in the near future, the great Satan WalMart has the 60 quart Igloo for 28 bucks. I just picked mine up on the 4th.

What's the best tool for knocking the hole out of the to for you 5 gallon keggers?

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Wow. That pic is really not good. Took that after a few too many points of the West Coast Dark Mild, evidently. This one should be better.

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I used a roto zip with the circle attachment but I don't recommend it at all. That drill was like a hot knife through butter and any snag made it jerk and just disentigrated the plastic leaving very uneven cuts.
 
I just completed my build for one of these to use with sixtles.

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What is the best way to seal the gap in the lid to protect the foam? Is is worth doing? I feel like I saw a post somewhere in the thread, but I couldn't track it down.
 
I just completed my build for one of these to use with sixtles.

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What is the best way to seal the gap in the lid to protect the foam? Is is worth doing? I feel like I saw a post somewhere in the thread, but I couldn't track it down.

While I have not done it yet, I was going to use the white duct tape I got.
 
Yeah - I guess that is the way I will go as well, since you can't epoxy anything to the polypropolene effectively. I may look around HD to see if there is a decent rubber gasket or anything that might fit in the space as well. I'll let you know!
 
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Maiden voyage with 8 Point IPA from Devil's Backbone in VA (hopefully I don't get banned for a non-home brew). Works like a charm. I used pieces from a flexible cutting board and white duct tape to seal off the foam.
 
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