Kegerator: What to know before you build

I'm going out to look at a few mini refrigerators in town that are for sale. I plan on building a kegerator myself. What should I be looking for/be cautious of when I'm looking at mini refrigerators?

For example: how big must it be to fit 1 cornelius-style keg and a CO2 tank inside? Where are the coolant lines located on mini refrigerators (i.e. are there some that simply can not be drilled into to make a keg tower tap?)? Small freezer inside: good, bad, or doesn't matter? I've seen that Sanyo makes usable models. Any other manufacturer or are they all good if they are the right size?

...or any other things that you think should be included in a "Users Guide to Making a Kegerator." Maybe something you need to consider before you purchased. Any help here would be great. Thanks.

I converted a sanyo mini that is 28"tall by 15" deep. it can fit one corny and the 5lb CO2 tank.

First thing if you can get one that dose not have the compressor in the back bottom that would be best but I don't know if there are any like that. if you can only find ones with the compressor on the back bottom, you will have to remove the door shelves.I also put on a latch on the door so I could keep it closed.

Most Mini fridges use the top Ice box for cooling the whole thing. and this is the part were you can get in to trouble. the corny might not fit with the ice box in its current location. what I did was to GENTLY bend the coolant line so the ice box could be screwed to the back of the fridge.


Good luck!

Hey Ninkasi,

If you decide to go the mini-fridge route and try and modify it (i.e. move any of the cooling parts at all) be VERY careful.

I bought one, got it home and was too excited to make my new purchase work so in the end i actually broke it trying to get it to do what i wanted.


My next plan of attack is to go the chest freezer route and if you haven't thought about that i would check it out

The only down side is that the footprint is larger so if space is a big issue then it might not be your answer.
the pros are..
more efficient, LOTS of room for more beers, you could lager in it.

here are some links to others projects.
http://brewing.bump.us/kegerator
http://www.msu.edu/~larson25/tutorials/kegerator.htm
http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/freezer/freezer.html
http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1986/42894/kegerator.htm

i'm sold that this will be the best route for me.. I also plan on using an idea similar to this one to add fermentation temps to the rig.
http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29071



good luck!

Will

How do you go about "bending" the coolant line in a mini refrigerator?

Just bend it down, that's what I did with mine. If you hear a hiss, start over with a new fridge. I was very careful to make a very shallow bend, you don't want a kink which can lead to a leak.

5 cu ft freezer!

Ninkasi said:

How do you go about "bending" the coolant line in a mini refrigerator?

Click to expand...

Be careful.. I broke one of mine trying to bend it...

it cracked...

ws

IMO, you can't go wrong with the Sanyo 4912!!! It took about 1 1/2hrs to convert mine!!!

Ninkasi said:

For example: how big must it be to fit 1 cornelius-style keg and a CO2 tank inside? Where are the coolant lines located on mini refrigerators (i.e. are there some that simply can not be drilled into to make a keg tower tap?)? Small freezer inside: good, bad, or doesn't matter? I've seen that Sanyo makes usable models. Any other manufacturer or are they all good if they are the right size?

Click to expand...

Jeezus, man, take a tape measure along and measure your cornies(you do have cornies already, right?) and do the math yourself. Then search the forum archives for one of the zillion threads already posted on this subject.

Sorry for the rude reply, but I been drinkin and that's when the EAC in me comes out.

ontap@home said:

5 cu ft freezer!

Click to expand...

Hey Ontap what are the internal dimensions of that freezer? Looks like a maximum keg to foot print ratio.

I converted a dorm fridge to hold 2 cornys in ~1999 and got 6 years out of the first fridge. When I converted the second dorm fridge, I discovered that some manufacturers now run coolant tubes through the top of the box, to keep the freezer compartment cooler.

That meant when I drilled my 2.5" hole for the tower, I drilled right through the cooler line in the roof of my brand new fridge. Those things don't cool very well when you let the magic gas out.

My advice....from experience....when you drill through any appliance, only cut the sheet metal to start, then remove the insulation by hand under your hole to make sure there are no mechanical or electical parts underneath to damage.

I realize that the Sanyo 4912 would be a really good option. I just had the opportunity to purchase a used, smaller and cheaper model. I have no idea how the coolant lines differ from model to model. I guess I'll just wait until I can find a 4912 so I don't have be bend any coolant lines and risk ruining the refrigerator.

Ebay find for anyone in Virginia

kegerator


and one in TN

kegerator

How to find coolant lines:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=9923&highlight=cornstarch+vodka