In Wall Kegerator Project

Hello Brewers and Drunks,

I am new to this forum and have been reading about everyone's projects and looking and some absolutely gorgeous drawings (Google Sketch-up I presume).

I am in the planning stages of a cabinet/in-wall kegerator/bar build. I am also on the road so I am unable to provide any real drawings at this time.

I have an old house that currently has a small closet type area that has been converted to a bar. It now has a cheap cabinet and granite counter put in it. (Pictures to follow).

I would like to put a kegerator under the counter to hold 2 cornies. Then either use the existing counter just raised to make room for the kegerator or pour a new concrete countertop with a sink faucet and drain to eliminate the need for a drip tray.

I picked up the kegerator as an open box return item and is this one:
http://tinyurl.com/col7co5

I have attached a terrible overhead sketch from MS Paint. Real pictures and google drawings to follow.

As the kegerator has a single regulator and some gas line as well as a sanky tap here is a list of what I think I need to buy, please fill in the details as I would like to order parts and have them waiting for me at home:

• 2 x Perlick Stainless Steel 525 faucets
• 2 x Corny Ball lock Gas Disconnects
• 2 x Corny Ball lock Beer line Disconnects
• 2 x Beer Lines for Perlick faucets
• 2 x Air lines from Tee to Cornies
• 1 x Barbed Air line tee

-MD

I'm having a really hard time telling what your drawing is showing.
However, I do see a problem with your design. In an enclosed space, that kegerator is going to heat up the surrounding air a good bit. So aside from considering some ventilation plan to exhaust that heat, you also appear to have your beer lines running through that hot space which is most likely going to give you some foaming issues.

Thank you Dave.

In the wise word of Doctor Emmett Brown, You'll have to forgive the crudeness of this model, I didn't have time to paint it or build it to scale.

I promise to have better pictures soon and real drawings.

You are also correct that the refrigerator coils will need to be ventilated. That will be done through the back wall (top of sketch). Regardless of ventilation it will get warm under the counter, and the beer will need to travel through that space. I was thinking some sort of pvc channel that the lines sit in that is thermo wrapped with a fan in the kegerator to drive the air in a circle, has this been done?

At what ambient cabinet temperature would I need to start actively venting the hot air?

Also I just realized shanks are missing from my list. What do I look at here? Stainless? Bore? Short distance as I am putting them in the wall and thus going to use either plywood or a steel plate to mount and the length should be 3/4"? Do they need to be right angle bends?

-MD

One question from a usability perspective -- how close is that right tap to the faucet? From your drawing (which is not to scale, I know ) it looks like you have to maneuver around the faucet to get to the right tap, which would start to annoy me pretty fast!

What's on the other side of the back wall?
If you can vent to it, can you just put your kegerator there and run the faucets through to the other side over the sink?

You can pick up a large wall diffuser for a central air system and install it on your cabinet. This way you do not have to install a fan. As long as you can reject the excess heat you are good. That should be enough for a passive heat transfer.

Mini_Ditka said:

In the wise word of Doctor Emmett Brown, You'll have to forgive the crudeness of this model, I didn't have time to paint it or build it to scale.
-MD

Click to expand...

DOOD! You just became my favorite person on HBT ever!

Mini_Ditka said:

Thank you Dave.

In the wise word of Doctor Emmett Brown, You'll have to forgive the crudeness of this model, I didn't have time to paint it or build it to scale.

I promise to have better pictures soon and real drawings.

You are also correct that the refrigerator coils will need to be ventilated. That will be done through the back wall (top of sketch). Regardless of ventilation it will get warm under the counter, and the beer will need to travel through that space. I was thinking some sort of pvc channel that the lines sit in that is thermo wrapped with a fan in the kegerator to drive the air in a circle, has this been done?

At what ambient cabinet temperature would I need to start actively venting the hot air?

Also I just realized shanks are missing from my list. What do I look at here? Stainless? Bore? Short distance as I am putting them in the wall and thus going to use either plywood or a steel plate to mount and the length should be 3/4"? Do they need to be right angle bends?

-MD

Click to expand...

Indeed, love the Emmett Brown quote.

I have seen some people use fans to cool a PVC tube. I've also seen some DIY glycol lines and pumps which seemed like a decent idea. Just search the forums for it, you're bound to find something that'll work for you.

I think if you just put a large enough vent on the wall, you probably won't need a fan to cool it. Personally I would put two vents, one at the bottom and one at the top to allow the hot air to exit from the top vent while the lower sucks the cool air in.

As for shanks, it's been a while since I've looked at them, but just measure the thickness of the wall and add an inch or more, it won't hurt to go longer on them unless you have some clearance issues on the back side.
You will need collars also to go around them also, and sometimes the collars will add a good deal of thickness as well depending on the type of collar you get. Right angle is entirely up to you. Either will work.