My Kegerator Project

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JnJ

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I figured I'd start a thread showing the progress of my home built kegerator. I started with a chest freezer that was our spare.


kegerator1.jpg


Here is the faucet set I got on eBay. They are Perlick, but not the forward sealing.

faucets1.jpg


Kegerator3.jpg


Reg1.jpg



I'll post more here as I make progress.
 
Thanks guys. I just ordered all the tubing, connectors, rebuild parts and seals for the kegs, so I hope to be kegging by the end of the month. I got a batch in the primary (lager), one in the secondary (may have to bottle) and I'll be brewing another today or tomorrow.
 
Ya, the drip tray is the one thing I haven't gotten around to yet. I've seen some nice ones on eBay, but they are costy. I'm not sure yet what to do for a drip tray. Should be stainless I think to go with the faucet backing...
 
Looks nice JnJ. SWMBO wants to take our breakfast area and turn it into an Irish style mini-pub and I can convert my chest freezer into a bar and raise the height by using something similar to what you've done and then attach a tower. It'll be awhile before I have time to tackle that project but I'm diggin' your kegerator. You'll never bottle again unless you're taking a few to a friend or entering a contest. Show us the finished project.
Jeffrey
 
We have a spare room attached to the living room that the computer is in that we've thought about using as sports bar. But, in a few years we'd like to do an addition to the house and redue the kitchen and living area and maybe include the bar in that. So, I got a spot in the kitchen for now where the kegerator will sit until we decide the location of the bar.
Even when I start kegging, I plan to bottle about a 12 pack from each batch to share. Bottling 12 will be much nicer then 48. :)
 
JnJ said:
Bottling 12 will be much nicer then 48. :)

True enough, true enough. Show us the finished project and any pointers you might have determined or things that you might like to have known before you started.
Thanks JnJ.

Jeffrey
 
runhard said:
True enough, true enough. Show us the finished project and any pointers you might have determined or things that you might like to have known before you started.
Thanks JnJ.

Jeffrey

Will do. I've got the trim peices all cut to size and just need time to sand, paint/stain....
 
JnJ said:
Ya, the drip tray is the one thing I haven't gotten around to yet. I've seen some nice ones on eBay, but they are costy. I'm not sure yet what to do for a drip tray. Should be stainless I think to go with the faucet backing...

Check out this site. Search for "drip pan". They have a decent looking stainless drip tray for 15 bucks that you could attach quite easily.
 
Drip pan = no results, drip tray = jackpot! Thanks, I think I may go with that. I like the ones with a back splash, but they are like $60-$70........
 
A couple of pictures. It is complete enough to use, but I still need to do something about a drip tray (notice bucket). My tap handles go with the sports bar theme I want. Left handle blue with a Broncos helmet, middle is black with a mini Tim Duncan bobble head, and the right is orange and awaiting a mini Tony Stewart bobble head.
Kegerator5.jpg

Kegerator6.jpg
 
Uncle Argyle said:
Looks great! What size is the freezer? Can you let us know the make and model? That's a really nice size.

Thanks.
It's like 5 cu.ft. I believe, the make is a Danby.
 
I was checking out freezer chests today at Lowes. They seem like an inexpensive alternative to a fridge and seem to hold more.

QUESTION: How do you keep a freezer chest from "freezing" the brew? IS there a way to know the temp range for a chest freezer?

The manuals I've read say that if the control is set at the mid point setting, the temp will be 0 degrees F. Can a chest freezer hold a 32.5 degrees?
 
KalvinEddie said:
I was checking out freezer chests today at Lowes. They seem like an inexpensive alternative to a fridge and seem to hold more.

QUESTION: How do you keep a freezer chest from "freezing" the brew? IS there a way to know the temp range for a chest freezer?

The manuals I've read say that if the control is set at the mid point setting, the temp will be 0 degrees F. Can a chest freezer hold a 32.5 degrees?
You have to use a temperature controller, mine cost about $55, you plug it in, and your freezer plugs into it. Here is the one I got.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4230
 
JnJ said:
My tap handles go with the sports bar theme I want.
I say take that blank handle, put it in the middle, and put a little XJ on top of it. Football! Jeeping! NASCAR!

What do you think? :rockin:
 
i dont know much of anything about kegging and freezers but im getting one of these 5 cuft for 50 bucks. Might be a stupid question, but Is that piece of wood there as an "extension" or is it just there to hold the taps. thanks for all the pics, and the idea. Also whats the height and width?
 
Both. The coolant lines are in the walls making drilling hazardous. Also, some freezers are too short (or marginal) for cornies.
 
pldoolittle said:
Both. The coolant lines are in the walls making drilling hazardous. Also, some freezers are too short (or marginal) for cornies.
Yup, what he said. It's tall enough for the kegs, but I didn't want to drill through the side of the freezer, hit a line, and ruin it.
 
How many cornies can fit in a 5.0 cu. foot freezer? I can get one two years old for 40 bucks. It would be my first freezer project. Is it worth it? Thanks guys
 
looks like three cornies fit. could be four if it weren't for the compressor that cuts into the back right corner, and then you might want to hang the gas bottle outside on the back to make good use of the space. but with that compressor shelf there you might as well use it for the bottle. i wonder if one of those 2.5 gallon kegs would fit on that shelf?

what did you insulated the inside of the wood with? looks nice and clean.
 
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