New to homebrew, is my kegerator big enough?

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drunkatuw

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I've had a kegerator for almost 6 years now (built it while I was in college). I was happy with the wide selection of beers while in college (Madison, WI), but since graduating and moving away from the college town, my selection has greatly reduced. I can't quite finish a 1/2 bbl by myself, so I typically order 1/4 bbl kegs and the only choices are Miller Lite, Bud light, Michelob golden draft lite and Leinie's Honeyweis. I've been getting by on honeyweis, but the local liquor store just raised their keg prices by 20% and I'm ready to start drinking good beer, so homebrew here I come.

My kegerator has internal dimensions of 26"H x 17"D x 20"W. My question is, is this big enough to hold 2, possibly 3 corny kegs? When I first built my kegerator, I had to buy a low profile coupler because a regular coupler would not fit because it was too tall for the fridge. I've read online that corny kegs are the same height as a 1/2 bbl keg, but I wasn't sure how much room was needed above the kegs for hosing and connectors.

I'm going to start with 1 tap (because I don't want to buy a new drip tray yet), but I'm sure that will change in the future. But I'd like to have 1 backup keg...possibly 2. If my kegerator is tall enough, I think I can fit 3 cornys, but not positive. I have my co2 tank outside of the fridge, so I don't have to worry about that taking up space.
 
If the sides are completely flush, those dimensions sounds like it will hold 3 + your CO2 tank, or 4 if your tank is outside. A corny keg has a diameter of ~ 8.5".
 
Soda kegs are about 8-1/2 inches dia. It would be real tight, but you may be able to get four in there as long as those dimensions are your inside dim. and accurate.
 
olllllo said:
If you're worried about buying too many cornies...

Even if you had one tap rolling 4 cornies may not be too much.

Buy at least 4.
I was thinking about buying a set of 4 kegs with free shipping from morebeer.com. I'm most concerned about the height of the cornys. I'd hate to buy 4 and then realize that I need more headroom.

How tall are cornys once all tubes and connectors are attached?
 
Including the connector, the fitting for the hose and enough room to bend the hose: 25 3/4" This is for 14 of my 16 ball-lock kegs. Two are slightly shorter.
 
david_42 said:
Including the connector, the fitting for the hose and enough room to bend the hose: 25 3/4" This is for 14 of my 16 ball-lock kegs. Two are slightly shorter.
Excellent, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear! I currently have 26", but could probably squeeze another 1/4-1/2" by changing my current keg shelf (covering the compressor bump) from 3/4" plywood to either 1/2" or 1/4" plywood. Now I just need to convince my wife I need an early birthday present so I can enjoy homebrew by my birthday (end if sept).
 
My kegerator is a Haier and was made for the 1/2 barrels. I can just fit 3 cornies in it. with a 5# CO2 tank. (and yes I don't have my $2 Doc Johnson Tap Handles anymore) :D

NewKegerator.jpg
 
BierMuncher said:
That height is going to make a real tight fit for a corny.
That's what I was afraid of. If the cornys don't fit, maybe my wife will decide that she wants a new fridge in the kitchen and the old one can be for beer.

Here is a picture of the inside of the kegerator. Not the best picture, but gives you an idea of how tall the fridge is compared to a 1/2 bbl.
DSCF0061%20(Small).JPG
 
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