Alright, I have a chest freezer that will fit 4 corneys and a co2 tank. I'm going to start off with two taps and go from there. I'm going to add a collar to it and have the faucets on the front wood. I can do this part but am lost on all the hoses, clamps, regulators, etc. I need. I've been looking on the forums but it's all Spanish to me. If somebody could brake down the parts I need and what they do that would be great.
Holy crap, overwhelmed...how to build a keezer
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Honestly I'd just call the guys at kegconnection.com and hash it out with them. That place has incredible customer service and they can spec you out exactly what you need.
You'll probably want to get the smallest diameter hoses you can get.
You'll need a GAS quick connect for each keg.
You'll need a Liquid QD for each beer line going to each tap.
I can't recommend one type of clamp over another. I have been using SS screw type clamps like for automotive. There may be better choices.
As far as the regulator, if you have up to 4 taps, then you may want to consider getting at least a dual stage regulator, so you can run more than 1 pressure. Let's say you want to serve soda or other highly carbed drink on one tap, while serving a lower PSI to the others. You'll need more than on reg head on your tank of gas.
Then you will need a manifold for each regulator that has more than 1 keg hooked up. The manifold should have shutoffs for ease of use, and I recommend a 1-way valve on each line to keep beer form flowing back up the tube and into your regulator. (check valve).
Look at other keezer projects and see what you like. It's not difficult, but you'll want to make sure to provide for future growth if you are only putting 2 kegs in to start.
You'll need a GAS quick connect for each keg.
You'll need a Liquid QD for each beer line going to each tap.
I can't recommend one type of clamp over another. I have been using SS screw type clamps like for automotive. There may be better choices.
As far as the regulator, if you have up to 4 taps, then you may want to consider getting at least a dual stage regulator, so you can run more than 1 pressure. Let's say you want to serve soda or other highly carbed drink on one tap, while serving a lower PSI to the others. You'll need more than on reg head on your tank of gas.
Then you will need a manifold for each regulator that has more than 1 keg hooked up. The manifold should have shutoffs for ease of use, and I recommend a 1-way valve on each line to keep beer form flowing back up the tube and into your regulator. (check valve).
Look at other keezer projects and see what you like. It's not difficult, but you'll want to make sure to provide for future growth if you are only putting 2 kegs in to start.
MooMooBrew
Well-Known Member
yes, i give them a big thumbs up, complete kits are a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it if you aren't fully versed in what your setup will need.
shroomzofdoom
Well-Known Member
Yeah, kegconnection kit diagrams rock...I've found that chicompany has great prices and are also very helpful.
One day, the lightbulb will go on and it all makes sense. I think it takes at least 10 hours of reading keezer build threads and looking at pics. Oh yeah, you could spend weeks at the 'Show us your keezer' thread also.
One day, the lightbulb will go on and it all makes sense. I think it takes at least 10 hours of reading keezer build threads and looking at pics. Oh yeah, you could spend weeks at the 'Show us your keezer' thread also.
I agree with the above responses. Give kegconnection (or kegcowboy, or austin homebrew, or northern brewer, or..you get the point) a call and explain what you have and what you are trying to achieve. They are helpful and trustworthy. They will help you buy just what you need at a fair price, and not try to sell you more than is necessary.
You can also visit your local homebrew supply shop if you have one nearby that is good and ask them to help you build one, but I'd bet you'll pay a little more that way (though supporting a local business is always good).
Many people here (myself included) will suggest that you not skimp on hardware when you are first building. Stainless components vs chrome, and good quality regulators are worth the moderately higher cost, if only because you won't have to replaced them as often (or at all).
Good luck! You'll find that once you emerge from the fog of confusion, this will get really fun. One of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting to play with cool hardware.
You can also visit your local homebrew supply shop if you have one nearby that is good and ask them to help you build one, but I'd bet you'll pay a little more that way (though supporting a local business is always good).
Many people here (myself included) will suggest that you not skimp on hardware when you are first building. Stainless components vs chrome, and good quality regulators are worth the moderately higher cost, if only because you won't have to replaced them as often (or at all).
Good luck! You'll find that once you emerge from the fog of confusion, this will get really fun. One of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting to play with cool hardware.
Awesome, this is what I ended up going with:
01 1 TSS2-2100 $69.00 $69.00
02 2 TS-21 $12.00 $24.00
1 3 Faucet Refrigerator Conversion Keg Kit, Standard Kit, BALL LOCK @ $199.00 = $199.00
5 Cornelius Keg (or Firestone), 5 Gallon, Ball Lock (Pepsi Style) for Homebrew/Soda @ $49.95 = $249.75
1 B) 10 LB CO2 Cylinder, Aluminum @ $74.95 = $74.95
1 CO2 Beer Regulator, Dual Body Chudnow, Upgrade @ $20.00 = $20.00
5 *525PC Perlick Foward Seal, Chrome Beer Faucet, UPGRADE @ $8.00 = $40.00
Just painted the chest freezer black and plan on building a collar for it tonight.
01 1 TSS2-2100 $69.00 $69.00
02 2 TS-21 $12.00 $24.00
1 3 Faucet Refrigerator Conversion Keg Kit, Standard Kit, BALL LOCK @ $199.00 = $199.00
5 Cornelius Keg (or Firestone), 5 Gallon, Ball Lock (Pepsi Style) for Homebrew/Soda @ $49.95 = $249.75
1 B) 10 LB CO2 Cylinder, Aluminum @ $74.95 = $74.95
1 CO2 Beer Regulator, Dual Body Chudnow, Upgrade @ $20.00 = $20.00
5 *525PC Perlick Foward Seal, Chrome Beer Faucet, UPGRADE @ $8.00 = $40.00
Just painted the chest freezer black and plan on building a collar for it tonight.
MooMooBrew
Well-Known Member
make sure you have your hardware so you get an idea of how everything is laid out first before you start, that way you don't wind up with difficulties moving kegs around or other issues.
also, look at installing a fan or something inside to move the cold air around, this will help keep the air, and your beer, from stratifying.
also, look at installing a fan or something inside to move the cold air around, this will help keep the air, and your beer, from stratifying.
Just for the record, kegconnection.com has been HORRIBLE. Here's my experience.
Ordered Aug 24th. Refund confirmation September 2nd??? Didn't ask for a refund. Called three days in a row and left a message to see what was going on with no response. Finally got a hold of them a week later and they apologized and promised to find out what happened and call me right back. Never called back. Horrible service, terribly disorganized.
Interesting, I'm sorry that you have had that kind of experience after we mentioned them. I've ordered from them several times and have always been very pleased with the experience.. as I know many others have on here as well.
Definitely wish you the best of luck resolving your problems and getting your parts. Once you get everything, you're going to have fun building your new toy!
Definitely wish you the best of luck resolving your problems and getting your parts. Once you get everything, you're going to have fun building your new toy!
bostonbrewin
Member
New to posting but spend way too much time here when at work. You are in the RIGHT place for advice the guys/girls rule.
"Finished" my keezer over the weekend. As a self confessed DIY noob a few lessons I learned...
Seriously consider putting casters (wheels) on it if you don't already have them. I wish I did and this will be my next upgrade to it. Moving the keezer was a real pain without them.
A wire coat hanger works well for holding spring loaded hinges from smashing you in the face and I thought easier than getting a nail through the hinge.
Using a miter box to try to miter a 2 x 8s sucks. Google or youtube "how to cut a miter joint tall baseboard". It would have saved me a board, two temper tantrums and 3 hours of sawing. Or find a friend who has an actual miter saw.
Silicone caulking and adhesive caulking are not the same thing.
I'm not an expert on wiring, and was having a hard time following the wiring diagrams so I opened for a plug in (not sure this is the right term) Johnson Digital Thermostat. On amazon they have a "deal" where if you sign up for an amazon credit card they knock 40 bucks off the price. I did this and then promptly cancelled the card. Got my control form pretty much half off. And stopped my recurring wiring nightmare.
Don't permanently attach anything, or at least as little as possible, until you are sure it is the way you want it.
When trying to figure out keg positioning use empty kegs. Your shoulders will thank you.
Read this thread (or at least the last few pages)...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/project-monsterator-111298/index29.html poor guy ruined his masterpiece by accident. I probably would have done the same thing this helped me not.
Don't get overwhelmed. You are building a fridge to drink more beer no matter how it comes out your will be the even of every sane person you know.
"Finished" my keezer over the weekend. As a self confessed DIY noob a few lessons I learned...
Seriously consider putting casters (wheels) on it if you don't already have them. I wish I did and this will be my next upgrade to it. Moving the keezer was a real pain without them.
A wire coat hanger works well for holding spring loaded hinges from smashing you in the face and I thought easier than getting a nail through the hinge.
Using a miter box to try to miter a 2 x 8s sucks. Google or youtube "how to cut a miter joint tall baseboard". It would have saved me a board, two temper tantrums and 3 hours of sawing. Or find a friend who has an actual miter saw.
Silicone caulking and adhesive caulking are not the same thing.
I'm not an expert on wiring, and was having a hard time following the wiring diagrams so I opened for a plug in (not sure this is the right term) Johnson Digital Thermostat. On amazon they have a "deal" where if you sign up for an amazon credit card they knock 40 bucks off the price. I did this and then promptly cancelled the card. Got my control form pretty much half off. And stopped my recurring wiring nightmare.
Don't permanently attach anything, or at least as little as possible, until you are sure it is the way you want it.
When trying to figure out keg positioning use empty kegs. Your shoulders will thank you.
Read this thread (or at least the last few pages)...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/project-monsterator-111298/index29.html poor guy ruined his masterpiece by accident. I probably would have done the same thing this helped me not.
Don't get overwhelmed. You are building a fridge to drink more beer no matter how it comes out your will be the even of every sane person you know.
Same exact thing happened with kegcowboy.com. Horrible business. 12 days later and nothing. They said the kegs were backordered so I told them to go ahead and send everything else and then they tell me they don't have the faucets or dual regulator I ordered. Anybody know of a decently run business I can buy parts from? This is getting ridiculous.
bbentley40
Well-Known Member
Hmm.. sorry to hear your having troubles still.. I fall into that category of people that have used KegConnection for a couple orders now and never had a single problem. Usually have my stuff on my doorstep in about 3 days actually.
Beware of Kegcowboy.com!
I have called them multiple times and they don't even return my calls now. I ordered my product on the 21st and I have nothing. They have $700 of my money that they will not refund.
I have called them multiple times and they don't even return my calls now. I ordered my product on the 21st and I have nothing. They have $700 of my money that they will not refund.
woah. terrible luck!
Paging Keg Cowby, clean up on aisle 9.
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
Hey neighbor! 
I got off to a bit of a rocky start with kegconnection.com, but after the initial order was finally processed and placed, they have been wonderful! I have called them on several occassions for advice on my system and they haven't hesitated to help me out. I have a regulator that's acting up and they are sending me a rebuilding kit for free and will walk me through the process over the phone. If that doesn't work, they will send me a new regulator to swap with the old....again for free. I placed a second order and it was smooth sailing. Some of the vendors have gotten pretty busy with all of the HBT traffic and they all mean well, but at times get a little overwhelmed. I have heard great things about kegcowboy, just sounds like your order fell between the cracks somewhere along the line.
Let's see some pics. of your keezer and if you need any help with anything related to finishing up the project let me know. I'm just a few miles away.
I got off to a bit of a rocky start with kegconnection.com, but after the initial order was finally processed and placed, they have been wonderful! I have called them on several occassions for advice on my system and they haven't hesitated to help me out. I have a regulator that's acting up and they are sending me a rebuilding kit for free and will walk me through the process over the phone. If that doesn't work, they will send me a new regulator to swap with the old....again for free. I placed a second order and it was smooth sailing. Some of the vendors have gotten pretty busy with all of the HBT traffic and they all mean well, but at times get a little overwhelmed. I have heard great things about kegcowboy, just sounds like your order fell between the cracks somewhere along the line. Let's see some pics. of your keezer and if you need any help with anything related to finishing up the project let me know. I'm just a few miles away.
sudsmcgee
Well-Known Member
Ok, I'm shouting out. I placed an order on Sunday and it hasn't shipped yet. What's the holdup?
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You should consider PM'ing them, or email using their on site question asker to get a prompter response. I have used both to ask questions while formulating my order and received speedy replies. KC is probably subscribed to numerous threads on here.
I've ordered from KegCowboy multiple times and they are very prompt about replying to e-mails you submit through the website about orders. I recommend you do so. They have been one of the better vendors. Keg Connection on the other hand took forever to reply to e-mails so I ended up order some stuff through Nick @ The Beer Tap Store: http://stores.ebay.com/The-Beer-Tap-Store.
Kegcowboy
Well-Known Member
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As far as I know we don't owe anybody any refunds other than what has been submitted today. I did get a call from a customer that said he had been trying to call us to get a refund but I did not ask him if he asked to get a refund or if he had just been trying to ask. The only delayed orders that I know of are those that were affected by a vendor mess up on towers. We ordered 24 from one supplier and about 30 from another .............what we got was a back order slip from one company and only four from the other since they were out, but didn't bother to tell us that they were only sending four. Anyway we have 16 coming from our nearest competitor that we bought at near retail prices so that we could save the orders. Those towers will arrive Monday. Anyone else has a problem can email me personally at [email protected]. - Jeff
Surly
Well-Known Member
I would hope that the folks that are having issues with a vender do contact them before they post publicly.
I have had issues with all sorts of products but I have found over the years that does not mean the company is necessarily a bad actor. They don't last very long in the marketplace.
I have had issues with all sorts of products but I have found over the years that does not mean the company is necessarily a bad actor. They don't last very long in the marketplace.
@ Triptens: I am in the process of building my keezer and found that you can custom build a setup really easy on BeverageFactory.com 's website. Look through my build if you want and i wrote down exactly what to get. If you have any questions PM me! I was going to try using kegconnection also, but after spending the better part of a week trying to JUST PLACE MY ORDER, i decided to go with the cheaper, faster, better managed company! I have been super happy with beverage factory, but make sure to read my thread for some info about the ordering process!
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
OK....OP let's get this back on track with some updated pics.!
