Cider123
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- Oct 31, 2010
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Well, after a year or so of bottling, I have decided to take the plunge. I do want to limit costs but my engineering skills are limited, so let's call this semi- DIY. I plan on hooking up a kegging kit to an old fridge and creating my Kegerator or as I will call it, my Coolerator.
I'll keep track of my progress here for my own records and I would always appreciate any comments and/or advice. I hope this doesn't end up as complicated as my last big project. I built a brick pizza oven in my backyard. What I thought would be a one month, $500 project turned into a 4 month obsession that costed (well, I don't like to think about it)
So here goes:
Phase One
Found a old Whirlpool fridge in Craigslist for $50. Here it is:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachments/f51/123095d1369009768-kegging-here-i-come-fridge1.jpg
It ain't pretty, but it is exactly as I would expect my first garage Coolerator to look. Complete with dents and missing vent grill. But I brought my IR thermometer and it was as cold as my real fridge in my kitchen. Brought it home in my SUV on its side. I almost paid more in gas to get it home than I did for the fridge itself. I've been told that if you have to tip it on its side, you better not run it for a few days after you stand it back up again. So here it sits until it gets cleaned out.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachments/f51/123096d1369009768-kegging-here-i-come-fridge2.jpg
I was planning on removing the bottom storage bins that normally create the "floor". My only concern was that without the bins, would the kegs get too cold sitting on the bottom. The coils are right below the bottom. I am assuming there are coils in the back also?
No matter what, this thing needs to be gutted and bleached. Who knows what was in there.
I was planning on 2 taps for 2 kegs at any given time. I don't expect a need to have that many beers on tap. We have an occasional guest, but usually just my SWMBO and I. I am going to research kegging stuff and give kegconnection.com a call.
Stay tuned
I'll keep track of my progress here for my own records and I would always appreciate any comments and/or advice. I hope this doesn't end up as complicated as my last big project. I built a brick pizza oven in my backyard. What I thought would be a one month, $500 project turned into a 4 month obsession that costed (well, I don't like to think about it)
So here goes:
Phase One
Found a old Whirlpool fridge in Craigslist for $50. Here it is:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachments/f51/123095d1369009768-kegging-here-i-come-fridge1.jpg
It ain't pretty, but it is exactly as I would expect my first garage Coolerator to look. Complete with dents and missing vent grill. But I brought my IR thermometer and it was as cold as my real fridge in my kitchen. Brought it home in my SUV on its side. I almost paid more in gas to get it home than I did for the fridge itself. I've been told that if you have to tip it on its side, you better not run it for a few days after you stand it back up again. So here it sits until it gets cleaned out.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachments/f51/123096d1369009768-kegging-here-i-come-fridge2.jpg
I was planning on removing the bottom storage bins that normally create the "floor". My only concern was that without the bins, would the kegs get too cold sitting on the bottom. The coils are right below the bottom. I am assuming there are coils in the back also?
No matter what, this thing needs to be gutted and bleached. Who knows what was in there.
I was planning on 2 taps for 2 kegs at any given time. I don't expect a need to have that many beers on tap. We have an occasional guest, but usually just my SWMBO and I. I am going to research kegging stuff and give kegconnection.com a call.
Stay tuned