Haier Fridge for 75 bucks?

A co-worker has a Haier fridge that is 4 or so cubic feet. He says it's about a year old but only used for about 6 months. I don't plan to ever have more than two cornies loaded up...

This looks good: http://anojoneshomebrew.wordpress.com/2007/05/13/kegerator/

Trying to make out cheap.. It's white so it matches my current appliances so I can park it right in the kitchen.

I'm just starting out, haven't even ordered my equipment yet...but I figure if I like it - or if I don't having a kegerator is good times.

If it has a freezer compartment, IMO it's a deal breaker.
Some people have managed to bend it down, but if you rupture the freon line, i't game over.

Buy it - but do not try to make it cheap.
if it takes you a year to build then so be it - buy a new piece each month, till you have everything - then build it - otherwise you will spend more and more upgrading.

Take it from me - I did that - cost me 2x as much.

Kilroy

Mine had the freezer in it and luckily I was able to bend it and it still works. I can fit 2 kegs in it. I had to do some handy work to the door and the insides, it's kind of ugly, had to put new insulation on the door, and still have to kick it into place sometimes, but it works. I paid $75 for it. Then about few weeks later I got a full size fridge for $50 that can hold my hops in its freezer compartment, my washed yeast in the door and 2 kegs (possibly 4 havn't tried) + 20lb co2 tank no problem

If it will fit 2 cornies without issue - go for it. You'll save $125+ over buying a new 4.9 cubic foot mini-fridge.

However, you say it is 4 "or so" cubic feet. Probably not big enough at 4.0 - most of them converted fridges are closer to 5 cubic feet (4912 = 4.9 - Kenmore 4.9, etc).

I haven't seen this one, but the dude tells me the freezer is in the upper right corner. I want something small, clean, and white - I have a lot of space in my kitchen (which leads out to yard and back in through the family room). If it isn't an eye-sore the wife will love it.

I hope I don't spend a year building it:
75.00-100.00 for a fridge
50.00-75.00 for 3 cornies (i'll probably keep the 3rd in my regular fridge for storage).
180.00-200.00 for a c02 kit..

damn maybe I should just buy one? Or am I over estimating? I haven't even calculated taps..

Woohoo!

Some dude around the way has a Beer Meister, 100 bucks. Also found a few of the Avanti devices on craigslist for about 250, and one for 300..

So am I still better off building?

Here's what I paid to start kegging:

$75 mini fridge
$100 4 cornies. Shipped. (kegconnection.com sale)
$100 20lb co2 tank filled. (welding supply shp)
$50 3 gauge regulator (ebay)
$35 gas disconnects disconnects and tubing and single picnic faucet (can switch between kegs manually).

Just paid $50 for a second full size fridge.

Price depends on what you want...

Depends on your tap preferences (picnic tap versus single tower versus double tower versus shanks in a collar of a keezer), what quality parts you plan to use (e.g. forward seal v normal faucets), etc.

I'm sure you could build a kegerator out of a used CL fridge and cheap parts and a picnic tap for $200-300 without issue. Will it serve kegged homebrew - sure. Will it look good - maybe. Could it be much better with higher quality parts - definitely. If you are up for this trade up, go for saving a few bucks.

On the other hand, if you want a stainless, dual tapped tower, forward seal faucets, dual regulators to serve your kegs at different psi, and a brand-new mini-fridge (not dented like a used CL item might be), etc. then you will spend $600-700 to do it right... Will it serve homebrew - sure. Will it look good - definitely. Could it be made of much higher quality parts - it might be tough to upgrade if you use the right parts to begin with.

Theres definitely a trade off and this is another place where, "you get what you pay for" rings so true.

SilkkyBrew said:

Price depends on what you want...

Depends on your tap preferences (picnic tap versus single tower versus double tower versus shanks in a collar of a keezer), what quality parts you plan to use (e.g. forward seal v normal faucets), etc.

I'm sure you could build a kegerator out of a used CL fridge and cheap parts and a picnic tap for $200-300 without issue. Will it serve kegged homebrew - sure. Will it look good - maybe. Could it be much better with higher quality parts - definitely. If you are up for this trade up, go for saving a few bucks.

On the other hand, if you want a stainless, dual tapped tower, forward seal faucets, dual regulators to serve your kegs at different psi, and a brand-new mini-fridge (not dented like a used CL item might be), etc. then you will spend $600-700 to do it right... Will it serve homebrew - sure. Will it look good - definitely. Could it be made of much higher quality parts - it might be tough to upgrade if you use the right parts to begin with.

Theres definitely a trade off and this is another place where, "you get what you pay for" rings so true.

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The only thing here that will make the beer better, honestly, is the faucets. But you can upgrade from picnic faucets to towers or shanks when the time comes, picnic faucets are cheap and do the trick while you need to save for those stunning towers you want. As I'm doing right now.

I can serve at different psi as well, which I think is a good idea and not much more to make this available. Worth the extra pennies at the beginning.

Ó Flannagáin said:

The only thing here that will make the beer better, honestly, is the faucets. But you can upgrade from picnic faucets to towers or shanks when the time comes, picnic faucets are cheap and do the trick while you need to save for those stunning towers you want. As I'm doing right now.

I can serve at different psi as well, which I think is a good idea and not much more to make this available. Worth the extra pennies at the beginning.

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Oh, I'm not trying to degrade anyone who decides to use picnic taps or say that the beer will be better coming out of a tower than out of picnic taps - actually out of picnic taps at least you won't have to worry about the first pint being slightly warmer (assuming a non-cooled tower)... Just saying most people who start on the cheap, also upgrade (and you are attesting to this...) at some point.

I'm just saying you could get into kegging for cheap if that's all you can afford at the time (and upgrade later as you are doing) or you can go balls to the walls and spend a ton and never have to upgrade. The flavor of the beer probably won't be affected much at all (even in picnic tap v. perlicks) - its more the looks, etc. Personally I wouldn't want a full-size fridge I got for free off CL as my kegerator - with dents and such in it. I want something that looks high-quality and presentable. But there is nothing wrong with going that route if you don't mind the dents, etc. It will serve good homebrew.

Either way, it HAS to be better than bottling!

SilkkyBrew said:

Either way, it HAS to be better than bottling!

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No F***in joke.. excuse the french. I still bottle my belgians for cellaring, but the rest: *Kerplunk* into the keg... fraction of the time AND effort it takes me to bottle a batch.


I'm a painter as well, was my first major in college. So I take my 70's brown colored fridges and put stunning murals on them. I'll take some photos when I'm done for sure

Ó Flannagáin said:

No F***in joke.. excuse the french. I still bottle my belgians for cellaring, but the rest: *Kerplunk* into the keg... fraction of the time AND effort it takes me to bottle a batch.


I'm a painter as well, was my first major in college. So I take my 70's brown colored fridges and put stunning murals on them. I'll take some photos when I'm done for sure

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Yeah, understood on the belgians, barley-wines, etc. - I just bottled my last 'normal' batch last week though. Between bottle cleansing, sanitizing (no dish washer ), bottling the batch, etc. I wasted probably 2 hours. Thats when I started ordering kegging and kegerator parts. :rockin:

I'll probably bottle off a 6 or 12 pack of some batches using a beergun (homemade version probably - racking cane and stopper) of some sort for friends, but most of them are just going into the 4912 and on-tap. If my friends want to try more than those that I decide to specially bottle for them - they can stop over.

As for the murals on the old brown fridges, sounds effin sweet. Would love to see some kegerator art...

Well I'm new to all of this, about to order my kit from midwest - going with the two buckets and a glass carboy (i would have done the better-bottle but the shipping is the same). I'll add a couple of air-locks so I can get about two batches going off by about a couple of weeks apart - eventually.

Bottling seems like it would suck with the equipment I'll have. So I figured a kegerator! Everything store bought is too expensive, and really doesn't work with my kitchen.

This dude at work says his little fridge is brand new, no dents, only plugged in for half a year at most and about a year old - best of all WHITE. So it matches with my current appliances. He spent about 180.00 on it and wants to let it go for 75.00.

I can get a small co2 bottle, or maybe nitrogen (5lbs)?

I play paint ball, and understand the importance of psi for some things, what is a good median between GOOD and CHEAP for regulation for two cornies?

I wanted the taps to be forward pull and mounted to the side of the unit - simple as can be in design. I don't want to mount to the door, and I think a tower would be more expensive/work.

I think I'm going to bottle these first few rounds? Figure it would work out since I get a capper and caps in my kit..

I appreciate all the input guys! Let me know where I'm wrong.

You'll be constantly dealing with your PSI for charging a keg, dispensing, setting low to perhaps bottle from your keg.

For less than $50.00 you can get a decent dual guage regulator:

BierMuncher said:

You'll be constantly dealing with your PSI for charging a keg, dispensing, setting low to perhaps bottle from your keg.

For less than $50.00 you can get a decent dual guage regulator:

View attachment 3096

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Way less, I got this guy for 34.99 on ebay. I can run two different psi off it at the same time and see how much pressure is left in the tank. Works exceptionally well:

SilkkyBrew said:

Yeah, understood on the belgians, barley-wines, etc. - I just bottled my last 'normal' batch last week though. Between bottle cleansing, sanitizing (no dish washer ), bottling the batch, etc. I wasted probably 2 hours. Thats when I started ordering kegging and kegerator parts. :rockin:

I'll probably bottle off a 6 or 12 pack of some batches using a beergun (homemade version probably - racking cane and stopper) of some sort for friends, but most of them are just going into the 4912 and on-tap. If my friends want to try more than those that I decide to specially bottle for them - they can stop over.

As for the murals on the old brown fridges, sounds effin sweet. Would love to see some kegerator art...

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I always bottle a six pack before throwing in the keg. I measure out a teaspoon of DME and 1tbsp of water for each bottle, boil for 5-10 minutes, then scoop a tablespoon into each bottle and cap. WOrks pretty good, had a few bottles a little undercarbed, but still good.

Damn.. now I'm wondering if I can make a small device to put in my current fridge and use a picnic tap for it.. So I have a keg in my refrigerator.. I mean it's not the happenin' thing to do, but it would work. Right?

This would let me sort of upgrade into my kegerator? Just kicking ideas around..

Sort of a lot cheaper than I expected those things to be..they rip me off when it comes to paintball stuff :\

El_Borracho said:

Damn.. now I'm wondering if I can make a small device to put in my current fridge and use a picnic tap for it.. So I have a keg in my refrigerator.. I mean it's not the happenin' thing to do, but it would work. Right?

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If you can get a keg and CO2 tank into your current fridge...along with a simple picnic tap...do it. Kegged beer tastes fantastic and the formality/appearance of the kegerator is secondary.

You can move to a "real" kegerator down the road...but there's no reason to forego good tap beer until then.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7373

do they make these for 5gal cornies, and maybe for a 20oz c02 bottle?

Is this tastier than bottling? My thing is I think I'm going to end up with flat beer if it's left to me for the final carbonation in the bottle...

I didn't even know they made this device, im such a noob.. heh.. i got some searching to do!

EDIT: also found the tap-a-draft system.. but people complain about it and quite honestly having to order bottles over and over again is going to suck.

Can I lay a cornie sideways?? If I could lay it down it would be perfect in my middle shelf, picnic tap and tadaaaaa..

El_Borracho said:

Can I lay a cornie sideways?? If I could lay it down it would be perfect in my middle shelf, picnic tap and tadaaaaa..

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I wouldn't.

Even if you lay it with the liquid tube down, that tube bends away (up) and you'd be sucking air.

Those attachments on the link you posted will fit a 5-gallon cornie.

BierMuncher said:

I wouldn't.

Even if you lay it with the liquid tube down, that tube bends away (up) and you'd be sucking air.

Those attachments on the link you posted will fit a 5-gallon cornie.

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Yea but I just realized that a 5gal cornie is like 2' tall.. I can't stand that in my fridge..

Can I carbonate a 3gal cornie? What size bottle/difference in equipment is there?

See, the part of bottling I don't want to deal with is the final carbonation - seems a lot of people end up with flat beer, or inconsistency among the same batch.. It would be easier to keg.. But that makes this a whole lot more expensive if you need to have a place to keep the keg other than your current fridge..

Tap-A-Draft is out of the question.. Even though I found a 3x bottle setup for 100 bucks shipped.. For that I buy the 3gal mini and just bottle the rest of it..

The tap kit for the cornies is like 30 bucks on ebay..not bad at all. I even found two 3gal cornies for 25 each, but 25 shipping (each).

I understand your desire to not bottle - but its kind of a 'rite of passage' most new brewers go through. If I were you, I would get brewing, and brewing a lot... even if it meant bottling for a little while.

The brewing is the most important part of this puzzle - far more important than 'final carbonation'. And final carbonation isn't even that difficult (even in bottles!) to attain. The horror stories you have heard about flat or uneven carbonation definitely occur, but I would say a very low rate compared to people who can carbonate appropriate in a bottle and/or keg. If you follow the appropriate procedures and science (i.e. how much corn sugar to use to attain volumes of CO2 desired, etc) it will work out.

But, I'd definitely get brewing before worrying so much about kegging. If you can't brew a good beer to begin with, why would you want it kegged anyway? Get good at brewing so you don't have to dump the first few kegs... Understand?

SilkkyBrew said:

I understand your desire to not bottle - but its kind of a 'rite of passage' most new brewers go through. If I were you, I would get brewing, and brewing a lot... even if it meant bottling for a little while.

The brewing is the most important part of this puzzle - far more important than 'final carbonation'. And final carbonation isn't even that difficult (even in bottles!) to attain. The horror stories you have heard about flat or uneven carbonation definitely occur, but I would say a very low rate compared to people who can carbonate appropriate in a bottle and/or keg. If you follow the appropriate procedures and science (i.e. how much corn sugar to use to attain volumes of CO2 desired, etc) it will work out.

But, I'd definitely get brewing before worrying so much about kegging. If you can't brew a good beer to begin with, why would you want it kegged anyway? Get good at brewing so you don't have to dump the first few kegs... Understand?

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Alright point taken/made. You're totally right I should get the first steps down, get some practice and then worry about the fancy stuff.. I started trying to be frugal, now i'm looking at spending way more than anticipated.. Heh I think I mentioned in my first post on here that I'm a little obsessive when it comes to things I enjoy/think I'll enjoy..

Thanks for setting me straight..you have a cherry wheat you recommend? SWMBO says it's a must.