Co2 tank question

Anyone know if it matters if you put the Co2 tank inside the fridge w/ the corny keg or not? I have read and heard both ways. I will be using a fridge that is in my breezeway (basically outdoors) and it gets very cold in winter here (upstate NY). Any suggestions?

In warmer places keeping on the outside makes some sense. But in cold areas, the regulator can freeze up. Mine is the fridge. Since I went to Cornell and know what the winters are like, I can recommend you do the same. I pack four kegs and the bottle in my little 12 cu. ft. fridge.

You might want to wrap a strip of pipe heater-tape around the inside portion of the taps. That will keep them from freezing as well.

I'm just starting out kegging and I've read the same thing. Having the tank in the refrigerator will cause carbonation but I've had a bunch of home brewers say they do it with no ill effects.
I hope to know what to do soon because my beer goes into the keg in a week or two. I don't know if I should drill the side of my fridge or not.

Cheers,
Rich

Yeah, I originally wasn't sure about getting the kit because I didn't want to drill the fridge. Then I went ahead because I figured, it's just an old spare fridge. But when I thought about it and realized that it might be colder outside the fridge than inside the fridge sometimes (at least during the winter). I may still end up drilling a hole for a tap but who knows.

Don't forget, CO2 vaporizes around -100F, so carbonation isn't a problem. You will notice the tank pressure is much lower in the fridge than at room temperature, but that doesn't change the output pressure or the amount of CO2 in the tank.

I wanted everything inside the box, so that's how I built it.

It makes no difference one way or the other, whatever suits your set up.

Mike

Another thing to consider is heat. Leaving any container under that kind of pressure outdoors in a climate that commonly has hot summers is a no-no. I read somewhere that exposing a full tank of CO2 to 90+ heat equates to a time bomb. When I lived back east (Maryland), those temps were pretty common in the heat of summer.

The other thing to worry about is how accurate your drilling skills are. Guessing where to drill through the side of a fridge leaves one with pretty good shot at venting the refrigerant, if you get my drift.

All things considered, including the "clean" look of a self-contained system, putting my tank inside was a no-brainer. And my medium sized fridge still has room for 4 kegs easily... a fifth if I jamb 'em in there.

Great, I'm glad to hear that I don't need to drill any holes then. I'm just going to put the whole set up in the fridge.

Have had my keggerator for over a year with the co2 bottle inside with no problems.Cant believe the gas has lasted so long.