Fridge to Kegerator conversion questions?

1. I see some instructions out there that have you place the faucet shank through plastic sleeve made from a piece of schedule 40 pipe. What is the purpose of sleeving the shank?
2. I see a lot of conversions with faucets mounted so high on the fridge door that the freezer door cannot open without hitting a tap handle. What faucet height relative to top of keg should I have?
   [a] Does the faucet height even matter?​
3. I have tweens and teens running around my garage where the kegerator will live. Any recommendations on securing the faucets in the OFF position are welcomed.
   
   [a] How about inline valves on the beer lines inside the fridge? Then a single lock/hasp securing the door to keep the kiddos out.​
4. As mentioned, the kegerator will live in the garage, along with the dog and other garage filth . I am looking for faucet cap recommendations to help keep my faucets as clean as possible when the beer is not flowing.

Thanks in advance!
Rick

nicadrick said:

[a] How about inline valves on the beer lines inside the fridge? Then a single lock/hasp securing the door to keep the kiddos out.[/INDENT]

Click to expand...

Have any of you HBTer's tried these inline valves?

Those valves worked great on mine except mine was to keep the roommates from draining kegs without my knowledge.

I use these to keep my faucets clean: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/faucet-spout-plug.html

Just another tip is buy a couple extra plugs to have around because they somehow end up in people pockets or making puppets when people enjoy a couple to many brews.

I also typically fill the caps with sanitizer on a regular basis as a way to keep the faucets clean (I clean the lines a faucet after each keg) a friend that owns a bar uses this to keep fruit flies away

Thanks cdelap. I was looking at similar plug. I agree with filling them with starsan.

If you want to ensure that the taps don't get snagged and bumped into 'on', you could invest in a few of these. Pricey, but they'll also ensure the kids don't start tapping things on purpose when the time comes too .

I sure like the idea of the handle lock, but the price is just too high.

Does anyone have a comment on the other questions listed in this post?

The height of the faucets are most likely determined by the configuration of the inside of the door. I did a three tap into a fridge and the top of my handles just barely clear the bottom of the freezer door. Inside the door is usually some shelves for jars, a butter compartment, maybe a compartment for eggs etc. so take your time in determining the placement and measure three of four times. The pvc keeps the door from compressing when you tighten down the tap nuts. The outside of the fridge is light metal, the inside is a plastic and the middle is styrofoam insulation. You may not need the pvc, I didn't use it.

if you are ok with basica electronics, you could get a solonoid valve and put it inline with gas or beer then have a key switch on the outside of your fridge, lock the fridge and your done, when you turn the key the solonoid opens, beer can flow, when you turn the key back and remove it, the soloniod shuts, no beer, maybe over-kill but would only cost £20ish if you shop around (ebay etc) if you put it on the gas line (after regulator) you could have all your taps on one key, it would also be pretty cool and add some uniqeness to the project.
i'll willingly draw up a schematic for you if needbe.

they sell cheapish caps on ebay that are rubber, and slip on.

I personally dont think height makes a difference as long as pipe length is ok.

Have you thought about mounting your faucets on the side of the fridge?

I have mine mounted on the side, approx 42 inches from the floor -- I don't think faucet height matters, but I find this is a good height for serving. My drip tray is mounted about 11 inches below the faucets. I'm not a fan of mounting faucets in the front of the fridge as the hoses are in the way any time you open the door.