ChopperCharles
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- Jul 6, 2007
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I just picked up an Avanti BD6000 kegerator on clearance from Best Buy for $399. I read all the reviews online, but the Kenmore/Sanyo was $699 and would take up to a week to deliver to Sears. ($799 for stainless!!!) So I gave in knowing I'd need to make some basic modifications.
The thermostat in this fridge is terrible - it wanders and it will not hold temperature worth a damn - it keeps freezing beer. This however is better than the Danby, which doesn't cool the beer enough. It can be solved with a simple temperature controller.
I added a Johnson temperature controller from Micromatic.
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-E26.html
I also purchased 5 feet of 3/16 ID beer hose assembly with a nut on the end:
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/hoses-pid-547C60A.html
as well as a 3/16 stainless coupler:
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-SSS-B2.html
The Avanti ships with only 3 feet of line, so I cut the line and spliced in an additional 3 feet, for a total of 6 feet of line. I was going to experiment with cutting it back, but I'm getting perfect pours, so I'm not going to modify anything.
The total from Micromatic came to $71 including shipping.
That's all I needed to get perfect pours and no foamy mess. However, I need to replace the sankey coupler. The first time I attached it it leaked. I unhooked it and hooked it back up again and no leaks... but I'm not going to take a risk, a new one is in the mail ($26). The faucet also leaks a drip or two after a pour, and then stops... so I'm going to replace the faucet too for $15.
So, $399 for a kegerator, plus $116 extra for a bar-quality faucet and coupler, plus the beer line and a precise temperature controller (which can also be used for brewing). Total: $515 for a kegerator with a better thermostat and higher-quality components than even the Sanyo or Kenmore, and it can fit a full-sized commercial 1/2 barrel keg.
Charles.
The thermostat in this fridge is terrible - it wanders and it will not hold temperature worth a damn - it keeps freezing beer. This however is better than the Danby, which doesn't cool the beer enough. It can be solved with a simple temperature controller.
I added a Johnson temperature controller from Micromatic.
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-E26.html
I also purchased 5 feet of 3/16 ID beer hose assembly with a nut on the end:
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/hoses-pid-547C60A.html
as well as a 3/16 stainless coupler:
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/fittings-pid-SSS-B2.html
The Avanti ships with only 3 feet of line, so I cut the line and spliced in an additional 3 feet, for a total of 6 feet of line. I was going to experiment with cutting it back, but I'm getting perfect pours, so I'm not going to modify anything.
The total from Micromatic came to $71 including shipping.
That's all I needed to get perfect pours and no foamy mess. However, I need to replace the sankey coupler. The first time I attached it it leaked. I unhooked it and hooked it back up again and no leaks... but I'm not going to take a risk, a new one is in the mail ($26). The faucet also leaks a drip or two after a pour, and then stops... so I'm going to replace the faucet too for $15.
So, $399 for a kegerator, plus $116 extra for a bar-quality faucet and coupler, plus the beer line and a precise temperature controller (which can also be used for brewing). Total: $515 for a kegerator with a better thermostat and higher-quality components than even the Sanyo or Kenmore, and it can fit a full-sized commercial 1/2 barrel keg.
Charles.
