Portable kegerator: taps on front or top?

So I'm in the process of building a portable 2-keg kegerator that will look nice enough for any style gathering, and hopefully still be light enough to not become a pain in the a**. I was all set to install the faucets on front, which while a little low for pouring would keep things simple and the beer lines completely inside and cold all the way to the faucet.

But I can't help thinking about how classy it would be to have a wooden tower on top. If it were you, where would you put the faucets, and why?

Paralysis by analysis here and need some help getting unstuck...

If this will truly be portable, I wouldn't use the tower. I'd get shanks and build through the wood in the front.

The tower would make it tall and hard to fit in the back of an SUV or car.

Very cool idea. I would probably go with a tower if you can fit it in your car/suv/truck. Otherwise you will need to prop it up with something or people will be bending over to pour their beers.

So.. my two cents.

Adding towers will obviously increase the aesthetics of the unit however you'll also have to consider the beer lines being cooled within your tower thus making your design slightly more complicated which means more $ and more weight.

I guess the question is back to you. Can you pass the aesthetics test with taps on the front?

Ohhh.. I had another idea. What if you were to make the towers or coffin modular so you could assemble them quickly at the site but can remove during transport?

repomanz said:

Ohhh.. I had another idea. What if you were to make the towers or coffin modular so you could assemble them quickly at the site but can remove during transport?

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I was just rolling this very idea through my head. Wouldn't have to be so modular, just removable. Then if I had a simple foam lid or something just to use during transport, I could put the tower lid on when I got to where I was going.

Still struggling with an effective, non-powered way to cool the tower though. I have a copper pipe in my home kegerator and that works pretty well but it would make the removable lid thing pretty unwieldy...

Great idea!!! I'd dispense out the side & build a separate pedestal to raise it to the desired height. IMO Cooling a tower would be a PIA. Cheers!!!

sensibull said:

I was just rolling this very idea through my head. Wouldn't have to be so modular, just removable. Then if I had a simple foam lid or something just to use during transport, I could put the tower lid on when I got to where I was going.

Still struggling with an effective, non-powered way to cool the tower though. I have a copper pipe in my home kegerator and that works pretty well but it would make the removable lid thing pretty unwieldy...

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The other thing to consider here is typically the first pour is the foamy one if the lines are warmer. If you and the gang are going to be pounding down the beer, cooling is probably a completionist's (not really a word) necessity.

Are you going to fill this with ice?. If you are you may consider glassing the inside before putting in the foam. The wood will rot over time if you don't use some heavy protection on it.

I would build a tower though, you want the taps high enough you're not bending over to get a beer. Since this is designed for parties you don't need to worry about the lines getting warm.

Monster Mash said:

Are you going to fill this with ice?. If you are you may consider glassing the inside before putting in the foam. The wood will rot over time if you don't use some heavy protection on it.

I would build a tower though, you want the taps high enough you're not bending over to get a beer. Since this is designed for parties you don't need to worry about the lines getting warm.

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I was planning to waterproof the inside, but hadn't finalized the details on that. Tentative idea was to buy a sheet of some plastic material, cut it into 4 sized panels, and then silicone the corners.

In my head, the plastic would go *over* the insulation, not between the insulation and the wood. Is foam insulation waterproof?

And when you say "glass" do you mean fiberglass? Is there a simple way for a layman to blow a fiberglass mold?

Fiberglass would be the most permanent way of doing it but it is very messy. Pond liner and silicone would work but won't last as long.

You can get fiberglass sheet and two part epoxy at most marine supply shops. Home Depot carries it but they are more expensive.

+1 to fiberglassing the inside. Not messy if you use gloves. I do tons of fiberglassing... This would be easy because you're not concerned with aesthetics...

As for the taps... do them in the front, and build a stand for it. Easy to break down, won't have to bend over, totally portable.

Thanks guys. The fleece is necessary right, I can't just paint fiberglass over the insulation?

sensibull said:

Thanks guys. The fleece is necessary right, I can't just paint fiberglass over the insulation?

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It would be more likely to chip and crack if you don't use some sort of fabric/matting.

I'm using a varathane on the inside and out of my bar. I got 1qt for $12 at home depot, that's stain and varathane in one.

I run my lines through Fun-noodles in my portable setup. Get some large hose clamps to keep them in place and it works great as long as you have a fairly normal consumption rate. Easy solution for about 5 bucks.

cootball said:

I run my lines through Fun-noodles in my portable setup. Get some large hose clamps to keep them in place and it works great as long as you have a fairly normal consumption rate. Easy solution for about 5 bucks.

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Fun noodles in the tower?

FWIW, I put the finished product in its own thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-portable-2-keg-bar-kegerator-258923/