kegorator in closet

Hello,
So I am building a sort of beverage area in my kitchen. I am doing to built in undercounter fridges (these fit perfect https://amzn.com/B00U9P6AFK )
My wife won't let me do the kegorator under the counter just encase we don't want it some day we don't want a hole in the new counter top. So I am thinking I can place the kegorator in the closet and run the lines through the wall.
I am also going to be placing small fans in holes in the walls to get ventilation for all the fridges. these are what I ordered https://amzn.com/B009OWVUJ0

Now for the question. Is it as simple as I think it is, just insulate the beer line eliminate the tower, and mount in in the wall? Should I even bother with a kegerator or just buy a fridge and get the "guts".

Rough sketch attached.

Thanks

I went with a purchased kegerator, picked up a small blower to cool the longer tower length through the wall. The kegorator and the two built in beverage fridges arrived yesterday.
Gonna do something similar to this http://www.micromatic.com/dispense-keg-beer-away-from-refrigerator
Also make the tap tower out of some old black cl52 DI water line pipe with big bolts should look pretty cool.

Here is how the kitchen demo looks after two days.

Probably better with the full kegerator anyway so if you decide to move it later it's not as much of an issue.

keep in mind the kegerator will produce heat. Its going to get pretty warm inside the closet where your lines will be. Even with the cooling fan I see warmish foamy first pours in you future..hopefully not. With a 12" tower and internal fan my first pours are warmer and foamish.Yours will be longer I would think.This might be the perfect setup for a perlick flow control tap to really dial down the first pour.A small exhaust fan in the closet venting out somehow wouldn't hurt.

Love the timbers in the kitchen too !!

I am gonna put these in the walls of the closets, one blowing out at the top and one in down low to keep the actual kegorator in a cool closet, I think if I have issues I can always add more fans so it doesn't over heat. https://amzn.com/B009OWVUJ0
Think that will work?
I think the distance from the bottom of the keg to the taps will be about 7 feet or 5 from the top of the keg. The vertical height will be the same as a regular kegorator. So if I can restrict the flow right, my biggest worry is temp. So I am hoping lots of insulation around the lines with the cold air blower will work. I found a guy who had some it successfully in another thread I am hoping I luck out too.
The whole house is a reconstructed barn, all post and beam I like it too, thanks

If I had to guess I would think 5 ft of line outside the fridge is going to be problematic.I would do a test keg or 2 with the taps and insulated lines inside the closet before cutting holes in the sheetrock to see If you like the way it pours.
I didn't read the whole link but noticed the pvc pipe.Is the plan to run a pvc loop out and in of the kegerator with a fan blowing in and out? Or are the fans just to cool the room..the latter will not work,that will just bring you down to room temp and youll still have issues. A loop with perfect air flow through the tube "may" work

Heres an other option for a fan.Its adjustable speed and has been working well for me in my ferm chamber.Comes in a bigger size too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00080G0BK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Two separate systems one too cool the closet one to cool the beer lines.
So the closet one is pretty simple and should work.

The beer line one will be a cool air gravity air system. So the pvc pipe will have a flexible hose inside of it. So the little air pump will sit inside the fridge blowing the cool air inside the flex tube inside the pvc. This will blow all the way up to the taps dump the cool air on the taps into the pvc area, the air will then travel down along the beer lines back to the fridge, it should keep the entire thing the same temp as the fridge.
Do you follow what I am saying, I need to find the thread I read that explains it better than I can.
I will post lots of pics and the results. I have a back up plan but I am hoping I don't have to do it.

breakfastbrew said:

I went with a purchased kegerator, picked up a small blower to cool the longer tower length through the wall. The kegorator and the two built in beverage fridges arrived yesterday.
Gonna do something similar to this http://www.micromatic.com/dispense-keg-beer-away-from-refrigerator
Also make the tap tower out of some old black cl52 DI water line pipe with big bolts should look pretty cool.

Here is how the kitchen demo looks after two days.

Click to expand...

So the original cabinet installer saw fit to rebate the beam in order to maintain the designed distance above the counter?

Da fuq?

GilaMinumBeer said:

So the original cabinet installer saw fit to rebate the beam in order to maintain the designed distance above the counter?

Da fuq?

Click to expand...

Haha you noticed that, a lot of cursing took place when I saw that. Who ever did the kitchen should be taken out back and beaten. The beams they cut are from a barn in Maine for 1850. I am going to rotate that beam hide the cut they did. I got shorter upper cabnets so the new ones will fit. Don't get me going on the hacks that worked on this house. Sorta sad because who ever did the actual post and beam structure did an amazing job.

breakfastbrew said:

Hello,
So I am building a sort of beverage area in my kitchen. I am doing to built in undercounter fridges (these fit perfect https://amzn.com/B00U9P6AFK )
My wife won't let me do the kegorator under the counter just encase we don't want it some day we don't want a hole in the new counter top. So I am thinking I can place the kegorator in the closet and run the lines through the wall.
I am also going to be placing small fans in holes in the walls to get ventilation for all the fridges. these are what I ordered https://amzn.com/B009OWVUJ0

Now for the question. Is it as simple as I think it is, just insulate the beer line eliminate the tower, and mount in in the wall? Should I even bother with a kegerator or just buy a fridge and get the "guts".

Rough sketch attached.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I did something really similar in my old condo years back. Just used a an old mini fridge and put it in the pantry.



Tried to attach an image, but apparently don't know how, the pic is in my gallery though.

breakfastbrew said:

Haha you noticed that, a lot of cursing took place when I saw that. Who ever did the kitchen should be taken out back and beaten. The beams they cut are from a barn in Maine for 1850. I am going to rotate that beam hide the cut they did. I got shorter upper cabnets so the new ones will fit. Don't get me going on the hacks that worked on this house. Sorta sad because who ever did the actual post and beam structure did an amazing job.

Click to expand...

I see the peg and tenon construction. And could only assume the beams were reclaimed lumber given the apparent wear.

Would have been less work for the cabinet guy to notch the top corner of the cabinet and "capture" the beam rather than compromise the integrity of something that "may" have a structural purpose.

Not sure I understand how you intend to rotate that beam. Is it not captured by the columns with tenons?

You'd do better to find a piece of beam of the same wood species, beat the holy hell out of it to match the wear, stain to match then scarf it in as a patch. Maybe get some similar web plates like were used to splice the column.

That beam is not structural, it was just sitting on top of the cabinets, but they did cut the tenon of the adjacent, actual structural beam but not in a way that has any effect other the structure.
Photo is a straight up humble brag just bought the place it is very cool.

This is how I plan to cool the lines like this guy http://www.micromatic.com/forum/us-...w-blackspash-install-planned-questions?t=1813

Kitchens going in have the fridges all roughed in, added the wall cooling fans probably going to do one more, I am going to wait till the counters are installed to go through the wall with the taps. Fortunately the beer lines that came with the kegorator, will be long enough when I do.

My wife would kill me...that is all.

This is awesome. I don't know why, but I've kinda always wanted a kegerator in my living room like that!

Waiting on counter tops now. But doing country style screen doors, allows me to use the closet on left as air in take for the refrigerator cooling and not shown on for right is the exhaust.
Also I have been "testing" the cool air pump inside the kegorator as is and I had to actually turn it down. I recommend it to anyone, I will not have a problem going throw the wall.

I just test the cooling system for the 3 refrigerator units. The fans that will make sure the compressors don't work too hard.
Since the counters are not in I used some couch cushions to insulate the top. I put the entire system under full load, all the units where trying to cool down from room temp at the same time. The prob, was reading about 73 behind the 2 beverage fridges at the start it took about 20 minutes to hit 82, at that point the fan system I created kicked in (3 degrees tolerance) it cooled it back to 79 in less than 2 minutes. At this point the fridges were all at there set Temps and it took about 6 hours to get back up to 82. I imagine over time with dust etc. The system will trigger at a more rapid rate.
Does anyone know what I should be setting the temp to? It is at 79 now but is there an optimal number? I imagine in summer this will be more difficult.
Pics of thermostat the one on the left is the refrigerator cooling system. The one on the right is going to trigger the blower for the threw wall tower cooler, right now it is just kegorator temp.

***so found out most consumer products are rated for 100 degrees or 110 degrees, so I think I am going to set my thermostat to 85 and do a 10 degree tolerance, so it will turn fans on at 95 and cool to 85.