True Kegerator, Deal or No Deal?

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RidingDonkeys

RidingDonkeys

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I just got an opportunity to pick up a True kegorator about an hour and a half from home. It is mine if I want it, but I have to get it today.

$400 for a restaurant style 2 keg double door unit. Black sides, stainless steel top. Worked when unplugged, "sounds" like it works now, and is going to auction if I don't grab it today. 5ft long, 27" deep.

Best I can tell is that if it doesn't work, a compressor would probably be the most costly fix. I don't have a model number to work with, but I'm guessing around $500 for a compressor. So worst case scenario, I have to go $1k deep into this thing.

Oh, and it comes with a tower and three handles and a CO2 bottle.

I've never kegged, and have been looking for an excuse to get into it. Wifey is OK with it because she thinks kegging is cool, and that she'll get a little extra emergency fridge space.

So for you pros, is there any reason I should jump on this? Anything to check out when I get there?
 
The restaurant style versions usually use fans inside them to move cold air around, so you should know quite quickly after plugging it in whether or not it works.
 
RidingDonkeys said:
I just got an opportunity to pick up a True kegorator about an hour and a half from home. It is mine if I want it, but I have to get it today.

$400 for a restaurant style 2 keg double door unit. Black sides, stainless steel top. Worked when unplugged, "sounds" like it works now, and is going to auction if I don't grab it today. 5ft long, 27" deep.

Best I can tell is that if it doesn't work, a compressor would probably be the most costly fix. I don't have a model number to work with, but I'm guessing around $500 for a compressor. So worst case scenario, I have to go $1k deep into this thing.

Oh, and it comes with a tower and three handles and a CO2 bottle.

I've never kegged, and have been looking for an excuse to get into it. Wifey is OK with it because she thinks kegging is cool, and that she'll get a little extra emergency fridge space.

So for you pros, is there any reason I should jump on this? Anything to check out when I get there?
Click to expand...

heck..you buy it today at $400.. if it works..I will buy it from you as soon as my tax refund comes in... (unless shipping would kill me..of course)

which is the long way of saying..grab it now
 
If it's going inside your house, they are not very quiet, they can be quite loud compared to a chest freezer or regular refrigerator.
 
Let me know how you like it in the next couple of weeks. I've got a True 2-Door 3 keg out in the garage that I've yet to touch. I bought it with the compressor working but doesn't cool, might just need a bump of refrigerant, but I can't decided whether to keep or pass it on.
 
I probably won't be using it for a while. I'm still a bottler, so this is step one into kegging. Now I need to find corny kegs and start getting serious.
 
Ridingdonkeys: I noticed you are in NC. Did you get the one that was in Indianland?
 
My tactic was simple, I hit up a bunch of used resaurant equipment businesses. They generally buy lots at auction, and then refurbish the equipment for resale. If you can catch a lot coming in, you can get a deal if you make an offer prior to them refurbing it.

I negotiated a deal on one in Fayetteville, provided it worked. Turned out the compressor was bad. Next thing I know they called me and told me about this one. I linked up with the point of contact and took it off his hands before auction. The only problem was not being able to see it first, but I got a good vibe off the guy so I went for it.
 
Update: I sank $200 into the unit to get it up and running to my standards. I put a service valve on the front for easy maintenance and had it charged with R-134A. She runs like a champ now.

I can fit 8 5gal kegs in there, so now I'm looking for a better tap setup. I would like to run 8 taps, but 6 is more likely. Anybody have cheap draft towers for sale?

The noise isn't really a problem, and we haven't noticed a big power increase. What we have noticed is that having beer on tap ROCKS!

Thanks for all the help along the way.
 
Yeah, I wouldn't be opposed to that, but the stainless steel top is one of the things that SWMBO likes about it. Plus, by the time I redo the top, I've not saved any money.
 
1+ year update, the True TDD-2 rocks. It is a bit louder, but doesn't bother us. I've done a few upgrades.

- Upgraded to two towers with four total faucets. They are Kegco model D4743DT-SS from Beverage Factory. I realize that its about perfect for my brew cycle. I never have a tap open, and never have more than one or two kegs on deck.
http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/towers/doublefaucet/D4743DT___6844.shtml

- I realized the faucets on those towers suck. They stuck a lot, and were prone to not wanting to close sometimes. I scored some used Perlicks and installed them. Well worth the investment!

- I'm preparing to replace all the lines and install this little gem. ReelAle and I were eyeballing the same auction last year which included all the old kegging equipment from a massive sports bar renovation. I didn't bid against him, and instead just bought this off him. Win-win.



- I'll also be hanging a 5th Micromatic off this to attach to a Blichmann Beer Gun.

I'm in the planning stages of the last two upgrades and will report back when done. All in all, I think the TDD-2 is a pretty good way to go for a homebrewer. It is a turn-key system with no engineering required. Parts to upgrade it can often be found for cheap on the used market too. All the time you save over building your own keezer can be used brewing more beer or riding motorcycles. :rockin:
 
RidingDonkeys said:
1+ year update, the True TDD-2 rocks. It is a bit louder, but doesn't bother us. I've done a few upgrades.

- Upgraded to two towers with four total faucets. They are Kegco model D4743DT-SS from Beverage Factory. I realize that its about perfect for my brew cycle. I never have a tap open, and never have more than one or two kegs on deck.
http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/towers/doublefaucet/D4743DT___6844.shtml

- I realized the faucets on those towers suck. They stuck a lot, and were prone to not wanting to close sometimes. I scored some used Perlicks and installed them. Well worth the investment!

- I'm preparing to replace all the lines and install this little gem. ReelAle and I were eyeballing the same auction last year which included all the old kegging equipment from a massive sports bar renovation. I didn't bid against him, and instead just bought this off him. Win-win.



- I'll also be hanging a 5th Micromatic off this to attach to a Blichmann Beer Gun.

I'm in the planning stages of the last two upgrades and will report back when done. All in all, I think the TDD-2 is a pretty good way to go for a homebrewer. It is a turn-key system with no engineering required. Parts to upgrade it can often be found for cheap on the used market too. All the time you save over building your own keezer can be used brewing more beer or riding motorcycles. :rockin:
Click to expand...

Such a great deal!!
Would love to have one of these suckers.

Cheers!
 

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