Are Kegerators Messy and Smelly/How to mitigate spilled beer from a kegerator?

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a kegging system set up even though I’ve only brewed four batches (my fifth is coming this week). Ideally, I would get to corny kegs and put them inside a kegerator with two taps.

My first, ancillary question – does anyone see anything wrong with that sort of setup?

Here is my main question: The only place to put a kegerator in my row house is on carpet, in the main room of the house. I live with four roommates, and they (like me) would strongly prefer not to have beer spilled all over the carpet and have the place start smelling like a frat house. Has anyone come up with a system that avoids the smell/mess issue? Is there at least a way to mitigate the issue of beer spilled on the carpet? I saw the link to the stainless steel drip pan, and that sounds like a good start, but I was wondering if anyone else had any good ideas. Putting it on non-carpeted floor is not an option.

I suppose that I could just put a sign up demanding that people pour slowly and carefully. However, I’m sure that there will be a party where people will be spilling.

Thanks.

Drip trays....

A system that lots of people like to use starts with a Sanyo 4912 fridge (big enough to hold a couple kegs and a CO2 tank, adds a tower coming out the top with a pair of faucets. Drip trays underneath. As long as you know how to pour a beer, shouldn't be any more problems that if you were just drinking from a bottle.

Yep...if you're building a tower, then drip tray is the way to go. I just give this guy a wipe down every few days and rinse out the tray. It also helps if I have a "spit cup" under the taps because I like to discard the first ounce or two when the thing has been idle (which is not too often).

Before I built the tower, I simply kept picnic taps inside the fridge. THey don't drip at all if you tap the tap on your glass a couple times after pouring. THen you can rig a simple hanger inside the fridge door to hang the taps on.

My kegerator is on the carpet in my living room and I've not had a problem. I don't have a drip tray as yet but a folded up bar towel works great to catch the odd drip after pouring.

The taps aren't going to drip beer on your floor, the idiots pouring from them might...

Build a tower with drip tray. Then they have to miss the glass, the drip tray and the top of the kegerator before it ever gets to the floor.

RoaringBrewer said:

...the idiots pouring from them might...

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That's the truth. I have these little plastic caps that go over the spout on the faucet when not in use (mostly to keep the cat from licking the tap) and a buddy tried to pull a pint without removing it. What a frickin' mess that was, it sprayed stout all over the wall behind the kegerator before the cap fully came off into the glass. He lost his pouring privileges after that.

You also might want to consider one of those clear plastic mats that you use in carpeted offices in front of your kegerator. Even if you only put it out for the guests.

If you're really worried, you could plop the whole Sanyo into something like this.

Would clear it on all side by 2-3". Wouldn't do much for really spectacular spills, but if someone accidentally left a tap open, it would catch anything runnung down the sides of the fridge.

My kegger sits in a plastic washing machine tray. Catches the drips & the condensation. Doesn't help on the over-shoots.

You know what makes it really messy, cobra taps (aka picnic taps) people never seem to be able to pour properly holding one of those things and a cup. I have a chest freezer with 2 taps on a tower, but sometimes run a few extra kegs off of cobra taps, and as soon as I do someone always spills inside the kegerator, and cleaning out the inside of a chest freezer is no fun. If you are going to do it get the proper taps, on a tower and mount them at the proper height they will save you a ton of spills.

Donasay said:

You know what makes it really messy, cobra taps (aka picnic taps) people never seem to be able to pour properly holding one of those things and a cup. I have a chest freezer with 2 taps and sometimes run a few extra kegs off of cobra taps, and as soon as I do someone always spills inside the kegerator, and cleaning out the inside of a chest freezer is no fun. If you are going to do it get the proper taps, on a tower and mount them at the proper height they will save you a ton of spills.

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+1. No one is allowed in the chest freezer in the garage except me. I will fill pitchers of beer with a cobra tap and serve that way. Otherwise I would have nightmares that someone would leave a tap open.

EdWort said:

+1. No one is allowed in the chest freezer in the garage except me...

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I bet you'd let me go draw a pint or two...

barproducts.com sells various drip mats and trays.

BierMuncher said:

I bet you'd let me go draw a pint or two...

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That sounds so....

Well, I don't want to say "wrong," but it sounds like maybe there's something *special* going on between you two!

You have four adults living together... what's your bathroom like?

That's your answer right there. Either you can keep that clean or the "smells like a frat house" argument is really pointless.

the_bird said:

That sounds so....

Well, I don't want to say "wrong," but it sounds like maybe there's something *special* going on between you two!

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So you probably think there's something wrong with sending another guy a valentines gift?

How'd these fit Ed?

my kegerator's in the dining room, no collar, no draft tower. just picnic taps. so any spills are inside the keezer, not the carpet.

I run three picnic taps from my keezer. When ever friends are over, the keezer is always a mess. I just make the one who passes out first clean up the bottom of the keezer.

I, like ed wort, try to do it myself but my friends enjoy the homebrew too much for me to sit by the kegs all night.

I'm hoping to move to 2 double tap towers to avoid my friends toiling inside the keezer.

I've been thinking of running a picnic tap to my couch so I won't have to get up anymore 'cept to take a piss.

the_bird said:

That sounds so....

Well, I don't want to say "wrong," but it sounds like maybe there's something *special* going on between you two!

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Well, they were spotted together at a St. Louis hotel...