kegerator shank drill bit size craziness

Can anyone tell me what size drill bit or hole to drill into my fridge to accomodate a shank. The widest diameter I can measure is 3/4 inch and the people at the HBS are telling me 1 inch. I feel so stupid but isnt that gonna let air out?? Whats up with the "sleeves" I have heard people talk about? Just trying to not ruin fridge and get some beer kegged/cooled/and drinked!!! thanks

I drilled 1".

At first I left the cavity around the shank. The trim cover on the service side and the washer/nut on the inside will stop any air movement. But, the faucets will get cold (mine did at least).

Later I decided to pack some foam window seal inside the cavity. I think it just caused the shank to stay warmer so I pulled it back out.

No air moves but, somehow the lack of filler allows the faucets and shanks to chill and I think this is better.

Excellent, and makes sense -- I do see how the trim cover and nut keeps it stationary and the getting cold thing makes sense -- Im going with the 1 inch bit! thanks, doc

I second the 1 incher. I then have a 1.5" layer of rigid foam against the inside front panel of my tap box that the shanks also go through before breaking into the open inside of the tap box.

IrregularPulse said:

I second the 1 incher.

Click to expand...

That aint what she said.

It's good if your tap stay's cold, less foaming is more better.

I used a 1" hole saw bit as well. I lined the hole with metal duct tape as well to prevent foam from crumbling all over the place... no other sealant. Taps are nice and cold too.

Later I decided to pack some foam window seal inside the cavity. I think it just caused the shank to stay warmer so I pulled it back out.

No air moves but, somehow the lack of filler allows the faucets and shanks to chill and I think this is better.

Click to expand...

Seems to me there is a cold side (inside the fridge) and a warm side (outside the fridge) to the entire faucet/shank assembly. So if you insulate the inside/cold side from the cold then the warm side wins and the assembly stays relatively warm. But if you were to insulate the outside/warm side from the warm then the cold side wins and it would get even colder. So if you want the faucet even colder...insulate the outside.

I poured my first fully carbed beer from the tap last night with the full tap setup. Poured right down the middle, Nice steady pour leaving a 3/4" head. Good stuff.

For some reason I want to say I drilled a 7/8" hole and the shaft fit in nice and tight (giggity). No room around the shaft to even put any foam.

EDIT: Hmm...it seems like every site I looked at (Austin and Midwest) say a 1" hole. Maybe I'm retarded or something!

I used a unibit meant for electrical knockouts. Bought it at Home Depot. It has a "step" for 7/8" and it fit perfectly.

SOB said:

For some reason I want to say I drilled a 7/8" hole and the shaft fit in nice and tight (giggity). No room around the shaft to even put any foam.

EDIT: Hmm...it seems like every site I looked at (Austin and Midwest) say a 1" hole. Maybe I'm retarded or something!

Click to expand...

7/8" = WIN

Nice snug fit, all 6 holes I have drilled for tap shanks have been 7/8" and I couldnt be happier.

Yeah, I just did this last night and can confirm a 7/8" spade bit did the job, just perfectly fit through (any tighter and I would have actually had to thread the shanks in).

first post... exciting... i actually have a 3D animated "how to install a shank" video on a new site i am working on called draftbeerinfo.com Feel free to give me any feedback as i am JUST starting it but am going to be added a TON of 3D animated videos regarding everything from force carbing to installing entire home bars...

I realize this is an old post, but thought I'd add to is slightly and let people make their own decisions.

I was building my kegerator this past weekend and almost went with the 1" hole saw based on the fiirst few posts in this thread. Then I decided to measure my shank anyway to see what the best fit actually was. After reading the REST of the thread (after cutting the hole) I'm 1. glad I measured and 2. now know to read a whole thread before making any major decisions, like cutting holes in freezers.

The picture gives you an idea of the size difference between 7/8" and 1".

How do I determine which length of shank I need? I can measure the door and kind of figure out the distance from inside to outside. I'm not sure how much extra I will need on each end.

Thanks,

- Destin

fwiw, standard beer shanks (in the USA, anyway) use a 7/8"x14 straight pipe thread, so a 7/8" hole would provide a "squeaky tight" fit...

Cheers!

Well it seems like everyone is set on the 7/8 or the 1" hole. I fall right in between with the 15/16" I just purchased from Keg Connection. Hoping it works just fine!
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=424

15/16" worked for me. As others mentioned, you want the faucets to be cold, but as long as there's a good bit of shank sticking into the fridge the metal will act as a heat sink and the whole faucet assembly should stay cold. It has nothing to do with insulation around the shank.

sillbeer, I recommend having a couple inches of the shank sticking through on the inside, it'll help keep the faucets cold. The only downside to longer shanks is they can get in the way, but if you have plenty of room I say go long.

7/8" worked perfectly. nice tight fit, and I put a 1x6 with a 7/8" hole drilled in it on the inside of the door to give my tap some extra stability. works great.

Well the 15/16" worked perfectly for adding a 2nd tap to my tower on my kegerator. It was tough maneuvering the shank into position while tightening down the clamp on the beer line and then tightening the shank nut to lock it into place. That's what you get though for trying to add a 2nd tap to a single tower that only has a 2.5" to 3" diameter. But I am really happy with how it turned out.



Edit: Sorry for the crappy flash from the cell phone camera.

Digging up a corpse. The instructions told me to use a 7/8 inch bit which I did and good lord it was PITA to get the first shank through so I went with a 1 inch and as long as you tighten things up with the nut and on the front the taps are nice and secure....my two cents.