My Trash Can Kegorator Build

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mischief_Brewing

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Messages
1,258
Reaction score
19
Location
Montpelier
Preface: I had big ambitions to do something special for my portable tapping system, but both finances and available time are getting in the way, so I decided to do a trash can kegorator with my own little improvements/changes.

Supply List To Date:
- used faucets and shanks - $50 shipped (thanks Bowtiebrewery!)
- trashcan - $40
- oak sheets and moldings - $20
- heater register for drip tray - $11
- wire shelving for kegs to sit on - $free from friend
- 4x4 supports for shelving and CO2 bottle - $free from attic
- 3 pinlock kegs, CO2, and lines etc. - $don't remember, have been purchased piecemeal over the last 8 months

The metal shelving cut with an angle grinder to fit better
e35db78d.jpg


Shelving fitted with 4x4 for support
d32d0c62.jpg


Test fit of the 3 kegs and CO2 (sitting on another 4x4 to keep the regulators accessible)
1be2c624.jpg


The lid ready to be cut
66abbb68.jpg


The lid cut and screwed to the oak bartop
ca7d7f9f.jpg


The bartop locked in place using the lids natural seal
6d3de3a5.jpg


Test fit of the coffin modeled by one of our good friends
56f146d1.jpg


My stopping point for the night, with faucets installed but not hooked up.
1029c084.jpg


Next steps will be to cut and attach the bartop skirt, attach the coffin, install moldings, install drip tray, stain and seal.

I should be able to finish it up Saturday afternoon.
 
Day Two:

Didn't quite get as far along as I'd hoped, but all of the cutting and most of the assembly is done.

All of the molding attached (glue drying on the coffin, hence the tape)
1f569885.jpg


Shot of the inside of the coffin. Haven't attached any hoses yet.
41ab3bc0.jpg


Close up of coffin
482f507f.jpg


Tape off, getting ready to sand:
d975b2bd.jpg


First coat of stain on:
2d2399b1.jpg


Close up of coffin with stain:
8a9c0235.jpg


Another close up of coffin with stain:
a4197e1d.jpg


Next steps will be attaching the drain pan and the velcro to hold the "drapes" (I'm going to hide the trashcan behind some nice cloth)...
 
Finished it up when I got home from work last night and then loaded it in the car and took it to Brooklyn for its maiden voyage.

First, pictures!

f949599e.jpg


3196393a.jpg


760f6e3d.jpg


We put 15 gallon through the taps last night and everyone was blown away by both the quality of the beer and the quality of the build, and the fact that a desk jockey like me could actually build something like this...

It wasn't without its problems though, most of which I think I can solve.

First issue was poor planning on my part. I designed the sizing of the bar top to fit into the trunk of my car. Unfortunately I measured the height of the trunk, not the opening I had to put it into. The result was that it didn't fit. Luckily it fit in the passenger seat and the kegs took a spot behind my seat in front of the trashcan. Problem easily solved, but makes it so I have to drive solo. Second issue was with the cloth skirt. I didn't have time to sew the velcro on and when removing it for travel after the pictures above, half the velcro peeled off the material and stayed on the wood. Not a big issue, just a little more time I need to spend on the build. Another issue I ran into was overcarbonated beer. I rushed to get all of the offerings on tap and left myself with a week to get 15 gallons carbed. I think 4 days at 30 PSI was a bit too much (facepalm). The result was nearly a gallon of foam wasted into the drip tray. Which was another problem. I didn't have enough time to properly attach the drip tray and it just sat on top of the kegs. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the excessive volume of beer being wasted from the overcarbonation mentioned above. Needless to say, I have a lot of cleaning to do this morning. Not attaching the tray turned out to be helpful though since it allowed me access to the CO2 controls, which ultimately allowed me to dial it in to minimize the foaming.

The final issue that is still bothering me because I don't have a clear solution to is that the drip tray is not aligned with the dripping taps. Due to the molding I used at the base of the coffin, the drip tray was pushed out a little to far and the taps drip right at the edge and it leaks onto the wood at the coffin base. I'm open to suggestions that don't alter the overall look too much...
 
I'm more than open to suggestions/opinions on this build (especially the stain color, i'm leaning toward dark cherry)!

As for the ice, I'm leaning toward just dropping 2 bags (still in the bag) on each side of the front keg (4 total) so it should leak to much and be easy to remove the melt and leftover ice before travel.

For condensation, I'm going to park it on top of a big beach towel...
 
My only $.02 would be to add a water drain at the bottom so you let the water out before removing the kegs & CO2 bottle. Not all ice bags hold water.
 
My only $.02 would be to add a water drain at the bottom so you let the water out before removing the kegs & CO2 bottle. Not all ice bags hold water.

I wouldn't put a drain in for a few reasons.

1. A drain is just a place for a leak to develop. Putting several gallons of water onto the floor isn't a great way to make friends.
2. For a drain to work, the water needs to go somewhere lower than the bottom of the can. Since this is either going to be something like a floor drain, bathtub drain, or the grass you might as well just tip the can and pour it out. If you can't lift it, or don't have a great place to dump just siphon the water out.
 
These trash cans aren't super rugged you get 10 - 15 gallons or more of ice water in there which you will do over the course of a day or night and you try tipping it you could break something, crack a seam whatever. A non-leaking drain is just as easy to put in as a bottling bucket spigot. I know I did it ;)
 
Plus you'd have to wrestle out the CO2 cylinder and kegs before you do any "tipping". I'd imagine this is much easier to do sans water (10 gallons of water = approx 80 lbs of weight).

I'd still suggest a drain of some sort.
 
Something I forgot to suggest was to wrap it in a tarp/tablecloth/something from the discount bin at the fabric store. This will help with insulation, condensation, and will also make it look nicer than a trash can.
 
I like the cloth wrap idea. I was just going to spray paint the can black and deal with the moisture with towels.

I do plan to put a spigot on the bottom. I have an extra from a bottling bucket that has been re-purposed into grain storage.
 
I actually owned that trash can and wouldn't recommend it. I was an appliance sales trainer and used that can to collect water from a dishwasher during training in classrooms. It never had more than 8-12 gallons of water in it at a time. With the water in the can the plastic bottom sags and rubs on the ground when you move it with the attached wheels. After a few uses, the rubbing caused a hole which leaked water everywhere. I switched to one of those large round rubbermaid commercial cans with the caster accessory they make and haven't had an issue since.
 
I actually owned that trash can and wouldn't recommend it. I was an appliance sales trainer and used that can to collect water from a dishwasher during training in classrooms. It never had more than 8-12 gallons of water in it at a time. With the water in the can the plastic bottom sags and rubs on the ground when you move it with the attached wheels. After a few uses, the rubbing caused a hole which leaked water everywhere. I switched to one of those large round rubbermaid commercial cans with the caster accessory they make and haven't had an issue since.

Argh, that's not what I wanted to hear. I guess the good news for me is that the way I'm building this allows me to detach the top from the lid and move it to a different can if need be. I hope I don't need to do it for a little while at least...

Also, I updated the second post to include progress through this evening.

And Sean, I'd post more, but my wife might get suspicious...
 
I wouldn't worry lots of people have built trash can kegerators and no one has written that their's broke.

I think everyone is smart enought to realize that you put the can in place then fill it and then you DON'T MOVE IT AROUND. When done you empty it before moving. Mine is on wheels but that doesn't mean I will try dragging it around full of kegs and ice/water.

Argh, that's not what I wanted to hear. I guess the good news for me is that the way I'm building this allows me to detach the top from the lid and move it to a different can if need be. I hope I don't need to do it for a little while at least...

Also, I updated the second post to include progress through this evening.

And Sean, I'd post more, but my wife might get suspicious...
 
You might want to waterproof the inside of you coffin so that you could fill it with ice to keep the lines and taps cold. I would be afraid where it's on top and not really going to be the ambient temp of inside the ice filled can that the lines or taps could get warm causing foaming issues.
 
You might want to waterproof the inside of you coffin so that you could fill it with ice to keep the lines and taps cold. I would be afraid where it's on top and not really going to be the ambient temp of inside the ice filled can that the lines or taps could get warm causing foaming issues.

Excellent point. I guess I could line it with sheathing and use freezer packs, that would reduce the amount of moisture from melting ice. I was considering adding a magnet latch to keep the lid secure.

The whole thing (inside and out) is receiving 2 coats of semi-gloss varnish to hopefully keep the wood from reacting poorly to the changes in moisture.
 
67727f76.jpg


The only picture I took last night. Based upon akthor's suggestion, I'm going to put those blue icepacks in the coffin to keep the lines cool.

What I got done last night:
- assembly of taps and tap lines
- installation of magnet latch
- installation of sheathing in coffin
- assembly of 3-line manifold

To-dos tonight before I head out the door for its maiden voyage:
- attach the material SWMBO is sewing as I type this to the underside of the wooden skirt
- put kegs and ice in
- place drip pan that I haven't figured the best way to attach on top of the kegs under the drip tray
- drink!
 
Wow it must be thick!

Indeed it is. I wish I would have paid more attention to its thickness, I probably didn't need to insulate the coffin. Better safe than sorry I guess.



I updated the third post with pictures of the finished project. One thing I didn't mention in my wall of words below the pictures is that $4 worth of ice (two small bags from a Brooklyn bodega) kept the beer ice cold all night long, and there was well over half of each bag left when I broke it down for transport home.
 
Sounds like it went pretty good!

Tommorow is the big Day for my trash can kegerator. I have been planning this for 3 months though so my beer has been aging at the serving pressure (12psi) for weeks now. I also only need to haul everything up from my basement to the living room for it's maiden voyage which will be easier ;)
 
Can you make like 3 octagon or hexagon shape or something nice made of nice wood to build out your taps so it can drip on your tray?
 
Can you make like 3 octagon or hexagon shape or something nice made of nice wood to build out your taps so it can drip on your tray?

I think I've decided on something similar. I'm going to pick up some 1" oak and stain and attach it. Just need to use the router to make it as fancy as the rest of it.
 
Finally got a chance to get out in the garage and do some upgrades to the trashcan-o-rator. Got about 2 hours of work in last night until my fingers and toes froze. Luckily it's much warmer today and was able to get it to the point you see below.

0363554d.jpg

59ca35b5.jpg

9c104865.jpg

bb10cfec.jpg


The pieces are from the moldings section at home depot. Amazingly, the taps fit perfectly in the middle without needing the black plastic bases.

I also added a $5 plastic tool box bottom underneath the drain affixed with metal L brackets and velcro. I haven't plumbed it yet and hopefully won't have to.

The only things remaining are one more coat of varnish and to get the skirt back from my friend's house where I accidentally forgot it.

Next Saturday it will get its second use at our winter solstice party. I've got 5 kegs lined up and will likely kill every last one of them.
 
Back
Top