?'s about stainless shanks and faucets.

Ok, Im planning my Sanyo 4912 kegerator conversion (two faucet, in the door) for about a week or two from now. I have decided against a tower setup, unless somebody convinces me otherwise. I have everything but the faucets, shanks, and drip tray.

I would like to go "all-stainless", and I am trying to narrow down my choices. I would like to get a few opinions, and suggestions.

For the faucets I have narrowed it down to these two.....
Perlick Forward Seal Faucet SS
or
Vent-Matic Ultraflow Faucet SS

The shanks are a little bit tougher to decide on. I can only find stainless shanks in 1/4" bore. Does it make a big differance if I go to 1/4" instead of the standard 3/16" bore? Input please.

The only shank I have found in 3/16" SS is this one --------> Micro-Matic SS Dual Shank. It looks really cool, but would it be really hard to clean? I like the idea of only having to drill one hole though.

Any suggestions on SS drip trays would be nice too.

Vent-Matic has a deal going right now. They will sell you a faucet, shank, nipple, and Flow Gate, including the beer line attached to the shank for $85. Basically, all you need to do is drill a hole and attach the hose to the keg connector. Call Brad at Vent-Matic and he will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. All metal parts are in stainless. The shank is 3/16". The Flow-Gate is a cool thinghy to control the flow of beer at varying pressures, so you can have the perfect pour whether you are tapping an English Ale at a low carbonation rate, or a wheat beer at a high carbonation rate.

If you purchase a SS shank by itself, you won't notice the difference from 3/16" to 1/4". Most of the resistance on a tap system comes from the beer line itself. As long as you use the 3/16" beer line, you'll be fine. Get 6 feet of beer line for each faucet.
Kegman has a drip tray big enough for 3 faucets, #8809 which is plastic for $24. But they also have an all stainless one (#8805) that is only 5" wide for $26.

sweet. thanks for the advise. i'll be giving brad a call. im intrigued by the whole Flow-Gate set-up also. this looks like it might be right up my alley.

I just ordered my Vent-matic setups today! Wow, you were right about Brad, he is a super-wealth-goldmine of information. I spent an hour on the phone with him. He told me everything I needed to know about kegging, and more. The guy is very pasionate about his product. He also emailed me lots of literature and charts to read so I can be up to speed before my package gets here next week. I'd have to say that was the BEST customer service I have ever recieved from a company in my life.

I can wait to install this stuff!! I still need to find a drip tray though. Hopefully i'll find one soon.

Ed_Savage said:

Ok, Im planning my Sanyo 4912 kegerator conversion.

Click to expand...

I ended up returning the Sanyo. I didn't like it. It wouldnt stay cold, and the plastic inside was cheap and already starting to crack in places. To get it closed with the Co2 tank inside I would have had to remove the whole door rack assembly. REALLY cramped fit. Im glad I didn't drill the door yet. Best buy returned it no questions asked. Im still waiting on my faucets from Vent-Matic. Hopefully they come today!!

Anybody have another suggestion for a Mini fridge? I saw Kephren's Posting for an Absocold from Home Depot, but my HD doesn't carry that one. I shooting for a mini to apartment sized fridge. No larger then 10 cubic feet. That will fit 2 cornys a co2 tank w/ regulator, and have a nice spot for 2 faucets in the door.