"Home Draft" Mini Kegerator

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Dahoov

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This project has been sort of an evolution. It actually started as a way for me to make a sweet sparkling cider for SWMBO. I picked up one of the Home Draft kegs and force carbonated my cider using a carbonator cap I made. I then was able to use the tap for serving.

I then decided it would be a good way to "Keg" and serve my beer. I have been bottling since 1994. I have never really had an issue bottling, so I never saw a reason to go to the expense kegging although I did pick up 4 pin lock cornies recently. I also have never really had enough extra space for a full sized refrigerator until we bought our new home last year.

Anyway, on to the details. I now have 4 of the Home Draft kegs. I did not want to modify the tap assembly because I wanted to be able to continue using the 16 gram CO2 cartridges. I decided to modify the CO2 cartridges by drilling and tapping with 1/4 NPT so I could put an air chuck into them. Teflon tape does not work as a seal since the cartridge wall is so thin so I used a 2 part 5 minute "Epoxy" when installing the connector into the cartridge.

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As a result of the size of the adaptor I had to enlarge the opening at the end of the plastic cartridge holder. I used a dermal but the same thing can be accomplished with a large enough drill bit. This allows me to continue using the 16 gram CO2 cartridge. Parties are much easier now that I don't have to worry about mixing sediment in bottles on the drive.

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I found a Haier 4.6 CF mini fridge on blowout at Ultimate Electronics for $79. I had been keeping an eye on craigslist for a while and most people in the Denver area were asking for around $65. Wal Mart has the same model for $149.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Haier-4.6-cu.-ft.-Refrigerator-Freezer-White/5430327

I picked up several brass air disconnects both male and female, 1/4 barb adaptors along with a 3 way manifold and 1/4 ID poly air line. I decided to go with the poly line instead of the nylon line because 1) it is rated to 150 lb instead of 60 lb and 2) it is a stiffer material not requiring hose clamps. Harbor freight had a deal on the 3 way manifold and 3 of the female disconnects for about $9. They have a 4 way manifold online for a similar price but the store was out of stock and were not getting any more. Altogether the hardware was less than $30.

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I got a used 5 lb steel tank along with dual gauge regulator, picnic tap and 2 ball lock disconnects for $90 including shipping when I was working on the original cider project.

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The only modification I had to make to the fridge was to drill a 3/8th hole in the back for the CO2 line.

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In my experimenting with the Home Draft system I have determined that the built in regulator is set to about 17-18 psi. This seems to agree with the CO2 chart which indicates that an American Light Lager would take about 17 psi CO2 at about 35 degrees F. So, although you can pressurize anything lower than that you can't go any higher. As a result I still use the carbonator caps I made so I can force carbonate at 30 psi (fill and shake method).

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So far I have "kegged" 3 batches of cider and one batch of beer. I currently make 3 gallon batches so I use 2 kegs per batch. With my current setup I am no longer tempted to find a larger fridge and start using my 5 gallon cornies. I may have 4 pin lock kegs for sale at some point in time…

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Man, that is sweet. How much would I have to pay you to modify the CO2 cartridge for me? I don't have access to many tools, definitely not enough for this project, but would love to add this to my arsenal of beer serving vessels.
 
Man, that is sweet. How much would I have to pay you to modify the CO2 cartridge for me? I don't have access to many tools, definitely not enough for this project, but would love to add this to my arsenal of beer serving vessels.

Well, I suppose you would have to send the parts to me with enough $ to send them back, or pre pay for the return shipping.
 
Great info!

I've been thinking about how to turn the fridge i have now into a draft system. It can only fit one corny so not really worth that investment.

I'm going to work on using your adapters and something like this
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPA5772S1319783801P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

With a 20 oz tank that can go in the fridge.

That looks interesting. I found the 20oz tanks on ebay for about $10 plus shipping. Might have to look for the regulator too. That might be a better option than the 16 gram cartridges for parties. (scratches chin thoughtfully...)
 
So you use the normal tap for dispensing? So the air fitting in the cartrage is so you can dispense with the tank? Sounds like a great in between and pportable party rig
 
So you use the normal tap for dispensing? So the air fitting in the cartrage is so you can dispense with the tank? Sounds like a great in between and pportable party rig

Exactly. I usually just leave the line pressure at 12 lb. Seems to carbonate my batches just fine over about a week's time. If I want to hurry things along I dial the pressure up to 30lb and put one of my carbonator caps on and do the shake thing. I still need to let things settle down with the pressure at 12lb for a day or so, but I can serve within a couple days of kegging then. For parties I can now just grab whatever is in the fridge and a 16 gram cartridge.
 
So you use the normal tap for dispensing? So the air fitting in the cartrage is so you can dispense with the tank? Sounds like a great in between and pportable party rig

I realized I didn't put any pictures of the kegs hooked up so I just added them. Hope it makes things a little clearer.
 
Is it necessary to tap the cartridge? Or are the walls thin enough that I can just kinda screw the fitting in and then epoxy in place?
 
Is it necessary to tap the cartridge? Or are the walls thin enough that I can just kinda screw the fitting in and then epoxy in place?

I don't know. I already had a 1/4 NPT tap so I didn't even think about it. The cartridge is steel, and the steel at the end is thicker than along the sides. Most hardware is brass or plated brass. Since brass is softer than steel it might work, but there might be damage to the disconnect threads.
 
This is awesome. If I didn't have a bunch of corny kegs and my mini-fridge kegerator, I'd be all over this.
 
If you guys are looking for a ready made dummy 12 gram cartridge try ebay.

Search: dummy 12 gram

This is a well know item for the stock class paintball players. Not too hard to find and can be had for $15 - $20.
 
If you guys are looking for a ready made dummy 12 gram cartridge try ebay.

Search: dummy 12 gram

This is a well know item for the stock class paintball players. Not too hard to find and can be had for $15 - $20.

The cartridges are actually 16 gram. The 12 gram ones don't fit correctly and would have to be modified.
 
After wasting yet another CO2 cartridge in one of these home draft kegs filled with my homebrew, I think I'm going to have to make a modification like this.

A quick question, couldn't I just put a 1/4" barb on the end and avoid the disconnects altogether? Such as this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100616562/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

That would work fine. In fact, those air compressor QDs can leak if tweaked wrong. I have them on mine, (see sig), but I have to be careful not to stress them or they hiss.

I punched a hole in the side of mine, so it would still sit on a flat surface, (putting one in the bottom makes it too "tall" to sit on a flat surface, that's why the OP has them overhang in his fridge). The side worked fine, (didn't tap it, just drilled the whole, cleaned up the edges, and JB welded).

One thing though, if you only have the barb, it could be a bit tougher to disassemble and clean...
 
That would work fine. In fact, those air compressor QDs can leak if tweaked wrong. I have them on mine, (see sig), but I have to be careful not to stress them or they hiss.

I punched a hole in the side of mine, so it would still sit on a flat surface, (putting one in the bottom makes it too "tall" to sit on a flat surface, that's why the OP has them overhang in his fridge). The side worked fine, (didn't tap it, just drilled the whole, cleaned up the edges, and JB welded).

One thing though, if you only have the barb, it could be a bit tougher to disassemble and clean...

Is J-B Weld better than the 5-min epoxy? I'll try drilling through the side since your reasoning makes sense.

The barb would be the cheapest option. I may get an adapter for 1/4" MFL flared fittings to make removing the gas line easier instead. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
I think JB weld may bond better, but not sure.

MFL is brilliant. This plus This and that's an awesome solution for like a total of $2.90....I wish I'd thought of it!! Next Home Draft I convert I'm gonna do that!
 
When you drilled through the side, I'm guessing you left the original 16g CO2 cartridge in the black holder to line things up. But how did you get a good seal with the J-B weld to the CO2 cartridge when it was inside the holder? I'm worried that there'll be an air gap or something that I may miss. And does J-B weld adhere well to the cartridge and plastic?
 
When you drilled through the side, I'm guessing you left the original 16g CO2 cartridge in the black holder to line things up. But how did you get a good seal with the J-B weld to the CO2 cartridge when it was inside the holder? I'm worried that there'll be an air gap or something that I may miss. And does J-B weld adhere well to the cartridge and plastic?

I first drilled a small hole in the plastic, (and I got lucky! Make sure you line up the hole with where you want the nipple to exit when the plastic holder is screwed into the regulator!! I wasn't thinking, and luckily it lined up. If I'd been smart though, it would have come off at a 90° to the tap axis, instead of the funky angle it comes out at).

Then I stuck the cartridge into the plastic holder and marked through the hole with a sharpie. I pulled out the cartridge, used a punch to make a small dent, then drilled a pilot hole through the dent, then drilled out the full diameter hole for the fitting.

I drilled out the same size hole (1/2" I think, but can't remember...maybe 3/8"?), in the plastic, then used my dremel to make it MUCH wider, (at least 1/8" wider than the hex of the fitting, if not bigger).

The fitting kind of screwed into the cartridge hole, so I screwed it in a thread or two, then goobered up the remaining threads with JB. Then I screwed it in, and slopped more JB all around it. So the JB bonds the fitting to the cartridge, and the overflowed JB also holds the cartridge in the plastic thing.

Whew, that was long winded. Short version: Drill the plastic hole much bigger than the fitting you use so you can glop JB weld all around it and get a good seal.
 
Great build! I have a few of these laying about and have always been curious about the HF parts for CO2. This may be the last part of my puzzle! :mug:
 
I just thought I would post an update to my system. I recently acquired a bunch of stuff from a guy that was retiring from brewing because of health issues. This included 2 mini fridges. I turned one into a lagering chamber and the other into a mini kegerator. I now have the ability to have 8 Home Draft kegs "On Tap" at a time.

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A friend asked me to bring some beer over for their 4th of July celebration so I put the 2 fridges in the back of my 4Runner and it became my "Rolling Kegerator"

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Wow. This is a beautiful thread. Question: could I safely go from a 20oz paintball tank via the 16g cartridge into the MLHD without need for a regulator? I have a 20oz tank with an on/off valve that could be piped directly into the system, but don't want to make a bomb. Thanks!
 
I don't think the hardware is rated for the pressure involved.

CO2 liquifies at a specific pressure based on temperature and I would say that the pressure in a 16 gram cartridge is the same as the pressure in a 20 oz bottle as well as a 5, 10 or even 20 lb bottle. My high pressure gauge usually shows about 500 lbs in my basement that is normally about 70 degrees. I have never put mine in the fridge but I understand that at 40 degrees the pressure is usually around 400 lbs.

I don't know that I would want to take the chance myself.

Something like this seems like a pretty good option to me. This one is a little expensive but perhaps you could find something for less on google or amazon.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_82384-61735...&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?Ntt=co2&facetInfo=
 
Thanks for this info and inspiration. So, just to clarify, the MLHD can handle the pressure, but not the modded cartridge fitting? I wonder about assembling a dummy fixture about the same size that could handle the psi...
 
It should work, in theory, but dunno if you want to risk the JB weld blowing out at 800 PSI.

I bought a CO2 reg for about $35 on ebay, works great. Take a look at the home draft thing in my sig.
 
Why not just regulate the co2 down to below 50psi before the adapter? The internal reg is going to step it down to 15psi anyway. The only reason the cylinders are that high is for volume.
 
I saw where you had made a pressure cap for the bottle, using a tire valve and a cap.

Do you use that to carbonate as well. Add 30psi of CO2 or so?

That is such a sweet setup.
 
Indeed. I have a few of them around that I use frequently, mostly for soda, but occasionally for cider. For soda I use about 30 PSI. For cider I use about 17 PSI. Make sure the beverage is cold first and then hook it up to the gas, shake it for about a minute while it is still hooked up to the gas then return it to the fridge to settle down for an hour or so. I don't do it for beer but if I did I would start at maybe 12 PSI then check it and adjust as necessary. I like to use the pressure I would hook it up to in my regular kegerator. That way I never over carbonate. I have found it easier to fix under carbonation than it is to fix over carbonation.

I saw where you had made a pressure cap for the bottle, using a tire valve and a cap.

Do you use that to carbonate as well. Add 30psi of CO2 or so?

That is such a sweet setup.
 
I've got the lowes regulator mentioned above. I also jbwelded a quick disconnect and have been force carbonating by setting my reg to 17 and leaving it. After 3 or so days I drop the pressure to 14 and it's good to go. I have a few 9 oz paintball tanks and a 12 oz. A 9oz has lasted me through 3 bottles already, and I'm assuming will last for a bit longer. I don't know that it makes a difference, but I hook an air gun up to the co2 and purge the bottle before filling with beer. Whether I am carbonating or not in it.
 
After wasting yet another CO2 cartridge in one of these home draft kegs filled with my homebrew, I think I'm going to have to make a modification like this.

A quick question, couldn't I just put a 1/4" barb on the end and avoid the disconnects altogether? Such as this:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100616562/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I am wanting to do this as well.. did this home depot fitting just fit in place of co2 cartridge? did it seal fine?
 
I ended up putting a ball lock connector on.

If you flip the rubber co2 seal that comes with the bottle they will seal better with aftermarket co2 cartridges.

There is a slight difference in the length of the neck of the co2 cartridges.
 
how did you put that connector on it. i was trying to find an adapter that would screw in in place of the co2 cartridge.
 
Do you mean flipping the seal that is in the regulator thingie on the home draft bottles? Does it still stay seated in there well? I'm always a little worried about losing that thing.....seems like it might be tough to replace. That would be great, though, to get a more reliable seal with the after market carts.
 
how did you put that connector on it. i was trying to find an adapter that would screw in in place of the co2 cartridge.

You can put any adapter into a spent cartridge. I have used barbed, 1/4 MFL as well as the quick disconnect. I started using 1/8 NPT on the cartridge side so I don't have to modify the plastic cartridge holder and/or glue the cartridge in place.

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as for the seal, the black one that the co2 cartridge seals to.
one side is deeper than the other, think of a capital H, it is deeper on one side that the other, the cartridges that are sent have a bit longer neck.

As for the ball lock connector, I simply removed said seal, and used and adapter, screwed it into the valve body, then sealed all around it with hot glue.

You might want to seal the overpressure vent as well.
 
as for the seal, the black one that the co2 cartridge seals to.
one side is deeper than the other, think of a capital H, it is deeper on one side that the other, the cartridges that are sent have a bit longer neck.

As for the ball lock connector, I simply removed said seal, and used and adapter, screwed it into the valve body, then sealed all around it with hot glue.

You might want to seal the overpressure vent as well.

I didn't catch your addition of a ball lock connector until I read this post. Would you mind posting a picture or two?
 
Very interesting. I have 12 Tap-A-Draft bottles and two of the dual 8-gram TAD regulators. I'll never let those go since they can mix CO2 and N. I'm adding a bar in my basement with taps, but this could really expand my horizon.
 
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