keezer conversion - what do I need?

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Belmont

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I've got all of my kegs and most of my fermenters full now so I need to get back to this project. I've been just opening the lid using party taps to this point and bumping the CO2 hose from keg to keg as needed. I've already ordered my faucets. I actually have 2 CO2 tanks because I want to keep one in the keezer and one for carbing, cleaning, and backup. What materials am I going to need other than the collar build? I'm going to start with a 6 way manifold and see if I can live with one pressure for all beers for a while. I'm assuming I'll need beer and gas line. Should I buy this in a 50' spool, measure and get by the foot, buy pre-made lines with hardware already on them? What hardware will I need? Obviously I need 6 gas and beer line ball lock disconnects because this is a 6 keg system. What about hardware for mounting the faucets and installing and connecting to the shanks? Does anyone have a method of running the lines that they think would work best for this setup? I'm connecting the collar to the lid so that the faucets swing up when I open it but still want to have the lines out of the way so that it's easy to swap out kegs. Are wingnuts much more convenient than hexnuts? What else am I forgetting here?
 
Let's see...
-Collar
-Taps
-Shanks
-tailpieces and nuts
-Beer line
-Bulk beer line
-Bulk co2 line
-quick disconnects
-6-way manifold

The tap is held to the collar by the shank. The tightest fit (if its a normal sized shank) is 7/8" or 1" bore. The shank has a nut on the back which tightens the tap onto the collar. Here's a picture of the shank attached to the tap:
Picture017.jpg


As for running the beer line, that's completely up to you. I plan on running mine very soon, so if you check out my thread (in my signature) it may help out.
 
Beer line to the shank is done with the barbed tail piece and nut assembly.
co2 line to manifold is done with a barbed flare nut and a hose clamp.
In both instances the line is installed onto the barb and clamped. the then the nut is tightened down. Make sure you slide the clamp and nut onto the line(facing the right direction) before installing the line to the barb. Then slide the nut into position and install the clamp.
 
I think you have it covered. A couple things I noticed, the reg is on back order at least until tomorrow. Those are some pricey hose clamps. Have you priced them at Lowes or Home Depot? IIRC a contractor pack(10) runs about $3. If you are stretching 3/16 line over 1/4" barbs, you probably won't need clamps. Just trying to do this can be a battle in itself. I use hot water to soften the line and heat the barb then install it. Some will argue that they can taste the plastic but I get my gas and bev line from Lowes and it has served me very well at a fraction of the cost. For the beverage lines there are calculators out there that will tell you how much line is need to reduce foaming. I just used 10 ft per faucet and coil the extra up. Check my gallery for what it looks like. Everything is out of the way for loading and unloading. The small fan blows over the temp probe and circulates air inside for more stable temps without stratification.
 
So where would I find the lines in Lowe's/HD and what would they be called? I was wondering about the length of the lines. I was hoping to be able to cut them to fit but I guess then I'd have some lines longer than others and have varying amounts of foam(maybe not a bad thing varying for style). Guess I need to figure this out too.
 
I wish I could see those pics better. It's hard to see your setup in the gallery. You don't have these posted anywhere else in full size do you?
 
sorry I was still learning how to have another site host Those are the only pics I have at the moment. You will find the line in the plumbing section. DO NOT use ice maker line, it doesn't have the burst strength. The gas line is 1/4 ID braided and the beer line is 3/16 clear poly. As posted in the previous post I use 10 ft of bev line and coil up the extra (in the open keezer lid pic you can see the three coils on the the left with just enough line left loose to reach the kegs) I've been looking for my camera that I misplaced last week. If I can find it I will replace the pics of the keezer.
 
Thanks. I'd like to see. If anyone else has pics of their lines, I'd like to see them too. Just curious about the different ways to run them so I know what I want to do.
 
Those are some pricey hose clamps. Have you priced them at Lowes or Home Depot? IIRC a contractor pack(10) runs about $3.


I was at Home Depot this morning and only found 1/2' crimps, in the plumbing section, and they're the ones that require a special crimping tool to connect. Where at Lowe's or HD are ones that work for beer / gas line?
 
Also, I would recommend putting hinges on the lid to the collar and the collar to the freezer, so you can just open the lid or lift the collar for changing out kegs. I just finished my build about an hour ago and accomplished that pretty easy. The box, believe it or not, was harder to build than I thought. Details in my DIY that I'm about to post.
 
My collar is attached to the lid so when I open it all the faucets, shanks and lines are out of the way for loading and unloading. There is a screw adjusted spring in one of the hinges that allow you to change the tension of the spring to hold the additional weight of the collar.
The worm drive clamps always seem to change locations in lowes or home depot. I always have to ask where they are.
 
I've seen people do the double hinge thing and am wondering what benefit there is to that. When would you not want the collar, faucets, and lines out of your way? Also, wouldn't you potentially be introducing more leakage?
 
I've seen people do the double hinge thing and am wondering what benefit there is to that. When would you not want the collar, faucets, and lines out of your way? Also, wouldn't you potentially be introducing more leakage?



When you just want to adjust your pressure, change out beer lines, force carb, tinker... it's easier to just open up the lid. If your keezer is up against a wall, you have to pull it out a bit when you want to open the lid with the collar, and it's heavy; you don't have to for just the lid.

My keezer is cooling for the first time now, so I'll see. The freezer is rated to cost $30 in energy usage per year. If I have some leakage, I don't think it will be the end of the world. But there is a seal between both the lid and collar, and collar and freezer.
 
Are you looking to purchase some of this from kegkits? You might want to check out the reviews about this site and compare to kegconnection or others.
 
Cool. Does anyone have any input on the line length? Is there a length of 3/16 ID line that is ideal for dispensing beer?

Like a lot of information on here, it can get completely overcomplicated.

For me, I will be more than likely sending 12psi across the board and adjusting each individual line as I see fit. Play around with it and you'll get it.
 
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