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There should be quite a few threads on that here, I know as I've been looking into the same thing. Haven't found much of a deal on ebay, they're cheap but the shipping will kill you :rolleyes: I've been bugging my local bar but the only ones he's thinking of getting rid of are real nasty and would probably require more work to clean than it is worth. I'm also going to check out at my fire station as we use corney's for the soda there and I might be able to score one or two.
 
2nd Street Brewery said:
There should be quite a few threads on that here, I know as I've been looking into the same thing. Haven't found much of a deal on ebay, they're cheap but the shipping will kill you :rolleyes: I've been bugging my local bar but the only ones he's thinking of getting rid of are real nasty and would probably require more work to clean than it is worth. I'm also going to check out at my fire station as we use corney's for the soda there and I might be able to score one or two.

Not always, You've got to keep checking often. I just purchased one last night from e-bay on a buy it now. $10.00 for the keg and $9.95 for shipping. That's the best deal I've seen. Most will end up costing you 35 to 40 dollars with shipping.
 
I'm guessing he not only needs a corny keg, but the entire system too? :confused:

Look around, I found a tap system, inclucing all hoses, regulater and co2 tank for 75 bucks. Then, you have to find the kegs! My local HBS sells them for 25 bucks refurbished.
 
Midwest has been the cheapest I have seen so far they have reconditioned ones for $27 here

This is where I got mine from and probably going to get the next 4 from too
 
For a complete kit, I recommend Ebay. I looked around for a few months and eventually settled on a guy selling systems through Ebay. Ask me in a few days if I like it, its still in the mail... or at least part of it is... I recieved one box with everything but the kegs yesterday... the guy said the kegs are in a separate box and should arrive shortly as well... :confused: lets hope so... the packing slip on the first box said 2 kegs on it, so I don't know whats up. Maybe they just don't do their paperwork properly.

But anyway, the system I ordered looks like this: http://cgi.ebay.ca/Complete-Two-Cor...405414452QQcategoryZ38172QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Driftwood said:
For a complete kit, I recommend Ebay. I looked around for a few months and eventually settled on a guy selling systems through Ebay.

Tom Hargraves eBay kits are priced pretty accurately for the equipment, but shipping could be high depending on your area. $185 for the kit, $43 for shipping (Alabama to Massachusetts) for a total of $228.

I priced everything in that kit speparately (less kegs) from MicroMatic and it ran for $150, and $20 shipping. Two kegs from Adventures with shipping are $53, for an over all cost of $223. So Tom's kit cost isnt that far off. So like Driftwood said... :D
 
Thanks everybody. Now I know where to send everybody for my birthday.... Ahhh - I can almost taste the draft homebrew....

Paul
 
Here are some things to think about before you buy a complete "kit".

1) Most kits come with a 5 lb CO2 tank. This is fine, but if you plan on kegging a lot and force carbonating, you will be filling up your 5 pounder a lot more often. Get as big a tank as you can find or can fit in your space. Filling your CO2 tank is the last thing you want to worry about.

2) A lot of kits come with a single gage regulator. Again, this is fine, but a dual gage has it's advantages. The single gage reads only the outlet pressure from the regulator (typically 8 - 15 PSI). The second gage reads tank pressure. Since CO2 tanks contain liquid, this gage will read a consant 800 PSI at 70 F (give or take) until all the liquid is gone, then the pressure will drop below 800 indicating that you will soon need CO2. Without this gage, you won't know until your outlet pressure drops below your desired serving pressure, by then it's too late. The cost for the second gage is usually minimal and I think the added flexibility is worth it.

3) If you opt for actual beer faucets, the faucets that come with the standard kits are just the standard brass bar faucets . A Vent Matic or Perlick forward sealing faucet, although more expensive, provides much cleaner operation and absolutely no sticking. If you leave a standard faucet alone for a couple of days, the faucet will stick closed from the dryed up beer and stuff from the last pour. I used to have these and it always bugged me. The forward sealing faucets are definitely worth it.

4) If you plan on tapping more than one keg, a gas manifold may be in order rather than putting a bunch of tees in the line for added kegs. A shut off valve for each keg is very handy.

It really pays to think through how you want your kegs to work before you buy anything. Check out some other discussion boards and peruse other folks web sites to see how they have their kegs set up. Hopefully, you can buy something that is expandable and you won't have to buy stuff twice.

Prosit!
 
Tony said:
Tom Hargraves eBay kits are priced pretty accurately for the equipment, but shipping could be high depending on your area. $185 for the kit, $43 for shipping (Alabama to Massachusetts) for a total of $228.

Shipping to Vancouver was the same, $43. I expected to have to pay customs fees and local taxes when they delivered, but I didn't!! That would have been another $40 or so.

And my kegs arrived this morning!! Two days after everything else, but its all here! :D The kegs need a little bit of washing, but other than that, everything looks great! And I've got a batch in secondary that will be ready to go in there in about a week! :D
 
tnlandsailor said:
Here are some things to think about before you buy a complete "kit".

1) Most kits come with a 5 lb CO2 tank. This is fine, but if you plan on kegging a lot and force carbonating, you will be filling up your 5 pounder a lot more often. Get as big a tank as you can find or can fit in your space. Filling your CO2 tank is the last thing you want to worry about.

2) A lot of kits come with a single gage regulator. Again, this is fine, but a dual gage has it's advantages. The single gage reads only the outlet pressure from the regulator (typically 8 - 15 PSI). The second gage reads tank pressure. Since CO2 tanks contain liquid, this gage will read a consant 800 PSI at 70 F (give or take) until all the liquid is gone, then the pressure will drop below 800 indicating that you will soon need CO2. Without this gage, you won't know until your outlet pressure drops below your desired serving pressure, by then it's too late. The cost for the second gage is usually minimal and I think the added flexibility is worth it.
I use a 5 pound tank which was last filled back in February. Now granted, I don't guzzle beer, and only keep two kegs running at a time, but I'm on my fourth keg with it now, and when I weighed it, I still had half the CO2 left. Even if I notice the pressure on my single gauge dropping, it's just a quick trip down to the fire extinguisher service shop for a $10 refill, done while I wait. Inconvenient? For me, no, but I made sure I could get easy refills BEFORE I bought my kegging gear.

As such, I didn't wast my money on a dual gauge regulator. If my pressure drops suddenly, I can just disconnect, so I don't lose pressure or volumes of CO2 in my beer, then run the tank out for a refill. At most I'll have to wait overnight, so instead of drinking from a Keg I'll just have a bottle that I keep handy (I do bottle on occasion).

Buy what you know you can use, have contingency plans, and plan ahead. You can save a little cash and still use kegs with no worries.
 
All good advice, I just got a line on 4 corney's last night from the guy who runs the bar at the firehouse. I'll have to ask at my LHBS about who fills them when I stop in next week. Still looking for another old fridge or chest freezer so I can put together a kegerator :(
 
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