just another kegerator build

[hunterbrooksfarm]

I'm pretty new here and have been drooling over everyone's kegerators, keezers and bar builds. Plus I've been tiring of bottling, I won't stop bottling completely as I do like to send samples home to friends and family. So After selling off some misc stuff from the garage I decided to build a kegerator out of my mini fridge from college. It's been sitting unused and neglected in a corner of the garage for prob ten yrs now and only used occasionally for extra drink storage at parties. I was gonna buy a tower but have decided to try and do this on the cheap for now. My tower is gonna be PVC for now till I get my cherry and maple top/tower finished to kinda finish it and hide the mini fridge. All the cherry and maple is from trees I cut last year and milled. I scoured the internet and bought 3 Perlics, shanks, ball lock fittings and hoses for $45, another internet CL find was a dual regulator for $45 along with a co2 tank. The tank is new and tested, so I swung by the welding shop and had it filled for $ 14. I plan on using converted pin lock kegs as I found a guy with 5 kegs for a hundred bucks only downside I gotta drive over an hr to get them this weekend. I'll be trying to take pictures along the way as I progress how I combated the most common problems during the build and hopefully my top/tower comes out as nice as I imagine. Feed back will be greatly appreciated along the way.

 

[nosnhojm20]

Awesome. Good luck and keep the pics coming.

 

[SeeMont]

Great planning and good luck with the build. I love the milling your own hardwood. Remember building is half the fun.

 

[hunterbrooksfarm]

Headed out into the garage tonight, a bit chilly -4deg so I fired up my barrel wood stove. It took the chill off fast. Anyways I dug out the fridge, scratch paper, tape measure and started scratching my head how it was gonna work. I was planning on putting two kegs and the 5lb co2 inside. For some reason I was thinking it was bigger than what it really is.. from the compressor hump to edge of door seal is 9-5/8" and width is 17-7/8 inside . The back hump shelf is only about 3" wide. I took out the shelves , drawer as well as the rails on door shelves. My calibrated eyeball is saying its not gonna fit. So for a trial run of fitment I'm gonna just try and fit my kegs in with the tank and lines before I start to hack it up or build some monstrosity of a cabinet. Sure enough just shy of fitting two kegs by themselves. Bit fits a single just fine with the co2 tank. So now I'm torn. Do I just build it just as a single tap, build a coffin box to extend to allow another keg or scratch the use of the mini fridge and drop a hundred bucks on a used freezer, another $60 for a controller.....decisions, decisions decisions....

 

[pannell77]

good luck

 

[sammy33]

I had to hack out some of the shelf rails to make two 3g better bottles fit in my mini fridge. Do you have enough clearance for two cornies if you do the same?

On another note have you looked at the STC-1000 for temp control? I have one on my ferm chamber/mini fridge and it is working great. It's a DIY build for around $35 or so. Sounds like you are into DIY though.

 

[SeeMont]

Before I did my build I ran across a video of a project like yours. This video took apart the door. I'll look to see if I can find it again. Can you hang your CO2 outside the fridge for more room. OR use the little fridge as a ferm chamber and then look at finding a cheep chest freezer.

 

[hunterbrooksfarm]

I gotta get out in the garage with my camera and take some pics so I can post my progress so far. I'm pretty sure I could hack out the inside but I'm torn with the idea of hacking up the inside. Short term I could set it up as a single tap then turn around a few months later to build a bigger better one. I'd rather just go big or go home the first time

 

[sammy33]

I agree...we want pics!

 

[hunterbrooksfarm]

So looking at CL just about everyday for a suitable candidate for a kegerator. Just talked to the guy and the deal has been made. A Haier kegerator with a dual tower with perlics, all the hoses, fittings, with a hydro tested co2 tank. It's a plug and play setup, which is good because I'm all about instant gratification and will be perfect to wheel out onto the pool deck in the summer and to tuck nicely into a corner of the dining room. I will continue to look for a chest freezer as I do want to build a nice surround with a bar.