Kegerator collar vs. tower

[stephm]

Hey Y'all, we are seriously thinking about building one, but I was hoping to hear from people who have done them weather the collar or tower works better in the long run.

I like the look of the tower better and we are planning on puting it in a spot in the kitchen as an extension of the counter, but hearing the pros and cons from folks that have done it would be GREAT!

Thanks!

 

[SweetSounds]

My $0.02
Collars are easy, cheap(er), and the lines stay cold.
Towers look good IMO, but are more expensive, and you may have to do something to keep the lines cold. There are a ton of threads in here about fans, copper pipe, pumps, and chillers.

It may come down to where you really want the faucets!

Have fun! There are a LOT of opinions on this.

See also:
Kegging VS Bottling
GFCI or no GFCI on an e-Rig
Beer Gun VS a hose
Pepsi VS Coke
And on and on and on...

 

[bdnoona]

You are asking regarding a keezer, right? Not a kegerator?

If so, a huge drawback of the keezer tower is that since the lid is the opening you use to get the kegs in/out, it will always be in the way with a tower in place. If the keezer will be against the wall, this is a problem. With full kegs in there it will be HEAVY and you will have a hard time moving it away from the wall to open it w/o damaging the tower.

Collars are far cheaper, and easier to maintain as you don't need to circulate cold are up the tower. I like the look of towers a lot, but they are more of a hassle it seems.

 

[Runyanka]

For function go for collar, for looks go for a tower. Towers are more expensive and seem to be harder to dial in, if collars aren't done right, they look rather tacky, but work. More important, what does the SWMBO say about this, if you disagree with her answer, ask her again after some homebrew, and convince her your right! :rockin:

 

[stephm]

I am the SWMBO

 

[Hammy71]

I am the SWMBO

Classic....simply classic....

What other have said. I have two keggerators. One with tower and one with collar. I love the look of the tower....but the keezer with the collar makes pouring a beer so much simpler. My lines get warm in the tower and I have to toss the first couple of ounces of a beer because it's all foam. With the keezer/collar....(since the shanks and beer line are always cold), I get a perfect pour every time.

 

[fshnne1]

When I was looking I wanted a tower because I have a three year old, make it harder to reach it

 

[KUbrew]

I built one with a tower because I like the look. If it's going to be near a wall though, it's going to be a major issue opening it up to change out kegs. I don't have any problems with cooling the tower or foam on pours.

I've since expanded and added 2 more towers and a few more kegs.

 

[whale]

it all depends on if you are going with fridge, mini fridge, freezer...

you could have collar with all of them but tower only work with mini fridge.

 

[david_42]

People have also had problems with cats and collars. Towers limit you to 3 taps, unless you build one yourself or have multiple towers. They can't be dismantled for cleaning, so you'll need a clean-in-place rig. That's not a big deal unless you're OCD.

I went with a collar and four taps, but can easily expand that to six.

For the location you are considering, a tower would make more sense. Low taps on a collar would be subject to getting wacked or snagged during normal kitchen work and drainage/driptrays will be simpler for a tower.