Kegging - Purchase a setup or construct my own?

[JeramyD]

Hi all,
If this question has been answered/asked before, feel free to point me in that direction.

I am finally moving from bottling to a dual keg setup, and I have a few questions.

Before we go into the details, let me tell you a bit about what I am looking for in a setup:

I would like to start out with two five gallon kegs. The kegs will be stored in a fridge, and we will probably eventually run taps out of the side of the fridge. The Co2 tank will be outside of the fridge and we'll run the gas line inside through a hole drilled in the side of the fridge.

I'm a family man, and while I do not mind spending money (I'm too poor to buy cheap if you know what I mean) if it is worth it. I need to be frugal at this point, and I anticipate spending about $300 or so for a decent setup. Is that reasonable for reconditioned pin lock kegs & around a 10# Co2 tank?


At this point, given my criteria, I've narrowed down my search to KegConnection for their two faucet basic kegging kit:
http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-basic-homebrew-kegerator-kit/#reviews

I'm looking at the Taprite dual body regulator (I believe that is what I will need for two different styles of carbonation right?), two pin lock reconditioned kegs, 10# Co2 tank, and 10' of beer line.

So here are the questions:
I see that just about every brewing site has their own 'keg in a box' setup where you can get everything at once. Is it OK to get one of these setups, or would it be better/cheaper to 'build my own' by selecting each part and trying to get the best price.

Going with a 'build your own' setup, should I just find the best prices for all of the pieces listed on the 'keg in a box' setup, or is there a list of parts that I should look for?

Is the dual body regulator worth it? The first batch will be a dunkelweizen in one keg and the much recommended apelwein in the other. Would I need a dual body regulator for that?

Would I need a 5# or a 10# Co2 tank?

I already plan on getting a couple of sets of O rings, are there any other things that I should order?

Any advice for someone who is taking the plunge?

 

[billl]

You can price it out, but you'll probably find that the kits are cheaper IF that is what you want. In your case, I'm not sure that is what you want.

The regulator needs to go on the tank. If that tank is outside your fridge, you'll want to run 1 line into the fridge and then split it off from there. (You can add a secondary regulator for after the split if you want 2 different serving pressures in the future.)

I'd go with the 10 gallon CO2. It's usually not twice as much as the 5 to get filled, so you save money each time.

 

[Double_D]

If I was going to buy a kit for the extra $40 I'd make sure I bought the one with the shanks included. Those plastic party taps suck. This is a good way to start for sure: http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-fridge-homebrew-kegerator-kit/
the only problem is that with this set up you're required to have the gas inside the kegerator. FWIW, I'd buy a single primary regulator, run it to a manifold, and distribute your gas from there. It may be a little more spendy but at least you'll only have to do it once instead of building obsolescence into your keg system. They're frustrating enough without including overhauling..

Yeah, I didn't want to get into secondary regulators with a guy that's just setting up his kegerator.