Using 3/5 gal Corny on Fridge Shelf

[Almighty]

My only option to get some sort of draft system into my new condo is if it can fit it in the bottom shelf of the fridge.
I have heard good things about the Tap A Draft. And this will be a back-up option as I would rather have a long term solution and something I can upgrade down the road.
So depending on the depth of my fridge I want to get a 3 or 5 gal corny for the fridge. I plan on getting a very basic setup with a 20 oz CO2 tank and picnic tap for now. I found this advice when searching past threads but I'm a little skeptical:
"You can serve your beer from a corny laying on its side. We've done it several times.
1. Switch the hose from your Beer Out QD to go to your CO2.
2. Switch the hose from your Gas In QD to go to your tap.
3. Lay the keg on its side so that the Gas In Qd is on the bottom.
4. Drink and enjoy."
OR
"You could also try laying it on it's side but giving it just a slight angle so the top is higher than the bottom. Carefully bend the long pickup tube in the keg so that it draws from the side of the keg at the bottom at what will be the lowest point in the keg. Should work OK, and you should be able to bend the pickup tube back if you ever want to use it upright."

Thoughts?

 

[samc]

I'd go with the 3 gallon, or 2.5 gallon's are around as well. When you do upgrade eventually you will find uses for the small ones as they are easier to take to parties,etc.

 

[Almighty]

I guess my question was more about the corny working on its side. I have no previous experience with them and can't test it to see if it works. Do you think either of the 2 methods mentioned above will work?

 

[mordantly]

you could dispense through the gas tube, but you will only get maybe 4 gallons out of the keg. i need to clean and rebuild 8 cornies today. ill get back to you on the remaining volume.

 

[Almighty]

If you could only get 4 gals sideways, what do you think you could get if you tilted the keg?
Also I guess that isn't the worst thing because I could drink the first 4 then take out the keg and hook it up normally and bottle the last gal.

 

[mordantly]

it leaves about a quart behind. if you have a cornelius or challenger VI brands, the threads are the same, so you could swap the posts to be abloe to use the beer disconnect on the gas tube. but tag the keg so you'll remember to switch them back and not jam a gas dcon onto the beer post. also seat the lid at 30psi and make sure it is sanitary and sealed.

 

[qvantamon]

If you get a leak on the lid it's going to get nasty.

Doubly so if your relief valve poops out when pressurized (or if you forget and pull the ring on it, which is the typical thing I'd do)

 

[Almighty]

So far everyone has commented on swapping the beer lines but what about bending the dip tube?

 

[jonp9576]

i would look more into bending the dip tube. or some of my kegs have the low point off to the side and not in the center. if you found some of these you could just use it with that side down, and elevate the top of it a few inches.

 

[mordantly]

So far everyone has commented on swapping the beer lines but what about bending the dip tube?

thats a pretty permanent so9lution..

 

[JesseRC]

there was a guy on HBT that would serve kegs on their sides. He had built a would support that would hold the keg front up about 6 inches. The support had a half moon cutout similiar to the way wine racks are. I'll try and find it, but I wonder how he faired with it.

 

[Almighty]

Well the nice part about about bending the dip tube is that I think you can get more out of the keg and you can hook up the lines properly. So what do you think I should use, just a pipe bender and try to get a small amount of bend through out the length of the tube.
Also I think new dip tubes cost about $20 and I plan on using this keg on its side for many years to come.

 

[JesseRC]

Yeah, I would use a pipe bender or just one of those cheap spring pipe benders. I'm sure if you do it right, you'll be able to bend it back at a later date or leave it be and it will help keep you from pouring the sediment at the bottom.