New True Kegerator

Hey, first time poster here. Found what I believe to be a good deal at a thrift store for a used True kegerator. Already found a lot of useful info here on how to get it going. Bought several parts and hoses and should have it going this week. Just have a couple of questions though. I've only rented a keg once, and that place only let me keep the keg for 3 days at a time, which won't do for me now.

Is it common for liquor stores to rent out a keg for about a month at a time? I want to eventually get into home brewing, but that will be down the line. So I'm curious what most people with a kegerator will do (owning, renting, stealing )

Also, any ideas on how old this thing might be? Basic searching on the internet has me thinking about 10-15 years old with the older styled opener handle.

Thanks!

Around here (nyc) u can rent a keg for as long as you want.. they charge about $100 deposit for it tho.. U should ask your local beer distributor if they will do this.. if not go to another one.. i'm sure u will find one somewhere that will..

Also you should look into a Perlick tap. The chrome one you have currently will stick if not used just about every day. They are pricey but worth the money.


and change that glass... J/King

True is a good brand,usually commercial(if not always?)It will probably last forever.Call them with the model # for info.I get a 1/2 barrel at beer distributor with $30 deposit and can keep it for as long as I want

Stoops said:

Around here (nyc) u can rent a keg for as long as you want.. they charge about $100 deposit for it tho.. U should ask your local beer distributor if they will do this.. if not go to another one.. i'm sure u will find one somewhere that will..

Also you should look into a Perlick tap. The chrome one you have currently will stick if not used just about every day. They are pricey but worth the money.


and change that glass... J/King

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Glass came with the kegerator .

By tap, I think your meaning the actual faucet head, right? I did buy a new SS faucet through kegworks (probably a generic brand). I didn't trust the old one to seal. Pretty much everything other than the fridge itself was rotted, so all hoses and hardware had to go. But I'll keep that name in mind going forward.

If you link to this TRUE Website there is a serial# search in the upper right. Looks like #1099453 is dated 10/14/93, so 19 1/2ish years old.

Yes and should cost about .08-.12 cents per day to run depending on room temperature and cost per Kw.

Thanks. I only gave $100 for it, so 20 years doesn't seem like such a bad deal. Got my keg and CO2 lined up so should have it going soon.

GET 10 FT BEER LINES.You WILL change the 5 ft ones they come with later and will cost you more work....Or deal with a half glass of foam

JONNYROTTEN said:

GET 10 FT BEER LINES.You WILL change the 5 ft ones they come with later and will cost you more work....Or deal with a half glass of foam

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I can always add a few more feet at next to nothing. Definitely don't want the extra foam. Was planning on going for 5 feet, but will 10 help that much more?

beaksnbeer said:

Yes and should cost about .08-.12 cents per day to run depending on room temperature and cost per Kw.

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I used to have this exact kegerator make/model. I bought it used from a guy. Obviously, energy costs vary place to place, but I hooked mine up to a power meter for a few weeks to determine how much it would cost me, and it cost me about $38/month to run mine.

ocluke said:

I used to have this exact kegerator make/model. I bought it used from a guy. Obviously, energy costs vary place to place, but I hooked mine up to a power meter for a few weeks to determine how much it would cost me, and it cost me about $38/month to run mine.

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$38 a month sounds closer than pennies a day. I think that the evaporator fan runs full time, correct? I have a Bev-Air and what I do is run it with an external Johnson control so that the evaporator fan only runs when the unit calls for cooling. Cut the costs way down.

iaefebs said:

$38 a month sounds closer than pennies a day. I think that the evaporator fan runs full time, correct? I have a Bev-Air and what I do is run it with an external Johnson control so that the evaporator fan only runs when the unit calls for cooling. Cut the costs way down.

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I believe it did. I can't recall exactly, but it ran a lot, and loudly (although I'm sure that could have been fixed by tweaking the fan blade). $38 was on the low side. When I cranked it down to really cold, the price went up even more.

In theory, if the compressor runs constantly:
From nameplate - 3.5A x 115V = 0.403kW --> 9.660kWh/day = 300kWh/month

300kWh x $0.12/kWh = $36/month ~ $1.15/day for 100% duty cycle

BTW, the small, TRUE evaporator fans are rated at about 10watts ==> $0.89/month

Depending on the season, my TRUE GDM keg cooler runs on about a 30-60% duty cycle.

My biggest concern about the OP's kegerator is the age of its R12 compressor.

115 X 3.5 = 402.5 X 3hrs per day X 365 = 440,737.5 Total Watts divided by 1000 = 440.74 Kw X .12 = $ 52.89 per year



My 20cuft keezer costs $25.55 per year

beaksnbeer said:

115 X 3.5 = 402.5 X 3hrs per day X 365 = 440,737.5 Total Watts divided by 1000 = 440.74 Kw X .12 = $ 52.89 per year

My 20cuft keezer costs $25.55 per year

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If it helps, my Belkin Conserve Insight was using $.14, which is my rate. The monthly cost was the unit's own number based on providing my local rate and the actual energy consumption of the unit.

raouliii said:

In theory, if the compressor runs constantly:
From nameplate - 3.5A x 115V = 0.403kW --> 9.660kWh/day = 300kWh/month

300kWh x $0.12/kWh = $36/month ~ $1.15/day for 100% duty cycle

BTW, the small, TRUE evaporator fans are rated at about 10watts ==> $0.89/month

Depending on the season, my TRUE GDM keg cooler runs on about a 30-60% duty cycle.

My biggest concern about the OP's kegerator is the age of its R12 compressor.

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Yes, I have a little concern with the compressor being as old as it is. I did make sure it got cold before buying. And it's surprisingly quiet...no rattle or vibrating. If anyone has any tips about preventive maintenance with it, I'm all ears.

I reserved a keg. After reading a lot of the threads about keeping the keg with a deposit, I thought I was going to run into some problems. But the place I decided on told me it's ok... the deposit goes away after 5 days but I can use the keg as the deposit any time later. Works for me.

bigt70 said:

Yes, I have a little concern with the compressor being as old as it is. I did make sure it got cold before buying. And it's surprisingly quiet...no rattle or vibrating. If anyone has any tips about preventive maintenance with it, I'm all ears.

I reserved a keg. After reading a lot of the threads about keeping the keg with a deposit, I thought I was going to run into some problems. But the place I decided on told me it's ok... the deposit goes away after 5 days but I can use the keg as the deposit any time later. Works for me.

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Keeping the fan and coils clean will help any refrigerated unit. I have worked on some units that are 40+ R-12 is a nice refrigerant easy on the motor and a good thermal dynamic. Better then R-134a