build or buy a kegerator

[tante]

Just a quick question. I am looking at getting a kegerator and have a couple of questions.

1 - Has anyone ever used a Perlick bottle coolers to make a kegerator from? Something similar to this: http://www.zesco.com/Perlick-Bottle-Cooler-BC48PG-pz552A023.htm

2 - What is the primary reason someone would make their own kegerator versus buying one like this? http://www.kegerators.com/equipment/haier-kegerator-HBF205EABB.php

3 - If I were to buy a used kegerator, what would I need to look out for. Also what would I need to buy to adapt it to ball lock corny kegs?

thanks everyone.

 

[arturo7]

Didn't click any of your links. I say build it yourself.

 

[509inc]

I say build it. Free fridges and freezers are out there on craigslist. Theres a bulk of the cost right there.

 

[DrawTap88]

Build it.

You'd still have to modify the bottle cooler anyways, and the kegerators.com one won't hold as many kegs as the bottle cooler. Both of those are really, really expensive. You don't need to spend that much, especially since you can usually find a cheap fridge/freezer on craigslist or just by asking around.

 

[DoubleFisted]

The only thing you need for corny kegs or ball lock kegs is your quick disconnects. One that says "in" goes to your CO2 and the one that says "out" is your beer line that will connect to your dispensor. I agree just build one. I bought a used kegerator which works great but I wish I would have went to a keezer style so I can hold more corny kegs.

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

I have a Haier SS kegerator, and really nothing special. Its also very loud. I think you could build one yourself that is more functional and cheaper.

 

[BendBrewer]

I agree and am glad that I went with the Keezer style. It holds more kegs, my hops and I am not maxing out the power of the unit by keeping it at serving temp.

 

[TheGeek]

granted what I've spent on my Keezer thus far is as much as they are charging for that kegerator, I have the option to expand mine to 3-4 taps for what they are charging for 2. Plus I get to say 'Yeah, I built it myself.' and hear my friends 'ooh and 'aahh'. lol

 

[tante]

wow thanks for all the great responses guys. I looked at freezers for a kegerator build, as well as towers, etc, but really like the look of the perlick beer coolers and I know you can find those pretty easy at restaurant auctions, which happen pretty often in larger cities. I just didn't see them on the show your kegerator/keezer thread and was wondering why.

I was thinking maybe I would start with a used kegerator on craiglistlist (built from a minifridge) because I think it would be easy to sell if I decided to build my owner later.

 

[originalben]

I also say build it yourself.
I did my own and am well pleased w/ the result.

A friend gave me an older unused 18' fridge- although freezers are easily purchased on CL for <$75
The smaller fridge easily holds 3 cornies and the CO2 tank.

For right at $350 I installed the 2 perlicks, hoses, dual regulator and a 10lb tank.
Cornies are on eBay all the time at ~30-$35...

So all told you could do you larger and nicer than the Haier for at least $100 less...ymmv, but that's my 2 cents.

Pics of mine are in my gallery.

Good luck either way

 

[BendBrewer]

I just didn't see them on the show your kegerator/keezer thread and was wondering why.

You Pay: $1,638.00 Each

That's why.

 

[tante]

You Pay: $1,638.00 Each

That's why.

I found some used ones on craiglist for much less than that. Plus I was thinking you might be able to go lower if you buy them at some auction for a restaurant that goes out of sale.

 

[BendBrewer]

Home Depot sells brand new chest freezers for 200 bucks. After seeing the unlimited things that folks have turned those things into not sure why one would want to reinvent the wheel. Don't get me wrong, that thing looks like it is bomb proof and might be the right cooler to use for the right person, I just think it seems a little overkill for what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[tante]

Home Depot sells brand new chest freezers for 200 bucks. After seeing the unlimited things that folks have turned those things into not sure why one would want to reinvent the wheel. Don't get me wrong, that thing looks like it is bomb proof and might be the right cooler to use for the right person, I just think it seems a little overkill for what you are trying to accomplish.

because with a freezer I would have to build a collar, install some kind of temperature controller, etc. With this beer chiller, I need to cut a hole in the top for the tower and it is good to go. Plus the nice stainless look.

If I can get a nice perlick for the right price then I might post it in the diy section.

 

[kaiser423]

2 - What is the primary reason someone would make their own kegerator versus buying one like this?

Uh, this is a forum dedicated to people making their own beer from scratch.

It's kinda the same mentality that would lead one to build their own setup to ensure proper habitation for that beer.

 

[BendBrewer]

because with a freezer I would have to build a collar, install some kind of temperature controller, etc. With this beer chiller, I need to cut a hole in the top for the tower and it is good to go. Plus the nice stainless look.

If I can get a nice perlick for the right price then I might post it in the diy section.

Well if that is what you want then by all means go for it. I'm sure it will look real nice.

You might want to think of a small fan to circulate cold air up into the tower. Not difficult and I am sure there is info around here on how to do it.

 

[COLLINH]

I would go for the chest freezer personally.... but if money isn't an object & thats what you want then by all means go for it. If you want to get started right away instead of waiting for a restuarant auction, you could get a freezer & get started today! Check out all the awesome keezer builds & how to projects you might change your mind

 

[Flomaster]

your kidding me you'd rather pay $500 + for convenience of not building a collar, not buying at $60 plug in play temperature controller?

seriously 99.9% of the people on here would much rather save the extra money and upgrade equipment, or anything else other then to have bragging rights about owning a dedicated "beer cooler" converted into a kegorator.

but if your really hard up for doing it, then go for it. its your money and you ca spend it how you like.

but a DIY keezer sub $500 sounds a lot sweeter than some $1,638.00 beer collder you scored for $1000

just sayin'

</rant>

-=Jason=-

and I think my DIY keezer looks better than that perlick beer cooler anyways.

 

[YNOT2K]

i bought this model on craigslist for WAY under the price of a new one. it's exactly the same except mine came with a 4 tap tower. works great!

http://www.zesco.com/Perlick-Draft-Beer-Dispenser-Cooler-DS60B-pz552A004.htm

all of my brewing/kegging buddies who have built kegerators/keezers are jealous now.

i don't really have the time to be building things. i need that time for other pursuits, like drinking beer.

 

[Flomaster]

i bought this model on craigslist for WAY under the price of a new one. it's exactly the same except mine came with a 4 tap tower. works great!

http://www.zesco.com/Perlick-Draft-Beer-Dispenser-Cooler-DS60B-pz552A004.htm

all of my brewing/kegging buddies who have built kegerators/keezers are jealous now.

i don't really have the time to be building things. i need that time for other pursuits, like drinking beer.

yeah if you can get a working model out the door for less than $500 or the cost to build your own I'd say you are doing good, but even the one posted I am willing to bet it cost you upwards of $800. now I could very well be wrong.


don't get me wrong those are pretty bad ass units and if one were for sale for $200 or there abouts I'd swoop on one.

http://prescott.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=419&subAreaID=&query=beer+cooler&catAbb=sss

for $800 or $900 you can get a beer cooler which for a bar or restaurant might be a good deal, but for me thats just stupid to pay that much.


-=Jason=-

 

[Stimulus]

This thread is where you should look. Pick up one of these from lowes for 160 bucks, pick up some shanks (or a tower even) and hoses (you could even get the kit off of something like Keg connection and be done with it,) drill two simple holes screw the shanks in and you have a nice looking set up that perfectly fits two kegs and 5 pounder; and is pretty enough the wife will let you have it in the dining room.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/frigidaire-model-frc445gb-mini-fridge-kegerator-conversion-89013/

I had the thing done in maybe an hour and half.

 

[YNOT2K]

yeah if you can get a working model out the door for less than $500 or the cost to build your own I'd say you are doing good, but even the one posted I am willing to bet it cost you upwards of $800. now I could very well be wrong.


don't get me wrong those are pretty bad ass units and if one were for sale for $200 or there abouts I'd swoop on one.

http://prescott.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=419&subAreaID=&query=beer+cooler&catAbb=sss

for $800 or $900 you can get a beer cooler which for a bar or restaurant might be a good deal, but for me thats just stupid to pay that much.


-=Jason=-

i totally disagree. i paid $1300 for the used Perlick unit. i know i can sell it for more than that right now. today. no problem.

the units in your link to craigslist are for beer coolers, not draft beer dispensers. two totally different animals. coolers are just reach in refrigerators. draft beer dispensers are, well, kegerators, with the tap tower, the CO2 manifold, the drip tray (that actually drains!), the tower cooler, etc.

i have three friends who built their own keezers. all of them have 4 taps, same as me. all of them ended up paying more than $700 for the build (including the kegs). they all bought new 7 cubic foot freezers and reasonably good taps/shanks/CO2 tanks/drip trays, etc. nothing too fancy at all. one put his keezer behind a wall and ran shanks through into his bar area. one mounted the tap tower on top of the keezer lid. one build a collar and put the taps there. and if they were to try to sell them today, NONE of these units are worth what they paid for them. no way.

build if you must, but i KNOW that i can get ALL of my money back out of my unit if i decided to upgrade/downgrade/or quit kegging forever.

add it up, and be honest. how much did your keezer build REALLY cost you? don't forget shipping! and then ask yourself this question - do you really think someone would want to buy your home-made keezer/kegerator enough to pay you what you have into it?

flame suit on.

 

[Flomaster]

Kegs $10 a pop so $40
Granite free
Freezer $50
perlick towers $110
Keg cowboy kit $250 probably overpaid
misc supplies $50
Temp controller $40

total $540

yeah I could easily fetch what I paid if not more for MY keezer.

just saying the average joe doesn't want to shell out a grand on kegging

-= Jason =-

 

[YNOT2K]

Kegs $10 a pop so $40
Granite free
Freezer $50
perlick towers $110
Keg cowboy kit $250 probably overpaid
misc supplies $50
Temp controller $40

total $540

yeah I could easily fetch what I paid if not more for MY keezer.

just saying the average joe doesn't want to shell out a grand on kegging

-= Jason =-

huh???

kegs $10 each? when did you buy them - 15 years ago? at my LHBS they are $40 each. online they are $30 plus shipping. that would be $160 today.

granite free? not everyone can get free granite. i'm guessing you have about 12 sq ft - at $4.00/sq ft that's $48 more. did you use grout? that costs money too. did you glue the tiles down? glue aint' free either. any special tools you had to purchase to install it?

freezer $50? obviously you bought a used one. new ones cost $200 plus. good for you, i guess. new units come with warranties. yours doesn't.

the rest of the prices you list all seem reasonable. they total $450.

i see your total today to be about $860-$900. exactly what i said in my earlier post.

if you are lucky enough to have access to very cheap/free materials that's great - not everyone is that lucky.

and i would have to say that a kegerator/keezer built on the cheap looks like it was built on the cheap and might be a bit more difficult to sell as a completed unit. maybe if you parted it out you could get most of your money back. but again, i can sell my unit for MORE than i paid for it. commercial, brand name products, purpose built/not modified will always sell better than homemade projects. just sayin'.

maybe i should just RDWHAHB. to each his own.

 

[Flomaster]

huh???

kegs $10 each? when did you buy them - 15 years ago? at my LHBS they are $40 each. online they are $30 plus shipping. that would be $160 today.
I have a source to buy kegs at $10 a pop and sell then for $25, I just sold 50 kegs to a soon to be open LHBS. I had Keg Cowboy minutely interested in buy a lot of 100 as well, but haven't heard back from them.


granite free? not everyone can get free granite. i'm guessing you have about 12 sq ft - at $4.00/sq ft that's $48 more. did you use grout? that costs money too. did you glue the tiles down? glue aint' free either. any special tools you had to purchase to install it?
Price was marked at $10 a Sq foot, but yeah I was given the granite. Groute was $10 and included in Misc as was my special drill bit to drill through granite

freezer $50? obviously you bought a used one. new ones cost $200 plus. good for you, i guess. new units come with warranties. yours doesn't.
yes used and in good working condition warranty I am not worried about I"ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

the rest of the prices you list all seem reasonable. they total $450.

i see your total today to be about $860-$900. exactly what i said in my earlier post.

if you are lucky enough to have access to very cheap/free materials that's great - not everyone is that lucky.

and i would have to say that a kegerator/keezer built on the cheap looks like it was built on the cheap and might be a bit more difficult to sell as a completed unit. maybe if you parted it out you could get most of your money back. but again, i can sell my unit for MORE than i paid for it. commercial, brand name products, purpose built/not modified will always sell better than homemade projects. just sayin'.

maybe i should just RDWHAHB. to each his own.

I still think the average joe who wants to keg doesn't want to spend $800 + and your right the end of the day, its your money your beer with it as you wish.


-=Jason=-

 

[BrokenDog]

Build it yourself, you have total control of the final product, I will likely cost less and it will give you a get sense of satisfaction knowing you did it yourself. I just finished mine yesterday and can't wait to start showing it off.

 

[mach9]

As I never have been one to keep my mouth shut when people get into friendly arguments....

The issue of warranty was brought up, and if your buying used commercial equipment I doubt it still has a warranty either. And as I well know after watching the tech order parts and try to figure out a cooling problem in our commercial cooler....things break, commercial or consumer level. With that in mind however it's far easier to swap equipment of a failed keezer than it would be in a commercial unit to a new cooler.

Moving on, resale value to most is a mute point as those who will take the time to build or buy a dedicated place to store brew are not likely to be in a hurry to sell. If however the time comes...a well built keezer would likely be able to fetch close to the investment, and a collar model could be converted back allowing the reuse of the freezer or a parted out sale.

To each their own, but the argument of, "you won't get out as much you put in" is ridiculous. Besides, if I took up brewing for the money savings I'd just be kidding myself. On that note however....you know how many batches of beer you could brew for the cost difference of home built vs commercial....do the math maybe I am saving afterall.

Oh...and if you hadn't guessed im pro build your own

 

[Flomaster]

thing about my setup is: if my keezer ever craps out on me all I do is remove the lid with granite attached. get a new freezer and attach and BAM... I am back to a working unit with out having a tech come look at what its going to take to repair it.

-=Jason=-

 

[mach9]

My point exactly....even with extensive builds like jesters it would not be that difficult to swap new guts (ie a freezer) underneath and be back in business quickly and cheaply, relatively speaking. Not likely a viable solution with a commercial product.

 

[tante]

good points about swapping the freezer if the other one goes bad. I did notice that you don't value your time at all and that is something that needs to be taken into account.

 

[Flomaster]

I don't have the time, but I MAKE it. I work two jobs mon- friday 40 hours and a restaurant gig friday-sunday. I have a 14 month old son. but I enjoy getting my hands dirty and DIY'ing things if I can save a buck you betcha.

-=Jason=-

 

[bwomp313]

good points about swapping the freezer if the other one goes bad. I did notice that you don't value your time at all and that is something that needs to be taken into account.

But it's a labor of love...

 

[mach9]

Oh, I value my time, but, this is a diy forum afterall. And honestly with good planning a high quality keezer could be built in the afternoon. That said, I could run to the store and buy beer too, but, that wouldn't be the point right?

 

[MeatyPortion]

I bought one since I had extra money at the time (and there was free shipping) but I also didn't know exactly what I wanted to make. I bought one which I can always sell later and now I have ideas for building a kegerator, or keezer, at some point down the road. Some people buy their AG setup, some build it: you have to start somewhere.

But yeah, building it would be a lot of fun.

 

[YNOT2K]

the OP asked the question "build or buy". some say buy, some say build. of course this is the DIY section so i'm assuming that most who post on this thread will say build. i was just offering an alternate viewpoint. to each his own. i don't build my own cars either, but some do. i didn't build my own houses, but some do. and good on them too, for using their skills to build exactly what they want.

unfortunately, there are many kegerator/keezer builds on this forum that i would never want. ugly junk springs to mind.

no way would i ever say someone else "should" do something. do what you want. don't "should" on me and i won't "should" on you.

now back to your regularly scheduled thread.