choosing a fridge for kegerator

[RRL]

Hey,

So ive been super busy and kept delaying my kegerator build.. but now getting a itch for some ice cold beer on tap !

Finally got my 5lbs Co2 tank on hand, Just need to set up the fridge and make sure everything is up to par then order my beer


I had originally gotten a free fridge from my buddy, its a one part fridge (no freezer on it) its pretty big and tall could leave shelving on the top part for pop and other stuff....

What ive been double thinking though is that when I moved in to my new to me home, the guy left me another fridge with separate top freezer. (90% sure its a Frigidaire model)

Im debating on which fridge I should use.. which would be cheaper to run.

the single piece fridge is older and a little rougher shape but PLENTY of room and wouldn't be running a freezer. ( I already have a large stand up freezer for food storage ect running in another room)

Would the fridge with the freezer up top be more expensive to run even though its slightly newer then the 1piece fridge?


Or this all entirely fall to personal preference...


I do eventually want to install a wet bar and I know the one benefit to the 2 piece fridge is frozen mugs. but I much prefer at the moment being a penny pincher and saving where I can.

 

[jason1973]

what make is all fridge? if its a danby designer, then that's your fridge, a lot of how to's on you tube for designer series

 

[RRL]

Def don't think its a danby.. tried looking for a picture to see if I could tell but cant find one of it in the background lol...


this is a larger 6ft tall all fridge odds are a cheaper low end fridge.


the cooling system is a white U shape element on the top also has a water drain going to the back inside the fridge no idea where it goes after.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

If it has a freezer or not is not a good way to tell how much power it will consume, much less which would be more expensive to run. In your standard freezer on top configuration the fridge compartment gets its cold from the freezer compartment. If it doesn't have a freezer it will likely have a chill plate inside. In any event they both have a compressor.

If you really want a definitive answer to how much one will cost to run get your hands on one of these.

 

[RRL]

Thanks for the replies!



The freezer on top fridge is has its complete own "compartment"

like this one

the all fridge does have a chill plate on the top, which seems to have a lot of condensation and drips water but it does have a passage for the water to drain into the back where I got no idea where it goes from there. now seeing this fridge has a chill plate will that cause uneven cooling in the fridge? I did have plans of running a computer fan but if I dont need to it would be a bonus...


I was assuming that considering the fridgidaire fridge would use more juice as the compressor has 2 "compartments" to chill vs the all fridge only cooling 1 large area with the chill plate mind you I can imagine it takes quite a bit for the plate to chill the complete fridge....

 

[FloppyKnockers]

The only way to accurately calculate electrical usage cost you have to get one of the meters I suggested above. A light bulb, TV, stove, or lamp (things you turn on and off) you can use a formula (see below), for a fridge, on the other hand, which power cycles all day and night including the defrost cycle which you can't hear, but normally comes on every 6-8 hours for 10-30 minutes. See the difficulty yet? Let's play hypothetical pretend though. Your fridge does not have a defrost feature and you know it runs for exactly 5 hours a day.

First. Get the wattage rating of the sticker. Let's say a fridge pulls 205 watts

205 Watts
x 5 Hours a day
=1,025 Watts per day

1,025 Watts per day
1000 Divided by 1000 to convert to kWh
=1.025 kWh per day

Now check your electric bill. You'll find on there somewhere how much you get charged per kilowatt hour. Here's the variable part. A lot of electric companies charge different rates for different times of day but because this is a fridge and runs runs at any hour of the day unlike a TV or stove (nobody bakes at 3 am), we will average a $0.17/kWh charge.

So...
1.025 kWh
x.17 $/kWh
=$0.17425 /day

x30 days in an average billing period
=$5.22 a month to run this hypothetical fridge

 

[RRL]

thanks for the breakdown!

so really not much of a difference in cost from one to the other (talking within a max of 5$ difference in a month) I loose well over that in my couches in a month lol (and never to be refound)


Considering I had the wood all fridge ready to go in my basement and I know it works 100% for now anyways.. I ended up getting it set up for the keg tonight... worse comes to worse if it quits on me ill just pull out the other fridge drill that 1" hole and be on my dandy way.


The only thing I'd really like to do is build a base at the bottom for stuff to sit flat... I got the wood, screws and all just need to cut and measure but thats something for another day.



quick few picks of what I got.... I also have a computer fan to circulate the air if I find the temps arn't even through out the fridge... have yet to test what kind of temps I can pull out of this.

Wanted the drop tray low so I can fit a large team pitcher under there for when im having fires outback I can just drag along with me..

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Whoa! Very nice! Can't really tell just by looking, but it looks like, with a well placed shelf, that thing could fit 6-8 cornies.

 

[RRL]

Yea its a pretty big fridge... def larger then the others I got.


For now im buying the 50L commercial kegs from a Micro brewery

These guys... http://www.perthbrewery.ca/ourbeer.html


best prices around by a long shot.. their 50L kegs go for around 115 to under 200 depending on what kind you want. (the beer is also GREAT)

Other places I called where well over the 200 to 300 mark...


hopefully sooner then later ill be set up to brew my own and use corney's to have a selection of beers on tap

 

[RRL]

also.. if anyone has some quick answers for me in this thread would be great... (this thread seems ton busier)



https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f254/cleaning-products-keg-lines-512253/



Thanks for all the help to date!