Converting a Bar Back into a Kegerator?

[user 40839]

Odd question for everyone.

I'm a bit tired of messing with keezers and the resulting condensation, cleaning, and inevitable mold when I don't immediately get to it. My wife and I are moving next month, the old keezer is conveying with the old house (the buyers are most excited!) and there's room in the budget, about $1,000 or so, for me to replace it.

So $1,000 won't get a commercial kegerator, unless I can find a used one. Those are a little thin on the ground obviously, but had another epiphany - "bar back" units are available considerably cheaper, since I have bits and pieces, CO2 tank, regulators etc, lying around.

I don't have any experience with commercial units, but to the best of my knowledge these are cooled by an external condenser that pumps cold air into the box via a fan, as opposed to cooling coils surrounding the box. Is that the case? If so, then drilling a hole in the top for a tower SHOULDN'T be an issue?

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/bev...rator-with-2-solid-doors-115v/185BB48Y1B.html

 

[day_trippr]

There's a link to the manual on the page you cited.
If you go through that to the electrical diagram you'll find both a condenser fan and an evaporator fan, so your initial premise is correct - this unit does not bury the evaporator loop in the walls ala nearly all chest freezers.

The evap and blower will still be inside the unit, in that door-less section at the end.
And it automagically runs a defrost cycle 4 times per hour, so there'll likely be a condensate tray or tube to manage...

Cheers!

 

[John Paul Stoddard]

Been thinking of just trying to Build my Own Wooden Unit.

I can't ever find a Commercial Kegerator..
I Got Ceramic Towers...4
I got an English Beer engine.

I got a Bad Back

I don't want to have to lift a Lid and Lift Heavy Kegs..prefer to be able to open doors...

 

[The_Bishop]

There's a much cheaper avantco unit:

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ava...ss-steel-top-and-led-lighting/178UBB2448.html

Damnit, now you have me thinking...

 

[user 40839]

Damnit, now you have me thinking...

That Avantco unit is similar to what started this. Found basically the premade kegerator version of that same unit but branded by Superior (Beverage Air) on Craigslist for $300, but the compressor was shot.

Speaking to my buddy, who has a commercial setup at home, he mentioned his was a bar-back refrigerator. They're exactly the same units as the much more expensive kegerator models, but since he already had the tower/taps/CO2, etc, was far cheaper than buying a "ready to go" solution. And since his model had the blown-in cooling method, was much easier to covert.

They're also much easier to find used on places like Craigslist. Commercial kegerators disappear quickly, snapped up by new bars/restaurants opening and closing almost daily. But bar backs sit a while, since they're not the immediate need. That TBB-3G I found is $500!!!