Corny Kegs Horizontal in Kegerator?

[Tiedye]

Happy Friday!!!

I have access to a really cool old skool Pepsi refrigerator / cooler thingy. Looks kind of like a pinball machine with a top that slides open. I was hoping I could make a fun kegerator out of it. It would fit two cornys and a CO2 tank, but they would all have to be laying down instead of standing up.

Anyone see issue with that?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[BendBrewer]

Yeah that won't work. They pull from the bottom and the bottom needs to be on the bottom.

 

[Spartan1979]

You could modify the pickup tube so it picks up from what now is the side. But you'd probably leave more beer in there than you do now. You have to make sure the volume of the beer would be under the gas tube when it's laying on its side.

If you could tilt it a bit, it would reduce the amount left behind if you place the pickup tube so its inlet is right where the side and the bottom meet and require less space for the gas tube.

Another issue would be the the relief valve would be immersed in the beer until it's half gone.

It could work, but would it be worth it?

BTW, I'm just thinking out loud here. I have no experience with serving out of a corny laying on its side.

 

[NickN72]

i think you could figure out a way to make it work with the kegs, but I believe laying down the CO2 tank won't work. I may be wrong, but i believe that it will end up screwing up your regulator.

 

[lumpher]

there would be all kinds of problems with relief valves, sludge, getting all the beer out, etc. i wouldn't.

 

[Sweetchuck]

Just cut the dip tube in the corny keg down to the surface and lay the keg dispensing fitting down.

You won't be able to use that corny in traditional kegging schemes, but it should work for your current scheme.

Bottom blow-off shouldn't be any different 3 feet shorter, same sludge.

Forcing c02 into a sideways corny shouldn't be any different laying down than standing up. You'll know if you have leaky rings or fittings tho.

Give it a shot. Worst case you nuke a corny. What's that cost, 40 bucks maybe?

edit - you might not be able to blow off all of your sludge laying down, that's the real issue IMO.

 

[beaksnbeer]

You could invert them and switch the pick up tube and gas tubes, that would allow you to tap off the top and put gas in the bottom they would need to be tilted about 15 degrees or so this might work. good luck

 

[Sweetchuck]

You could invert them and switch the pick up tube and gas tubes, that would allow you to tap off the top and put gas in the bottom they would need to be tilted about 15 degrees or so this might work. good luck

Brilliant!

 

[Tiedye]

First I just have to say thank you! The passion and experience this team brings to every post is truly appreciated!!!

I'm pretty new to this, and based on the amount of time it took for me to figure out how to get the $#@$%@ gas-in line off the corny to clean it out when I first got it - inverting and switching anything seems like the quickest way for me to end up keg-less.

...on to the next project!

Cheers!!!

 

[beaksnbeer]

First I just have to say thank you! The passion and experience this team brings to every post is truly appreciated!!!

I'm pretty new to this, and based on the amount of time it took for me to figure out how to get the $#@$%@ gas-in line off the corny to clean it out when I first got it - inverting and switching anything seems like the quickest way for me to end up keg-less.

...on to the next project!

Cheers!!!

The post and tubes should be cleaned regularly. Switching the tubes not the posts works tried yesterday worked fine for 3 pours for me, posts remove easy with 7/8 open end wrench tubes are same size just different lengths took me 2 minutes to change. Had an o-ring fail on a post once dumped a hole keg into bottom of chest now I rebuild / check, clean before kegging