Financials of Kegging- Am I Missing Something??

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
You can do it cheaper but if you like kegging you'll eventually be spending more.

I started with 2 kegs I bought for $5 each, a $50 new 5# CO2 tank and regulator (19 90-something prices) and a one tap jockey box I made for less than $50. Total cost $110. I used that setup for at least 5 years until I bought my first used chest freezer which lasted maybe a year. Now I ONLY buy new freezers unless they are given to me for free.

Seven years ago I finally built a 4 tap keezer and spent probably $600 to $700 in total. But by that time I'd accumulated 9 corney kegs, a 20# CO2 tank, an Argon tank for wine and a lot of other kegging-related stuff.

My point is you can pay now or pay later but you're going to pay at some point.
 
Thanks for all the replies and advice guys! Speak of the devil I did just found a sweet craigslist deal on a six perlick tap setup with a 20 lb tank, regulator, and manifold within my budget. Now just to find a fridge or chest freezer in the midst of all the coronavirus hoarding! Glad I just bottled a 5 gal batch, finding a fridge may take a while.
 
Decisions decisions....
A fridge would allow me to keep a yeast bank in the freezer but a keezer would most likely fit these six taps/kegs.
At least I have all the hard parts of the setup sourced. Input on fridge vs keezer? (I'm a young buck/spring chicken so lifting 50 lb kegs wouldnt bother me....yet)
 
I just picked up a used fridge yesterday (bottom fridge, top freezer) for the same purpose. It has been challenging to find something during this, at least at the price point I wanted to pay.
 
I picked up a 22 cubic ft frig w freezer on top unit when we did an office "refresh". I can jam 5 cornies in the main space, load the freezer w hops and the frig door shelves work great for glasses/growlers. A chest freezer looks a lot easier to sort out the tubing and secondary regulators than my frig but I put up with the hose mess. I currently have tank on the outside with a 3/16 line snaking in on the door hinge side pinched by door gasket. I'll drill some day to add a 5/16 gas line.
 
both have pros and cons for sure. The biggest consideration in my mind is the space you have in mind for it, and your access around that space.

For example, if you only have front access, a top/bottom fridge makes the most sense to me. There are some wide and deep enough to handle 6 kegs (I started with one - it was tight, but it worked with 6, and the CO2 next to the fridge).

A chest freezer can net you a much larger capacity if you have the space for a large chest freezer. This would allow you to condition and carbonate kegs before they are tapped if you are able to brew often enough to have a pipeline. When one keg blows, it is easy enough to just swap the disconnect and keep pouring.

For a chest freezer to work conveniently though, you need to have the space for one, as well as side access in addition to front access. If you build a collar and put the faucets on the front, you want to be able to load and unload from the side, etc.

I actually built a frame on casters with a winch so that I could lift in and out of the chest freezers without hurting my back - at the time I was using multiple chest freezers for fermentation and keg conditioning/storage, this was before building the walk-in cooler.

A chest freezer will also require a temperature controller - they are much cheaper nowadays, and can be found on amazon and ebay easily. I did find that chest freezers did not last very long for me when being run at fridge temperatures - though I always bought used.

You may actually be able to find a good deal on new this weekend, keep an eye out for flyers, coupons, advertisements, etc. You can also see if there is a good scratch and dent place near you, but those can be iffy too.
 
Decisions decisions....
A fridge would allow me to keep a yeast bank in the freezer but a keezer would most likely fit these six taps/kegs.
At least I have all the hard parts of the setup sourced. Input on fridge vs keezer? (I'm a young buck/spring chicken so lifting 50 lb kegs wouldnt bother me....yet)


That's another advantage for kegging no one has mentioned. Not only do you have a place to store/serve your cold home brew, but if you have the addition space, that can be used to.......

store/chill commercial brew, bottled brew
use as a yeast bank,
hop storage (if using a freezer/fridge upright),
lager a carboy (or a keg).

There is an upfront cost compared to bottling, but there's more to do with a keezer/kegerator once you start kegging your beer. I use a chest freezer and the baskets that come with most freezers are perfect for storing bottled beer and/or glasses.

Kegging is the one main high cost I've done with no regrets. The first pint you guys pull after you get everything built and dialed in will give you the same kinda goosebump feeling you got when you tasted your first batch.
 
Thanks for all the replies and advice guys! Speak of the devil I did just found a sweet craigslist deal on a six perlick tap setup with a 20 lb tank, regulator, and manifold within my budget. Now just to find a fridge or chest freezer in the midst of all the coronavirus hoarding! Glad I just bottled a 5 gal batch, finding a fridge may take a while.
Now that I have all the taps, posts, and kegs. What do I need to maintain them? O-rings, keg lube, a post socket, a perlick faucet tool, keg wrench?, anything else? Where would be the best place to buy everything?
 
I personally keep a lot on hand for maintenance (I do have around 90 kegs though, so it is a lot to maintain!).

I'd recommend having spare o-rings of all three main sized on hand (dip tube, post, lid), keg lube, spare poppets, spare CO2 regulator seals (I prefer the plastic ones), deep socket that fits all your keg posts ( I have three, one with cutouts for pin lock, and two for the different sizes of ball lock posts), spare tubing to replace when needed, and any clamps that you use (I use push to connect fittings now, so I don't use clamps, but when I did, I prefered the tongue and groove oetiker clamps). A spare PRV is nice to have on hand as well. I keep star san in a spray bottle for leak detection. A faucet wrench should be in your toolbox too (it looks like a mini sickle with a post that engages with the faucet collar. I always keep a couple extra faucet o-rings too.

From there, handy tools I like to have on hand: channel lock pliers, knipex raptor pliers (they look funky, but work really well!), utility blade, tubing cutter, yellow teflon tape (it is a bit thicker), spare QD's and other fittings (I keep spare john guest fittings on hand, along with a bunch of other sized fittings for when needed). A rubber mallet is great if a lid is every really stuck in the opening.

Nice to haves, but nowhere near required: spare faucets and shanks, and related fittings, test gauge (I built one around a .1% accuracy Wika test gauge to check all my regulators and gauges), spare manifold, spare gauges (I prefer Winters P9S, I've swapped all mine out for these, and keep a few spares on hand, just in case). A big funnel for pouring sanitizer is handy. If you like to dry hop, getting one of those stainless mesh cannisters is convenient too.

This was all off the top of my head, if I remember anything else, I'll post another reply! (maybe I'll just go down to the beer room and take some pictures).
 
Wanting to get into kegging myself. Figuring on buying two 2.5 gallon corny kegs with picnic taps and all the fittings from Adventures In Homebrewing at some point, along with a CO2 tank, and making room on the bottom shelf of my fridge for it. Don't have the space for another fridge or freezer at the moment, and $600-$700 for a ready built kegerator is a bit out my price range.
 
Last edited:
The main benefits apart from avoiding the pain of bottling are being able to have half a beer with dinner, and guests really enjoy pouring their own.

I built my first kegerator with a cheap tower and a nasty old mini fridge. Learned enough to do a decent job on my current 4 tap kegerator.
 
Yup, being able to pour just a taster, or 1.5 beers for exactly however much I want is a huge benefit for me.

I should also say that I started with all used equipment, rear sealing faucets, and chrome plated brass everything. I started when craigslist was first started, so I was able to find some amazing deals - kegs and co2 tanks for about $20, etc. My first kegerator was a top/bottom fridge that had already been made to hold a sanke on a shelf, it came with a CO2 tank for $75. I used that for many years before building the walk-in cooler. I also gradually upgraded the hardware as I had money for it.
 
I've found homebrewing to actually have the best ROI of all of the many hobbies I've indulged in.
I mean, the all-time worst of them all is boating, closely followed by catch-and-release flyfishing, then model aeronautics, and large layout HO scale model railroading, to name just a handful.

There's literally zero consumables produced by any of those.
Meanwhile, I knock out somewhere between 150-200 gallons to enjoy every year :mug:

Cheers! (I love this hobby! :D)
 
Someone long ago coined the expression "A boat is a hole in the water filled with money" :)
Don't get me wrong, we love boating and our boat, but for most it's waaay more expensive than home brewing as a hobby, and it won't fill your glass...

Cheers!
 
I have several hobbies too. I float between them as interest waxes and wanes. Currently brewing is on the upswing and so here I am pouring lots of money and effort into it.
 
Last edited:
So I went bottling->kegging and then back to bottling. I just couldn’t drink the beer fast enough out of the keg. It seemed easier to bottle.

anyone else go back to bottling?

I see where you are coming from I keg about half the time and bottle half the time. I have no problem putting in some time bottling. I also don't bottle more than 5 gallons at a time and usually bottle bombers so about half as many bottles as well.

I've also been burned by mystery CO2 leaks in the past even after testing my lines. Sounds like there was some good advise given to turn off your tank when you aren't pulling from the tap.
 
...I've also been burned by mystery CO2 leaks in the past even after testing my lines. Sounds like there was some good advise given to turn off your tank when you aren't pulling from the tap.

Same thing happened to me when I set up my keezer. I lost a couple of bottles of gas. But I methodically searched for the leaks and eliminated them. The thing has been rock solid ever since. There's no need to turn off the tank if you don't have any leaks.
 
You guys are great! ...at convincing people to take the plunge into kegging.
I am $460 into it and currently in the process of building it. I have a 6 tap drip tray, so that max's out my fridge space for kegs and forced my CO2 tank out of the fridge. Any recommendations on where to send the CO2 line into the fridge? Yes I know this is a beat to death question, but I live in central Iowa and have polar vortexes in the winters, so I'll also need to route an electric line through somewhere as well for a space heater. Just tuck it in the door seal for the winter?
 

Attachments

  • 20200525_141114.jpg
    20200525_141114.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 34
Just an update on the project with some pictures. Thanks too all that replied.
Painted the fridge with chalkboard paint (not sure if I'm going to draw on it yet or just leave the slate black color). Still need a CO2 fill so I havent hooked any of my lines up yet, but it's ready for me to buy a bag of base malt and start filling kegs!
 

Attachments

  • 20200530_113045.jpg
    20200530_113045.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 30
  • 20200530_112912.jpg
    20200530_112912.jpg
    3.1 MB · Views: 33
...And I've been pondering getting a boat... 🤔
One of the quotes about boating is that it's an acronym for "break out another thousand."
My family has been boaters for... longer than I've been alive. I typically will go out of my parent's boat when I need to. I have a couple smaller "toy" boats - a Laser, Laser 2 and a Flying Junior, plus the big one - an O'Day 28. I've been having to help more and more as my dad gets older - I was planning on taking a couple weekends this spring to really get hands-on commissioning it for the year- but s#!7 happens.
I'm trying to convince him to invest in it before I have to - upholstery, sails and rigging. The motor os fairly recent and the hull in in great shape, so there's no reason it shouldn't last another 40-odd years.

As far as the main topic goes, I'm more or less in the same boat (ha!) I've pretty much stopped bottling, except for a couple brews - I have a sour and an Imperial stout that I prefer in the bottle.
I've ended up accumulating a bunch of kegs, and have been using the little injectors so far - I can get a keg off 2 of the little cylinders. I'm planning on getting a tank rig soon - looking at Adventures in Homebrewing for the setup. It's a bit more money than Keg Connection, but that's evened out by free shipping. Next will be a fridge or something - that also requires cleaning the basement, and the understanding that on occasion, there will be things other than beer in there. My cellar is pretty cool year round, it doesn't get warmer than 60 even in the hottest part of the summer, so I'm OK with things at that temp.
 
I just picked up a used kegerator - top fridge/bottom freezer. 20# CO2 tank, an old Coca Cola tank lol

Now the question is where to fill this ...
 
Now the question is where to fill this ...

Good luck on finding a place to refill your CO2 cylinder. They do exist but I've found them to be an endangered species. You generally will have better luck with a bottle exchange via your local welding gas supply shop. Airgas is a big player in my neck of the woods.
 
But...check your local fire equipment service companies, and even welding supply companies, as they often will do refills on demand. I have three cylinders that were on a discount fill "program" with an lhbs that went bust, and was able to find a local fire equipment company that does refills for nearly the same price. I just have to give them a call to make sure one of their techs will be in the building, but that's a small inconvenience...

Cheers!
 
7 bucks for 20lbs is super cheap. I was going to say that a welding supply place might sell you a used steel cylinder for less than what you pay online, or at your local brew or beverage place. Refills might also be cheaper, but not as cheap as what Wayne1 posted.
Also, I looked at my CO2 receipt, it says 'food grade'. Can't hurt though to check beforehand.

All in all though, unless you really brew a lot, just buying beer is cheaper. So, in my view, saving money is not really what this is about. It just prevents you from spending your time and money on other stuff.

I should brew more.
 
I started out with picnic taps figuring I'd build a keezer later and never got around to it. My C02 tanks and most of my kegs were bought used off craigslist. If I was still 100% bottling, I wouldn't brew very often, but I still bottle now and then because I brew small experimental batches and my kegs get full.
 
I recently did the CO2 swap bit at a LHBS, but paid the deposit for the tank as I didn't have one. The deposit was $100 for a 20# tank, which is what a typical tank costs, so I figured it's a tossup and I don't have to worry about the thing going out of hydro. The fill is $50 though, a far cry from $7 that @Wayne1 reported. Another LHBS that is quite a bit further away is slightly cheaper at $40 per fill. Still not a bargain. I also called Airgas and they were $53 if memory serves.
 
I recently did the CO2 swap bit at a LHBS, but paid the deposit for the tank as I didn't have one. The deposit was $100 for a 20# tank, which is what a typical tank costs, so I figured it's a tossup and I don't have to worry about the thing going out of hydro. The fill is $50 though, a far cry from $7 that @Wayne1 reported. Another LHBS that is quite a bit further away is slightly cheaper at $40 per fill. Still not a bargain. I also called Airgas and they were $53 if memory serves.
Good point: if you buy (or pay a deposit for) a tank at the place you plan on getting your refills at, they might take care of the recertification (due every 5 years), including assuming the risk of the cylinder not passing. If having and keeping a shiny new aluminum tank is important to you (nothing wrong with that), then there are places that will refill while you wait. So, it's a choice.
 
I mean, the all-time worst of them all is boating, closely followed by catch-and-release flyfishing, then model aeronautics, and large layout HO scale model railroading, to name just a handful.
Boating isn't cheap, but auto racing and flying take it to the next level.

A set of racing tires is about $1k, and at the higher levels you run through a couple of sets a weekend. That's just tires.

An entire decent keg setup is a set of race tires. 'Nuff said.
 
Yeah, I stopped counting I will never get my money back from this hobby but that's OK I didn't get into it for cost savings. I know some folks do and that is cool but it's not my driving factor. I have kegged for years and I will continue to do it. I like having it on tap and it is easier for me. I also just bought an canner as well. I won't can an entire batch but a few out of each batch to have.
 
Okay, this is too cool not to share, it made my day. So I bought this kegging setup (everything but the fridge) off craigslist. It came with an out of date CO2 tank. Airgas said it was going to cost me $192 for a deposit and refill on a 20 lb tank. I took this craigslist tank to them for an exchange and they only charged me the swap/fill price of $24, with no hydro test cost of ~$35. That was a huge money saver! Now to test my system for leaks so I dont find an empty co2 tank a week from now😬
 
I love our local Airgas fill station folks. I've been sending new-to-the-hobby folks there for many years just because they've been consistent about swapping tanks with out-of-date certs without penalty...

Cheers!
 
Back
Top