Has anybody tried using short shank taps?

[QuadConPana]

Trying to solve two problems at once.

1. I want a kegerator
2. Our fridge has too much commercial beer in it to leave room for food.

So, I thought a large upright FF freezer could double as a kegerator/beer fridge. (I think it needs to be frost free to have movable shelves. And, I say freezer so that it is all one compartment.)

I don't particularly like the looks of the taps sticking out of the door, though. So, I found these online:

Has anybody seen these used to mount the faucet facing INTO the fridge. I was thinking I could start with something like this:

Then, I would remove the first two shelves and mount the taps there. I thought I could turn shelf 3 into a drip tray, and run a drain line to a lower shelf where a removable reservoir would catch spillage.

Anything I'm not thinking of?

 

[m00ps]

i dont see why it couldnt work. Youd need to drill some more holes to get the hoses connected to the inward facing taps. So you are running them through the drawer faces?

 

[aaronmq]

I would suggest against that idea. Upright freezers use so much energy when opened because the dense cold air comes spilling out when opened. If this keezer would be for only one or maybe two people it should be ok, but if you ever plan on having many people using it, for a party or something, the compressor will probably be running non-stop to keep it cold.

 

[hvjackson]

I would suggest against that idea. Upright freezers use so much energy when opened because the dense cold air comes spilling out when opened. If this keezer would be for only one or maybe two people it should be ok, but if you ever plan on having many people using it, for a party or something, the compressor will probably be running non-stop to keep it cold.

I don't think it would be any worse than a regular (upright) fridge, right? The air is not going to be at freezer temps.

Plus the solution to the "letting the cold air out" problem is just to pack it full of beer

 

[aaronmq]

I don't think it would be any worse than a regular (upright) fridge, right? The air is not going to be at freezer temps.

Plus the solution to the "letting the cold air out" problem is just to pack it full of beer

Correct, I would say better than an upright fridge, because a freezer should be better insulated. However, in a chest freeze, the dense cold air will tend to stay in the freezer, similar to a co2 blanket in a fermentor.

Also, I think having to open the fridge and keep it from swinging while pouring would get kind of annoying. But seeing as I did not answer the original question, if you are indeed referring to mounting the faucets on the shelf faces, it should work if they are reinforced. However, you said removing the first two shelves.. so do you mean mounting them directly on the inner part of the door? If so, I'm having trouble picturing how the lines would be ran to the faucets.

 

[LandoLincoln]

The reason why people use overly long shanks is because the longer the shank, the more mass of the shank which translates into less temperature change when beer flows through it. Less temperature change equals less foam. Short shanks means more foamy pours. Each time you pour a glass you might be pouring a glass of foam and then a glass of beer.

 

[aaronmq]

The reason why people use overly long shanks is because the longer the shank, the more mass of the shank which translates into less temperature change when beer flows through it. Less temperature change equals less foam. Short shanks means more foamy pours. Each time you pour a glass you might be pouring a glass of foam and then a glass of beer.

But having the entire shank and faucet inside the keezer should translate to almost no change between the shank and beer, so foaming should not be an issue (at least in regards to faucet and shank temp).

 

[LandoLincoln]

But having the entire shank and faucet inside the keezer should translate to almost no change between the shank and beer, so foaming should not be an issue (at least in regards to faucet and shank temp).

It would translate into a lot of extra compressor kicking on and off since you'd have to open the door every time you wanted a beer.

Unless you're one of those weirdos that doesn't drink that many beers in a session.

 

[QuadConPana]

It would translate into a lot of extra compressor kicking on and off since you'd have to open the door every time you wanted a beer.

Right now I bottle, and I open the fridge door every time I want a beer. It hasn't been a real issue for me, so far.

 

[aaronmq]

Right now I bottle, and I open the fridge door every time I want a beer. It hasn't been a real issue for me, so far.

As I stated before, if it will primarily be used by one or two people at a time, it won't be a big issue. Its when 4+ people will be using it that there will likely be an impact.

This is where the kegging aspect is different than bottles. "Grab me one while you're up" "Anyone else want one"?

I can grab four bottles of beer out of the fridge almost as quick as grabbing one, but pouring four beers is a different story.

All in all, it shouldn't be that bad, I'm mostly being nit-picky.

 

[day_trippr]

In the example upright freezer picture shown, the bottom shelf is actually part of the evaporator loop.
If that has to be "relocated" (ie: bent up and back) it could be tricky with the risk being a tubing breach...

Cheers!