Help with Kegerator / Keezer Build

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Bubbles2

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Thanks for looking in. I've made it to my 10 batch and would say this is a 'staple' around the house. Not digging the bottling....LOL

I was looking at one of these and wondered since I am mechanically inclined, anyone building these and what kind of money are you throwing at a build and maybe some "heads up" tips to watch or build for when doing so?

I would like a 3 batch system like this one, which looks like a chunk of change for a fridge, taps, and kegs...maybe a regulator or 3

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kegerators/home-brew/HBK209S-3K.html
 
I like the Keezer idea, it seems it is a bit more value. From the handful of threads I've read.
 
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I vote for the keezer route. You can get a 7CFT chest freezer with taps and kegs for under $1000, which is what you will spend for a kegerator.
 
I like the Keezer idea, it seems it is a bit more value. From the handful of threads I've read.

Not necessarily. A brewing friend of mine uses 3 regular refrigerators, those with the small, 12-18" high, top freezer compartment with its own door. He has 4-5 kegs in each fridge, serving 12 taps in his home bar. He got them on Craigslist for a song (possibly literally, he can sing). It's a little easier to pull a keg out of a fridge than from the depths of a keezer.

I have an upright freezer with 5 taps coming through the door. The door is safe to drill through, the rest of the freezer not so, there are thin heat exchanger pipes all around against the metal outside shell.

That said, keezers are great value indeed, efficient and can host 3-15 kegs depending on size. You do need to build a collar if you want taps in it. Not that hard, with plenty of examples around here.
 
I am still trying to understand the collar deal? I see it is a form fit collar but I do not know why one would make the collar instead of just drilling through the lid?
 
In most cases a collar is used to allow enough height under the lid to fit (more) kegs (though in some instances I believe a collar is needed to fit any kegs). Once there it's convenient to mount faucets to the front and run gas & electrics through the back. Some folks mount a faucet box (aka "coffin") atop the lid and put the faucets in that instead (particularly folks that have youngsters)...

Cheers!
 
In most cases a collar is used to allow enough height under the lid to fit (more) kegs (though in some instances I believe a collar is needed to fit any kegs). Once there it's convenient to mount faucets to the front and run gas & electrics through the back. Some folks mount a faucet box (aka "coffin") atop the lid and put the faucets in that instead (particularly folks that have youngsters)...

Cheers!
ah so the collar is used for mounting and routing. I am guessing the coffin method is attached to the lid and the traditional as mentioned is in lieu of the lid and re fabricated to attach taps? Where I assume there is a new re insulated top created?
 
Lots of collared keezers use the original lid, others adorn that lid with covering (eg: I've seen tiles, epoxy with all kinds of stuff embedded in it, laminates) and still others replace the lid entirely. Anything's possible as the lid isn't structural.
Coffin designs typical sport their own insulation for obvious reasons, then use a blower to cycle keezer air through the coffin...

Cheers!
 
I am still trying to understand the collar deal? I see it is a form fit collar but I do not know why one would make the collar instead of just drilling through the lid?

Take a look at a beer faucet, it needs a vertical mounting surface. The lid is only 1.5-2 inches thick. I guess it could be made to fit, but in lieu of lid insulation in that area, which is very important to keep the shanks cold.
Depending on the inside height of the chest freezer, kegs with the QDs mounted on top with tubing attached may not fit heightwise under the closed lid. Hence the collar for extra height. May as well put the faucets through it as well.

ah so the collar is used for mounting and routing. I am guessing the coffin method is attached to the lid and the traditional as mentioned is in lieu of the lid and re fabricated to attach taps? Where I assume there is a new re insulated top created?

A coffin (box) is mounted on top of the existing lid. There's a hole underneath, in the lid, to route the beer lines through. The coffin (box) itself is insulated as well, inside to keep the cold in. Often a fan is used to blow cold air from below into it.

There are also beer towers in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They can be mounted on top of the lid too, with some reinforcements.

Take a look at many of those posted pix to see what you would like.

Estimated cost:
Keezer $150-300
Inkbird Temp controller $30
Collar $50-100
4 SS Taps $100-200
4 SS Shanks $60
CO2 Tank $50-140
Regulator $50-100
Tubing $40-60
Gas Manifold $30-40
Sundries $50-100
4 Corny kegs (new) $300-400
---------------------------------
Total $910-1530
And a day's of work and some planning

Those kegerators you can buy "ready to use" have crappy brass faucets and shanks, beverage lines that are too short, an OK regulator, and a 5# CO2 tank.
 
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