I want to keg, the right way. What's right?

[Allergic2hops]

I have a great bottle set up. See the Sanitation Station photo under equipment. I collected most of that for free, right place, right time no joke. Its what started me brewing. I have been brewing for 7 months. Good results and I am very happy with the results. I have just done my first partial mash. My next goal is Kegging. I want to do it right. It will take most of the year to get the equipment. I want a solid system, not top of the line and not cheap. Here is the mitigating factor, low maintainence. Cheap is problems usually and top of the line is over-priced usually.

I know this is a huge topic so instead of everyone covering everything how about pick your area of expertise and let it rip. I can put it all together later.

Thanks guys!!

Geezer

 

[Jeremy_N]

I bought a fully assembled kit from kegconnection. Not sure if you are looking for something like that.

If I had to do it again, I would not have bought a brand new CO2 tank. I couldn't really find anyone to fill it. So I traded it in to Airgas or my LHBS. Seems like the places I went to just want to swap it out.

I wish I would have called kegconnection to customize my order. The beer lines were only 5 feet. Longer lines would have been better, but I'm not really having any problems with it as is.

Then I got a chest freezer, took the top door off, built a collar, covered the collar with oak, drilled holes for the faucets, hooked up a Johnson temperature controller and put it all together. I haven't had much maintenance. I got the idea from other members, so all that information is out there in other threads.

I bought everything brand new, have 4 kegs in this setup. Looks nice. No issues at all. Probably paid around $1,000 - 1,200 for all that, but the chest freezer ($350) and kegs ($100/ea) were new. Also wasted about $60 on the CO2 tank, the peice of oak I used was like $65 as well. I ordered upgraded the faucets to forward sealing stainless steel perlicks. I have heard if you get faucets that aren't forward sealing, they can get stuck and break your tap handle after a short time of not using them. I also upgraded the CO2 regulator to a dual body so I could force carbonate a beer in 24-36 hours while still keeping the other kegs at serving temp.

If you are going to take your time buying this stuff, I see kegs go on sale a lot for BOGO.

Anyway, I'm not sure what you are looking to do. But I'll check back if you have any questions. I'm sure others will give you feedback as well.

 

[thadius856]

Cheap and low maintenance? Hmmm.

Used freezer from Craigslist, a large one. Used CO2 tank from the same.

Generic housebrand regulator (anywhere but Chi Company has good ones). Used corny kegs, ball lock -- as many as you can afford. Cheap beernuts, tailpieces. Collar made from scrap wood. CO2 manifold.

Two places it doesn't pay to skimp: faucets and beer lines. Chrome flakes over time and vinyl flavor scalps.

 

[Allergic2hops]

Cheap and low maintenance? Hmmm.

Used freezer from Craigslist, a large one. Used CO2 tank from the same.

Generic housebrand regulator (anywhere but Chi Company has good ones). Used corny kegs, ball lock -- as many as you can afford. Cheap beernuts, tailpieces. Collar made from scrap wood. CO2 manifold.

Two places it doesn't pay to skimp: faucets and beer lines. Chrome flakes over time and vinyl flavor scalps.

Not necessarily cheap. I am willing to wait to it right. I am not a believer that big money equals big result. If this is the exception, then so be it. Thanks!

 

[Cauchy]

If you can't find a broken soul selling their system on Craigslist, then divide and conquer. This works especially if you are handy or willing to be.

For example, after looking at a few used mini fridges, I settled on one that could fit two Cornelius kegs. Mine was priced at $80 but I talked the chavo down to $65. My plan is to eventually drill a hole through the fridge so that I can keep my gas tank outside of it; currently the CO2 is occupying the place of the second keg inside. I use economical picnic taps for serving because the fridge doesn't have a tower, but it I could install one if I wanted to. These ideas can be applied to larger fridges and chest freezers as well, both of which can be found used.

If you can buy a second-hand CO2 tank, have it swapped out when you fill it or have it inspected. I didn't want to mess around with this and bought a small 5 lb cylinder and refill it maybe once a year. It was around $60, but I'm happy to know that it's safe to use. The regulator should cost less than $50 new and the lines should be cheap. If you find some used gas items, be sure to inspect them thoroughly for warping or leaks.

Cornelius kegs can be bought used on Craigslist or through most homebrew vendors these days. I've only had second-hand kegs and have no complaints over the past five years. Prices can range from $15 to $40 per keg, pending on where they are acquired. Be sure to pick up some fresh o-rings and lubricant from time to time.

Sanitizer and dish soap ought to be a staple by now; use them after every batch.

Sometimes these godsends appear. My younger brother was able to purchase a fella's kegging system, which contained a kegerator mini fridge, four kegs, a complete CO2 system fitted for servicing two kegs; and all of the dude's stovetop brewing, fermenting, and bottling equipment. After negotiations, I don't remember what he paid, but it was definitely lower than $500.

 

[Allergic2hops]

Wow. Thanks for taking the time to write all of this guys! This is all great advice. If I am going new anywhere I think its going to be the controller, regulator(dual) and possibly the kegs but that will depend on the condition of course. I have a good Sanitation setup (see Sanitation Station in the Equipment photos). Definitely understand about godsends, that is how I acquired most of my equipment.

FYI I have been using Oyclean Versitile Free to replace B Brite at a fraction of the cost! It has a similar composition and is chlorine, fragrance free). It leaves no residue and when used with hot water and makes delabling bottles a breeze.

 

[paperairplane]

I got my gear from keg connection - after looking, it is cheaper to buy a kit because it includes all the little nickel and dime pieces: hose clamps, tailpieces, keg connections, etc.

Get perlick faucets, get stainless shanks, you can always add a second regulator if you buy a single, I have pin locks which are usually cheaper than ball locks and work equally well. Get a bigger manifold than you think you'll need - buy a 4 now even if you think you only want 2 taps. Get lots of hose.

 

[smccarter]

I agree with paperairplane. I bought an edgestar kit. Came with the mini-fridge and all of the gear I needed. They were accomidating... I already had a CO2 tank and 8 kegs, so they took the tank and kegs off of the kit and adjusted the price. It was a turn-key kit. All I had to do was put it together. In all, I paid 400 bucks. I have no doubt that you could find a used mini-fridge and piece meal the project. But then you'll need to drill holes in the fridge, modify the door, etc. I was going to do that, but the lazy bone took over and I spent the extra money and saved myself the grief. And... I have a warranty on my kegerator. Either way will work, that's just the way I went.

My house is small, so I don't have room for a deep freezer in the house, and just don't want my kegerator outside. This just made the best sense to me.

Something that you'll want to consider is line and fawcett cleaning. There is a thread on HBT somewhere that details how to build your own line cleaning kit. The cleaning pumps you can find online are going to run you about 50 bucks. The thread details equipment you can purchase at Home Depot. Hand pump sprayer and copper adapter to fit a ball lock valve onto. In all, I paid about 20 bucks for a device that pretty well does the same thing that the 50 dollar pump does. I'll see if I can find the post and publish the link here somewhere.

 

[smccarter]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-beer-line-cleaner-226497/

 

[Justdrumin]

I just started my keezer build and I have done EXTENSIVE research. My .02 cents, I SCORED on the Black Friday sales. HD still has an awesome 7.0 cuft magic chef chest freezer for $158 and it will hold 6 ball locks!!! Great deal. I would MOST DEFINATELY go with an stc-1000 over a Johnson or other temp controllers. You can mount the stc on the collar for a nice finished look too. I bought 4 ball locks from keg connection on Black Friday for $168 shipped. You can find ball locks for $40 a piece if you look for it. Beverage elements has some new ball locks with some "not so neat" welds, but they seal, they're new, and who cares what they look like right? Thos are going for around $60 I think. Something you CAN NOT skip on from what I've read are the forward seal perlicks. You must get them or you will be fighting with the cheap chrome ones and eventually buy perlicks which will cost more money in the long run. I plan to get my setup from keg connection, hopefully soon. They have EXCELLENT customer service and they're setup comes fully assembled which is a plus. It's also the cheapest I've found thus far. I also got a tall skinny 7# co2 tank that will fit with 6 ball locks in there, whereas the normal 5# will not fit. That came from beverage elements for $39 shipped. It works out GREAT! Anywho, that's my plan thus far. Hope that helps!!

 

[buzz1670]

Your location is important.For example I just came across 8 ball lock cornies.If I knew you were close to me I might offer you a deal.

 

[Justdrumin]

Your location is important.For example I just came across 8 ball lock cornies.If I knew you were close to me I might offer you a deal.

LUCKY!!! I never have those deals in my area!!!

 

[thadius856]

Cornelius kegs can be bought used on Craigslist or through most homebrew vendors these days. I've only had second-hand kegs and have no complaints over the past five years. Prices can range from $15 to $40 per keg, pending on where they are acquired. Be sure to pick up some fresh o-rings and lubricant from time to time.

These prices are way off-mark these days, especially on the coasts.

Corny kegs get listed on Sacramento CraigsList at $60, not rebuilt, and sell within an hour every time. I can't even drive into town fast enough to get there first most of the time, even if I catch the posting within minutes.

I believe my LHBS prices at $80 for ball locks and $70 for pin locks, with a spare set of gaskets and o-rings (but not rebuilt for you). That gets you pressure-capable used kegs, not pretty ones.

 

[Cauchy]

These prices are way off-mark these days, especially on the coasts.

Corny kegs get listed on Sacramento CraigsList at $60, not rebuilt, and sell within an hour every time. I can't even drive into town fast enough to get there first most of the time, even if I catch the posting within minutes.

I believe my LHBS prices at $80 for ball locks and $70 for pin locks, with a spare set of gaskets and o-rings (but not rebuilt for you). That gets you pressure-capable used kegs, not pretty ones.

I guess location would have an effect on he price of Craigslist offerings. In the Midwest, the prices haven't been too high for me, certainly not near shop values. Also, I have always showed up with cash and been able to negotiate lower than the list price.

There is a well known homebrew supplier within driving distance from me that's currently running a sale on kegs that can be ordered. Not Black Friday prices, but not bad. Picking up the kegs cuts out shipping costs, but I suppose not everyone has access to larger vendors.

 

[Chillsner]

Few years back I called the soda companies and asked if they would sell me there old cornies. One said sure...I drove to boston and picked up 30 of em for 12.50 a piece. On the way back I stopped at the local brew shop, pulled out 20 for him. Made my money back, then sum and had 10 left over for me. At the time I thought that would be enuf....you get a deal like that BUY EM ALL!!! They will dry up as they don't use them anymore. So, Try your local soda distributors. Worth a phone call...

Cheers

 

[thadius856]

Not necessarily cheap. I am willing to wait to it right. I am not a believer that big money equals big result. If this is the exception, then so be it. Thanks!

Oh. Okay, I get ya. As in, buy it once and never again because it wore out or because you bought less than the best. That changes things quite a bit.

Cheap and low maintenance? Hmmm.

Used freezer from Craigslist, a large one. -> New freezer from Home Depot or similar; see the link in my sig. Buy as large as you can possibly fit in your home without death from SWMBO. Excess space can always be used for storing non-beer drinks, yeast, hops, etc. I bought a 15 cu ft model that can hold 10 kegs and 20# of CO2, and I wish I'd gone even bigger. Watch HBF for deals, sign up for their newsletter.

Used CO2 tank from the same. -> Remains the same, but ensure it is an aluminum body with a current hydro stamp. Buy as big as you can fit, as most of the refill cost is labor. Ex: for me, 5# is $21 and 20# is $36. Maybe buy a spare tank or two -- I have a 20# and two 5#. When my buddies run out their 5# on their kegorators, we swap tanks temporarily. This saves them a 1 hr+ drive to refill. Keep an eye out for "420" and hydroponic posts on CraigsList, as these guys are always offloading them.

Generic housebrand regulator (anywhere, but Chi Company has good ones). -> Dual primary regulator. I prefer Taprite as a quality brand. Cornelius, Chudnow, etc. are house brand / economy brands, usually with controls that require a screwdriver to manipulate. Norgren seems to be the Cadillac of regulators, but I can't discern any appreciable differences over Taprite. If you don't want the primary hanging off the tank, then a high-pressure hose is required.

Used corny kegs, ball lock, as many as you can afford -> New kegs, AEB brand. They're the thickest and best built IMO.

Cheap beernuts, tailpieces. -> Replace with John Guest fittings. See below.

Collar made from scrap wood. -> Collar made from nice oak or other dense hardwood, stained with oil-base stain and sealed with 3-5 coats with quality water-base oil-modified polyurethane (wait for Sherwin Williams 40% off sale, happens 6x per yr). Insulate with at least 1" of sheet styrofoam insulation. Plan your faucet hole spacing so you can fit one faucet per keg, should you want to some day.

CO2 manifold -> Secondary regulator bank with MFL input, shutoffs with check valves, 30 psi gauges, and MFL outputs -- one secondary per keg that the freezer can fit. Ex: 10 kegs fit in the freezer? 10-way secondary bank. Recommend mounting brackets to attach to collar and gauge protector boots.

Faucets -> Stainless Perlicks. 525SS/630SS at a minimum (plain faucet), 575SS creamers if you're feeling adventurous. Maybe a 575PC if you just HAVE to have flow control. All-stainless shanks with 1/4" bore, long enough to pass through the wall of your keezer plus minimum 1" exposed. 4-1/8" is most common size. Perhaps you want to save space for a beer engine faucet or a Japanese style faucet or...?

Beer lines -> Accuflex BevSeal hoses, 3/16" ID. 10' - 20' per faucet. Birdman Brewing offers free shipping on 50' and 100' spools.

Additionally, you'll need some gas hose and other John Guest fittings:

Gas hose -> 1/4" LLDPE or other polyethelene tubing rated for 50 psi+ at 40F. 5' for between your primary regulator and secondary regulator, plus 5' per faucet.

Gas hose -> 1/4 x 5/16 reducer stem John Guest (PI061008S) [for gas lines] -> Two for between primary and secondary regulator, plus two per faucet.

Gas hose -> 5/16 x 1/4 flare John Guest (PM4508F4S) [for gas lines] -> Two for between primary and second regulator, plus two per faucet.

Beer hose -> 5/16 x 1/4 flare John Guest (PM4508F4S) [for beer lines] -> One per faucet.

Beer hose -> 5/16 x 5/8 bssp John Guest (PI451015FS) [for beer lines] -> One per faucet. This replaces the beernut and tailpiece.


You'll also need whatever kegging accessories you like. A few I couldn't live without:

- Adapters to mount yeast vials instead of tap handles (search this forum)
- CO2 tank wrench (leave in keezer)
- Faucet wrench (leave in keezer)
- Racheting dogbone (box-end) keg wrench - 11/16 x 7/8. Craftsman model 42165.
- Keg o-rings in bulk link (scroll down to Bulk Keg O-rings section).
- A tube of keg lube
- Consider building a keg washer...

 

[Allergic2hops]

With 545 views I am not the only one here asking these questions! Again thanks a million. Lots of info here to digest. High praise and gratitude to those everyone who posted! This should get me going.

 

[Sandbag58d]

+1 for used CO2 tanks! People pay way to much for shiny to find out that all their hometown gas suppliers all swap...

 

[Allergic2hops]

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks. I am going to start my list and chipping away at it. We have a great LHBS here so I am going to by stuff as I go to get my next batch supplies. Lots of information to digest. Great.

 

[thadius856]

Here's a tip. Don't buy the 5/16" gas hose you see everywhere. It's used in 95% of all build threads here. Even at $0.40/ft, it's not a great deal. Here's why:

Look how bulky it is! I have a HUGE collar on my keezer (because why not?) and 5' of this hose per keg fills about half of the headspace above my kegs. The bending radius isn't great when it's cold (so, always) and it's a pain in the butt to manage.

Save your money and buy polyethelyene tubing. I bought model "5648K69" from McMaster Carr for $0.44/ft. It's the thin stuff pictured above. Does everything that the fat gas hose does in a keezer environment with a much better bend radius and way less space taken up. It's also much easier to tuck any excess between kegs. It accepts push-lock fittings instead of barbs and swivel nuts, so no worries about clamping or boiling tubing ends.

Also comes in 6 opaque colors and 5 clear/tinted colors. I bought the clear/tinted red. Didn't expect pink. Maybe blue next time if I ever have to build another.

 

[smithmd4]

Do not, do not, do not buy "racetrack lid" kegs. Midwest's website has them cheaper than their other used kegs and I quickly found out why.

They say all the parts are the same, except the lid is a different shape. All the pieces on the keg body are the same, but the poppet valves on the lid are very different. I searched for a month (including my LHBS calling their wholesalers) only to find out that they don't make those parts any more. All 4 kegs I bought leaked from the poppet valve seal. They finally replaced them after I called them on their false website.

I just saw they have replacement poppet valves up now, but buyer beware on those.

 

[Allergic2hops]

Well I am bumping this thread because despite my best effort I wasn't able to get this off the ground in 2014 but thank to an unexpected bonus at work I am making it happen now! I have been on KegConnection and have used all of the advice on these posts. Do I have to call them to get the larger manifold (4 lines)? Also I've decided on a 10 cu ft refrigerator so I can also store bottles in. 10' lines so I can have the taps in the door. Thanks for all the great info, it is an awesome thread.

 

[Allergic2hops]

Well I am bumping this thread because despite my best effort I wasn't able to get this off the ground in 2014 but thank to an unexpected bonus at work I am making it happen now! I have been on KegConnection and have used all of the advice on these posts. Do I have to call them to get the larger manifold (4 lines)? Also I've decided on a 10 cu ft refrigerator so I can also store bottles in. 10' lines so I can have the taps in the door. Thanks for all the great info, it is an awesome thread.

Okay, just in case someone thought that was a great idea, its not. The 10 cu ft refrigerators are way too small. Corny Kegs stand 25" tall and the top shelf in the refrigerator is 24". Now its still a great little keg refrigerator but that is all. I wanted to store up to 4 cases of bottles in there and kegs. The only way to do that is a full sized refrigerator. My brewery is in my basement and I don't want to move a large refrigerator should I move in the future. So back to the Kegerator.

A2H

 

[Allergic2hops]

Well its taken me since I started this post to get my kegging system. I received an unexpected bonus at work and pulled the trigger. Here's what I did. First I went to keg connection and got a reasonable price. I called my no so local HBS and they quoted over $500. Got a pretty good bonus but didn't want to blow through it. So I went to Norther Brewer and they had the Draft Brewer flex system (2 kegs and dual regulator) for $349! The weekend I ordered it I got 15% off so I got this out the door for $311. This really caught my attention because 1) its assembled and 2) it had the second regulator so I can set individual pressures for each keg. My next thing was the keezer. I found a 5 cu ft. chest freezer at Lowes for $168!! Purchased it on line paid no tax and pickup is a block from work, used my Lowes card and got an additional 5% off. Next was the controller. I have a batch in secondary and time was getting short so I didn't want the 10 wait to get one from China, so I went to Amazon and ordered a nice little kit. Turns out the controller had a 10 day delivery!!! Sending that one back when it gets here. So I went back to Northern Brewer and got the ThermoStar digital controller and got $10 off! So for $69 and 2 day shipping I will fill my first keg Wednesday! Right now the picnic taps will work but in the near future a collar will be fitted and Perlick taps will be installed. Thanks for all the tips everyone!