Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie Bar Build Thread

[Reggie22]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1488252355.073719.jpg
Black iron pipe works good for towers...

 

[b-boy]

That's exactly what I'm planning to do.

 

[b-boy]

I decided that my keezer was too big for my bar space. I'll probably use it in my pole barn.

I just ordered this - http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kegerators/kIRK309B-inventory-clearance-kegerator.html. It holds 3 cornies.

It will either go under my countertop, or I'll set it up to feed through the wall. That should be an interesting project in itself.

 

[mj1angier]

I decided that my keezer was too big for my bar space. I'll probably use it in my pole barn.

I just ordered this - http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kegerators/kIRK309B-inventory-clearance-kegerator.html. It holds 3 cornies.

It will either go under my countertop, or I'll set it up to feed through the wall. That should be an interesting project in itself.

That looks like the same one I have but mine is a 3 tap tower. I just slid it under my bar, made a collar to go up to the bottom of the bar and mounted the tower on top. I put a computer fan inside to move air around

 

[b-boy]

It got good reviews. It's a little more than I wanted to spend, but it holds 3 kegs. Shipping wasn't cheap. I also like the option to run a second external tank. I think I'll probably use that to add a nitro setup.

I was going to just buy the stand-alone fridge, but this was on clearance. It was actually cheaper than the stand-alone version. I'll rework it into a 3-tap system.

Planning on adding some Perlick flow-control faucets and a wall-mounted black iron tower of some kind. I'm working through how to run the lines through a wall and keep everything cool.

 

[b-boy]

Just ordered all the parts to finish the kegerator. I got the 3" black iron pipe, new Perlick 650ss flow control faucets, shanks, and assorted pieces and parts.

 

[bkboiler]

nice! post pics when u get it setup!
i love my setup from beverage factory

 

[b-boy]

I just got my first order of black iron pipes from Grainger.

First, I can't believe how quickly they shipped my stuff. They beat Amazon.

Second, I can't believe how big (and heavy) 3" black iron pipe is. I'm not sure how I'm going to mount this stuff to the wall.

In case anyone else is contemplating doing a cast iron tower, I think 2" pipe would have been sufficient.

 

[b-boy]

Just saw this : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZPJ9X0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've been trying to figure out how to build something like this. Looks like a squirrel cage fan in a box.

Anyone have any experience with one of these?

 

[mj1angier]

I used a fan like this that I pulled from an old computer:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/97mm-33mm-N...943306?hash=item27ccfe504a:g:xZ8AAOSwgmJXxwkD

 

[mj1angier]

double tap

 

[b-boy]

I use squirrel cage fans to move air around in my keezer/ferm chamber. They work really well for directing air. I'm just not sure how good they are at pushing air through a small tube. Still, this looks better than anything I've come up with so far.

 

[b-boy]

KegCo Kegerator just showed up today.

 

[crane]

Just saw this : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZPJ9X0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've been trying to figure out how to build something like this. Looks like a squirrel cage fan in a box.

Anyone have any experience with one of these?

I have one of these. It works great at keeping my tower cold. I tried the copper pipe thing before that and it didn't work. Still had foamy first pours. These types of fans are better at creating a pressure differential than the open cage PC fans. You need a pressure differential to move air through a small tube like this.

 

[b-boy]

I have one of these. It works great at keeping my tower cold. I tried the copper pipe thing before that and it didn't work. Still had foamy first pours. These types of fans are better at creating a pressure differential than the open cage PC fans. You need a pressure differential to move air through a small tube like this.

Nice. Thanks for the feedback. The hose looks a little proprietary. Can it be swapped out with a longer hose pretty easily?

 

[crane]

Nice. Thanks for the feedback. The hose looks a little proprietary. Can it be swapped out with a longer hose pretty easily?

You would also need to swap out the bulkhead to use a different hose. The bulkhead uses the spiral cord on the hose as threads to screw the hose into the bulkhead to form a seal.

 

[mj1angier]

So I see one thing that be a bad thing with that blower. In one of the photos you can see the tower sweating. If you have a wood bar top that could be bad. With just the fan moving air around in my kegerator, I have not seen any sweating. It may not happen in real world, maybe that is just for the add.

 

[crane]

So I see one thing that be a bad thing with that blower. In one of the photos you can see the tower sweating. If you have a wood bar top that could be bad. With just the fan moving air around in my kegerator, I have not seen any sweating. It may not happen in real world, maybe that is just for the add.

My tower is fairly well insulated except for the very top part where the cap is. I only get sweating around the top 3-4 inches. It never drips down from there. If you didn't have any insulation inside your tower then you should expect the whole thing to sweat.

 

[b-boy]

Just ordered my bar top from here : http://www.hardwoodsincorporated.com/bar-building-resources/standard-bar-dimensions-specifications/

I went with maple. I'm planning on a fairly dark stain.

Hopefully I'll be able to start building next weekend. I'll start posting pictures then.

 

[b-boy]

How do you guys do a plywood countertop? I'm planning on using Lowes cabinets with stained/poly'd maple hardwood plywood for a countertop.

Do you just use the 3/4" plywood on top of the cabinets, or would it make sense to use 1/2" plywood as a base, then 3/4" hardwood plywood glued/screwed to that? I'm referring to the base cabinets, not the actual bartop.

3/4" plywood doesn't seem like it would be stiff enough by itself.

 

[mj1angier]

I used 3/4 hardwood plywood and some 1x4 pine to bridge the bigger spans between cabinets. But I also have legs on the front side to help with the balance/ flex. The 2 large slabs weight enough to just about tip the whole thing over with out legs.

 

[steveoatley]

I used 3/4 hardwood plywood and some 1x4 pine to bridge the bigger spans between cabinets. But I also have legs on the front side to help with the balance/ flex. The 2 large slabs weight enough to just about tip the whole thing over with out legs.

thats purtty !!

S

 

[bkboiler]

Awesome stuff!! Thanks for continuing to keep us posted and allow us to go on the journey with you! Prost!

 

[b-boy]

Well - I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. The lesson is to make sure you can see, feel, and touch things before you buy them.

I decided to do a black iron tower in my bar. I wasn't sure what size pipe to order. I went to a few local places, but no one had anything bigger than 1-inch. I looked at the 1-inch pipe and did some extrapolation in my head. I figured 2-inch pipe would probably be OK, but since I want to do 4 taps, I decided to go with the 3-inch pipe. I ordered everything I needed online from a Chinese source. The prices were pretty good.

Everything showed up today. I could barely lift the box. I had no idea how big and heavy 3 inch pipe was going to be. It is HUGE. My tower is going to weight more than 100lbs.

I'm still going to build it, but those tiny taps on those giant pipes might look a little ridiculous.

Moral of the story - Look before you leap.

 

[mj1angier]

Just call it a counter balance ( pun intended) for folks leaning on the other side...

 

[b-boy]

Finally got started today. Here's the area I'm working with:

 

[b-boy]

Picked up 3 cabinets form Lowes. 2-30" and 1-36" base cabinets.

The 36" will be part of the bar. The 30"s will be part of the back bar.

I setup my Kegco along the back wall as well. I was hoping to put the taps on the left wall, but the stairs are preventing me from doing this. There's not enough room between the wall and the stairs to run the lines.

I'll be building the bar frame tomorrow.

 

[b-boy]

Well I got the ceiling and the back cabinets installed. Just starting on the bar frame.

I also had to do some electrical to add a new outlet for the Kegerator.

Lowes cabinets are really cheaply made. They'll work, but I think I should have spent a few more $$ for better cabinets. The sides are 3/8" particle board. I attempted to use my brad nailer to attach some finished side panels and the nails wouldn't even hold in the particle board. I did a kitchen last year, and I can't believe the difference in quality.

 

[mj1angier]

Is that a front air flow kegerator? Just wondering if it will get enough air flow if not.

 

[b-boy]

It's set off the back wall by about 2 inches. There's a metal cage that keeps it clear. It will have about 1 inch clearance on either side. Hopefully that will be sufficient. If not, I can probably put an external fan back there. I have a 5.6 cu ft mini-fridge that will be setup the same way. that will be under the bar.