kegerater up and running

[revrand65]

Well, got my kegs up and going with no problems.6 feet air line 6 feet liquid line with a 10 pound serving pressure..and as cold as i can get it...about 1/4 tap and you get foam and full tap you get straight beer...you can even pour it and make it look like a guiness...i bought this used and abused kegerater off ebay cheap..sandblasted it inside and out..nice wood top had to put a new faucet on top even came with a 15 gal half full keg of bud in it..heres the funny part..the co2 tank was stamped 82 thats the last time it was filled...do ya think that beer is nasty or what...i pushed down on the valve and it's still under pressure..so i got a 24 year old beer shower...well now i need a use for that old keg!

 

[Spyk'd]

Have any pictures of your handiwork?


Sounds like a fun project.

 

[2nd Street Brewery]

If that CO2 tank was last filled in '82 then it hasn't been hydrotested in a long time. Be ready when you plan to fill it to have to pay to get that done. If it doesn't pass you'll need a new one. But the kegerator sound cool, but Bud man, jeesh

 

[gnef]

it's not necessarily that old. there are some places that will just fill the co2 tank, even if it isn't within test.

also, if you swap, you don't really have to worry about it not passing the test, as you just pay for the swap, and get a different tank plus the cost of the test.

i wouldn't worry about it not passing test though. as long as it looks decent, it should be able to hold up. in my most recent swap, i got a tank that was originally built in 1974, i believe. still looks good to me.

also, you can convert the sanke keg into a keggle for a nice sized brew kettle. add some fittings, and it will work quite well.

 

[revrand65]

I;m a step ahead of ya..i had the tank tested about 2 weeks ago..they told me that the tank was stamped 1968 which was when it was made...and last filled in 82..it's a old 2 1/2 pound steel tank..i'm gonna need to upgrade to a 10 pound i think..they also told me that the same tank was used as fire extingushers..actually the place that did the testing is a fire extingusher company..it was $12 for the test and $8 for the 800 psi fill..i wonder how many cornies i can empty for this size a tank..by the way i'll post some pics soon as i get my dig cam back from my daughter..one more thing doe's anyone know where i can get a lock for the tap..i have a 16 year old daughter...and i don't want any keg parties when i'm not looking..i'm getting tired of disconnection the liquid line..:rockin:

 

[gnef]

almost any hbs will have one. they are pricey though... you're looking at around 40 bucks a piece, so if you have multiple faucets... that gets pretty pricey pretty quick.

 

[kornkob]

Locks are pricy. However, it woudl be a relatively simple matter to make a device to lock a tap handle using 2 pieces of wood, a couple carriage bolts and a eyelet bolt to put a padlock on.

Make a 'tap sandwich' with a slice of wood on each side of the tap. Figure out where to put the carriage bolts so that a) the sandwich can't be pulled off and b) the tap handle can't be pulled forward.

3 points should do it. One below and behind the spout (back as close to the tower or fridge door as possible), one just behind and below the tap handle, one in front of the tap handle (low rather than high). Then use the eyelet bolt as your 'lock point'. Either replace one of the 3 points with the lock point or make an entiurely separate one (just behind or in front of the faucet is probably a good choice).

Alternately put a lock on the door of the fridge. Put a bucket or box over the tappers. Attach rope to the box that is knotted such that when the rope is in the fridge with the door closed, the box/bucket will not move enough to come off the tappers/tower. This second option has the added benefit of not being an obvious 'keep the kid out' measure (a sure sign of a 'paranoid parent' who 'doesn't trust me') because it is also a way to 'insulate' the tappers.

 

[cweston]

I haven't gotten into kegging yet, but I have teenagers and have also thought about the security issue.

I'm pretty "European" in my attitudes about alcohol, but I'm not stupid--there are just simply times when the keg fridge would have to be secured under lock and key.

I've thought about just using picnic taps which stay inside the fridge and then haing a lock on the fridge. Is the performance from picnic taps too poor for this to be feasible?

 

[gnef]

i'm not sure if performance would be hampered, but it just wouldn't be convenient, and each time you want a beer, you'd have to open the fridge letting cold air out, and i guess from a cosmetic point of view, it just doesn't seem 'clean'. but if that is what you need to do to keep your beer (and children!) safe, then that is definitely an option.

i'm not quite able to visualize the wood sanwich lock though. i can see the three points for bolts, but i don't quite understand how it would lock and prevent people from getting at the beer. could you describe it more?

 

[kornkob]

The bolts themselves do not lock anything. It's the eyelet bolt that will provide the locking point.

On teh eyelet side of the sandwich you'd drill a slot/hole large enough for the entire loop to fit through.....scratch that--- I just thought of a better way.


Get 2 screw eyelets and put them in the side of the board so that the eyes match up. Put a padlock through both eyes. If you've spaced things right there shouldn't be enough give to separate the sandwich enough to get it off.

Tinker with it, I'm sure you can come up with something. : )

As for why to do it-- lots of good reason including liability--- some kid comes over when you ain't home and drinks and gets into an accident on his way home and odds are if they sue it'll be you they chase. Might not win but it'll be expensive for you anyway.