Kegerator Build from Home Depot

[pkincaid]

Ok... so my husband and I want to use all our Home Depot gift cards, from various other builds to put together this kegerator. We've got something like $200 on these things combined. SO... I don't want to buy a kit, I want to put it together with parts from the Hardware store. Can you guys help?

If you can list the Kegerator part and it's equivalent at home depot, or a let me know what mods you've made to your kits that would do a HUGE service to our cause!

I know I HAVE to buy the faucet from a brew store, but I'm talking about the shank and gaskets, all that jazz... help a girl out.

Edit:: We have a fridge already. Just looking for parts.

TIA guys

 

[rawlus]

you might find some very minor parts at home depot, hose clamps and such, but i don't think you're going to be able to built shanks and tailpieces and such from home depot. even if they did have some of these items, they are probably not stainless steel which is ideal.

i would concentrate on the fridge, the collar wood, the caulking, the weather stripping, the casters, the brackets and other odds & ends ( glue, paint, brushes, stain, etc) eating up that $200 pretty quickly.

then use a local or online source for all the specifically beer-related hardware.

Just my humble opinion.

 

[mosquitocontrol]

Also, you could buy make the splitters for the gas lines from homedepot parts.

 

[DKershner]

http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I think this is a good start.

 

[pkincaid]

We already have the fridge. Thanks though!
I am just looking to get the internal parts from there. Home Depot has quite a bit of stainless steel fittings and pipes, nipples, and the sort... I just don't know where to begin...

 

[DKershner]

We already have the fridge. Thanks though!
I am just looking to get the internal parts from there. Home Depot has quite a bit of stainless steel fittings and pipes, nipples, and the sort... I just don't know where to begin...

My home depot doesn't have much of anything in stainless steel, but you can use brass for everything in a kegerator (just dont use copper).

Really, kegerators are just a few ingredients:
Something to keep things cold - You already have this
Tubes to transport CO2 - Usually none of the tubing is thick or strong enough, but sometimes you can find the ones that are really strong there.
Tubes to transport Beer - You should be able to find something, but make sure it is 3/16".
Hose Clamps - Check. Get lots.
Gas Manifolds - You can fashion one out of plumbing fittings at the depot, but it wont be as pretty. There should be people here to help you with this if needed. Get lots of teflon tape!
Regulators - Not at Depot
Wooden Collars - Definitely get the wood there, and the stain and polyurethane.
Shanks - Nope, Sorry.
Faucets - Nope, Sorry.

 

[pkincaid]

**It's a standing fridge** All works the same though!

The shank was the part I was really looking forward to possibly building on my own... Is there something inside of a shank? Or is it just a threaded tube?

As for the tubing... The guy at Lowes said that Vinyl tubing has a chemical in it that can make you sick, **mumble mumble** Something about that's why you can't use it for ice makers... :\ I was confused, as a chef, I've seen vinyl tubing all over restaurants... can someone elaborate?

And 3/16'' is the best size? Why? **I feel like a 2 year old asking why why why**

Hubby wants to know is teflon paste is ok to use?

 

[DKershner]

**It's a standing fridge** All works the same though!

The shank was the part I was really looking forward to possibly building on my own... Is there something inside of a shank? Or is it just a threaded tube?

As for the tubing... The guy at Lowes said that Vinyl tubing has a chemical in it that can make you sick, **mumble mumble** Something about that's why you can't use it for ice makers... :\ I was confused, as a chef, I've seen vinyl tubing all over restaurants... can someone elaborate?

And 3/16'' is the best size? Why? **I feel like a 2 year old asking why why why**

Hubby wants to know is teflon paste is ok to use?

No, a shank is nothing more than a threaded tube about 7/8" in girth. It does however have a special "nut" on the end to attach and gasket a faucet. That part would be very difficult to replicate.

Vinyl is a common material used in tubing across the beer world. Aside from the possible leaching of some flavor into what it is contained in...and the possibility of exceeding the temperature limits of the tubing, it is food safe.

3/16" is the best size for runs less than 20ft. You want 10ft most likely.

 

[mosquitocontrol]

You could use the $ to make some nice homemade tap handles too. They have the threaded inserts there. Get some nice wood and stain it up.

 

[pkincaid]

You could use the $ to make some nice homemade tap handles too. They have the threaded inserts there. Get some nice wood and stain it up.

**Good idea! I'll be putting some of the cash into that!

***As for the shank... if it's just a threaded tube... I'll see if my husband can't get one from work. I Know he has stainless steel there. We can play around with fittings to get the faucet to stay and be leak proof. Trial and error! lol

If all else fails.... Kegerator Kit.

 

[Wayne1]

A beer shank is more than just a threaded tube. As you can hopefully see in the picture above, the thread is a special pitch and diameter. The captive nut is also unique to beer dispensing. They also usually come with a plastic washer to cover up the holes you put in your fridge. You do need to know the length of the shank. They are available in stainless for quite a bit of money or chrome plated brass.

While I do appreciate you trying to get the most for your money, certain types of beer gear have to be purchased from specialty retailers. That does pertain to draft systems.

A nearly universal diameter for CO2 lines is 5/16". Vinyl is fine, but "standards" do call for the CO2 line to be run in red hose.

Clear PVC in 3/16" ID is perfectly fine for beer line. You might have to do a little math, but somewhere between 9-12' in length should be about right to minimize foaming.

Faucets, shanks, connectors, gas distributors, regulators all have to come from a specialty shop. Good luck with your build.

 

[pkincaid]

OK ok ok....
I'll buy into the gimmick and get the shank online.... As for the beer line and cO2 line I think we can manage those here in town. any other odds and ends I should know about?

Just trying to use the resources I have before jumping out there and buying things we might already have.

Thank you guys for all your assistance!

 

[wyzazz]

**It's a standing fridge** All works the same though!

The shank was the part I was really looking forward to possibly building on my own... Is there something inside of a shank? Or is it just a threaded tube?

As for the tubing... The guy at Lowes said that Vinyl tubing has a chemical in it that can make you sick, **mumble mumble** Something about that's why you can't use it for ice makers... :\ I was confused, as a chef, I've seen vinyl tubing all over restaurants... can someone elaborate?

And 3/16'' is the best size? Why? **I feel like a 2 year old asking why why why**

Hubby wants to know is teflon paste is ok to use?

You want 3/16" Thick Walled, Beverage Grade tubing. Otherwise you'll foam all over the place from the pressure, the wider your tubing the longer you need your lines to be.

As for the paste, I don't use it because it's too messy and takes a while to dry.