Kegerator Recommendation

[Longtrain]

I have started kegging and love not having to bottle for my consumption. I have a small frig which I use for cold crashing and holding my 2 1/2 gallon kegs and CO2. So, I want to buy a dual kegerator, which can hold 5 gallon kegs, but am a bit overwhelmed by the ones out there and the price range.
Some look good, then reviews question that choice. What brands are best and what are fair prices? Thanks.

 

[Rockn_M]

I have http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kegerators/dualkegerator/Kegco_K209B-2_dual_faucet_kegerator.html and I like it. It can hold 2x5 gallon cornies and a 7.5 commerical keg at the same time. This way I can lager a keg while I'm using the two taps and then when one opens up it's ready to go. I have since upgraded to the dual taprite co2 regulator. It's been going strong for about 4 years now.

You really need to figure out what exactly your looking for and start there and if you can go as big as you can. You'll always want to upgrade and modify.

 

[brewbush]

I have http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kegerators/dualkegerator/Kegco_K209B-2_dual_faucet_kegerator.html and I like it. It can hold 2x5 gallon cornies and a 7.5 commerical keg at the same time. This way I can lager a keg while I'm using the two taps and then when one opens up it's ready to go. I have since upgraded to the dual taprite co2 regulator. It's been going strong for about 4 years now.

You really need to figure out what exactly your looking for and start there and if you can go as big as you can. You'll always want to upgrade and modify.

I like the K309 model on the beverage factory website.

I agree with the poster above....try to think ahead and get something you can grow into. IMO there is nothing worse then a year down the road realizing you spent $500-800 and have now run out of room.

I myself was debating with 2 of the K309s for a quiet 6 keg operation under the bar. However I decided I am building a collar on a 15CF chest freezer so I can tap 6-9 at a time.

The endless upgrading sucks and is expensive. It may be hard to picture your brewing habits 1-3 years down the road. If that is the case then maybe a cheap chest freezer from craigslist and a collar or draft tower through the lid would be the easiest and allow you to use the pieces in the future with the least outlay of cash now.

 

[beernutz]

Those Kegco kegerators previously mentioned look very nice. I have a friend who has kept one of the 209 models on his covered deck for many years and it still works well. I also agree that you should think for the future when selecting a kegerator or building a keezer. My keezer holds 5 kegs and has 4 taps however I had initially considered buying a 2 tap kegerator instead of building but I'm really glad I decided to go with the extra taps and room for more kegs that the collared keezer offered.

 

[Longtrain]

Thanks for the suggestions, I have completed step 1, broaching the idea with the wife. So far, so good. I have few months before I plan to purchase, as we travel during the cold weather. Hum...I wonder if it would fit in the RV?

 

[NeoBrew]

I concur with brewbush. I started with a 7 cubic foot keezer off of craigslist. When the compressor bought the farm I made one out of a new upright "all refrigerator". I ended up using almost nothing from the original keezer. Just the taps and the regulator which I actually bought separately. I even needed to replace the shanks because the new door was too thick for the old ones.

I could never have predicted that I would want 5-6 kegs on tap when I bought my first one, so I don't have any regrets.

Here's my build if you are interested.

https://brewnanigans.wordpress.com/diy-2/all-refrigerator-kegorator-build/

 

[johnwpowell]

I concur with brewbush. I started with a 7 cubic foot keezer off of craigslist. When the compressor bought the farm I made one out of a new upright "all refrigerator". I ended up using almost nothing from the original keezer. Just the taps and the regulator which I actually bought separately. I even needed to replace the shanks because the new door was too thick for the old ones.

I could never have predicted that I would want 5-6 kegs on tap when I bought my first one, so I don't have any regrets.

Here's my build if you are interested.

https://brewnanigans.wordpress.com/diy-2/all-refrigerator-kegorator-build/

Could you send a pic of the inside of your all refrigerator? I have one of these units coming from home depot tomorrow.

 

[Morrey]

I have a BevAir BM-23 kegerator. This is a commercial quality kegerator and is used mostly in bar locations where durability matters.

I have had the unit for 20+ years and it functions like it did on day one. It had one tap and I was buying 1/2 barrels which is the perfect use. Time went by, and I changed to a two tap tower and started buying commercial 1/4 barrels and that worked. Now I am running a three tap tower and serve my own beer in soda kegs. Three corny kegs fit nicely along with the 5# CO2 tank and regulator all nestled inside. If I wanted to run 4 5 gallon kegs inside, I'll drill the side wall and use my CO2 tank and regulator outside.

Point is there is a good deal of flexibility with this BM-23.

 

[NeoBrew]

What exactly did you want a picture of? Does this help?
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1483028611.465426.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1483028624.207381.jpg