Anybody know of a good place to purchase a kegerator? I got the ok from the wife to get a kegerator after she finally got tired of all the bottles in the house. I don't have time to put one together with 2 young kids taking up most, if not all of my free time. I have been looking around online and have only found a couple places (kegerator.com, beverage factory) so I thought I would ask here. Not sure of the cost if there is a better place for than these. Thanks for the help.
Kegerator Shopping
- Thread starter dkeller12
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CGVT
Senior Member
Can't help you, I built mine, but if you're not looking to spend too much money, an old refrigerator, a C02 bottle and a couple of picnic taps is a viable option.
If you don't mind spending $$$ then Sears, kegconnection.com or beverage factory.com Sometimes I see them at SAMs club
build one. Save a few $thousands.
So is there a fridge out there that makes this easy to do? As I said above, time is the biggest issue for me. Between work and two young kids, projects are hard to squeeze in. It is bad enough that I have to take days off just to brew and those don't come frequently. I would be fine with picnic taps in a mini fridge as long as I can get two 5 gallon kegs in it. I just don't know what fridge works the best. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I got mine from beveragefactory.com. Two taps and can hold 3 corny kegs for about 600 plus shipping. Still works work great after 3 years of use.
CGVT
Senior Member
I don't know about mini-fridges, but used full size fridges show up all the time on craig's list. If you had room for one, you could keep your kegs and C02 in the refrigerator part and use the freezer to store hops and what ever else. (you might be able to sell it to the wife if you could store some food in the freezer too)
Get a freezer, some kegs and temp controller. InkBird is my recommendation for people who have no time.
My keggerator collar took me literally 2hours one night. But you can also use picnic taps until you build a collar and install taps.
You can get any size freezer you want, 10 cu ft. will get you to about 7 kegs. 6 cu. ft. is about 3-4 kegs etc.
I would get chest freezer since it makes sizing easier. stand-up fridges have problems with shelves, humps to accommodate compressor and having to drill through the door to get taps out. I find chest freezer solution much more esthetically pleasing and also effective.
keep in mind that the keezer/keggerator, home built, is just a small fraction of overall price.
My example - 10.6 cu ft. freezer (brand new), $300.
Temp Controller, $20-$40.
Collar: ~$100 in parts plus 2 hours of your labor
20lb CO2 tank, ~$100
regulators ~$120 (primary, 2 secondary for me)
2x 4 way manifolds, let's say $80
10 kegs, $35 each average, $350
9 taps, $40 each average (perlicks 630), $360
gas in, beer out connectors, hoses, etc. let's say $30 each, x8 = $240
So you are looking at $2K already, plus miscellaneous bits and pieces and parts I forgot, which will probably take you to $3K category.
If you only have 3-4 kegs, 3-4 taps, and maybe 5lb tank instead of 20lbs, you can cut the costs in half or even more. So lets say $1K-$1.5K for 4 kegs.
I bought a Beer Meister a few years ago and really like it. I found the price pretty reasonable, especially since it was ready to go with homebrew fittings. There aren't any holes to drill, customizations to make, etc. Just some minor assembly. http://beermeistersupplies.com/beer-dispensing/kegerators/homebrew.html
+1 on the beveragefactory.com I got mine there too. I got a digital temp readout on the door, stainless door, black sides, two taps upgraded to stainless tower and Perlick faucets. It holds three corny's and has a fast chill mode if you need it. It has a built in fan already inside also. I just press the button to set the temp I need and it keeps it there. Works great, no more wondering what temp it really is inside. I keep a thermometer inside and it is very accurate. It really is made for keeping kegs and I really like mine! They shipped it right to my door within a few days. Good luck shopping!
John
Thorsbrew
Well-Known Member
If you don't mind spending the money then go ahead and get a ready built one.
But if you'd rather make the most of your money and spread the cost out over time then just buy a chest freezer of craigslist for $100ish and buy the basics with picnic faucets. And as money and/or time becomes available you can add a collar and quality faucets and other things (which is what i've done, managed to snag a 25 cubic foot chest freezer for $120 which also gives me plenty of extra space to lager in there plus store grains and extra bottles).
But if you'd rather make the most of your money and spread the cost out over time then just buy a chest freezer of craigslist for $100ish and buy the basics with picnic faucets. And as money and/or time becomes available you can add a collar and quality faucets and other things (which is what i've done, managed to snag a 25 cubic foot chest freezer for $120 which also gives me plenty of extra space to lager in there plus store grains and extra bottles).
Thanks everybody for the input. I am torn now between the chest freezer with picnic taps and buying a kegerator already completed. I just don't know about space in the room I planned to but this in for another chest freezer. I already have a chest freezer in that room and not sure it will fit. Not sure if storing it in the garage with all the temperature changes (Carolina area) that it will have to deal with. However I do like the cost of doing a chest freezer over the high kegerator.
Thorsbrew
Well-Known Member
NC here. Mine is stored where temps run 80-95F all the time during the summer and it works fine.
As for space. Well that's something you'll just have to take measurements for whether you can accommodate a chest freezer or if you should make it an upright (upright freezer is an option, you could potentially fit kegs 2 high if you make a base/table for them to sit on).
As for space. Well that's something you'll just have to take measurements for whether you can accommodate a chest freezer or if you should make it an upright (upright freezer is an option, you could potentially fit kegs 2 high if you make a base/table for them to sit on).
CGVT
Senior Member
A refrigerator has a smaller footprint than a freezer.
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