My awesome Dad got me some kegging supplies for Christmas. I have a 5 pound CO2 tank, Dual gauge regulator, 5 gallon Corny keg, lines, connections, and a picnic faucet.
I live in a condo and space is a consideration. We're somewhat cramped as it is, but my Dad spoke with my wife prior to buying and she said that it sounded like a good idea for me. I don't want to encroach on much space in the house, and there's really only one spot we can put a kegerator and that's in the corner of the dining room.
Problem 1: I was fully prepared to buy a new compact refrigerator for this project, but I've been to about 7 places in town that sell compact refrigerators and they all have the freezer at the top unless I want to buy a complete kegerator at $500.
We already own a small chest freezer that's not much larger than most kegerators I've seen (27"W, 21.5"D, 34"H), and after searching around town and on Craigslist, I am thinking using this is going to be the thing unless I can find a source for a suitable fridge under $150. I can install a temp controller in the freezer for $25 or so and this will work. Can anyone recommend a compact fridge that will work in this price range??
Problem 2: Freezer is white, and I'd prefer SS or at least black. Has anyone painted one of these? Apparently there's some type of appliance spray paint, but since this is going to be a fixture in the house I want it to look nice. I've not heard much about this. Woodworking isn't my strong suit, mostly because of my lack of space to work in the condo. My Dad or some friends could probably help me rig up some kind of wooden enclosure for it, but I lack creativity so I'm not sure where I'd go with that.
Issue 3: I've also always envisioned having a draft tower, but since a collar is going to be necessary faucets on shanks through the collar might be the answer. My plan is to have space for two, if not 3 Corny or 1/6 barrels in the kegerator/keezer. I'd like to have the option to have both ball lock as well as a Sanke connector. What are the downfalls of a draft tower or shanks through the collar?
I know I'm all over the place here, but I'm so excited to get this going and there's so many directions I can go and I'm kind of stuck. Any advice (or pictures of similar sounding rigs) is appreciated!!
I live in a condo and space is a consideration. We're somewhat cramped as it is, but my Dad spoke with my wife prior to buying and she said that it sounded like a good idea for me. I don't want to encroach on much space in the house, and there's really only one spot we can put a kegerator and that's in the corner of the dining room.
Problem 1: I was fully prepared to buy a new compact refrigerator for this project, but I've been to about 7 places in town that sell compact refrigerators and they all have the freezer at the top unless I want to buy a complete kegerator at $500.
We already own a small chest freezer that's not much larger than most kegerators I've seen (27"W, 21.5"D, 34"H), and after searching around town and on Craigslist, I am thinking using this is going to be the thing unless I can find a source for a suitable fridge under $150. I can install a temp controller in the freezer for $25 or so and this will work. Can anyone recommend a compact fridge that will work in this price range??
Problem 2: Freezer is white, and I'd prefer SS or at least black. Has anyone painted one of these? Apparently there's some type of appliance spray paint, but since this is going to be a fixture in the house I want it to look nice. I've not heard much about this. Woodworking isn't my strong suit, mostly because of my lack of space to work in the condo. My Dad or some friends could probably help me rig up some kind of wooden enclosure for it, but I lack creativity so I'm not sure where I'd go with that.
Issue 3: I've also always envisioned having a draft tower, but since a collar is going to be necessary faucets on shanks through the collar might be the answer. My plan is to have space for two, if not 3 Corny or 1/6 barrels in the kegerator/keezer. I'd like to have the option to have both ball lock as well as a Sanke connector. What are the downfalls of a draft tower or shanks through the collar?
I know I'm all over the place here, but I'm so excited to get this going and there's so many directions I can go and I'm kind of stuck. Any advice (or pictures of similar sounding rigs) is appreciated!!
