Looking into kegging...

[jzal8]

As the title states, I am looking into kegging. I want to do a standard two tap fridge setup. I found the sanyo kegerator offered at the BeverageFactory, which includes everything I need to start except for the kegs, for $780 (including shipping and a Double Gauge Regulator). Can I beat this deal?

 

[Soulive]

As the title states, I am looking into kegging. I want to do a standard two tap fridge setup. I found the sanyo kegerator offered at the BeverageFactory, which includes everything I need to start except for the kegs, for $780 (including shipping and a Double Gauge Regulator). Can I beat this deal?

I beat that deal personally. I converted my Sanyo and got the kegging setup all for roughly $520...

Sanyo - $170 > Best Buy
Kegging setup (with tank, regulator, 3 kegs) - $225 > ebrew.com
Dual tower faucet - $99 (thats with shipping) > eBay.com
Drill bit to convert Sanyo - $25 > Lowe's

 

[Chello]

Yes. If you do the conversions/building yourself you will save a substantial amount of money.

Just some approximations here...
Sanyo - $200
2 Keg setup - $200
Faucets/Tower setup - $150

So thats an easy $200 savings right there and those numbers are pretty fair for buying everything commercially. If you are patient and check craigslist and the like, you can cut that cost in half probably.

EDIT: Arg! i got beat to the punch, but our numbers are surprisingly similar!!

 

[jzal8]

hmmm...should I be at all intimidated by the fridge conversion process? (I already am )

Those prices sound right and would give me an opportunity to do this in steps.

 

[Soulive]

hmmm...should I be at all intimidated by the fridge conversion process? (I already am )

Those prices sound right and would give me an opportunity to do this in steps.

IMHO, the Sanyo conversion was easier than I ever expected. The links on here for converting are thorough enough to get you thru it. This is one project where you can save enough money to justify DIYing it...

 

[jzal8]

IMHO, the Sanyo conversion was easier than I ever expected. The links on here for converting are thorough enough to get you thru it. This is one project where you can save enough money to justify DIYing it...

Alright, I think you both are making some sense. Plus if I DIY this, I can shell out cash step by step. I think that is what I am going to do.

Was there a thread or Wiki that you found especially helpful when you did this. I have done a fair amount of research and have saved a few links just in case I ever decided to do this, but it might be nice to know if something was especially dead on.

 

[Bulls Beers]

I just did a conversion and it was very easy..I'm not good at building things either. There's a thread here, that's a step by step. Search for sanyo conversion. You'll find it.

 

[adx]

Just keep in mind the the DIY Sanyo conversion is not the same as the kegerator you listed. The DIY Sanyo is not big enough to hold commercial kegs.

 

[icu812]

Did you think about a chest freezer conversion? I have a 8.8cu freezer that holds 4 corny kegs OR 2 regular half barrels, and a 4 tap tower set up. its a real easy project , and the freezer gives a wider temp range, and of course you can get a bigger or smaller chest freezer than the 8.8cu but that was a perfect size for my setup. I almost did the sanyo kit, but the freezer sounded like a better way. More room more beer. Good luck either way.

 

[Joker]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43347
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19762&highlight=sanyo+4912

 

[Jonnio]

Did you think about a chest freezer conversion? I have a 8.8cu freezer that holds 4 corny kegs OR 2 regular half barrels, and a 4 tap tower set up. its a real easy project , and the freezer gives a wider temp range, and of course you can get a bigger or smaller chest freezer than the 8.8cu but that was a perfect size for my setup. I almost did the sanyo kit, but the freezer sounded like a better way. More room more beer. Good luck either way.

I did the same, but the driving factor was we wanted it in the garage and the freezer was better suited to that environment. I ended up getting a 10 cu ft freezer and a digital controller for ~210, roughly the same as the sanyo.

All the rest of my stuff came from kegkits.com - pretty good prices there too.

 

[wildwest450]

+1 on the chest freezer conversion, if you have the room, they offer way more options than a fridge.

 

[Chello]

yup, i have a 5 cu foot chest freezer that is probably not much bigger than the sanyo frig and i can fit 2 five gallon and 2 three gallon kegs inside plus the co2 tank.

 

[Bulls Beers]

yup, i have a 5 cu foot chest freezer that is probably not much bigger than the sanyo frig and i can fit 2 five gallon and 2 three gallon kegs inside plus the co2 tank.

Is it possible to fit 3 five gallons in that 5 cu ft freezer?