Moving to Kegging, soliciting for advice on low profile refrigerator.

[5mooth0perator]

I have been thinking about moving to kegging from bottles. Recently the wine cooler that came with my house died(bad compressor). So, it seems like a good time to solve both problems.

I am pretty sure that a full on kegerator with a tower won't fly. I am thinking some sort of low profile kegerator would be best. Maybe just a refrigerator with a nice port in it to let the CO2 hose in, so that the CO2 bottle won't take up and space, and just a simple dispenser.

Any ideas. The wine cooler was problematic, because it only had two setting that weren't very cool, and the racks weren't very good. We actually never used the wine cooler for wine. However, we will use the refrigerator for food items, and other beverages like juice, so kegging here is sort of secondary, if I know what is good for me.

 

[mongoose33]

Sounds like you want the "Tardis" brand refrigerator, bigger on the inside than outside.

The usual rule of thumb is to buy bigger than you think you'll need, because....you will.

********

Speaking of that, how cool would it be if someone made a refrigerator whose outside looked like the Tardis? You could have 50 taps on the outside!

 

[Harleybrew32]

When i started kegging i started with a small fridge for a dorm room, then I added another mini fridge.
now i have a full size fridge that holds 4 kegs, one mini fridge with 2 kegs and my other is for yeast and special beers. anyway my point was i should of gone bigger to start, but if room and money or wifey is the issue check out this thread for some good ideas.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/best-mini-fridge-for-kegerator.190135/

 

[5mooth0perator]

When i started kegging i started with a small fridge for a dorm room, then I added another mini fridge.
now i have a full size fridge that holds 4 kegs, one mini fridge with 2 kegs and my other is for yeast and special beers. anyway my point was i should of gone bigger to start, but if room and money or wifey is the issue check out this thread for some good ideas.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/best-mini-fridge-for-kegerator.190135/

Thanks for the link that is what I was looking for. I actually have another under counter refrigerator, that looks like the Danby, I didn't think it would work, but people were saying they didn't even need to modify the door. I was thinking maybe a 3 gallon keg.

I think I could talk my wife into the kegerator mod, its just that when you own a house you are hesitant to make certain modifications that would possibly make it less appealing to the common buyer, if you have to sell it. EG its not likely to find a buyer that wants a tower dispenser in their kitchen, much in the same way the wine chiller didn't do much for me, and frankly I don't want a tower either, people might think I'm a lush. However, drilling a hole under a cabinet in a place where no one will see isn't a big deal, and I might not even need to do that, since there is already a hole in the cabinet where I have to plug the refrigerator in. Also I would prefer to put a refrigerator that has a hole ready for a carbonator, rather than drill hole in a new one.

I get what you are saying about bigger being better, that would be sort of the point of getting a kegging system, so that I can have more kegs and options. Especially with wanting to chill for a couple of weeks before consuming.

 

[5mooth0perator]

This is a candidate: https://www.amazon.com/EdgeStar-BR3...673998011&rnid=2673993011&s=appliances&sr=1-5

Same dimensions.

 

[Harleybrew32]

nice, remember to stick some insulation around the Co2 line and seal up any holes to help combat condensation from forming. good luck with it
cheers

 

[David SEMich]

I converted an apartment sized, 24" wide refrigerator. It adds a nice freezer and and fits two 3 gallon plus one 5 gallon keg. It fits nicely in our mudroom just off the kitchen.

 

[5mooth0perator]

I received the edgestar this week. I am pretty happy with it as a refrigerator, beats the wine chiller. It is so much more powerful. Cold brews are definitely an improvement.


I haven't got the CO2 bottle yet. How hard is it to swap out kegs with a simple bottle regulator system, if I have more than one brew?

 

[Moose_MI]

A small 5cu ft freezer is about as low profile as you can get and it’s much better suited for keezer services than a fridge IMHO. The extra space inside can serve as old storage for wine, packaged beer, sodas, whatever.

Just a thought...

 

[a_gunslinger]

A lot of the cheaper ones seem to have issues getting below 40 degrees. Any know brands brewers rate well that hit 32 degrees?

 

[day_trippr]

As was noted by @Bobby_M in the related thread here, one can over-ride the oem thermostat easily - I'll note, if it's an analog-controlled mini fridge, and not one sporting a digital console..

Cheers!

 

[a_gunslinger]

So far the Fridgedaire is keeping it cold - got one 36 degree reading, open door loses heat quick. So it seems to hover mainly between 37-40. Starts slacking will over-ride thermo.