Noob Kegerator ?

[BorisBulldog]

Just got back into home brewing after a 20 year gap and have a couple of questions-

1) Will a 5# CO2 bottle be enough for single Corny keg set-up or should I spring for a 10#'er?

2) I have about a 10 year old GE side by side that I'm going to have available, can the freezer side be disabled? The lowest I can turn it down to now is around 0 F. I just would hate to have it run all the time if it were empty.


Thanks,

Boris

 

[pizzaman]

1) 5lb is good, 10lb is better as less refills and cheaper refills saves money in the long run. also, check local refill stations to be sure whether or not you can swap 5/10 lbers or if you'd have to pay a deposit or anything weird like that so you know what you're getting into.

2) if you do disable the freezer side, I believe you'd have to leave it open to prevent those funny smells from creaping up on you. how high can you turn the freezer side up to? if nothing else you can always use the freezer to store ingredients and frosty cold mugs.

 

[BorisBulldog]

1) 5lb is good, 10lb is better as less refills and cheaper refills saves money in the long run. also, check local refill stations to be sure whether or not you can swap 5/10 lbers or if you'd have to pay a deposit or anything weird like that so you know what you're getting into.

2) if you do disable the freezer side, I believe you'd have to leave it open to prevent those funny smells from creaping up on you. how high can you turn the freezer side up to? if nothing else you can always use the freezer to store ingredients and frosty cold mugs.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[wilserbrewer]

a five pounder will do 5-10 cornies, while a 10 pounder will be cheaper in the long run, a 5 will not break the bank...I have two fives, I'm cheap, but Co2 is relatively cheap.

 

[boogyman]

Go for the 10#'er if you're going to be force carbing your brews. It'll last quite a bit longer.

 

[sethful]

I've got a 5 and a 10 pounder.... I like my 5 more simply for the fact that i can fit in my fridge easier.

Also, i've done 3 kegs at a time off of my 5# tanks, so there are no worries there.


but then again, overkill is never a bad thing.

 

[Hang Glider]

Not sure about your model, but most refrigerators do not have two compressors - the refrigerator is only a function of the fan blowing in cold air from the freezer. If you disable the freezer, you got nothin'

While it seems like a waste, you could certainly use it for additional storage of hops, or pizzas, but it is serving it's purpose - keeping the fridge side cool.

 

[BorisBulldog]

Thanks all!

I'll probably go with the 5#er for space as I'll run 2 cornies in there.