Oster Kegerator

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Just an update here - I'm having a lot less foaming after letting the kegs just sit for three days undisturbed. It was hard to do!
 
So I have a dilemma I am trying to solve. I have a 33" high bay in my bar to fit the fridge for my kegerator. The online specs say that the oster is 33 1/5" tall. If I left the plastic lid off (because I'd be attaching the tower to my bar top) would it be shorter than 33"? Or would the hinges still be too high?

Thanks for the help!
 
random.tard said:
Just an update here - I'm having a lot less foaming after letting the kegs just sit for three days undisturbed. It was hard to do!
Click to expand...


How is the temperature? Cold enough?
I will probably pick one of these up here soon, so before I buy one I want to make sure you are satisfied now after a few weeks of use...
 
With no tower cooling, first pull is still a bit foamy. I am very happy with the temp in the compartment though.

If I feel motivated, I'll probably construct a fanbox and throw some air up the tower.
 
random.tard said:
With no tower cooling, first pull is still a bit foamy. I am very happy with the temp in the compartment though.

If I feel motivated, I'll probably construct a fanbox and throw some air up the tower.
Click to expand...


Sounds good to me.
My kegs / CO2 tank / regulator / hoses all arrived today.
Now I just need the draft tower and to pick one of these bad boys up.
Cant wait for kegged homebrew!
 
random.tard said:
With no tower cooling, first pull is still a bit foamy. I am very happy with the temp in the compartment though.

If I feel motivated, I'll probably construct a fanbox and throw some air up the tower.
Click to expand...

Here's a quote from another thread, he has very good pics and a fan box as well.

Slipgate said:
All done! Here is some documentation for those that want to see it.

Oster Conversion!
Click to expand...
 
I just bought the Oster mini fridge and plan to to the retrofit. Your descriptions and pictures were very helpful. When you drilled the 3" hole in the top of the fridge did you run into any refrigerant lines? I just tried this with a Kenmore and cut through a refer line. I don't want to make the same mistake again.

Thanks.
 
Great thread, thanks for all the info!

I was hoping someone could save me excess driving by taking a measurement inside the fridge? The dimension I'm looking for is inside at the bottom, from the hump to the lip the door seals on. I'd like to use the fridge as a fermentation fridge and want to see if any of my fermenters would fit. Thanks for any help!
 
Can anyone who has this fridge read the amperage off of it? I can't find it on the specifications online, and I live in an old apt that runs on low amp circuits. I would like to eventually buy one of these, but not run the risk of blowing fuses daily.
 
The back on mine reads:
Amps 1.7A
Max Amps 6.0A

In case anyone else wants to know the depth inside the fridge: it's 11.5 inches from the front lip to the compressor hump (that's 1 inch less than my kenmore elite). You would need to remove the door molding to fit a 6 gallon better bottle or 6.5 gallon brew bucket in there for fermentation.

Hope this info helps someone!
 
Does anyone know about how the Oster compares to the Sanyo sr-4912m in power usage? The Oster is not Energy star, and I haven't been able to find any info about it, and the Sanyo claims 316 kwh/year.
 
Okay, so it sounds like the Oster is more efficient (wonder why they didn't do Energy Star then). Did anyone try to fit a 10lb. tank in there?
 
I bought the Oster as well. Right now its serving as a place to stash my beer so it does not cram up the normal fridge. Less complaining from the girlfriend. Looking to do a conversion soon. I am liking the fact that there are apparently no freon lines running through the top of the unit. It would suck to cut through that! Just an additional help, here is a link I found helpful. Homebrew Kegerator This guy mentions he bought the Oster and will post instructions. Tard's are also very helpful. Just looking to get all the assistance I can get since I'm not the most mechanically inclined person in the world.....
 
I picked up the Oster yesterday at Best Buy. I'll be doing the coversion today after work. Had to buy it to replace my chest freezer that took a dump on me last month. Can't wait to get it done. A month without a kegerator is too long!!
 
Let us know how it goes. I went and checked it out at Best Buy last night, and I've decided that I can fit two commercial sixtels in there if I hack off the side shelf supports and a chunk of the lower door shelf. I'd be interested to hear how your conversion experience goes.
 
Does anyone have suggestions for a mini-fridge that will fit a half barrel or a corny keg? Or both ideally, it would be nice to have my homebrew on tap along with a keg of PBR or something like that, or just run a keg of PBR in between batches of homebrew. I will be installing it under a counter so a full size fridge won't work.

Thanks!
 
I think you'll have to look into an under counter kegerator, which can be pricey. I haven't heard of any mini fridges that accommodate a half barrel.
 
So I did my conversion a while ago, but finally got the kegs today.

I bought 3 Osters:
1 for 1/4 keg Yuengling + 5# CO2 (8# NO2 tank in there waiting for Guinness)
1 for two 1/6 kegs + 5# CO2 (Woodchuck Cider, Dominion Lager)
1 for white wines, sodas, juices, etc.

I built mine into the bar and made a custom tap box instead of a tap tower. So far, it's working out great.

One thing though!
I followed the direction of others who converted this mini fridge and found one major difference. Two 1/6 kegs (not the soda version) does fit...but barely! I even had to shave most of the door off for it to close all the way. Don't be discouraged, but be prepared to do some last minute hacking to get everything to fit.

The 1/4 keg fits really well. I shaved out the door where the half-shelves are and it seems to fit just fine. More pics coming soon.

DSCF0466.JPG
 
so lets talk mounting caster on the Oster. What size screws would be best fit for both the front and back. Also does anyone have any recommendations for railings to be installed. I'm thinking of using a strip of wood to mount them (much like the tower) so it would be harder to break them if you hit it on the side.
 
I have an oster and it fits two cornys with the 5lb CO2 tank resting on the shelf that covers the compressor.

No way you are going to fit a 10lb tank in there.

You could have it outside the fridge and just drill an additional hole.....
 
todd6678 said:
so lets talk mounting caster on the Oster. What size screws would be best fit for both the front and back. Also does anyone have any recommendations for railings to be installed. I'm thinking of using a strip of wood to mount them (much like the tower) so it would be harder to break them if you hit it on the side.
Click to expand...

Check out random.tards post on page #2 of this thread, he references the casters there. He doesn't post the exact upc for the casters but they look like 2" (125lb) casters you can find at Home Depot.
 
Hi all, I am new here, did a ton of research and looks like the Oster might be the fridge for me because I can't find the sanyo anywhere, and believe it or not CL has nothing in my area, and I don't know how long I can wait to get mine :). I am going to put in 2 cornie's in there with a 5lb c02 tank, which everyone agrees will fit, in addition I am planning on running a water line (like the one into an ice maker) and run that to one of my taps. So I will have 2 beer and one water tap. There is a story behind why, but I will spare you. Can anyone that has one tell me if there is a good enough place to run a water line into the fridge? Thanks...
 
I did the Oster conversion a couple weeks ago. Here are some changes and results:

- Dual tower with Perlick's
- Peeled off the front Oster sticker (easy to do)
- Tower fan: I installed a 120V computer (small) fan, which eliminated the AC-DC conversion. However, if I have the fan on, the temperature in the fridge actually goes up! I think this is due to too much circulation (tower, metal, exposed). So, fan is off.
- My fridge is set at 1 1/2 on the dial. This gets me 44F which is good for me. I don't like my beer too cold. But, not much wiggle room if I ever want it colder.

My only regret is not having 3 taps, since SWMBO loves fizzy water (and the ESB). Gotta have at least two beers on tap! Oh well, next time.
 
How do you get that low. I have mine cranked and only get 38. I added a tower fan a bit differently though. I added copper pipe with T's just inside and extended it along the ceiling a bit more. I then added a 3 straight piece connected to the fan and blows air up the tower. I also jumper wired the fan right in the black and white wires so I could keep the frige light. No foaming problems what so ever and beer is plenty cold. I wonder if I have a bum thermostat if I am cranked up and only getting that temp. I do have 2 full cornies in it though.
 
Can anyone comment on the overall quality of the Oster? Best Buy has some pretty bad reviews with the majority taking a dump in the first few months. Some other thread I read said that it was pretty loud as well.
 
I have the oster and have not had any problems. I did a under counter setup where my tap handles come thru the door on the fridge. word of advice DO NOT drill thru the side of the fridge I killed the first one this way... not sure if you can run co2 thru the drain I will research this on the Oster I destroyed..
 
schupaul said:
How do you get that low. I have mine cranked and only get 38.
Click to expand...

I have only gotten down to 42F. I like my beer around 45F, so have not pushed it lower. But, I think you are doing quite well at 38.

I will try my tower cooling again, but was dismayed when the fridge got warmer while it was on! I thought this may be due to the tower acting as a giant heat sink (room temp is 70F). More research to be done...
 
I did the conversion a few months back and have been very happy. I did a dual tower with perlicks, and did not put in a fan. I had intended on it, but it was not necessary. Find a 10% coupon (all over the web for Best buy) - I got mine for 188$
 
Just an update for those for you wanting an Oster 5 CF. Best Buy has put these on clearance (at least in the Denver area). I picked up 2 of them for $183 each with tax.
 
Anyone have advise on how to run lines outside the fridge for a 20# co2 tank? I just picked up the fridge here in Salt Lake for $209...I'm going back tomorrow to get the better price. That is BS!

Oh ya, one thing that bothers me...in my research about where to find refrigerant lines, I went to the Oster website and found out the 1 year warranty is no good b/c the company that made these filed ch. 11 BK and is out of business. Once you start drilling, it voids everything anyway, I just thought people would want to know there will likely not be any new Oster fridges for a while.
 
I ran all of my lines through the tops. Mine are installed under my bar, so I have no issues of being able to see the lines.
 
Really glad I re-read this thread. I had heard all the cooling was in the back, so that drilling in the sides for a Co2 line would be okay! Saved me a busted fridge.

I'm planning on getting a 15# or 20# tank and running the tank and the reg outside the fridge. Would I have to run two Co2 lines from the outside if I wanted to separately regulate the two kegs? I hear leaving the reg on the outside results inuch better accuracy. Is it enough that I should be worrying about it?
 

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