Oster Kegerator

[brewheadbob]

Just an update: I've got a commercial 1/6 and a full corny in the Oster right now. It does fit both, with some gentle shoving

not too familiar with kegging, obviously (if you read above posts), but a 1/6 commercial.. is that a commercial version of a corny that is sold full by microbreweries?

 

[brewheadbob]

oh yea, BTW:
I did the keg conversion according to your steps Tard. Few differences, i didnt put casters on (possible future project) and i modified the thermostat box that we moved, so that the wires come out of the side and it sits flush when mounted. I ran out of project funds, so i will be using the "stock" faucets that were on the tower untill i can afford better. And sadly my new baby sits empty in the corner, waiting for my first draft batch to be ready, hopefully by the 4th.
so until then:
My new toy is like a typical woman... beautiful and doesnt put out.

 

[random.tard]

I've got it on the max cooling at "7" and it keeps a cup of water at 36-38 degrees on the bottom. Temps climb to mid-40's at the top of the compartment.

I managed to ice up the chiller plate pretty good messing with it, so I'll probably defrost after these kegs are out and re-check temps.

I'm getting some mild foaming due to the tower temps, but have mitigated with some pipe insulation on my beer lines. My lines are also only 4' so that's probably contributing. I'm looking at installing a fan for tower cooling in the near future.

 

[random.tard]

not too familiar with kegging, obviously (if you read above posts), but a 1/6 commercial.. is that a commercial version of a corny that is sold full by microbreweries?

http://www.micromatic.com/beer-questions/sizes-keg-draft-beer-available-aid-11.html

 

[brewheadbob]

http://www.micromatic.com/beer-questions/sizes-keg-draft-beer-available-aid-11.html

so, i could go to bevmo, or a local microbrew and buy/rent (whatever) a 1/6 that is filled with commercial beer? are the connections sanke or ball/pin like homebrew?

 

[brewheadbob]

I've got it on the max cooling at "7" and it keeps a cup of water at 36-38 degrees on the bottom. Temps climb to mid-40's at the top of the compartment.

I managed to ice up the chiller plate pretty good messing with it, so I'll probably defrost after these kegs are out and re-check temps.

I'm getting some mild foaming due to the tower temps, but have mitigated with some pipe insulation on my beer lines. My lines are also only 4' so that's probably contributing. I'm looking at installing a fan for tower cooling in the near future.

is there any way to make it colder (with mods)? if you cant achieve a good "beer temp"

 

[slerm]

Tard - the sixels are the same as regular commercial kegs (D-Sanke's).....

Aer you happy with the temp on Oster?

 

[random.tard]

Tard - the sixels are the same as regular commercial kegs (D-Sanke's).....

Aer you happy with the temp on Oster?

I'm happy with the compartment temp, but not the tower. I need to de-ice the panel and make sure the probe is not iced over. It does hold 38 degrees for the bottom half of the fridge w/o any mods. My liquid temp at the faucet is about 45 degrees for first pour, then about 40 for second.

 

[slerm]

I'm buying the oster today.....anyone want to try to talk me out of it???

 

[slerm]

I bought the oster and it came out great - I'll see if I can post some pics!!!

 

[random.tard]

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!

 

[rudy0498]

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!

 

[strohs]

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!

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...

 

[random.tard]

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.

 

[strohs]

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.

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!

 

[jay415]

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.

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

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

Oster Conversion!

 

[importmonkey]

is it possible to fit a single slim 1/4 keg inside that fridge? it's harder to get 1/6.

thanks!

 

[kegme]

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.

 

[RonnieDobbs]

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!

 

[gallagherman]

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.

 

[RonnieDobbs]

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!

 

[edernest]

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.

 

[strohs]

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.

Oster claimes 308 kwh/yr

 

[edernest]

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?

 

[beerman77]

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.....

 

[edernest]

Check out these links for conversions of the Oster. I think I ended up talking myself into getting something bigger (I might want to get a 1/2 barrel one day), but otherwise I would buy an Oster for homebrew only.

Oster Conversion

MobileMe Gallery

 

[Lost Pirate]

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!!

 

[Chazalicious]

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.

 

[portersporter]

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!

 

[edernest]

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.