attitude
Well-Known Member
I had the same problem with mine, that both tanks wouldnt fit. I just trimmed out the sides. Ill post some pics later( I also did some modifications after a couple of test runs)
Portable igloo cooler kegerator
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Wingnutj
Well-Known Member
Is your cooler the 60qt? (I can get the 60 way cheaper than the 70 - reason I'm asking)
I'm looking at getting one and fixen it up to a 3 gal setup. Do you have a pic of the inside and also to originator of the post.... How and what did you use to hold the tank on the back????
I have the same reg set as you from http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=268 Thanks kegconnection
HellBentBrewCo
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It's the 70 qt. I'll take some pics tonight. I had to mangle the rubber bases to get both kegs in
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Sorry but I don't recall how many quarts it is and the only thing it says is IceCube on the lid. But I can tell you that a 3 gal cornie won't fit without cutting a hole in the lid as others have done. I use my 2.5 gal's in it.
Attitude,
When you say that you trimmed out the sides, did you mean that you trimmed the cooler sides or the keg sides? I've already purchased all of my parts, but to my dismay I found that my 3g kegs don't fit either.
I have a brand new 70 quart igloo max cold cube and 3g kegs of the variety that do have a skirt, so I'm not sure whether or not my problem is the new cooler size, the rubber skirt at the bottom of the keg, or both.
I've already attempted to trim the sides of the skirt which has gotten me fairly close to being able to fit both kegs inside. However, the second keg gets stuck a good 4-5 inches before it would be in a position where I could seal the cooler.
Do you have any more information about the trimming you did? Has anyone else run into this issue and have some good advice? For now I'm going to continue working over the rubber skirts on these brand new 3g kegs (it makes my soul hurt).
Best,
Blue
HellBentBrewCo
Well-Known Member
You have to trim the lip off the rubber skirt on the bottom of both kegs AND trim a bunch of material out of the skirt of the keg that sits on the hump. This lets it sit down flush into the bottom of the cooler. Without doing both of these I couldn't get my kegs into the cooler. They are still tight but they both fit.
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Ouch. Well, that can be done, but my kegs seem to be exactly the wrong kind for this trimming as they have a large dimple in the middle of the base of the keg that almost touches the ground as well. That'll have to be trimmed too or I can deal with kegs that can't sit flat...
I noticed that the raised section at the bottom back (telescoping handle side) of the cooler are actually not the the largest problem; I was able to stick my fingers under it with an inch or two of clearance. Instead, the tiny wheel housing extrusions on the sides are actually what is keeping the second keg floating in back.
I tried putting the back/floating keg in first while working it around the wheel housing so that it sits on the rear raised section. Only then did I add the front keg. I was able to get both kegs in, but to say that things were tight would be a disservice to the word.
I'll have to give the base trimming a shot to make sure I don't damage the kegs by accidentally bending them out of shape.
I noticed that the raised section at the bottom back (telescoping handle side) of the cooler are actually not the the largest problem; I was able to stick my fingers under it with an inch or two of clearance. Instead, the tiny wheel housing extrusions on the sides are actually what is keeping the second keg floating in back.
I tried putting the back/floating keg in first while working it around the wheel housing so that it sits on the rear raised section. Only then did I add the front keg. I was able to get both kegs in, but to say that things were tight would be a disservice to the word.
I'll have to give the base trimming a shot to make sure I don't damage the kegs by accidentally bending them out of shape.
HellBentBrewCo
Well-Known Member
mine are the same. Only the edge of the skirt needs to be trimmed. just enough to clear the hump.
Ok, it looks like I have things working now. I completely cut out 1/2 of one of the legs (I lined up the gas and liquid lines appropriately first to make sure I cut the correct legs). The keg now drops fully onto the lip in back. Note, this was not completely to the bottom of the cooler itself, but enough to get ball locks on and close the top which is really all that I need (I hope?).
Thanks for the help and idea Hell-Bent.
Thanks for the help and idea Hell-Bent.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
That's odd. They must have reduced the dimensions of the 70qt cube cooler. I did not have to modify the kegs to fit in mine. It is a TIGHT fit, though:
Kirk,
Some of the new 3g kegs coming out have a thin extruded lip on the top of the skirt that adds a little (annoying) bit to the diameter. Enough to frustrate in the first place. The second part is again the actual wheel house intrusion, not the axle intrusion in the back. Even though I know that the handle itself doesn't make a difference, the black rubber keg handles may imply a slightly different manufacturer than mine (plain metal) and a very slight difference in diameter could be all the difference in the world.
Someone else did note that they had heard that the size of the cooler had changed from past to present though (possibly slightly thinner or more narrow with added height would cause this problem).
For curiosity's sake, could you take a picture of the bottom of your cooler without the kegs in it? I'm wondering about that wheelhouse intrusion on your model. I'll try to get pics of mine and my modded kegs (sob) when I get a chance too.
Best,
Blue
Some of the new 3g kegs coming out have a thin extruded lip on the top of the skirt that adds a little (annoying) bit to the diameter. Enough to frustrate in the first place. The second part is again the actual wheel house intrusion, not the axle intrusion in the back. Even though I know that the handle itself doesn't make a difference, the black rubber keg handles may imply a slightly different manufacturer than mine (plain metal) and a very slight difference in diameter could be all the difference in the world.
Someone else did note that they had heard that the size of the cooler had changed from past to present though (possibly slightly thinner or more narrow with added height would cause this problem).
For curiosity's sake, could you take a picture of the bottom of your cooler without the kegs in it? I'm wondering about that wheelhouse intrusion on your model. I'll try to get pics of mine and my modded kegs (sob) when I get a chance too.
Best,
Blue
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
If you note in the pic above, the right keg is a little higher than the left. It is setting on the "wheelhouse". Yeah, my 3g kegs are the older kind, bought used.
OK, here are some interesting (or are they?) shots.
First, the base of my cooler. Note the difference between intrusion into the cooler for the axle that runs the entire length of the back/bottom of the cooler versus the circular wheel housing intrusions on the left and right sides. Later closeups will be looking at the upper left corner of this image (the bottom/back/left of the cooler) with kegs in place.
Next, the top of the cooler. I'm just including this picture so that people can see the intrusions on the left and right side which, along with the natural curve of the lid, may cause clearance problems for your kegs. Be sure to measure by attaching your ball lock tops to make sure that both clear (aka, the lid should shut completely). Especially on the back/higher/floating keg.
Now, some details on the keg mods I needed to make. First, this picture shows the original keg skirt before removal of the extra protective ring next to a modified keg. This little bit of clearance makes a big difference, so if you can buy kegs w/o this ring you'll save yourself some really annoying cutting and filing. I used a simple work knife/blade with a large rough grain metal hand file.
Next, I show the standard gap between keg legs before modification and post modification. I took out about 1/2 of this particular leg to get the keg to fit and rotate appropriately into position. I was able to do all of this with a normal work knife as well (I recommend you cut the pieces off in 1 inch sections at a time and retest your fit; be sure to make sure you're cutting the appropriately leg so that your in and out ports are in the correct orientation).
Next, I took pictures of the difference between an appropriately seated and inappropriately seated modified keg. Again, note that the problem is NOT the large axle intrusion running the entire length of the back wall. It is the annoyingly tiny wheel housing intrusion that is keeping the keg floating higher than normal. Below are two pictures with the first showing a floating keg and the second showing a seated (modified/notched) keg. The extra 1-2 inches of clearance that you can get by cutting out a portion of the leg to avoid the wheel house (on the immediate left) and get flush with the long axle housing is required to get your lid shut with your ball locks in place.
Bad/Floating - Note that we're hung on the left wall, not the back axle where we still have some clearance.
Good/Flush - Now we're clearing the housing on the left with our modified keg leg and flush with the back axle.
Finally, the end result with the kegs modified and rotated appropriately. The fit is still very tight, but it does work correctly. Can't wait for those shanks to arrive now...
First, the base of my cooler. Note the difference between intrusion into the cooler for the axle that runs the entire length of the back/bottom of the cooler versus the circular wheel housing intrusions on the left and right sides. Later closeups will be looking at the upper left corner of this image (the bottom/back/left of the cooler) with kegs in place.
Next, the top of the cooler. I'm just including this picture so that people can see the intrusions on the left and right side which, along with the natural curve of the lid, may cause clearance problems for your kegs. Be sure to measure by attaching your ball lock tops to make sure that both clear (aka, the lid should shut completely). Especially on the back/higher/floating keg.
Now, some details on the keg mods I needed to make. First, this picture shows the original keg skirt before removal of the extra protective ring next to a modified keg. This little bit of clearance makes a big difference, so if you can buy kegs w/o this ring you'll save yourself some really annoying cutting and filing. I used a simple work knife/blade with a large rough grain metal hand file.
Next, I show the standard gap between keg legs before modification and post modification. I took out about 1/2 of this particular leg to get the keg to fit and rotate appropriately into position. I was able to do all of this with a normal work knife as well (I recommend you cut the pieces off in 1 inch sections at a time and retest your fit; be sure to make sure you're cutting the appropriately leg so that your in and out ports are in the correct orientation).
Next, I took pictures of the difference between an appropriately seated and inappropriately seated modified keg. Again, note that the problem is NOT the large axle intrusion running the entire length of the back wall. It is the annoyingly tiny wheel housing intrusion that is keeping the keg floating higher than normal. Below are two pictures with the first showing a floating keg and the second showing a seated (modified/notched) keg. The extra 1-2 inches of clearance that you can get by cutting out a portion of the leg to avoid the wheel house (on the immediate left) and get flush with the long axle housing is required to get your lid shut with your ball locks in place.
Bad/Floating - Note that we're hung on the left wall, not the back axle where we still have some clearance.
Good/Flush - Now we're clearing the housing on the left with our modified keg leg and flush with the back axle.
Finally, the end result with the kegs modified and rotated appropriately. The fit is still very tight, but it does work correctly. Can't wait for those shanks to arrive now...
edasaurus
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Wow, thanks for taking the time to take those pics and document all that. Its good to know there's a work around.
My kegs look slightly different (I bought them used) so I'm not sure how they'll fit, but I'll let you know once my cooler gets here on Friday.
My kegs look slightly different (I bought them used) so I'm not sure how they'll fit, but I'll let you know once my cooler gets here on Friday.
edasaurus
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Well I just got my cooler and everything seemed to fit ok. So I don't think Igloo changed the dimensions of the cooler. It looks like the newer kegs are just a bit bigger, as Blue mentioned.
Here are few pics for comparison. The first pic shows how both kegs fit. The second pic shows that the bottom of the older kegs are definitely narrower than the newer kegs.
Here are few pics for comparison. The first pic shows how both kegs fit. The second pic shows that the bottom of the older kegs are definitely narrower than the newer kegs.
Ok, the parts are all in and I hope to start building (and hopefully finish) by tonight. I did have a question about the original post.
10' 3/16" ID tubing
2 - 4 1/2" faucet shanks with 1/4" tail pieces
Note the tube size and the tail piece size. Now that everything is here, the tube appears to be a very tight fit for the tail pieces. Should I be heating the tube to loosen things up and slide it over? Or is there a typo on the size somewhere?
Also, I should mention that it appears that the 3" shanks will work just fine. More to come.
10' 3/16" ID tubing
2 - 4 1/2" faucet shanks with 1/4" tail pieces
Note the tube size and the tail piece size. Now that everything is here, the tube appears to be a very tight fit for the tail pieces. Should I be heating the tube to loosen things up and slide it over? Or is there a typo on the size somewhere?
Also, I should mention that it appears that the 3" shanks will work just fine. More to come.
HellBentBrewCo
Well-Known Member
Run hot water over the end of the tube. Should slip right on relatively easy
Well, the major parts are complete. I haven't hooked up the manifold yet because I don't have my paintball canisters full yet, so I'm using my 5 pound tank instead. Still trying to figure out the correct dispensing pressure (too much foam so far). I'm also kinda drunk from too much "testing".
Outside/faucet view:
And the guts:
Also, good lord Hell-Bent, getting that 3/16" ID on the 1/4" barb was painful! Heating the tubes with hot water definitely helped though. Now I have a lot of incentive NOT to clean things by taking them apart though...
Outside/faucet view:
And the guts:
Also, good lord Hell-Bent, getting that 3/16" ID on the 1/4" barb was painful! Heating the tubes with hot water definitely helped though. Now I have a lot of incentive NOT to clean things by taking them apart though...
What fitting did you use to go thru the wall for the pocket charger? I love this set up!
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This is what I have posted in My Gallery under one of the photo's of the Tailgater:
Ok, this isn't the same as what I did to connect the CO2 injector to the Tailgater but might actually work better/cheaper as it has one less part:
Adapter: 1/4" x 3/8"
Long Nipple: 3/8" x 1 1/2" (or shorter)
Female Hose Barb: 3/8" x 5/16"
Then just drill the appropriate size hole to fit through. I believe it was 11/16".
I just received my cooler in the mail and my 3-gallon kegs look just like yours.
They fit but it's TIGHT.
TimmyR said:
So I just investigated further and find the kegs fit great as long as the keg with the triangular broken base is in the back corner and sitting high. That base slightly more narrow and fits over the wheel well of the cooler. I just found another one on eBay(I think) and will hopefully have 4 by the end of the summer.
Do the 3" shanks work well? I plan to have this built in 4- weeks so I can keg 20 gal in 4 kegs and bring 2 of them to my family reunion at the end of July.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
That sucker needs a TOWER. Really. It is just SO COOL to have a tower on one of those cube coolers:
That PVC tower was easy and cheap to build, too. Keg Cowboy has the tower shanks cheap, about $13. Half what I paid for mine.
Vongo,
I followed the same approach as outlined by Whutever. I used a 2" long x 3/8" nipple with two 3/8" x 3/8" barb ends. I don't actually have that in my current pictures, but I'll upload now that I have that completed. I also added a drip tray to the front (10") and a water bottle holder for a bike to the back which lets me strap in my 20 oz paintball cannisters. I'll get pictures up soon unless I forget. Be sure to measure the wall where you want to go through as some portions of the cooler vary from 1" to 2" in width (sides vs middle back vs side back, etc).
TimmyR,
3" shanks work out wonderfully. I also bought 2 of the wingnut beer nuts and I'll be honest I wish I hadn't. Although they are nice and easy to tighten down, the extra space taken up by the wingnut flares is annoying. I'll probably swap them for normal beer nuts at some point. Now I'm wondering if 2" shanks would work.
Cpt Kirks,
The tower does look awesome and if the beer is really flowing it seems like the best option. If you're getting only periodic use one downside of the tower would be that the lines are not sitting down in your icewater as they are in the models with drilled fronts. However, it does keep the cooler nice and pristine. And...its a tower...
Best,
Blue
I followed the same approach as outlined by Whutever. I used a 2" long x 3/8" nipple with two 3/8" x 3/8" barb ends. I don't actually have that in my current pictures, but I'll upload now that I have that completed. I also added a drip tray to the front (10") and a water bottle holder for a bike to the back which lets me strap in my 20 oz paintball cannisters. I'll get pictures up soon unless I forget. Be sure to measure the wall where you want to go through as some portions of the cooler vary from 1" to 2" in width (sides vs middle back vs side back, etc).
TimmyR,
3" shanks work out wonderfully. I also bought 2 of the wingnut beer nuts and I'll be honest I wish I hadn't. Although they are nice and easy to tighten down, the extra space taken up by the wingnut flares is annoying. I'll probably swap them for normal beer nuts at some point. Now I'm wondering if 2" shanks would work.
Cpt Kirks,
The tower does look awesome and if the beer is really flowing it seems like the best option. If you're getting only periodic use one downside of the tower would be that the lines are not sitting down in your icewater as they are in the models with drilled fronts. However, it does keep the cooler nice and pristine. And...its a tower...
Best,
Blue
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
I remove the lid, add a baggie of ice, and replace the lid. That and the foam I lined the PVC with keep the lines and taps cold.
Thanks Blue and Cpt Kirks. Althought I like the tower, I prefer the compact design of having the two faucets out the front. I need maximum ease of transport. I thought the wing nut type nipple clamps would be problematic....good to hear that I should just get the standard ones. I am thinking for CO2 I wil go with the Williams Brewing 45g cylinders and their regulator or the 20 oz paintball tank and the Williams dual gage regulator....still deciding but am thinking 45g cartridges will not sit in ice and we be supremely portable.
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