Sanyo 4912 Kegerator Conversion

[Fiery Sword]

Bought one last week - just waiting on parts from Northern Brewer and Micromatic right now. Then it's off to Lowes for the remaining hardware bits and a hole saw.

Funny....I bought a BestBuy sale 4912 last week and I've been hitting 'refresh' at the UPS site for 3-4 days now, tracking my parts. The stores? Northern Brewer (perlicks, tubing, ball locks, gas distribution tee, gas lines, handles) and Micromatic (elbow shanks and wrench)!!!! I priced out Austin, MoreBeer and a few others and the Northern/Micro mix seemed to make the most sense!!!! Looks like we came to the same conclusion. :rockin:

 

[Buford]

Got the last of the necessary parts (shirron faucets, gas lines, etc.) today, although I did most of the work yesterday installing the tower and building a blower for the tower. I made one minor miscalc, that being the metal rails on the sides of the back edge are about 1/4" off from each other, and I didn't notice this until I had already drilled the holes to mount them. Eh, whatever, they're only there to keep glasses from falling off the back edge and the glasses pretty much hide them anyway.

I was looking forward to putting that porter I had in secondary in a keg but I checked it today and it's gone ropy on me

 

[LouT]

Where'd you get the metal rails for the top?
Anyone mounting the tower closer to rear of unit vs. dead center on 4912?
Anyone seen a bracket of any type that's good for C02 tank/reg mounting?\

 

[Buford]

I used these handles to make rails: Lee Valley Tools

I wouldn't attempt to put the tower further back, you're likely to hit the coolant line.

 

[LouT]

Nice, Buford! Any pics of your kegerator?
Did you put them full length on sides & back -- also, was the back full width with sides only going back to the rear rail, or did you do the sides full length f-r and a short rear rail? I guess a pic would answer that...

 

[LouT]

Oh, another question, did you just screw the rails into the plastic top while it was off (with nuts underneath) or did you tap right through and into the metal top of the fridge?

 

[Buford]

I just put them on just through the plastic. The only thing I did to the metal top is cut a hole in it.

I posted it in another 4912 thread, but there are pics here.

 

[LouT]

Buford, that was a top notch conversion, and I must say, a very well detailed and entertainingly written web log of the process! Kudos!
I hope mine comes out that nice. I'm going to skip the blower and the temp controller for now and see how it does, but I think the top rails are a must and you found some nice ones, it's a great look.

 

[ChopperCharles]

Can the 4912 fit a 1/2 barrel keg?

Charles.

 

[LouT]

Most unlikely, there's a small raised shelf molded in the back rear of the unit, the compressor is beneath it. Maybe a pony would fit if you built a platform to rest on the floor of the fridge in front of the shelf, but I can't answer for certain since I haven't tried.
If you want a cheap kegerator for 1/2 barrels, a craigslist free fullsize fridge is the way to go. These Sanyo conversions are sweet for homebrew kegs, though!
Side note -- anyone try to fit one of those microbrew 1/8 barrel "log" kegs into a Sanyo 4912 conversion? I'm thinking it might be a good option for times like now when I'm out of HB and keep buying microbrew sixpacks...

 

[Lepoc2635]

The details and pics make this seem like a relatively easy project. Thanks for taking the time. Just a quick question, though... Is there any type of concern about the draft tower and the lines running through it in terms of staying cold. Does the fridge put out enogh juice to keep them cool enough?

 

[John Beere]

You can find others who have a small fan inside theirs to help stir the air and keep the draft tower cooler - I didn't do that and really don't know how much it would help. Right now, my kegerator is out in my unisulated garage (is South GA) and is doing just fine. The first draw might be a touch warmer from the uninsulated tower but I've never really noticed.

I've actually done several further modifications to the kegerator since I wrote this. I just completely got rid of the old thermostat, light fixture, and wiring to make more room. I'm pretty sure I took some photos when I did it but never updated this write-up. I'll see if I can add that here in the next few days...

 

[Onescalerguy]

JohnBeere,
Did you have to wire your Ranco yourself?I got an unwired one and am desparate to use it but can't figure the damn thing out.Any tips would be greatly appreciated.Now i wish i'd have spent the extra $ to get a prewired one .
Cheers

 

[John Beere]

I'll promised to write up how to wire a ranco back when I did the walk-in cooler but never did... I'll see if I can do it this weekend, or at least post a link to someone else that has.

 

[Beerrific]

JohnBeere,
Did you have to wire your Ranco yourself?I got an unwired one and am desparate to use it but can't figure the damn thing out.Any tips would be greatly appreciated.Now i wish i'd have spent the extra $ to get a prewired one .
Cheers

http://www.rancoetc.com/pdf/ranco_etc_instructions.pdf

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=26496&highlight=ranco

I described briefly how to do it in post 28.

 

[ChopperCharles]

My space requirements are such that a mini fridge is the only availible option.

So my choices are spending $699 from Sears on the Kenmore (must be ordered), or $399 for an Avanti floor model from my local Best Buy (in stock), then $55 on a temp controller (http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-E26.html) to keep the beer from freezing.

What are your thoughts on this? (Note, a freezer or large fridge is simply not an option for me, I need a mini fridge, nothing else will work)

Charles.

 

[Beerrific]

My space requirements are such that a mini fridge is the only availible option.

So my choices are spending $699 from Sears on the Kenmore (must be ordered), or $399 for an Avanti floor model from my local Best Buy (in stock), then $55 on a temp controller (http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-E26.html) to keep the beer from freezing.

What are your thoughts on this? (Note, a freezer or large fridge is simply not an option for me, I need a mini fridge, nothing else will work)

Charles.

You don't want to just get the Sanyo and convert it? The Kenmore model does not come with a CO2 tank...+~$70

 

[ChopperCharles]

If the 4912 will fit a 1/2 barrel keg, I'll convert it. But I have to be able to buy kegs at the liquor store and have them fit.

What are the dimensions of a keg?

Charles.

 

[BlackZX3]

If the 4912 will fit a 1/2 barrel keg, I'll convert it. But I have to be able to buy kegs at the liquor store and have them fit.

What are the dimensions of a keg?

Charles.

It wont fit a 1/2 barrel, its not deep enough

 

[pookamatic]

John Beere - great setup. I'm going though the process of upgrading my current system. Basically trying to get away from the "cold box with some tubes" to a high quality, tweakable system to guarantee a perfect pour. This will include dual VM/Perlicks, ss shanks, dual regulator, etc. Two questions for you:

1. Since I have a 5lb and a 20lb tank, I really want a remote regulator mount like you have shown on the first page.

Only difference being is that I'll probably mount it on the outside for more interior room. What parts are needed to use an inline regulator how you have it setup? Particularly, the fittings and monster hose between the reg/tank.

2. The liquid yeast bottle thing seen here is slick.

But is this desired? I understand wanting to measure a more stable and closer-to-beer temp, but what happens when you put a warm keg in a cold fridge?

 

[Pirate Ale]

The next thing I did was to see how cold the fridge would go if I just turned it on "maximum". I don't know exactly how cold it will go b/c I stopped it at 26 degrees... this was good news because if "maximum" wouldn't go to at least freezing I was going to have to bypass the thermostat.

I then wired up a Ranco thermostat to the unit and mounted it in the rear next to the compressor.

By setting the fridge to "maximum" I can now completely control the temperature of the fridge all the way down to freezing if I want...

For the temperature probe, I did the exact same thing as my walk-in cooler and used a White Labs yeast container filled with the goop from a freezer pack. I pushed the probe through the drain plug into the fridge and mounted it at the very top as near to the front as I could. It is attached with two heavy zip ties.

Thats as far as I've gotten so far as my tower hasn't arrived yet... so it will be a few days before I get to drilling out the top.

Why did you mount the controller on the back? how do you change the temp easily? it look like you would have to move the kegger everytime you wanted to change the setting. Am I missing something?

 

[Buford]

My temp controller is also mounted on the back. It hangs by a screw - I can easily lift it off the screw, adjust it, and put it back when I'm done.

 

[Pirate Ale]

My temp controller is also mounted on the back. It hangs by a screw - I can easily lift it off the screw, adjust it, and put it back when I'm done.

Why did you use 2 3/4" as the hole diameter? Why not 1 3/4 or 2"?
Just curious. I don't have a 2 3/4 holes saw, and don't want to buy one if I can use one of my smaller ones.

 

[Buford]

Arbitrary decision... I didn't have a hole saw and needed to buy one so I got that size.

 

[wolfnforest]

Bump.

Where did you guys find your "White Boards"

 

[gnatp2]

I took the top two screws out of the cold plate in the back of the fridge and mounted the regulator to it.

Here it is hooked up to my 5 lb tank.

I would like to separate my co2 tank from the regulator and connect it with a hose like the above pics. I think it is nice to have the regulator high and visible so it is easier to adjust. But all the tubing I find is rated for 300psi only and that doesn't seem safe enough for a full co2 tank. What tubing did you use here and does anyone know where to get it?

Nate

 

[John Beere]

Hey, I just saw this.. Sorry. I am not too sure what that hose is as it came with the regulator. While it works well, it is very stiff to bend.. But I guess that makes sense when you think how much pressure it holds. I wish I knew more.. I bought it off eBay and have never seen another like it. Sorry

 

[tomCT]

Kegconnection.com carries a high pressure line for that purpose:

High Pressure Hose, Regulator Connection Hose

 

[gnatp2]

Kegconnection.com carries a high pressure line for that purpose:

High Pressure Hose, Regulator Connection Hose

Thanks very much!
How do I tell if I have "taprite" or "chudnow" co2 tank? I've never been asked this when getting co2 tanks. Kinda thought they were all the same?

 

[tomCT]

The difference is in the regulator. The Taprite regulator body uses left hand threads and the Chudnow (and I believe most others) use right hand threads. The CGA320 connector to the tank would be the same for either hose.