sanyo 4912

[roryspa]

after my unfortunate incident earlier i broke down and bought a 4912 where is it safe to drill through top? does anyone have pics?

 

[kvh]

Do a search for 'cornstarch and vodka' Something about the cooling lines and drying times -

Haven't done it myself, but there are pics if you search for sanyo builds...

kvh

 

[roryspa]

thanks alot. much appreciated

 

[LouT]

Here are a bunch of links I used :
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=19762
http://www.ihomebrewsolutions.com/TheGreatFridgeProject.pdf
http://www.chaddickerson.com/gallery/kegerator
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?p=296146&highlight=#296146
http://hbd.org/clubs/franklin/public_html/docs/balance.html
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=113913&postcount=8
http://morebeer.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9540
http://powersbrewery.home.comcast.net/kegerator.html
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=24249
http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18304&page=2&highlight=tower+build
http://picasaweb.google.com/KalvinEddie/CO2Pics
http://www.northernbrewer.com/faucets-and-shanks.html
http://www.superprod.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001
http://kegman.net/faucet_vm.html
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=30814&highlight=perlick+sherron
http://blog.mattplude.com/?p=27
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/taps-faucets-pid-4329AS-3E.html
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=46331&cat=3,43520,43521,46758&ap=1
http://community.livejournal.com/homebrewing/413981.html Buford's -nice
http://www.etundra.com/shop/product.asp?product_id=6428&product_category_id=3533
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18616&highlight=drip+tray
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16083&page=2&highlight=drip+tray
http://fiberspeed2k.googlepages.com/casters

Some of the nice ones around are by Buford, Kalvin, and Tony. Good luck, it's a fun project!!
Not, DIY will not actually save you money over a purchased kegerator but will be much much nicer for the same money (I guess you could come out cheaper if you don't opt for the shirrons and buy a ready-made tower with standard taps. Post up when you're done!

 

[homebrewer_99]

On the contrary LouT.

The DIY project is much cheaper than buying a kegerator...even with choosing your own tower and faucets.

Sanyo 4912 - 180 (tax included)
Chrome Tower - 80.00 (TI)
2 Shirron Faucets - 90 (TI)
Total: $350

Versus $469 for a kegerator (plus tax)

Savings $120.00

That's about 5-6 batches of free brew in my book.

 

[olllllo]

On the contrary LouT.

The DIY project is much cheaper than buying a kegerator...even with choosing your own tower and faucets.

Sanyo 4912 - 180 (tax included)
Chrome Tower - 80.00 (TI)
2 Shirron Faucets - 90 (TI)
Total: $350

Versus $469 for a kegerator (plus tax)

Savings $120.00

That's about 5-6 batches of free brew in my book.

Tank, regulator, hoses, fittings, driptray...

 

[Buford]

My whole setup cost more than a pre-made kegerator of the same size, but it's fully custom and made just how I wanted it. It's a trade off, I guess.

 

[sirsloop]

I only paid $65 bucks for my 4910.... hard to beat that!!!!

Do a 2" hole square in the middle of the fridge top. The line is 7" from the back of the fridge...

 

[LouT]

Tank, regulator, hoses, fittings, driptray...

Yup, the little stuff adds up -- and again, you can probably do it for less cash but the plus side is having all primo components for about the same (or a tad more) than a storebought unit. I love my kegerator, and people always freak out with the "you built this!?" amazement - and that feels good, too.
I still have to get going with additional regulator(s)/manifold so I can keep my CO2 tank inside the fridge and leave it connected. Right now I just add gas at beginning/end of each day/night of serving. That's going to get old.

 

[sirsloop]

you can get a used tank for 50 bucks, you probably want a new regulator and lines which will run you ~50 and another ~15. Fittings may not be neccessary depending on what you bought... drip tray can be had for under $5 shipped from barproducts. My beer tower was 80 bucks, and kegs work out to be somewhere between 20-25 bucks a piece after you get done replacing the gaskets, lubing them... not to mention all the time you probably need to put into them for cleaning. It can be done on the cheap... axe the beer tower and use picnic spickets. Source a used mini fridge like I did. Opt for the rubber serving tray as a drip tray instead of the $75 stainless steel one. Its your money and your keggerator... make it how you want it with the money you have available.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Tank, regulator, hoses, fittings, driptray...

I thought he was just addressing the price of a kegerator...

 

[olllllo]

I thought he was just addressing the price of a kegerator...

Even when you save money, you can always spend it.

 

[CivEngPE]

All of the kegerators I have seen in the store come with the tank, regulator and lines for under $500.

I went with the store bought one and wish I would have built my own now. With all of the modifications I have made, I have added another $200 to the purchase price.

 

[HenryHill]

BY ALL MEANS, buy the stainless drip tray from barproducts for $15. It is the full width of the top of the Sanyo, and 4 inches wide! It is nice! It at the bottom of 'bar supplies 2'. Can't direct link to it.

You will also need elbow shanks, and beer glass retaining rails to do a custom type tower faucet set-up, I.E. Shirrons, ECU tower, etc.

If you can handle buying one and not building your own, it will have the cheap stuff on it. If you want the NICE stuff, you'll have to build it, and it will not be cheaper, but you'll dig it! No one that has built a custom one regrets it.

 

[user 4295]

Keep in mind that the 4912 will hold two 5 gallon kegs and a 5 lb CO2 tank. Just about any of the pre-made kegerators will hold three 5 gallon kegs and a 10 lb CO2 tank, if that matters to you.

I bought a pre-made Sanyo BC-1206 kegerator, sold the cheesy single tap tower that came with it on eBay and built my own three tap tower. It probably cost more than if I converted a 4912, but even spending $1000 on the conversion would not have allowed me to have three kegs on tap. Just food for thought.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Nice drip tray...where'd you get it? How much?

 

[user 4295]

Hey Bill, the drip tray came from ACU, as did the tower. I paid $56 for it last May. Unfortunately, the price of stainless steel has skyrocketed since then, so I am unsure what they are asking for it now. I'm almost afraid to ask! I'd bet it is closer to $100 by now! Very nice piece though. They do great work at ACU!

 

[homebrewer_99]

I hear you. I really want one that has the arc cutout for the base of the tower. Classy.

 

[TheJadedDog]

Maybe it's just me, but so far none of the decisions I have made in this hobby have been about saving money, they have been about the satisfaction of creating something myself.

I have a kegerator all set up, now I just have to wait to get the draft tower for my birthday (in the meantime, picnic taps will just have to do). Speaking of which, anyone have any recommendations on a nice tower with decent faucets? and where do you guys get the railings?

 

[Buford]

I bought a stainless tower setup (tower, shanks, beer lines, plain faucets) from Micromatic but replaced the faucets with Shirrons and obviously had to replace the beer nuts with fittings for soda kegs. I got the rails I used on the back edge of mine here:

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=46331&cat=3,43520,43521,46758&ap=1

 

[TheJadedDog]

I bought a stainless tower setup (tower, shanks, beer lines, plain faucets) from Micromatic but replaced the faucets with Shirrons and obviously had to replace the beer nuts with fittings for soda kegs.

Did the faucet replacement require additional hardware? I was thinking of getting one of the basic towers from Northern Brewer and replacing the faucets but know next to nothing about how to do it.

 

[chillHayze]

Any idea of where to find the barring you have running around the perimeter of the top?

 

[homebrewer_99]

Yeah, that railing system is cool.

(Post whoring...)

 

[Buford]

Did the faucet replacement require additional hardware? I was thinking of getting one of the basic towers from Northern Brewer and replacing the faucets but know next to nothing about how to do it.

Naah, all you need is a faucet wrench. The fastening rings screw right on and off with that. Any US faucet will fit a US shank.

 

[Vidiot]

Where do you get a Sanyo 4912 for 180 with tax? I was about to drop 200$ + tax for for a SR-4912M at best buy.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Where do you get a Sanyo 4912 for 180 with tax? I was about to drop 200$ + tax for for a SR-4912M at best buy.

...at Best Buy. It was on sale for 169 at the time...

 

[the_Roqk]

I checked Best Buy today and they have Sanyo's at $199. Think I'll wait to see if they are on sale. For now I'll just dream a little more.

 

[LouT]

I hear you. I really want one that has the arc cutout for the base of the tower. Classy.

I may have been calling on a bad day, but when ACU quoted me for my tower (fair price), they quoted me a really jacked up price (over $100 in January) for that arced drip tray. I wonder if they thought JohnsMA22 was a reseller, seems like he got the wholesale price....

 

[HenryHill]

I found an online price of $189 at Best Buy, for Sanyo 4912, about 3 weeks ago, and they honored it in the store. Didn't think I would see $169 ever again. Not sure if that is a regular deal or a special. You can buy it online and pick it up at your local store, too, which is basically the same thing as just buying it there. Maybe the online way you can beat the tax hit, not sure. I just went in and they rung me up at the appliance register; no waiting in line up front.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

If you can scam a friend for a bottle or regulator, the sanyo deal is cheaper. However, there are pros and cons to both, I already wish I could have three beers on tap.



This topic comes up quite a bit and this thread has some good information in it. Sticky?