Should I Buy This Kegerator?

[uncleben113]

I am getting back into brewing and I am beside myself excited about it but I have a question about a potential kegerator buy.

I have the chance to buy a Vissani kegerator for $50 tomorrow that comes with a 5lb C02 tank, C02 regulator, and a sanke coupler. The kegerator is 4-5 years old but it has a problem. In the words of the people selling it to me, "it isn't as cold as it should be".

They said it worked perfectly last Christmas and has been sitting in storage since then and they only replugged it in about 3 hours ago. Two hours after they plugged it in, they said it wasn't very cold and "not as cold as it should be".

I am thinking that either it did not have enough time to cool off since it had been in storage for a little while or it has a freon leak. If it does have a freon leak, I'm thinking I could get it fixed for ~$125, making my total investment ~$175. I could also try to fix it myself but I'm being lead to believe that that's not a practical idea.

So what I'm wondering is, should I buy this? I am really excited about owning a kegerator again but I am a little concerned. I think if the problem is a leak, and I get it fixed for $125, then that is still a pretty good deal for a good kegerator AND given that it comes with the extra pieces. To me, it sounds like a worthwhile endeavor but I want to get others' opinions on it.

Thanks for your help!

 

[thatjonguy]

The tank, coupler and regulator are worth more than $50. Roll the dice. Either way you come out ahead.

 

[Shakybones]

Do it. It's worth it just for the parts.

 

[uncleben113]

I think y'all are right but now I'm left with whether I should invest 100+ bucks into a 4-5 year old kegerator. I think at that age, it should be pretty energy efficient but could I expect another few years out of this thing?

 

[Shakybones]

Find out if it works first. It could be that the fix is easy. I'd buy it, expecting to strip it for parts, and then test it. If it works great or can be fixed easily, then you're golden. If not, then trash the box and keep the goodies. A decent regulator is $50, new, not to mention the tank, coupler, tower, faucet, and whatever hardware you can strip. Throw all that on a used fridge (I got mine for $25...not sure if it'd hold a 1/2 BBL, but it definitely do 2 1/6 BBLs) and you're good to go.

Cheers!

 

[fosaisu]

As noted, $50 would be a deal even without the kegerator - regulator and tank are each worth $30 +, and the snake tap is probably worth $20 (that's not even counting the value of whatever taps are in it). So if it works great, and if not you've got the start of a DIY kegerator for cheap. No downside!

 

[uncleben113]

Good points. I wound up buying it and got a lot of other goodies for cheap. The kegerator isn't cooling at all so I am thinking that I will have to invest a little but I'm not too worried about it given the deal that I got.

Thank you all your help!

 

[eulipion2]

I've seen other threads where they recommend leaving the kegerator/fridge/freezer sit for 1-3 days before plugging it in to allow something or other to settle. The act of moving it can shift the (insert shifted liquid here) into places that it shouldn't be. Let it sit for a while and try again.

 

[uncleben113]

I've seen other threads where they recommend leaving the kegerator/fridge/freezer sit for 1-3 days before plugging it in to allow something or other to settle. The act of moving it can shift the (insert shifted liquid here) into places that it shouldn't be. Let it sit for a while and try again.

Thanks for the info. I am going to give this a shot and probably get rid of it if it doesn't work. I talked with some repair men today and the general consensus was it probably wouldn't be worth the investment. Bummer

 

[DrunkleJon]

Yes, you want to let it sit for at least a few hours so the coolant can all flow back down to the whatever the heck it is called. If the frige part doesnt work just strip the goodies out. You will probably want to change the lines out though. They are cheap and if they have been sitting that long, and possibly(probably) uncleaned before storing I wouldnt risk it. You can find a good fridge/freezer/whatever on craigslist for free to $50.

 

[uncleben113]

I just plugged it back in and hoping that something positive will happen. I'm not banking on it but I am in the process of trying to sell the other parts. I'll list them on here I'm sure.

I have my eyes on a commercial kegerator that this guy is selling for cheap on CL. Let's just hope this one works!

Here's a quick run down of what I have if anyone is interested.

5# CO2 tank
10# CO2 tank
3 Sanke Couplers
Single tap tower with faucet

 

[DrunkleJon]

You may as well keep at least one of the CO2 bottles. It really sucks when you run out, and having a spare is really nice.

 

[Mongrel]

I just plugged it back in and hoping that something positive will happen. I'm not banking on it but I am in the process of trying to sell the other parts. I'll list them on here I'm sure.

I have my eyes on a commercial kegerator that this guy is selling for cheap on CL. Let's just hope this one works!

Here's a quick run down of what I have if anyone is interested.

5# CO2 tank
10# CO2 tank
3 Sanke Couplers
Single tap tower with faucet

I have the Vissani kegorator, got a great deal on it at Home Depot. Unfortunately, the CO2 tank, and the tank holder are the best accessories that it comes with. The regulator is cheap, and that single tap tower and faucet are terrible. First thing I did was remove the tower and add a 2 tap tower because the unit will hold 2 cornies.

 

[NivekD]

You may just need to adjust the thermostat range screw. Is it running all the time or cycling?

 

[uncleben113]

You may as well keep at least one of the CO2 bottles. It really sucks when you run out, and having a spare is really nice.

Good point. I am already keeping the 20# tank that I scored yesterday so I may keep that 5# for back up

I have the Vissani kegorator, got a great deal on it at Home Depot. Unfortunately, the CO2 tank, and the tank holder are the best accessories that it comes with. The regulator is cheap, and that single tap tower and faucet are terrible. First thing I did was remove the tower and add a 2 tap tower because the unit will hold 2 cornies.

I think that this is the same kegerator that I had before and it ran OK but it was super noisy. It rattled buzzed all of the time. I had heard that these were kind of crappy and now that I think back on my last one, I kind of agree

You may just need to adjust the thermostat range screw. Is it running all the time or cycling?

It sounds like the compressor is running. It hums when it comes on but I haven't heard it cycle yet. It was only on for an hour or so yesterday so maybe I will fiddle with that thing when I get home tonight. Once I turned it on yesterday, I did hear a hissing noise inside the kegerator so I'm not sure if that was a normal noise or freon escaping