Used keezer, deal or no deal?

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KookyBrewsky

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Hi,

I'd like some opinions on this used keezer. The gentleman might be on this forum for all I know. He is willing to drive about 1 hour north and deliver it, keezer and all the keezer supplies, none of the brewing gear, for $625.

Is it a worthwhile deal? I am not very DIY-oriented, I'm mostly into electronics and software, not really a build-it-with-wood type of person. I do not have tools necessary to build a keezer, like electric saws, saw horses, wood glue etc... lying around, so besides pure materials, factor that into your opinion. Yes, those type of things would be an investment but the desire to build something is very rare for me, the only reason I'd build a keezer was to, well, save money...
 
So, a 5.1 cf collared keezer, single tap, with a CO2 cylinder and one keg then?
If the freezer is pristine and relatively young I'd peg the value at around $500, tops, but then again, I could knock one of those out in my sleep.
I could understand if someone is not so equipped for a build that the extra $125 could be worth it...

Cheers!
 
I want 4 taps and the ability to store an extra keg, so 5 kegs inside with the CO2 outside.

It'd be nice if I could find a "parts list" because there's lots of small doohickeys alongside the main components like the freezer, gas manifold, kegs, CO2 tank..
 
I was foolish to be so hasty as I haven't looked into chest freezers since circa pandemic outbreak where the prices were absolutely ludicrous if they were even avaiable for 10 minutes before they were swiped up. An off brand 5 cubic foot freezer was running into the many hundreds... 7 cubic feet? Had to be $800+ as I vividly remember giving up on the endeavor... now they're around $160 and $220 respectively and readily available.
 
Right. Even allowing for building, that's a lot of asking price.

So, we can start putting a list together. I'll get the ball rolling :)

(4) faucets - consider Intertap forward sealing stainless steel as they're a great bargain and pretty versatile wrt different spouts and filling attachments
(4) faucet shanks - if you use 2x material for the collar, get 4" shanks, preferably stainless, and without integrated tail pieces (more on that later)
(1) 1x5 manifold with all 1/4" MFL connections, preferably with shut-offs with integrated "back-flow preventer" check valves. That would allow carbonating that fifth keg while serving the other four.
(1) 1/4" MFL-MFL bulkhead for bringing the gas through the collar. Again, for 2x material, get a 4" bulkhead.
(4) ball lock beer disconnects with 1/4" MFL stems. Get CM Becker ("CMB") as the alternatives are usually crap.
(5) ball lock gas disconnects with 1/4" MFL stems, again, CMBs.
(1) gas cylinder with a cga-320 valve for CO2.
(1) single body CO2 regulator with 1/4" MFL shut-off valve, ideally with an integrated check valve.

Next, I recommend using EVABarrier tubing with the mating "push to connect" adapters throughout. That means all of the disconnects, the manifold, the gas bulkhead, and the regulator, as well as the beer shanks, have a PTC fitting for the 8mm OD of the EVABarrier tubing.

So add:

(18) 1/4" FFL - 8MM OD connectors for all of the 1/4" MFL fittings from regulator through bulkhead to manifold and on to the gas QDs, as well as the (4) beer QDs. I use John Guest PM4508F4S and recommend them over Duotight. Tip: buy two bags of 10 each, much cheaper than singles.

(4) 5/8" BSP to 8MM OD connectors, these go on the back of the (4) beer shanks. I use John Guest PI451015FS.

Then you just need tubing. Use EVABarrier 4MM ID/8MM OD for both beer and gas. Start with 6 feet per tap, then whatever you need for your gas lines both inside and outside of the keezer. It comes in 10 meter rolls and is actually rather inexpensive, imo.

That ought to cover everything but stuff like a "stirring fan" to keep the temperature inside the keezer from stratifying (it will otherwise. bigly.) and a temperature controller such as an Inkbird ITC-308.

If you need pointers on where to buy all that, let us know :)

hth!

Cheers!
 
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I'm sitting here watching the NorthernBrewerTV video with nearly 1 million views and as I tally it all up, immediately ready for 2 kegs, expandable with minimal effort to 4, I'm already up to $700. The freezer and lumber alone are inching on $300 ($235 after tax, lumber $30 after tax)... where could I get all of that listed on the page for $300?

I'll have to go through what you've listed and compare when I'm done. the big hitters are the freezer, corny kegs (I found local 6 for $100), everything related to gas side, then the Perlick faucet, just one for now....
 
If you found 6 cornies for $100 you are living a charmed existence. That's a good omen :D
You could certainly dial everything down to a single faucet system to start, save a chunk up front, and expand as you go along.
I think you could come in for less than what you were looking at already built...

Cheers!
 
I'm already going in with the DIY. I don't like DIY because of how much wood cutting it usually involves, but this is just me having Home Depot cut two 2x4s, or 2x6s, haven't decided yet.

Couple that with the larger fridge, everything is new, and I know how to to troubleshoot rather than jump into someone else's build. It'll be slightly more expensive and take longer but I feel the merits outweigh the cons. Had you said that 24 hours ago, I would've told the person to meet up and never logged back on here.
 
I'm already going in with the DIY. I don't like DIY because of how much wood cutting it usually involves, but this is just me having Home Depot cut two 2x4s, or 2x6s, haven't decided yet.

Couple that with the larger fridge, everything is new, and I know how to to troubleshoot rather than jump into someone else's build. It'll be slightly more expensive and take longer but I feel the merits outweigh the cons. Had you said that 24 hours ago, I would've told the person to meet up and never logged back on here.

Alright then. Have fun with it.
 
I want 4 taps and the ability to store an extra keg, so 5 kegs inside with the CO2 outside.

5 kegs will allow for a good variety. Consider - assuming these are 5 gallon kegs, (5 kegs x 5 gallons x 128 oz) / 12 oz = a little over 266 beers. Over 11 cases of beer when fully stocked. How many beer drinking friends do you have and how quickly might you go through 266 beers?

But this is why I decided on and bought a 2 tap kegerator and converting it to use homebrew kegs took all of 10 min. My kegerator holds 3 with taps for 2. I use 3 gallon kegs unless I’m doing something really special like participating in a club brew. Even if I have all 3 kegs full, (3 kegs x 3 gallons x 128 oz) / 12 = 96 beers or 4 cases. 3 provides me a variety, plus I also still bottle some of my beer for even more variety and I also buy beer.

I sometimes wonder if people take volumes of beer for granted or if I’m unusual in that I don’t drink as much as others or if others are just sharing more of what they brew. I would just say to think about how much you are going through now and the number of your family and friends and others you may be sharing with regularly and take that into account before building and brewing.

That said, if the beer is properly brewed and everything is properly sanitized it will last for months. In one case, I had a barleywine in a keg for well over a year and it was still good.
 
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Keep in mind that home depot cuts aren't super accurate most times, so it may affect how square your collar is. If you want mitered joints then definitely don't have them cut it.

Just FYI, so you don't waste money on wood that they cut poorly.

alright I’ll have a friend do it. Thanks for the heads up

5 kegs will allow for a good variety. Consider - assuming these are 5 gallon kegs, (5 kegs x 5 gallons x 128 oz) / 12 oz = a little over 266 beers. Over 11 cases of beer when fully stocked. How many beer drinking friends do you have and how quickly might you go through 266 beers?

But this is why I decided on and bought a 2 tap kegerator and converting it to use homebrew kegs took all of 10 min. My kegerator holds 3 with taps for 2. I use 3 gallon kegs unless I’m doing something really special like participating in a club brew. Even if I have all 3 kegs full, (3 kegs x 3 gallons x 128 oz) / 12 = 96 beers or 4 cases. 3 provides me a variety, plus I also still bottle some of my beer for even more variety and I also buy beer.

I sometimes wonder if people take volumes of beer for granted or if I’m unusual in that I don’t drink as much as others or if others are just sharing more of what they brew. I would just say to think about how much you are going through now and the number of your family and friends and others you may be sharing with regularly and take that into account before building and brewing.

That said, if the beer is properly brewed and everything is properly sanitized it will last for months. In one case, I had a barleywine in a keg for well over a year and it was still good.

You are not wrong. It’s just that I can make 10-15 gallons at a time. Brew day is long so I might as well opt for making 10 gallons at a time when I can unless it’s more of an experiment. It’s an efficiency thing to me. I bet half the time I have a 4 tap keezer there will be two beer types between the four taps. I have no intentions of making 5 different beer styles at once for mostly myself and the occasional other person.

But then again I don’t want to be boxed in if I do want 5 different beers. I feel this will open the hobby back up, get rid of the tedious bottling, reduce infections (I had 3 in a row with used bottles that I soaked in BPW then Star-San, the entire bottle, that was the final straw) and allow me to finally create my own grain bills and recipes, experiment with styles, etc.

I know this is blasphemy, but I have no problems dumping some beer out if it runs is course, so I can move on to a new experiment.

Edit: maybe a 5.1cufoot freezer is better. That’s leave me with 3 taps and all beers will go quicker. Maybe that would lead to further experimentation than what I said previously.
 
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You can get a kegerator, single tap for 560 at home depot, 660 gets you two taps. Although the quality of the hardware might be lower than you want. DIY allows you to pick your faucets, shanks, regulators, QD fittings etc. You can choose between thru collar shanks, draft towers, custom towers, or just picnic taps. Oversize the freezer and you can use it for cold crash. Tons of options.

Leave room between the kegs and the wall, otherwise you may ice the keg up. I had a 7,2 that I could really only put 3 kegs in. (it was cheap and died early) Now I have room for 10.

Also consider room for ) other things, like soda, cider, mead. I have all of it in mine, variety is the spice of life.
 
You can get a kegerator, single tap for 560 at home depot, 660 gets you two taps. Although the quality of the hardware might be lower than you want. DIY allows you to pick your faucets, shanks, regulators, QD fittings etc. You can choose between thru collar shanks, draft towers, custom towers, or just picnic taps. Oversize the freezer and you can use it for cold crash. Tons of options.

Leave room between the kegs and the wall, otherwise you may ice the keg up. I had a 7,2 that I could really only put 3 kegs in. (it was cheap and died early) Now I have room for 10.

Also consider room for ) other things, like soda, cider, mead. I have all of it in mine, variety is the spice of life.

That’s true. I have a small mini fridge because I don’t eat a single thing my family eats and I can’t fit beers in it. I’ll get the 7.1 tomorrow! Thanks everyone. I’m perfectly DIY capable I’m just... a bit lazy ;)

I found a 7.1 at Sam’s, Thomson brand if I recall... cheaper than the 5.1 after tax elsewhere.
 
Doesn't look like any kind of a deal to me. Single tap kegerators that will hold 2-4 corny kegs are plentiful on Facebook Marketplace in the $3-400 range. Many of them sit for weeks and with some patience you could probably get one a lot cheaper than that when the seller gets sick of looking at it. Then you can upgrade with better faucets, bigger towers etc for the money you'd spend on that keezer, no fabrication required. You also may find dual tap models, ones with upgraded faucets, etc.
 
I have a 7 cuft that I can get 4 ball lock kegs into (and a 10# CO2 tank). Collar is needed for the tank to sit on the compressor hump. 4 taps on it.

If you could wait 6 months, I'm going to be giving it away. I'm building a proper bar in my house and won't need the keezer any more.

Hmm, 6th months. A lottery?
 
Nothing like agreeing to give something away and then sitting around waiting for them to come get it.

That's why I pretty much stopped. Even putting stuff to the curb people want to know if you can hold it for a week, ask questions, etc. I just toss stuff now.
 
One random thought - Lagering temps and serving temps are pretty similar, so if you ever lager, add a little extra space. I only have two kegs on gas at any time, but I have another 1-2 kegs in my freezer lagering away.
 
Well, you live in Clearwater, I'm in Stuart. This makes it enticing but I'm not sure if I'm that patient. 6 months, $1,000 is not a bad deal to me though... I had a buddy all lined up to help pickup the freezer from Sam's this week (was too big for car)

No holding means it's too much of a gamble for me, I can't drive all the way there to find an empty drive way
 
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Well, you live in Clearwater, I'm in Stuart. This makes it enticing but I'm not sure if I'm that patient. 6 months, $1,000 is not a bad deal to me though... I had a buddy all lined up to help pickup the freezer from Sam's this week (was too big for car)

No holding means it's too much of a gamble for me, I can't drive all the way there to find an empty drive way

Well, if you told me you were on the way I'd hold it. Might be less than 6 months if I can clear out a couple of other house projects and get the bar built. OTOH, might be more.
 
tough decision... maybe I could use all that time to finally read all the books I've been meaning to..

If possible, please think of me.... Maybe shoot me a message a week in advance of when you think it'll end up on the curb so I could rent a U-haul.
 
If you put stuff by the curb with a sign that says “free” it will sit there forever.

If you put the same stuff by the curb with a sign that says “for sale, $50” it will be gone by the next morning. :cool:
my sister and B-I-L were cleaning out their house to sell it. B-I-L made a "picker's table' out of a 4x8 sheet of plywood and 2 sawhorses. the pickers took everything on the table, then took the plywood and the sawhorses.
 
If the keezer you would DIY is in the basement or garage and doesn't need to be a show piece, then you can cobble together a 9" tall collar from a sheet of cheap 3/4" plywood and 4 9" pieces of 2x4's for the inside corner pieces. you don't need to glue it. just get a couple of clamps to hold the first corner together then screw it together with 1 1/2" drywall screws. then move the clamps to the next corner and repeat. it doesn't need to be pretty, and you can fill any gaps due to slightly imprecise cutting with caulk. in case you're wondering, the main reason for the collar is so that you don't risk drilling through the cooling coils when you go to install the shanks for the taps. the side benefit is that you can fit a fourth keg on top of the compressor hump.
I have built 2 of these (for 7 cu ft freezers) and I've used 2" thick styrofoam on the inside of the collar for insulation. but before you install the insulation, install your taps and shanks so you can really tighten the inside nut on the shank so the tap doesn't move. you can't tighten it against the styrofoam. the first one I built I glued the styrofoam in place, but that made it a pain when I needed to remove it to retighten the nut on one of the shanks. just setting the styrofoam in place then give it a small, removable. dab of caulk on the inside corners will be all you need to hold it in place.
it will be a little tricky (depending on the brand of freezer you buy) to remove the lid of the freezer. they don't put them together so as to be taken apart. but with patience you will figure it out. then you will reattach the hinges to the collar. you can use FreezeKing brand foam weatherstripping to place between the top of the freezer sides and the bottom of the collar, and between the top of the collar and the lid, so you don't have any air intrusion due to an imprecise cut on your plywood.
I use an inexpensive Johnson Controls thermostat. you plug it into the wall then plug the freezer into the thermostat's plug. turn the freezer to max cold and it will be sure to turn on when the thermostat tells it to. the capillary from the temp bulb to the thermostat is tiny so no problem closing the lid on it when the bulb is dangling inside the freezer.
I drilled a hole on the back of the collar to run the CO2 hose through so I don't need to have the CO2 tank inside the keezer. no need for that.
final piece of advice from experience is to buy a 3-step ladder. a full keg is pretty heavy to lift over the top edge of the collar and gently lower into the keezer. I first set the keg on the top step, then step up onto the second step, lift the keg onto the top of the collar, step onto the top step and then gently lower the keg. when I'm 80 I will have to consider installing a powered winch attached to the ceiling to do the job!!
DIY will make sense for you if you really can get all your kegs for $100. if you have to buy them, even used, 4 will cost at least $300. but still not a terrible expenditure, since 7 cu ft freezer prices have returned to earth since everyone that wanted one last year has bought one.
 
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