Used Kegerator question

[kpietro22]

Hey everyone,

I am thinking of buying a used beverage air dd48 off Facebook market. The unit looks very clean and apparently gets ice cold. My question is, what do I take into consideration when buying one of these that are 10yrs old? The last bm23 I bought for 100 bucks didn’t get cold. The servicer told me it would be close to 1k to fix like new. What can I do so I don’t run into this issue? FWIW, I’m not really interested in one of the smaller low powers sanyo or other cheaply kegerators.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Ask the seller to put a bucket of water in it.
Ask for it to be on for ~24 hours, go check the water temperature, if it is good and cold, load it up.

BTW- I bought a BM-23, it didn't get cold, all it needed was a $10 thermostat, I realize all problems are different.
They are simple to work on.

 

[sunshine22]

@Dr_Jeff, okay I will ask him to do so. I am aware that sometimes it’s an easy fix but this professional company said that the coil represented Swiss cheese and it was filled with r22. So it was pretty old. At least this one is r134a

 

[Dr_Jeff]

@Dr_Jeff, okay I will ask him to do so. I am aware that sometimes it’s an easy fix but this professional company said that the coil represented Swiss cheese and it was filled with r22. So it was pretty old. At least this one is r134a

I'm not understanding your question to me.

It's hard for me to believe that the coil was full of holes and looked like swiss cheese, unless someone intentionally did something to damage the coil. Now the evaporator pans are bad about rusting out and can look like swiss cheese, but they and be replaced, on a BM-23, in about 15-20 minutes, bigger boxes take longer. Possibly the individual didn't want to work on the R-22 unit.

BTW- if the box needs door seals, you can find them on Amazon for ~$20 each. Pull the old seals out, soak the new seals in really hot water for 10-15 minutes, then install them and tape the doors shut for 30-45 minutes for them to "set into place".

 

[sunshine22]

I'm not understanding your question to me.

It's hard for me to believe that the coil was full of holes and looked like swiss cheese, unless someone intentionally did something to damage the coil. Now the evaporator pans are bad about rusting out and can look like swiss cheese, but they and be replaced, on a BM-23, in about 15-20 minutes, bigger boxes take longer. Possibly the individual didn't want to work on the R-22 unit.

BTW- if the box needs door seals, you can find them on Amazon for ~$20 each. Pull the old seals out, soak the new seals in really hot water for 10-15 minutes, then install them and tape the doors shut for 30-45 minutes for them to "set into place".

Thank you for the info. After they gave me that quote, I parted with the unit. Have you seen the photos of the one I am currently looking at? it is a dd48, roughly 10 years old. The owner said he bought it from a hotel that was renovating...

 

[bracconiere]

Hey everyone,

I am thinking of buying a used beverage air dd48 off Facebook market. The unit looks very clean and apparently gets ice cold. My question is, what do I take into consideration when buying one of these that are 10yrs old? The last bm23 I bought for 100 bucks didn’t get cold. The servicer told me it would be close to 1k to fix like new. What can I do so I don’t run into this issue? FWIW, I’m not really interested in one of the smaller low powers sanyo or other cheaply kegerators.

@Dr_Jeff, okay I will ask him to do so. I am aware that sometimes it’s an easy fix but this professional company said that the coil represented Swiss cheese and it was filled with r22. So it was pretty old. At least this one is r134a

should i be as confused as i am? (i couldn't figure out how to make their names bold)

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Thank you for the info. After they gave me that quote, I parted with the unit. Have you seen the photos of the one I am currently looking at? it is a dd48, roughly 10 years old. The owner said he bought it from a hotel that was renovating...

I saw the pics, it looks like a nice unit.
Ask, "where is the CO2 bottle and regulator?" might be able to get the seller to toss it in for free, also ask about any empty kegs, you might be able to recover a portion of your investment by reselling them.

When you load it up, be sure to put the drip tray inside the box(or in the truck), so that it doesn't get blown away as you are driving down the road.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

should i be as confused as i am? (i couldn't figure out how to make their names bold)

yes.
I was as well, the user apparently has two accounts

 

[sunshine22]

Yes @Dr_Jeff and @bracconiere , this is my original account, but it would not accept my email. The seller is asking $1,000, obo. He has it in his head that bev-air units go for 3x that amount. Not sure what a fair offer would be that won't turn him off. Also, I will ask about the kegs and CO2 tank.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

at $1000, I'd wait and continue looking

NEW units do go for ~3K, but it's 10 years old.
The seller is providing no warranty, if one bought it from a restaurant equipment business, they would get a higher amount, but have the service staff that can check out everything and provide a 30-180 day warranty. Provide free delivery and setup as well.

I've paid and found for friends similar units for 250-400.
Some needed a little work, others none at all.

Hope this helps.
Good Luck.
Look on CL as well.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/be...MIjsmEmZrt6AIVFI7ICh2ciww5EAQYASABEgJvsvD_BwE

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=beverage+air+dd-48

 

[sunshine22]

@Dr_Jeff thanks for the advice! I know its old, and it is used. However its one of the better ones I have seen since lurking on CL and the local facebook market. That said, I don't feel comfortable going over $500 (which is still high for me as a graduate student living in an apartment). And I know for that price I could get a new Haier or Sanyo or what have you, but ever since I bought that last bev-air, I have wanted to fill that void.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

$1,000??? That's a lot for a used unit, I am considering selling my 2 tap Kegco with 2 filled Keg's,2 C02 tanks and the dual unit regulator for $400'ish in the summer so I can get a Masterbuilt 560 grille. $1000 you can easily get a new unit or build a nice one like I did but I would wait to see if something more reasonable shows up and forget about that guy

 

[sunshine22]

There’s no way I can afford $1,000. If I could I would put that money toward a new unit. What do you think a fair price for a used bev-air dd48 is? 10years old

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Offer 350-400, explain that you are a poor college kid, going to have to borrow a truck, recruit helpers, buy a CO2 tank and regulator, tap handles, and any other thing that you can think of. Be prepared to go up to 500, what you said your limit was, and walk away, if you can't come to an agreement on the price. I see where you are in the Philadelphia area, expand your search out as far as you are willing to go to get one. Also mention that you will be getting it out of his way freeing up space for him. Ask him why he is selling it and use those issues to help your case, if possible. His wife might want it gone, moving and doesn't want to move it or doesn't have room at the new place, he was drinking too much and developed a problem.

I drove ~100 miles each way to get a couple of the boxes that I have, but I was willing to do that and didn't have anything going on that would interfere or that it would take time away from. My big kegerator, I was able to get a lot of things thrown in on that deal, and sold most of the extra stuff and came out ahead. I did have to do a few repairs, and upgraded the towers to triple faucet, added a 9 port manifold, etc. But that is me, I'm old, didn't have school to schedule around, . . .

You can see mine in the "show me your kegerator" post.

More will come available.

Also mention, that it is "as-is" and has no warranty.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/show-us-your-kegerator.29053/page-175

post 6993

 

[sunshine22]

Thank you very much. I am actually in the Washington DC area and fortunately I have some time on my hands while the forced isolation is going on. I will follow your procedure but I will say I’d like to put a t tower or mushroom tower on it to support 4 kegs. Guess I’ll probably just have to be prepared to walk away.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Make the seller the offer.
The worst he can say is no, you never know until you ask.
Rethink the T-tower, I was advised against them from a man in the restaurant equipment business.
The box will hold 8 kegs.

All of the kegerators that I have bought the seller was asking more than I paid.

Everyone has a role, the seller to get as much as he can, the buyer to get it for as little as he can.
One has to negotiate deals, to get deals, in most situations.

 

[sunshine22]

@Dr_Jeff Thank you...What is the con to T towers? Ideally I'd have a mushroom tap or ceramic, but I cannot afford that.

 

[day_trippr]

@Dr_Jeff[...]...What is the con to T towers?[...]

I have no idea...

Cheers!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

He told me that airflow in the towers can be problematic and sometimes create foaming issues.
I was planning on going with a T-tower, even though they cost more, just for the "cool factor", but he talked me out of it.
I'm happy with the standard towers.

Your setup does look nice, for a while I had a keezer with a tall collar, it was a pita to get full kegs in and get the water out that would collect in the bottom. I didn't think out the height of the collar before I built it.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I have a tower cooler which keeps the box quite cold, within 5 to 10°F of the interior air depending on the season.
On the other count, my keezer sits on a dolly to bring the top up to bar height, so it's likely I'm hefting kegs up and over the same way you did

Cheers!

 

[sunshine22]

Rejected offer at $400. He countered at $900 and gave the classic "someone is coming to look at it tomorrow."

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Just let him know that your offer still stands, and you might be able to go up a little more, when he is ready to actually sell it.