Kegerators Anyone?

[Wilbur]

Since my kid will be off to college in the fall, thought is was time to install a kegerator in my home pub.  But, I know nothing about them.

Anyone have one?  Things I should look for?  How long should the keg last?  Best places to buy the keg?  .........

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

Since my kid will be off to college in the fall, thought is was time to install a kegerator in my home pub.  But, I know nothing about them.

Anyone have one?  Things I should look for?  How long should the keg last?  Best places to buy the keg?  .........

you can buy a coversion kit for a standard fridge (which is my M.O.) online...
i like it because i can use the freezer and still have room in the fridge itself...  they are some work, they can leak and it is kind of a pain to set up... if i did not need the additional freezer space, i'd go standalone...

for a stand alone, most people just buy a danby... sams and costco usualkly carry them...

best (and almost only) place for kegs is parkhills, they come in on friday AM... you have to call on wed to get  them... they have a decent list of domestics and micros available in 5L kegs...

if you pick it up first thing friday AM, they are often still cold from shipping... if the co2 is correct and the temp right, i've had a keg last 60 days with zero skunk...

the co2 can be a pain in the arse, but tulsa welding supply at 2nd and peoria will fill it while you wait...

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

Since my kid will be off to college in the fall, thought is was time to install a kegerator in my home pub.  But, I know nothing about them.

Anyone have one?  Things I should look for?  How long should the keg last?  Best places to buy the keg?  .........

the one one the right is the beer... the tower is internal...

[cannon_fodder]

Wilbur, I have a 5 tap kegorator in my garage.  It holds 3 half barrels (full size kegs) & 2 ponies.  More frequently it held 3 five gallon soda kegs of home brew and one keg of something generic (Shiner).  I think I have $600 in the fridge, the lines, the tapers, and the C02 tank & regulators (20# tank as I force carbonate my home brew).  

The compressor died on the damn thing last fall, so I am out of commission.  BUT...  

I used a "collar" design.  I purchased a used freezer chest for $100, installed an external temperature control (turns the power on and off to maintain temperature - usually around 50F, just a probe going into the freezer and then plug the freezer into it), placed a wooden collar around the top about 4" high, attached the top to the collar, and ran my lines through holes drilled in the collar.

Easy, fast, cheap, and effective.  

Good place to order parts:
beveragefactory.com
Also check out the website for the Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers and High Gravity for ideas.

Mine is not this attractive, but you can get the idea:
http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1986/42894/kegerator.htm

Basically this, but bigger:




Damn, I need to get on buying a new unit.  Used ones are $100, new ones damn expensive.  So I get used, but they have a shelf life of ~3 years in an Oklahoma garage.  Poor, poor me.  Luckily I can reuse the same collar with slight modification.