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Prepping, cleaning, and sanitizing bottles become tasks of the past. No more waiting weeks or more for bottles to condition, and no more work days full of filling over 50 bottles per 5 gallon batch. <br><br> The advantages of kegging are clear: <UL> <LI>No more bottles <LI>No more priming sugar and bottling assembly lines <LI>Less time to carbonate <LI>Beer on tap is just cool </UL> The disadvantages of kegging are: <UL> <LI>Cost (refrigerator, CO2 tank, gas, regulator, pouring faucets, and hoses) <LI>Space – kegerators, even the small ones, take up space </UL> For me, the benefits clearly outweigh the detriments, and c’mon...no one got into homebrewing to save money. <br><br> The most important component of a kegerator is the refrigerator. There are four options here: <OL> <LI><B>Purchase a completed kegerator</B>. This is a nice option, but certainly the most costly. If you have the cash or aren’t particularly handy, this could be your best option. Be prepared to spend between $500 and $1000 depending on what you want. <LI><B>Convert a full sized refrigerator</B>. This requires some work, but it’s easy. Full sized refrigerators are abundant and usually cheap. More room means more storage (think hops, yeast, and grain no longer in your “food” fridge). Large refrigerators will take up lots of space, and getting a full size kegerator in the living room past “Committee” is unlikely. <LI><B>Convert a chest freezer</B>. This is one of the most popular options out there. Chest freezers are cheaper than full sized refrigerators and will often hold more than a compact refrigerator. They will require the addition of a digital temperature controller (~$125) to keep the temperatures in beer serving range. Minimal work is required to convert, though many brewers end up turning them into bars (the sky is the limit here). <LI><B>Convert a compact refrigerator</B>. Compacts take up much less room than a full sized refrigerator. They are very energy efficient, and they look nice enough to display in a living room or game room. Conversion doesn’t require all that much work, and no digital temperature controller is required. Ideally sized models are getting harder to find, and often cost more than a mid sized chest freezer. </OL> <br> <B>The equipment:</B><br><br> Bare minimum equipment <B><I>(the must haves)</I>:</B> <UL> <LI>A refrigerator large enough to hold at minimum one corny key (9" D x 25" H) <LI>CO2 tank <LI>CO2 regulator <LI>Through wall shanks and faucets for pouring <LI>Corny keg <LI>Ball lock and hoses </UL> Optional equipment <B><I>(the nice to haves)</I>:</B> <UL> <LI>A refrigerator large enough to hold two corny kegs, but small enough to fit in the corner of the family room or kitchen <LI>A tap tower to elevate faucets for that “pub look” </UL> More optional equipment <B><I>(the “I have a problem features”)</I>:</B> <UL> <LI>Dual (or more) faucet towers…what’s better than one beer on tap? Duh, three. <LI>A drip tray – while a towel is perfectly sufficient, a drip tray allows for a cleaner serving area and is easier clean up <LI>Digital temperature control for precise serving temps <LI>Dual bodied gas regulator for independent CO2 pressure <LI>Manifolds for gas distribution </UL> <br> <B>The tools:</B> <UL> <LI>Drill <LI>2” hole cutting bit <LI>Dremel tool or utility knife <LI>Screwriver <LI>Various wrenches <LI>More advanced tools for more advanced projects </UL> <br> <B>The set up <I>(compact refrigerator option)</I>:</B><br> There are two commercially available refrigerators in the ‘compact’ size that are big enough to hold two corny kegs: <UL> <LI>Kenmore Elite 4.9cu ($179 but discontinued in 2007) <LI>Sanyo model 4910/4912 4.9cu (Best Buy $179) </UL> A good way to create a more room inside all model refrigerators is to remove the molded plastic door shelving. Just loosen the retaining screws and remove the shelving. I like to replace with a single piece of whiteboard material cut to the same dimensions. Not only will this hold the gasket and cover the foam insulation, but it makes cleaning easy. <br><br> <B>A note on old refrigerators:</B><br> Many kegerators are born of old refrigerators. This is great way to reduce your initial investment, but be wary of operating costs. Newer refrigerators (particulary those with Energy Star ratings) are efficient operators and cost very little to run. Aunt Mildred’s hand me down fridge from 1952 might be free, but the difference in your electric bill for one year could very well pay for a brand new refrigerator <br><br> <B>Faucet options and drilling:</B><br> Shank faucets are the cheapest and easiest route to go. Cost is low and because they are placed through the door (which contains no cooling lines) installation is simple. Tap towers are spendy (~$100 or more), but they make serving a breeze and really show off the kegerator. Towers must have a hole drilled through the top of the fridge, which also holds refrigerant lines – so <b>PROCEED WITH CAUTION</b>. The most frequently asked question about converting a mini fridge to a kegerator is "How do I cut the hole?" There are gas return lines that snake back and forth in the top and sides of most mini fridge models, and each model's setup is slightly different. This is very easy, just don’t drill blindly. <A HREF="http://www.chaddickerson.com/gallery/kegerator">This website</A> has a really nice tutorial for cutting and mounting a tap tower. My personal method is to drill from the inside first. Cut a small hole through the plastic lining on the inside of the refrigerator. Remove the lining and chip away the insulation with a flat head screw driver. Copper cooling lines runs flush with the outside metal box of the refrigerator, so just keep chipping away until you get there. If you find no cooling line, get your drill and hole-saw. If you do a find line, trace its route and move accordingly. Repairing a cooling line usually costs more than the price of the refrigerator, so take your time. Cutting through a cooling line will leave you with a very expensive, very large paperweight. Definitely follow <A HREF="http://www.chaddickerson.com/gallery/kegerator">Chad Dickerson’s</A> advice about using a piece of wood between the fridge top and tower bottom, it adds a lot of stability. <br><br> <B>The regulator:</B><br> A single body regulator will suffice, meaning there is one regulator valve gauge to control the amount of pressure traveling from the CO2 tank to the keg. ‘Y’ adapters can split that line to serve two kegs simultaneously, however they will have to be at the same pressure. If you want to force carbonate one keg at 17psi, and server another at 8psi, you will need a dual body regulator. That is to say, dual regulator valve gauges allow you to independently pressurize two kegs at different psi. <br><br> <B>CO2 tank:</B><br> 5lbs is adequate, 10lbs is better, and 20lbs is ideal. Tank exchange for a 5lb tank costs the same as a 10lb tank. A 20lb tank exchange is only a few more dollars, so your money is better spent with the larger tank. But where do you put the tank. It’s sometimes possible to fit 5lb tank in the door of a compact refrigerator. This means no drilling, but can be a little precarious when you open the door. I opt to drill a small hole through the side of the refrigerator <b>(CAUTION, more refrigerant lines here)</b>. Using small brass hose barbs and connectors you can make a solid and air tight connection. The advantage here is less crowding in the fridge and your gas adjustments can be made without opening the door and losing cold air. <br><br> <B>Connections, tubing, and serving:</B><br> Once your serving choice is installed, all you have to do is connect your CO2 regulator OUT to the corny IN valve with a gas ball lock connector and tubing. Then the corny OUT valve is connected to the faucet pick up with a beer ball lock connector and tubing. Black ball locks are for liquid, grey ball locks are for gas and they connect with small hose clamps. Use 5/16” tubing for beer line and 3/8” tubing for gas. Balancing your system and avoiding foam could be tutorial in itself, however general guidelines are to run 6 feet of tubing between keg and faucet. This will balance the system and reduce foaming. Typical dispensing pressure is around 8 psi. <br><br> <B>Things to consider:</B><br> <UL> <LI>Everyone has different requirements when making a kegerator. Consider the options and pick the best solution for your situation, requirements, and budget. <LI>Will the kegerator be inside or outside? <LI>Does it need to be pretty, or just cold? <LI>How many kegs? <LI>Shank faucets or tower? <LI>CO2 tank inside or out? <LI>Chest freezer, full size fridge, or compact fridge </UL> <br><br> <B>Example Costs:</B> <br> <center> <TABLE width=85%> <TR> <TD valign=top width=35%>Retail route<B>*</B>:<br> $180 – Refrigerator<br> $60 – 2 Shank faucets<br> $25 – Miscellaneous tubing and ball locks<br> $70 – CO2 tank (full)<br> $55 – Single body regulator<br> ---------------------------<br> $390 – and you’re in business </TD> <TD valign=top width=65%><B>*</B>eBay, Craigslist, and homebrew forum classifieds will generally save you a ton of money if you’re willing to search and buy used. Cutting this price by 40% would not be out of the question, but it requires some searching and some patience. I recommend buying refrigerators on the cheap wherever you can, but would encourage all other equipment purchases go through your LHBS…support your local supplier!</TD> </TR> </TABLE> </center> <br><br> <B>Example Photos:</B> <BR> <TABLE align=center> <TR> <TD><a href='./images/mykegerator1.jpg'><img src="./images/mykegerator1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/mykegerator2.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/mykegerator2_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/newkeger1.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/newkeger1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/bendie2.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/bendie2_sm.jpg"></a></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><a href='./images/white-keg1.jpg'><img src="./images/white-keg1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/chad1.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/chad1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/chad2.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/chad2_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/jims.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/jims_sm.jpg"></a></TD> </TR> </TABLE> <TABLE align=center> <TR> <TD><a href='./images/IMG_0308_4_1.jpg'><img src="./images/IMG_0308_4_1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/IMG_0310_5_1.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/IMG_0310_5_1_sm.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./images/DSC01521.jpg' width='83'><img src="./images/DSC01521_sm.jpg"></a></TD> </TD> </TABLE> <TABLE align=center> <TR> <TD><a href='./homebrew/images/barbs_both.jpg'><img src="./homebrew/images/sm.barbs_both.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./homebrew/images/barbs_in.jpg' width='83'><img src="./homebrew/images/sm.barbs_in.jpg"></a></TD> <TD><a href='./homebrew/images/barbs_out.jpg' width='83'><img src="./homebrew/images/sm.barbs_out.jpg"></a></TD> </TR> </TABLE> <font size=-2>**A note regarding these images: several of the kegerators shown are my own, however a few are fine examples from other brewers which I have borrowed from web forums. If these photos are of YOUR kegerator please consider this posting my compliments to your work. If you would like me to remove the photos or link to your own website please contact me <I>(erik at onebeer dot net)</I>.</font>  <Blogger> <h2 class="date-header"></h2>  <div class="post"> <div class="post-body">  </div>  </div>   <div id="comments"> <h3></h3>  </div>  </Blogger>   </div> <div id="sidebar"><div id="sidebar2"> <MainOrArchivePage> <h2 class="sidebar-title">Recommended Supplier 4 All Things Brewing</h2> <ul> <a href='http://morebeer.com' target="_new"><img src="http://onebeer.net/images/more_beer.gif"></a><br> </ul> </MainOrArchivePage> <MainOrArchivePage> <h2 class="sidebar-title"><a href="/about.shtml">About Onebeer</a></h2> </MainOrArchivePage> <MainOrArchivePage> <h2 class="sidebar-title">Homebrewing Links</h2> <ul> <a href="http://www.howtobrew.com/">How to Brew, Palmer</a><br> <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/">The Brewing Network</a><br> <a href="http://www.byo.com/">Brew Your Own</a><br> <a href="http://www.homebrewchef.com/">The Homebrew Chef</a><br> <a href="http://morebeer.com/">Morebeer</a><br> <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/">The Brewing Network</a> </ul> </MainOrArchivePage> <MainOrArchivePage> <h2 class="sidebar-title">Homebrew Forums</a></h2> <ul> <a href="http://www.brewboard.com/">The Brewboard</a><br> <a href="http://forums.moreflavor.com/">Morebeer</a><br> <a href="http://forum.northernbrewer.com/">Northern Brewer</a><br> <a href="http://homebrewtalk.com/">Homebrew Talk</a> </ul> </MainOrArchivePage>  </div></div>   </div>  </div>  <div id="footer"> <center> <table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=810> <tr> <td ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=810 bgcolor="#424242"> <a href='http://onebeer.net/'>HOME</a> <a href='http://onebeer.net/brewstand.shtml'>BREWSTAND</a> <a href='http://onebeer.net/kettles.shtml'>EQUIPMENT</a> <a href='http://onebeer.net/beergadgets.shtml'>GADGETS</a> <a href='http://onebeer.net/howto.shtml'>HOW TO'S</a></td> </tr> </table> </center>  </div>  </body> </html>