Kegerator Approved!

blawford · May 18, 2017

Yesterday I got go ahead by SWMBO to to build a kegerator, something that I didn't think I would be able to do in our current house due to lack of space. She's a good egg putting up with my new homebrew obsession. We were already planning on getting a under counter sized 'drinks fridge' and I managed to talk her into a full height alternative so that we could use half of it for kegs and half for other stuff.

So, here is where I plan to document the build and ask questions. The main couple of questions I have currently are.

How do you pick a fridge with the right dimensions? I have been looking at various models but none of them have the internal dimensions on the specs. Is there a rough estimate of how many kegs will fit in a 60cm wide fridge (on one layer) for example?

The ideal fridge I would like (as it is going in the kitchen and would match the current fridge freezer (and I like things to match!)), looks like this.

The possible problem I see with this model is that it has a curved front, is this likely to be an issue? Basic design would just be taps and drip tray on the front.

As always, thanks for the help.

bigbud78 · May 18, 2017

Depends how many kegs you want ! I have an old beko job and its not 600 wide so I struggled to get three in

If you get a 600 wide one you should be able to get two in side by side. Are you going to be drilling the door for taps ? You'll need a drip tray if its in the kitchen.

Also you will need somewhere to keep the gas secure

blawford · May 18, 2017

bigbud78 said:
Depends how many kegs you want ! I have an old beko job and its not 600 wide so I struggled to get three in If you get a 600 wide one you should be able to get two in side by side. Are you going to be drilling the door for taps ? You'll need a drip tray if its in the kitchen.

Also you will need somewhere to keep the gas secure

Ideally I would like 4 kegs and Co2 all on one level, although I suspect it might only be possible to get 3 in? If it only fits 3 I guess I would have the option to move the gas outside the fridge at a later date to fit a 4th.

The one I am looking at is 60x66 (WxD) externally, but not sure what that means for the internal space. It does say it has "Thinner walls, more room for food inside", so probably about the most internal space you can get out of a 60cm wide one.

Will be drilling the door for taps and a drip tray, hence I am wondering about whether it will be a problem if it has a curved front.

bigbud78 · May 18, 2017

blawford said:
Ideally I would like 4 kegs and Co2 all on one level, although I suspect it might only be possible to get 3 in? If it only fits 3 I guess I would have the option to move the gas outside the fridge at a later date to fit a 4th.

The one I am looking at is 60x66 (WxD) externally, but not sure what that means for the internal space. It does say it has "Thinner walls, more room for food inside", so probably about the most internal space you can get out of a 60cm wide one.

Will be drilling the door for taps and a drip tray, hence I am wondering about whether it will be a problem if it has a curved front.

You really need the internal dims, mine is 550 wide and if I cut off the plastic runners for the glass it should fit two in side by side so at 600 you should be fine but my depth is a standard fridge depth and I can not get two inline that way.

You will also require clearance behind the taps, something to bear in mind if your struggling for space.

blawford · May 18, 2017

bigbud78 said:
You really need the internal dims, mine is 550 wide and if I cut off the plastic runners for the glass it should fit two in side by side so at 600 you should be fine but my depth is a standard fridge depth and I can not get two inline that way.

You will also require clearance behind the taps, something to bear in mind if your struggling for space.

Should be fine on the space behind the taps, I won't mount them at the same height as the kegs.

Anyone got any thoughts about the curved door questions?

cheeseyfeet · May 18, 2017

Curved doors aren't a problem for taps, for the drip tray you may need a couple of washers on the screws so that it's mounted straight.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

blawford · May 19, 2017

bigbud78 said:
You really need the internal dims, mine is 550 wide and if I cut off the plastic runners for the glass it should fit two in side by side so at 600 you should be fine but my depth is a standard fridge depth and I can not get two inline that way.

You will also require clearance behind the taps, something to bear in mind if your struggling for space.

When you say that you can't fit two inline from front to back, is that because of the compressor hump?

blawford · May 19, 2017

cheeseyfeet said:
Curved doors aren't a problem for taps, for the drip tray you may need a couple of washers on the screws so that it's mounted straight.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, that's what I thought.

bigbud78 · May 19, 2017

blawford said:
When you say that you can't fit two inline from front to back, is that because of the compressor hump?

I built a false floor to accommodate that, in my fridge there is not enough depth to get two in line even with everything removed from the door.

All depends on the fridge you get, if I get chance I post a photo later of the internals of my fridge

blawford · May 19, 2017

bigbud78 said:
I built a false floor to accommodate that, in my fridge there is not enough depth to get two in line even with everything removed from the door.

All depends on the fridge you get, if I get chance I post a photo later of the internals of my fridge

I am looking at the same taps you've mentioned in another thread, would be good to see them in-situ while you have the camera out!

blawford · May 19, 2017

So I've made a list of the parts I think I'll need. Done a fair bit of reading on the subject but I am by no means an expert on how it will all fit together, so I'm sure I will have missed something.

Here is what I am thinking for an initial 3 tap setup. Apologies for the image of text (it is one of my pet hates) but there is no good way of formatting table data on here that I could find. Links are in this Google doc

Anyone got any cost saving ideas? It is working out more expensive than I had hoped and I haven't even bought the fridge or sourced Co2 yet. I think first port of call maybe to ditch the 4 way regulator for something cheaper?

BarnBrian · May 19, 2017

I would go for a JG connector that has one inlet and three out and not bother with the manifold if you want to reduce cost. Not sure why you need so many JG connectors.
I picked up a triple regulator on eBay six months ago for less than 30 quid.
I just got a 600mm wide Indesit fridge today, internal width 485mm depth 450mm. It's 1500mm tall external so it will comfortably hold my 14 gall SS Brewtech Chronical..
Brian

blawford · May 19, 2017

BarnBrian said:
I would go for a JG connector that has one inlet and three out and not bother with the manifold if you want to reduce cost. Not sure why you need so many JG connectors.

I'm not sure either, I thought I would need two per line (beer and gas) per keg? Someone please let me know if that isn't the case.

I did see a 1 to 3 manifold that was about ÃÂ£30 but I thought I would spend the ÃÂ£8 more to get a 1 to 4 just in case. A 1-3 JG connector might be better at this point, but would this limit me from force carbing new kegs while serving ones already in place?

Wilfy · May 19, 2017

I may have a spare 1 to 3 JG connection you can have for nowt. Will check tomorrow.

bigbud78 · May 20, 2017

:)

Will post a photo of inside tomorrow

blawford · May 20, 2017

With regard to the JG connectors, I hadn't really twigged that the beer and gas lines would permanently be connected to the grey/black disconnects and swapping out a keg wouldn't require removing the line from the disconnect. So I guess I will go for disconnects with barbs rather than the ones I have posted and ditch the majority of the JG connectors? Does that have any downsides I'm not considering?

Didn't know there was a 1 to 3 JG connector that could replace the manifold, looks like a cost effective solution for now. Will it make things complicated if I want to force carb a new keg while still serving out of the ones already carbed and conditioned?

Wilfy · May 20, 2017

blawford said:
With regard to the JG connectors, I hadn't really twigged that the beer and gas lines would permanently be connected to the grey/black disconnects and swapping out a keg wouldn't require removing the line from the disconnect. So I guess I will go for disconnects with barbs rather than the ones I have posted and ditch the majority of the JG connectors? Does that have any downsides I'm not considering?

Didn't know there was a 1 to 3 JG connector that could replace the manifold, looks like a cost effective solution for now. Will it make things complicated if I want to force carb a new keg while still serving out of the ones already carbed and conditioned?

I either disconnect the kegs I'm drinking while I have the other keg carbing at 30psi or if I'm not in a hurry, have all 3 kegs set at the same pressure.

blawford · May 22, 2017

Ok, I've been looking at this some more. Few more questions:

Regulator... Any suggestions? The one that seems popular (paraweld?) seems quite bulky and possibly a bit hard to dial in accurately?
Struggling with connections. I was planning on going with barb connections everywhere and cutting down the JG connectors. However, from what I've read, it might be better to go with JGs on the gas lines to avoid a leak? What are people's thoughts on this and do people leave their CO2 on at all times or switch it off regularly? Seems like a bit of a pain to have to go into the fridge and set the pressure when I want a beer, especially if it is fiddly. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
The taps that I linked above (and the ones in the pic posted by @bigbud78), the shank they come with doesn't seem very long, I haven't got a fridge yet but it seems like it might struggle to get through most fridge doors? I did see there was one with a longer shank but was just wondering about others experiences. @bigbud78 - what did you end up doing?

chewie · May 22, 2017

Regulator will depend on where you are getting your gas supply from, pub gas is usually mixed these days CO2/N2 which is a different connection than regular CO2 (Hobbyweld for example), you can get adaptors to suit though if need be. A management board would cost a bit more but it would allow you to dial in the exact settings you want on multiple kegs.

The push fit JG keg connectors are simple and safe to leave connected, I'm very wary of the barb type as force carbing and accidentally dialling up to much pressure could cause a blow of imo.

blawford · May 22, 2017

Gas will be CO2. I think for peace of mind and simplicity I will go for the gas all in JG. Any reasons not to use barbs for the beer lines.

Kegerator Approved!

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