Help me choose a fridge for my kegerator

[PokeHer]

Looks like I'm going to build a kegerator! I'm going to buy a new fridge I reckon.

Right now, I have 1 corny keg but in the future, I would like 4 kegs hooked up, swmbo would also like a chest freezer for storage. I think I can fit 2 kegs with gas in an under the counter fridge, so I'd need 2 and also this chest freezer. I was looking in the shop today at refrigerators and I have found a fridge/freezer that I think I can satisfy us both with! I can fit 4 kegs in the top and enough room for gas (I think) and a few bottles of ale. And the wife can have the bottom section for storage. This way will save me about �£100.

This is the refrigerator I am thinking of getting: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/househ...12p-uk-fridge-freezer-white-10023597-pdt.html

I have a few questions about this idea:

1. My beer lines will be a little longer, probably 2 meters, will this matter and importantly will it effect the beer?
2. Can I store the gas bottle outside of the fridge? Or does the CO2 have to be chilled also?
3. Can I cut my hole in the side of a fridge?

The benefits to having this style is cost saving and also it will take up less space (although not a massive issue)

 

[Fil]

be aware that most fridge freezers have a single compression chilling system which chills the freezer and the fridge as a side effect.

an alternative to a fridge is a shelf chiller, and unlike a bar/pub if your only pulling a few pints of an evening you can get away with running it for less than an hour to chill the waterbath down to 0C, unless pouring more 10 pints in quick succession you wont need to run 24/7 to maintain an ice bank as a cold store against rush hour pouring

i run a maxi chiller with 4 product coils which allows me to have upto 4 kegs online at anyone time, i keep the kegs in the coolest spot and only need to consider turning on the chiller in the warmest months of the year. it is a bit more fun n games maintaining specific coindition in kegs, and a keg vent is recommended to normalise the pressure to its target before a pour. But its a very viable option..

 

[chewie]

Most fridges have pipework that runs round there walls to help with cooling, if you are going to make holes the best place is probably the motor housing shelf area. Damaging the wall pipework is going to void your warranty and is a PITA to fix and most likely expensive if you have to get someone to do it. Gas is probably better kept outside of the fridge and your beer lines may need some fine tuning and gas pressure adjustments to get the flow rate you want.

 

[PokeHer]

Most fridges have pipework that runs round there walls to help with cooling, if you are going to make holes the best place is probably the motor housing shelf area. Damaging the wall pipework is going to void your warranty and is a PITA to fix and most likely expensive if you have to get someone to do it. Gas is probably better kept outside of the fridge and your beer lines may need some fine tuning and gas pressure adjustments to get the flow rate you want.

I'm well aware that I won't be benefiting from the warranty! As soon as I cut into anything that will likely be void. I'm planning on trying to remove the side of the fridge and inspecting for cooling lines before I cut the actual metal sheet.

Glad that gas can (and should) be kept out of the fridge as it gives me more room to play with!

I don't mind playing about with flow rates. It was more of a concern that I might have a metre or so that runs from fridge to tap. How much beer is likely to be in 1 metre of 3/8 tube and will it go 'orrible after a few days?



Thanks for your suggestion Fil but I'm not so keen on the manual switching on/off of things. I'd like the flexibility of getting home and wanting a cool beer or being able to serve up a whole keg at a BBQ or something.


Cheers

 

[ManseMasher]

Just a thought, have you tried Freecycle? Both of mine came from there, work fine and meant I had (note past tense!) more money to spend on ingredients.

 

[chewie]

If your running 3/8th from the keg to the tap you will get away with far lower pressure as your flow rate will be fairly high, if you have a 3/16th tap then depending how long you leave the 3/16th piping will affect the serving flow rate and may need a slightly higher gas pressure. There is very little beer in a metre of 3/8th pipe, it shouldn't go of unless left for quite a while but the quantity will be so low that it shouldn't affect the taste of a full pint unless its completely foul, bad tasting first pints are usually in pubs where there are very long beer lines which are for instance only in a lounge where there is no use from 1 weekend to the next and where 1 or 2 pints need to be drawn of to obtain fresh cold room beer.

 

[ghb]

If you're gonna be sticking 4 kegs in the top bit you might struggle with getting the connections on. Then again you might not but it's worth thinking about

 

[PokeHer]

@ghb As in not enough room? The one I was looking at, the fridge section was about 900mm high, should be plenty.

@chewie thanks for explaining the bad beer logic! I did always wonder.

@Manse I think you are onto a winner here. It makes sense at least for the short term to get a used fridge. I do still have a lot of purchases to make for my brewery, so the more I can cut costs, the better.

I've been in the brewery with swmbo tonight and we think that the 2 under the counter fridges with a chest freezer would be the best route. Despite taking up more space, it would look less cluttered and in actual fact, I'd have more space!

The only problem I've noticed with under the counter fridges is they have a chunk at the bottom for components of some sort which might make it hard to fit 2 cornies in.

 

[Fil]

Thanks for your suggestion Fil but I'm not so keen on the manual switching on/off of things. I'd like the flexibility of getting home and wanting a cool beer or being able to serve up a whole keg at a BBQ or something.


Cheers

space limited my options but a segment timer set to 30mins before your due in an evening would guarantee you a chilled pint on arriving home of an evening

some slight modding of the chiller helps too, for example rewirring to allow the agitator or recirc pump to run independently of the compressor with a switch run to the tap pint to ensure max chill when employing the waterbath cold store..

the one benefit is however a smaller anual lecky bill.. more grain hehehehe