My First Kegerator - What do I need?

[staronstage]

Hello all!

Long time no post, did you miss me?

I am in the market for my first kegerator for the house, and I'm not sure what I need to know before buying one. I think I have a model picked out, but I don't know some of the basics such as:

1) Do I need more "stuff"? What other pieces will I need to purchase?

2) Where do I fill the CO2 tank? Do I have to worry about food grade CO2?

3) Are there certain basic rules I should know?

I hope to pick it up in the next couple of weeks, but I want to be prepared first.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Joey

[Mill Rat]

A lot of what "extra" you will need is dependent on what you're getting with the kgrtr you've got selected. If you're looking at converting a chest freezer, you'll need a lot of stuff. If you're buying a Bev-air, Perlick, or True, you'll only need to make sure you have the right taps for the types of kegs you intend to use. If you're getting a pre-converted dorm fridge, you may want to add/upgrade some items to get the best performance out of it. For a home tap box, nothing beats making the investment in stainless steel forward-seal faucets.

[Christiansen]

1) Do I need more "stuff"? What other pieces will I need to purchase? Depends on the model, but probably not. Again, depending on the model, you might want to look into a fan to cool the tower.

2) Where do I fill the CO2 tank? Do I have to worry about food grade CO2? A welding supply store can generally get you hooked up.

[Mill Rat]

For the CO2, food grade is really not a concern. Welding.Industrial gas places can help you out, fire extriguisher supplies are also a good option. Some commercial beverage supplies will also carry them, and even some package stores that sell beer in kegs may have them.

[sbv32]

not to thread jack, but on the line of CO2 and food grade, anyone use a co2 filter?