Fridge options for 2 kegs?

[payne]

Guys,

First off, cool forum.

Secondly, I love beer.

Thirdly, I am building a kegerator and have a few questions that I could not find answers to searching-


1. What are my options if I want to run 2 full kegs? Just a chest freezer or would I be able to do it in a full sized fridge?

2. How hard would it be to stack one keg on another? I was thinking I could fab a kegstand (hehe) to put one on top of another in a fridge, but I think that height would be an issue. How tall of a fridge would I need to run 2 kegs? If I had a top freezer, could I cut the floor of the freezer out to fit the top keg?

3. Another idea would be to use a side-by-side, and put a pony in the 'freezer' and a full in the fridge, and just cut holes between the two so that the fridge would drive both areas. Since the doors would rarely be used, would there be enough cooling to run both?


4. Cheapest supplies? Is it cheapest to just get a kit, or how would you recomend getting equipment? I am in the San Jose area if that helps.

5. If I run my taps 5 feet outside the fridge (on a bar), will I run into warm beer problems for the first pour?

Thanks guys!

-Jason

[toneyc]

The 15.5 gallon keg that I have here is about 23.5" tall by about 15.75 inches in diameter. So you would need a fridge either 4 feet tall or 32 inches wide. Chest freezer works great, BTW.

:)
Toney.

[danno]

toney, you forgot about tap height...

If you do end up stacking them, Rapids Wholesale (http://rapidswholesale.net/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RWOCAS&Product_Code=FT43&Category_Code=BETAP) has a low profile tap that may help you out...

be careful about cutting any part of a fridge, if you hit a coolant line, you end up with a giant paperweight.

for #5, exposed beer line will warm up, but the amount of beer in 3/16" line is small. I'd insulate your line and you'll minimize the issue.

[Tom C]

I have a home made kegerator that has three taps. I am a home brewer and keg my beer in Cornies (old soda kegs) They are 5 gallons a piece and by taking the veggie shelves out of the bottom and making a small shelf in back I am able to fit 6 cornies in there at a time. A corny is equivalent to 1/6 barrel. I know some commercial beers come in this fashion. Also some local micro brews will fill cornies too. These are also some options for you.

Tom C

[HiRichRules]

If you can find a Refrigerator tall enough to stack 2 1/2 kegs it probably belongs to the Jolly Green Giant. Most fridges will fit one but you may need to use a low profile keg coupler (http://www.kegworks.com/shoppingcart/customer/product.php?productid=16452&cat=416&page=1) depending on the amount of room you have.

I don't know a lot about refrigerators, but I do know that I wouldn't cut into my freezer. If you hit a coil or a cord your will proably ruin you fridge.

What type of Kit and supplies are you talking about? For brewing supplies you can probably find a place around you by looking in the phone book. For Draft beer parts this is my favorite place to shop (http://www.kegworks.com/shoppingcart/customer/home.php?cat=263)

Running exposed beer line leads to foam. Keep it refrigerated at all costs. If you can't or don't want to insulate it and be ready to pour off 2 or 3 foamy beers at the start of each drinking session.

[snowairg]

Sweet! Another Santa Clara County guy! I just built a kegerator out of a 12.8 cu. ft. chest freezer, and it's awesome!

If you go with a chest freezer, the Kenmore 14.8 cu. ft. (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=APPL&fromAuto=YES&bidsite=KENM&pid=04614542000) will hold two 15.5 gallon kegs plus a couple cornies.

For parts, screw the kit, just go here: Superior Products (http://www.superprod.com/). They have a store right near the Shark Tank on the Alameda. Most of the stuff they have to order from their warehouse in Reno, but they've got the cheapest prices I've seen and they pay for shipping to the store! If you need more help on exactly what to get, let me know.

For a Co2 tank, Carbonic Service (http://www.carbonicservice.com/). ~ $90 (incl. tax) out the door for a 20# aluminum tank. When it's empty, you return it and get $75 back.

Whatever you do, be sure to ask tons of questions first and plan it all out ahead of time. Good luck!

[TheMantis]

Great posts guys, I just signed in to ask a question, I realize I'm a bit late but I'm hoping that snowairg might find the time to answer my question

If you use this chest freezer that you reccomend are you able to keep the temperature warm enough so that you fon't freeze your beer in the lines? I'm looking at kegerators and everything seems so expensive, this kenmore you pointed out looks like a much more viable option.

Many thanks, cheers!

Fran

[Steve16823]

While some freezers may have a 'defrost' setting that keeps the temp above freezing, most likely you'll have to invest in a external thermostat, like this one. (http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kits/exp-tcu.shtml)

[snowairg]

Originally posted by Steve16823
While some freezers may have a 'defrost' setting that keeps the temp above freezing, most likely you'll have to invest in a external thermostat, like this one. (http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/kits/exp-tcu.shtml)

Exactly. I'm still here if you have any more questions, too, TheMantis.

[brian92]

Originally posted by snowairg
Sweet! Another Santa Clara County guy! I just built a kegerator out of a 12.8 cu. ft. chest freezer, and it's awesome!

If you go with a chest freezer, the Kenmore 14.8 cu. ft. (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=APPL&fromAuto=YES&bidsite=KENM&pid=04614542000) will hold two 15.5 gallon kegs plus a couple cornies.

For parts, screw the kit, just go here: Superior Products (http://www.superprod.com/). They have a store right near the Shark Tank on the Alameda. Most of the stuff they have to order from their warehouse in Reno, but they've got the cheapest prices I've seen and they pay for shipping to the store! If you need more help on exactly what to get, let me know.

For a Co2 tank, Carbonic Service (http://www.carbonicservice.com/). ~ $90 (incl. tax) out the door for a 20# aluminum tank. When it's empty, you return it and get $75 back.

Whatever you do, be sure to ask tons of questions first and plan it all out ahead of time. Good luck!


I just checked out superior products' website and they have great prices. Do they sell to the public or only just businesses? They have a bunch of stuff I could use right away, but I don't own a business. TIA.

[HiRichRules]

I don't know if Superior sells to the public but I know that www.kegworks.com (http://www.KegWorks.com) does.

[snowairg]

Yes, Superior sells to the public. See if you can find a store locally so you can save on shipping! Just go down, place your order, and pick it up in the store when it arrives. If no store is in your area, order it online.

EDIT: on another note, I did a lot of research on where and what to buy, and Superior has some of the best prices I could find, including a large selection.

[brian92]

Originally posted by snowairg
Yes, Superior sells to the public. See if you can find a store locally so you can save on shipping! Just go down, place your order, and pick it up in the store when it arrives. If no store is in your area, order it online.

EDIT: on another note, I did a lot of research on where and what to buy, and Superior has some of the best prices I could find, including a large selection.

Thanks. Their prices are great. e.g. The cost for aluminum tubing for air cooled remote systems is more than 50% cheaper than micromatic and about 75% cheaper than kegman. I don't think I'll be shopping at either of those places again. Thanks for the tip.