Kegerator Questions

[oc eric]

So I have been thinking about a kegerator for months now. I keep debating wether to turn a fridge into a kegerator or just buy one. I think I have decided to buy one.

My questions, for those that have kegerators, is do you enjoy your kegerator? Is it worth the expense of buying and electricity to have cold homebrew on tap?

Follow up question. What brand is more reliable, Edgestar or Haier?

I should have posted this sooner, because the sale ends tomorrow (Friday). Thanks guys.

Eric

[backyard brewer]

I love mine. I converted a chest freezer as most do and have a triple tower. It holds 6 cornies and I can draft 3. I like the lower profile than converting a fridge

[lexuschris]

*love* my kegerator!

I was very space restricted, so the Sanyo 4210 was perfect. It sits inside my closet, under the lower hanger bar. I modified the door so I can store 2 corny kegs + 5# CO2 canister inside. Not much room for anything else.

If I had the room, I would do a chest freezer like Derrin's. Would love to be able to cold store a few extra kegs, and some bottles as well.

As for electricity, best you can do is look at the yellow energy guide sticker. At least you know if your model is on the better side of average.

If you have a choice, go for at least a twin tap.

--LexusChris

[brahn]

I also use and love my Sanyo 4210 (4212? Something like that.) I keep two kegs + 5lb co2 cylinder in there, but I didn't modify anything. For me it's certainly worth the cost. I would also go the chest freezer route if I had the space.

[brianc]

For inside use I too have limited space and have a modified Sanyo 4912. The only modifications I did were drilling a hole for the tower (making sure not to hit the refrigerant line that runs along the top), removing the glass shelves, and changing the orientation of the bottom plastic shelf in the door. I have a 5# CO2 tank that sits inside the fridge (actually two, so when one runs empty I can swap it right away). I have done a couple of these homebrew kegerators now for people. I found an essentially matching Sanyo wine fridge and my wife got me a cabinet to hold glasses and such that mounted on the wall perfectly between the two fridges. I love my little beer/wine corner of the dining room.

Someday I might setup another fridge in the garage though. Lately I've been getting a little bored with just two beers on tap at a time. I've been contemplating building another or just buying.

Also keep an eye on Craigslist. There are usually a few commercial kegerators on there at a time. Most aren't great deals, but I've seen a couple $200 examples in the last couple days. JonW has had some good luck finding them on there and has a really nice dual kegerator setup.

[maltbarley]

I agree with the Sanyo users, it's a fun and practical conversion. I've had a couple and they worked very well. Now I have a small haier (that looks a lot like the 4910/12) that can hold 2-5gal kegs along with a 3 gallon. The CO2 goes outside and you obviously need to modify the tower, but it works well.

[dhempy]

I love my Freezerator (see pic in RH corner of the header of this page) ... converted 22 cu ft chest freezer w/ 10 taps, room for 12 cornies + a 2.5). Plus the project was fun too.

Dan

[BrewMasterBrad]

Ditto to what everyone else said about their love of their kegerators. I have a Haier that I bought at Sam's Club. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought a Sanyo and converted it myself. Regarding reliability on the Haier and Edgestar - they are probably made in the same factory in Korea - so it's a push. The Edgestar web page says that it has US made beer components, but I will bet that the fridge itself is made in Asia somewhere.

[BARL Brewing]

I agree too.
I have a fridge (that i acquired for free )in the garage that i converted with two faucets and i love it. The only other thing i would suggest is to look in a chest freezer because you could start out with 1 or 2 taps and build up from there without needing to replace it. Look on craigslist, or the penny saver is a great place too.

Brian

[brahn]

Regarding reliability on the Haier and Edgestar - they are probably made in the same factory in Korea - so it's a push.

Come on Brad, Haier is a Chinese company...

[BrewMasterBrad]

Regarding reliability on the Haier and Edgestar - they are probably made in the same factory in Korea - so it's a push.

Come on Brad, Haier is a Chinese company...

My bad, you are correct. I did not mean to offend any of my Korean or Chinese friends out there.

[jward]

Kegerators suck! Just kidding. I converted a freezer. Added a wood skirt at the top. I have not added taps out the front but continue to use picnic taps. You might convert something so you have more experience for helping customers buy your parts.

[floyd]

I bought a refurbished Kenmore 8.8 cu chest freezer from the sears outlet for $250, added a collar and 4 faucets. Doesn't take up much space in my garage and it fits 6 cornies (perhaps 7 but i haven't tried yet.)
I was keeping a 5lb co2 tank inside the freezer but I just recently drilled a hole and switched to a 15lb tank outside the freezer. Definitely recommend going this route if you have the space.. Prior to this i was using a cheap $5 craigslist mini fridge that held 2 cornies but i've since gutted that and turned it into a fermentation chamber.

[ArrogantDan]

I love my kegerator!!! I was lucky enough to find a floor model at COSTCO (made by Danby) that only cost me $250. It holds 3 corny kegs and a 5lb. CO2 tank. The tank and regulator were included as well as a sanke tap. I watched Craig's List every day for about a month and didn't see a deal breaker.
On the other hand, I just bought a 9 cu. ft. chest freezer from Best Buy that I'm using for fermentation. It was also a floor model, saving me some more $$$. While pricing these freezers, I found that Home Depot has a 7 cu. ft. model for $199 and is deep enough to house corny kegs without having to build a collar for it. The deals are out there if you're willing to do the research.
I'm really excited about the freezer and hope that it's a worthy investment. Good luck on your venture!!!

[bwarbiany]

Yes, yes, a million times yes. In fact, my brother-in-law was about to quit brewing because he hated bottling so much, but then bought a kegerator and was much happier. I have a kegerator model that I've converted from 1 tap to 3, and is just big enough to cram three cornies into.

If I had to do it over, I'd probably build one myself, and only buy Perlick faucets. But frankly I'd jump at a chance for a kegerator immediately without hesitation, by whatever method you can obtain it the fastest. You won't regret it.