The next
step in building a kegerator is buying the parts
to the kit you will need for assembly. If you are
using a refrigerator you will want to get a kegerator
kit that includes a shank and handle faucet rather
than a tower faucet. Tower faucets are for converting
freezers such as chest freezers into kegerator's.
Here you
will learn what parts you will need and discover some
advice of experience to get you one step closer to
building your own kegerator conversion kit.
1.
CO2 Tank. For at home use these tanks usually
come in 2.5 pound or 5 pound sizes however get much
bigger for commercial applications. The size refers
to how much the cylinder weighs when empty and put
on a scale. 5 lb tanks are preferred and usually
last around 7 or 8 kegs depending on the P.S.I the
brewer recommends and if you have an leaks or not.
Obviously, you fill these with CO2 and that can
be done at any welding supply shop for around $11
dollars. BE CAREFUL some welding supply shops will
prefer the aluminum tanks and will 'swap it out'
instead of refilling yours - this leaves you with
a dirty, funky tank. Tell the welder shop to 'refill
only' please. And if they won't accommodate you,
open up the yellow pages and find a new shop.
Advice:
Buy
an aluminum tank. They don't rust and maintain
a cleaner look and this is important when they
are in your refrigerator next to the keg.
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We
have enjoyed our trusted kegerator for years
and would like to pass on the fun times a
party of friends with full glasses of draft
beer can have. Few folks with kegerators ever
regret owning “the perfect touch”
to a party, social event, or evening
for two.
And
everyone likes saving money, right?.....with
a kegerator you pour fresh beer for pennies
a glass. And to add the icing on the cake
you help protect the environment in a small
way. Keeping one more persons cardboard and
aluminum out of the land fills does help.
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2.
CO2 Regulator. The regulator is the gauge
device that will
display the amount of CO2 pressure on the beer (P.S.I)
as recommended by the brewer. Really the only way
to figure out the "pounds per square inch"
setting is to ask the place that you buy your kegs
from. The P.S.I is typically not marked on the keg
when you buy it and this will leave you guessing
when you get home and this is NOT a process that
you want to guess on;
Advice:
You can save money here and buy only one regulator
to display the amount of pressure on the beer.
However, this will leave you without much certainly
to how much CO2 is left in the CO2 cylinder itself.
And take it from us, because it has happened to
us, throwing a party on a Saturday night and running
out of CO2 can be a real bummer. You'll have to
pull the keg out of the refrigerator, put an old
fashioned pump on it, wrap it in ice and drink,
drink, drink because it will be flat and warm
in the morning.
So,
we recommend buying two regulators, one to display
the pressure on the beer and one to display the
amount of CO2 left in the tank so you know when
you are getting low and need to refill.
3.
CO2 Line. The CO2 line will be the supply
line for the CO2 to the sankey coupler (see # 6).
This line will need two clamps, one for the sankey
coupler end and one for the regulator end. Typically
this is 5/16".
4.Beer
Line. The Beer line is the supply line
for the shank (see # 5) to the sankey coupler. Don't
worry while both the CO2 line and Beer Line attach
to the sankey coupler when assembling the unit little
arrows in the sankey coupler casting will explain
which end goes in and which ends goes out, so pay
close attention and watch for the difference. Typically
this is a bit smaller than the CO2 line at 3/16".
Both kinds off hosing needs to be purchased at a
commercial kitchen supplier because of the sensitivity
of the hose coming in direct content with the consumable
beer. Explain your project to the kitchen supplier
and they will have exactly what you are looking
for.
Advice:
SOmetime it will be tempting to buy as much house
as you can because the hose is cheap; usually
15 cents a foot. However, if you are only going
from the inside of a refrigerator to the outside
keep the hose short and trimmed. That way the
beer has less area to sit before being dispensed.
This will ensure each drop out of that keg is
tasty. AND, the shorter hose will be easier to
clean.
5.The
Shank. The shank is the essential piece
that is set between the faucet on the outside of
the refrigerator door and the beer hose on the inside
of the refrigerator. Essentially this is the piece
that goes through the refrigerator door. Be careful
to keep this clean
too.
Advice:
Shanks require a 3/4" in hole to be drilled
through the door of the refrigerator. So when
you
are at the hardware store be sure to pick up a
3/4" hole saw bit. Buy a cheap one, it won't
be that much work for it to get through the door
of the refrigerator. BE CAREUL! Be aware thatsome
refrigerators have cooling element that run through
the door, read the owners manual of your refrigerator
because a punctured cooling element means a worthless
refrigerator. And NEVER drill thorough the sides
of a refrigerator or the rear, you are bound to
hit a cooing element there too. You’ll also
need to pick up a 2 1/8' flange to cover up the
edges of the hole that you drilled and give that
finished look between the outer door and the faucet.
6.
The Coupler. This is the toughest decision
to make for some and the easiest to make for others.
The coupler is the piece that attaches to the top
of the keg and unfortunately the brewers haven't
defined one agreed upon size. There are 5 different
couplers (D , S, U, A and G). Most American popular
beers are D style as well as Labatt, Molson, Samuel
Adams and Pete's Wicked and typically you will find
kegerator kits default with a D style coupler.
ce:
Buy the D coupler regardless of your tastes. You'll
need it at sometime when drinking most popular
beers then switch it out when you bring home a
keg of tasty foreign beer.
7.
The Faucet. The faucet is pretty obvious
and hooks to the shank and your handle. Typically
the faucets are polished chrome with a ball on the
inside that stops the beer when the valve is closed
by the handle.
8.The
Handle. Again an obvious part of the unit,
however essential like all the others.
Advice:You
can easily customize your kegerator with your
own faucet. All you need to do is purchase a 3/8"
nut at the hardware store and that will fit on
top of the brass male end on top of the faucet
where you screw on the handle. So now you can
use old wooden carvings, wooden spindles, toys
or anything relatively light that you can drill
out at the bottom and glue the nut into. Then
after the nut is dry and secured to the bottom
of the new handle you can screw it onto the handle.
9.
Drip Tray. As we move down the list, the
pieces to the kegerator kit become simpler. Obviously,
beers drip and you don't want it on the floor. Be
careful here to measure out enough room for a pitcher
to fit under the faucet without interruption.
Advice:
Save your money and buy a drip tray without a
drain. Usually you won't have that much trouble
pouring out the little beer that does collect
and running an unsightly hose in front of your
kegerator isn't that good of an idea.
10.
Washers. Buy one fiber washer to go between
the regulator and the CO2 tank. This washer is available
where you get your tank filled. Buy one neoprene
washer to go between the keg coupler and the beer
line. This will stop beer from leaking out of the
top of the coupler all over your refrigerator.
11.
Clamps. You'll need three clamps to hold
the hoses on to the regulator, coupler, and the
shank. Standard screw tight clamps will work here.
12.
3/4" Hole Saw. Like we mentioned before,
you'll need to saw a hole through the door for the
shank to fit.
Advice:
Save your money and buy a cheap one. Unless you're
going to be a plumber someday you probably won't
use this much...... unless you make a kegerator
for your friends.
Assembly of your Keg Beer Conversion Kit In Less
Than One Hour.
1.
Location. The most crucial step of assembling
your beer kegerator will be to find the appropriate
location
in your home or apartment for the beer kegerator.
Advice:
Remember you'll have to carry the kegs from your
car to the kegerator. This is no small task however
two guys or one guy (or girl) with a hand cart
(?) can easily do the job. In any event, if possible,
keep the kegerator on the first floor of the house.e.
Also,
keep in mind that "distinguished guests"
have the tendency to drop in unannounced. Try
and use a back room that can be closed off if
mom and dad decided to stop on by and check up
on your college education.
2.
Decorate Your Refrigerator. At this point
you get to customize the outside of your keg refrigerator
with paint, posters and pictures. If you purchased
a used refrigerator clean out the keg refrigerator
well and get it ready for the keg. We recommend
a light bleach solution.
Advice:
Be creative. You can always
paint over your previous paint job if you don't
like it.
3. The Keg Shelf. Next determine
if you will need to create a platform at the bottom
of your keg refrigerator. Most refrigerators have
a motor compartment in the back that will need to
be accounted for in order to make enough room for
the beer keg to fit height
wise into the refrigerator. And remember to
keep an additional five inches of clearance for
the coupler.
Advice:
Keep one of the old shelves from the refrigerator
and use bricks or lumber to prop it up. Be careful
you'll have a lot of weight on the shelf, so secure
it well.
4.
Drilling The Hole. You've
done it! You are in the home stretch! You have now
come to perhaps the most difficult procedure in
the entire beer kegerator building process and that
is drilling a neat hole in the front of the keg
refrigerator for the shank
to slip through. The procedure is not really
that hard, but take your time and remember to think
first. At this point it is a necessity to ensure
your refrigerator does NOT have any cooling coils
where you will be drilling. Almost ALL refrigerators
have cooling coils on the side walls thus, don't
drill there. Most NEW refrigerators and high end
refrigerators have cooling coils in the door thus,
don't drill there. However, most old refrigerators
you buy have no cooling coils in the door so check
the owner’s manual and investigate before
you drill or you run the risk of ruining your refrigerator.
First,
you'll want to measure out where you want the faucet.
We recommend about 4 or 5 inches down front the
top of the door. Here you'll want to use the 3/4"
hole saw to make the hole through the door for
the shank to fit through. Now go SLOW and take your
time while drilling and wear a pair of safety glasses.
The process of drilling the whole in the refrigerator
door will sound like hell but is worth it. Just
keep at it.
Keep
in mind that you have a
2 1/8 inch flange to put around this hole to
completely hide the outer edges of the opening if
it gets a little gnarled. If it doesn’t turn
out perfect don’t worry about it. So now your
beer kegerator should be located in the perfect
party spot – have a hole drilled in the front
and be ready for the complete keg beer conversion
kit.
Advice:
Don't for get the most important piece of this puzzle...
the keg of beer. Send your buddies to go pick up
a keg while you are working on the kegerator so
you have something nice and cold to slip into your
new kegerator when the construction is finished.
And while it will be tempting please keep power
tools and alcohol separate.
5.
Assembly. Follow the steps in Step
2 that detail the items you will need for construction.
First,
beginbyassembling
the shank through the door and attaching the flange,
faucet and handle on the exterior of the kegerator.
Next, attach the CO2 hose and beer line to the sankey
paying VERY CLOSE attention to the "IN"
(the CO2) and the "OUT" pressure (the
beer). If you hook this up backwards the keg could
explode.
Next,
assemble the regulator and you are now within seconds
of enjoying ice cold beer at pennies per glass.
Carefully place the keg on your new shelf and attach
the coupler. You may have to wait a bit while the
keg settles if your buddies rough housed it out
of the truck and into the house.
Advice:
Place a thermometer inside the kegerator and keep
close eye on the temperature. When asking the
keg distributor about the P.S.I. recommended by
the brewer also ask him about the temperature
to keep the keg at. These are both vital to maintaining good tasting draft beer.
