Converting standard kegerator to counter top mount

[beer4me]

For my needs today, a standard kegerator would work fine (Danby, Sanyo, etc.). As our basement evolves, I may want a counter top mounted tower down the road.

Is it possible to covert the standard kegerator to a counter top mounted tower (with the kegerator under the counter)?

[BenBeer]

Converting standard kegerator to counter top mount

I don't know for your type of kegerator but here is my story...

This summer I renewed my basement and I built an home made bar. Couple of year's ago a friend of mine gave me a Molson Ex beer tap tower when the Montreal Expo's move to Washington. This beer tap pour a lot of beer at the olympic stadium. So I found this website and I decide to built an home made kegerator. I bought a used mini refrigerator an I install the system under my new bar. It's very easy and working very well. Good Luck

You can see pictures in this thread...

http://www.micromatic.com/forum/us-en/kegerators-kegerator-kits-home/2130-beer-tap-opening.html

[jackstraw]

The only thing you need to worry about is if there is ample room for your kegerator to ventilate. If you are going to install your kegerator under a counter like BenBeer did, you need to make sure the space is big enough for not only the kegerator, but also has enough room for ventilation, otherwise the kegerator motor will overheat and burn out. Most kegerators are not made to be built-in with zero clearance.

[beer4me]

Okay, sounds like it will work. So all I would need to do is unscrew the tower from the kegerator, extend the beer line, and mount the tower to the counter? (air flow issues notwithstanding)

Thanks

[jackstraw]

Yup. You got it.

[Juanman]

Bar mounted Beer Towers

After reading post on this topic the main concern seems to be that the compressor stays cool under the counter. I have a Sanyo 4912 that I am converting into a kegerator. My question is if I mount the tower to the bar and not directly to the refridgerator how do I create an air tight seal between the bar and the kegerator to keep the lines cold?

I thought about cutting a hole in the bar large enough to run the tower through and provide room to access to the mounting screws on the tower. This would allow me to mount it directly to the kegerator, but I can't find a tower with a base ring to cover the hole I would have to cut in the bar.

Am I making this harder than it should be?

Thanks

[jackstraw]

Is the kegerator directly under the tower?

The hole in my countertop is lined up perfectly with the hole in the top of the kegerator. I also don't have a lot of room between the top of the kegerator and the underneath of the counter... maybe 1/4 inch. After installing the kegerator, I used some weather stripping that is kind of like puddy to fill that gap.

If the gap is bigger, you could run the beer lines inside a short piece of flexible tubing. Use the biggest diameter that you can. Then seal the tubing inside the kegerator and again at the counter (before installing the tower) with some caulking.

If you decide to use the tubing method, you may want to consider making the hole bigger at the top of the kegerator. It sounds like you are considering installing a fan to cool the tower. You will need enough room for return air flow. The standard hole is usually pretty small, the tubing will make it a little smaller.

[Juanman]

Yes, I would like to add a cooling fan to the tower, I just need to figure out how to get everything mounted. Planned to use a 3" tower. Cooling and temperature control is covered very well in these forums.

As far as my mounting issue, what I would really like is to by a tower that directly mounts to the fridge and has a seperate chrome or brass ring to cover the hole in the bar. I have thought about using a drip pan that covers the hole but they are pretty pricey.

[ksnuclear]

Here is what I did

Hi Juanman,

I too have converted a 4912 to be mounted under a countertop.

I have mine mounted under a bar made out of standard base cabinets. The width of the opening is 24". This allows for about 1.5" on each side and the top with several inches in the bag for airflow. I have not had any problems with the compressor overheating but I have only had this setup for a few months and summer is stil ahead!

I cut a 3" opening in the countertop and a 3.5" hole in the top of the sanyo. The 3.5" hole allows you to slide 3" (inside diameter) PVC up throught the hole in the 4912 and pressit up to the bottom of the countertop.

BTW before you do this you will want to mount some T-nuts under the countertop to mount the tower to later. I also used R19 insulation with a 3.5" hole cute in the center to slide the PVC through to keep it insulated.

After I have the PVC in place I used metallic duct tape to seal up the top and bottom and make sure everything is air tight.

It has been working well so far but feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Pics are here.

Flickr: Photos & Video from OlathePin

Good Luck,

John P.

Semper Perfidgus Fermentum

[THE ICEMAN]

Pics are here.

Flickr: Photos & Video from OlathePin

Good Luck,

John P.

Semper Perfidgus Fermentum

Nice set up.
I noticed in one of the pics you have Capt. Fantastic. I've got one as well. It's a classic. How's yours working? Mine works great except the paint on the board is starting to chip & I'm not sure how to stop it.

[ksnuclear]

Cap Fantastic

Iceman, email me. the address is my ID at yahoo. I can help you out.

[jessica421]

I am trying to figure out a way to do this myself. After reading some of these posts and replys, I think I am going to try a PVC pipe set-up with some spray in insulation to help keep things cool. Wish me luck! I'm really looking forward to having my first beer from my kegerator!

[THE ICEMAN]

First of all, welcome to the forum...

I am trying to figure out a way to do this myself. After reading some of these posts and replys, I think I am going to try a PVC pipe set-up with some spray in insulation to help keep things cool. Wish me luck! I'm really looking forward to having my first beer from my kegerator!

You may wish to rethink that. You don't want to do anything too permanent in case you should ever have to slide the unit out for cleaning or other maintenance.


THE ICEMAN

[jessica421]

Hey, Iceman! I was worried about the "permanence" of something, as well, so this is what I ended up doing: I put the kegerator in place under the counter, and took a marker and marked the spot through the hole in top of the kegerator on the under side of the counter. I then pulled the kegerator out, and drilled a pilot hole through the counter where my mark was. Once I had the hole established, I used a 2 1/4" hole saw from the top side to drill down through the counter. I was worried at this point that my holes wouldn't match up, but when I slid the kegerator back under the counter, things lined up perfectly! I ended up buying a 12" plastic piece of sink tailpipe, which also fit perfectly through the hole in the top of the kegerator. I placed some plumbers putty around the end of the tailpipe, so when I pushed it through the hole, it created a seal. With the tailpipe sticking out of the counter, I was able to thread the hoses and fittings through the pipe, and then the pipe fit inside the insulation of the tower. It was fairly easy at this point to secure the tower to the counter with a few screws. By using the plumbers putty, it isn't permanent, so I can take the pipe out if I need to pull the kegerator out for any reason. This is an Insignia brand dual tap, so the temperature controls are on the back... not that convenient, but hey, it was a good price!

My kegs are on order from the local liquor store, I hope to get them in today... which means I probably won't be getting much more work done on the basement.

[djc]

Do you have a tower cooler? If not, you will want one and the tail pipe may not be big enough in diameter to handle the cooler line plus allow for return air.