WTF did I get myself into....

[BKBuilds]

So... Yea.... I just bought a couple kegerators for my bar and I was doing some searching for how long the beer will last and I come across this place.... It seems like there might be a little more to this then just filling the CO2 bottle and plopping in a keg eh?

-BK

[KillianBoy]

BKBuilds,
Uhh, yea, uh 'bout 1-3 months after it was "born" depending on brand and style, so answer depends, uh, yes, check out:
404 - File or directory not found.
Any other questions, please be specific and provide as much information for us to help you.
KB

[THE ICEMAN]

BKBuilds,
Uhh, yea, uh 'bout 1-3 months after it was "born" depending on brand and style, so answer depends, uh, yes, check out:
404 - File or directory not found.
Any other questions, please be specific and provide as much information for us to help you.
KB

Nice link KB...


THE ICEMAN

[BigKutta]

Lol, lol, lol

[KillianBoy]

BKBuilds,
Yeah, check out the link, read through forum (especially my newbie thread), as a wise man said running kegerators "ain't like dusting crops boy", if you had posted the make and model I could tell exactly what you need to do to make it less painful. If you had asked earlier I would have suggested a bigger kegerator or better yet a keezer.
KB

[djc]

Pretty unlikely to see a keezer in a bar, I never have. I'd say unlikely he comes back too. But that's just me. I can't wait for his episode of Bar Rescue to air.

[PremiumVADraftTech]

Pretty unlikely to see a keezer in a bar, I never have. I'd say unlikely he comes back too. But that's just me. I can't wait for his episode of Bar Rescue to air.

LOL I wish Taffer or the show would focus on the draft systems more, yea some only have kegerators, but some have pretty extensive draft systems, but they rarely feature or talk about them. We all know draft beer can be as profitable as liquor!

[KillianBoy]

Guys,
I think OP has a home bar, unless posted in the wrong area, if truly a commercial bar, I think OP is in deep Kim Chee and has a long road ahead. Honestly I think OP is a 1 time wonder.
KB

[djc]

I dunno..."I bought a couple kegerators for my bar" sounds a lot like deep Kim Chee to me.

[BKBuilds]

Thank you for the link. I read all the info and found it very informative. I bought two Avantco kegerators, not sure the model numbers. I looked at the regulators and the were both high pressure regulators with pressure increment markings only to 10 psi so I checked local big box stores for some low pressure ones and found none. So I ordered two from Micro Matic. Also checked temps in top and bottom of the kegerators using digital temp probe and glasses of water each was about 3 degrees cooler at the bottom then the top. Adjusted the temps trying for 38 degrees. Lastly I checked the back of the kegerators and there is no rubber bung for easy drill free pass through but there is a black circle indent in the back... I'm wondering if that's a safe drilling spot to run a fan wire... No mention in the manual about it though.

[KillianBoy]

BKBuilds,
Thanks for replying, and for information, probably need more information and pictures to help but I'll point out a few things and questions, always questions.

If water in glass is 40 degrees, then you are golden, stop using glass of water. It is all about mass, 6 ounces of water DOES NOT react the same way 60 ounces of beer. If you want to test how a keg would react, use a 5 gallon bucket, right now it should be good enough for a keg.

Search forum under drill/drilling for threads that relate to running lines through walls of kegerators. In general anything in back is dangerous, one tiny hole in cold plate, it becomes a $350 piece of junk, anything on side, top or bottom pretty safe, back you have to be careful and check both sides before drilling, instead of worrying about drilling, I would buy some parts from Radio Shack and create a battery powered one to start.

New gauge may work, but sometimes it might be the adjustment can't go above 10, so new gauge won't help, best to buy a new regulator.

It looks like a re-branded Nostalgia, if so you may need to replace the faucet and shank assembly, the 90 degree turn has been a problem for Nostalgia owners. Also try and replace the 90 on coupler. If you replace the shank and faucet, replace beer line with 7+ feet of 3/16 ID beer line.

Pictures I've seen show 1 gauge, if so, it is low pressure, high should be 300+, low pressure should be 0-60 in 1 PSI increments, make sure you are reading the right side of the gauge. Don't think it is 10 PSI MAX gauge, you see the price of the 15 PSI gauge?

OK, next post, confirm if for home bar or commercial bar, if you intend to put units undercounter and what type of beer you want to dispense (homebrew, big brewery, microbrew).
KB

[BKBuilds]

Thank you again for being so helpful. I apologize for not being more clear in my last post I was typing on my iPad so it was rough.

I was looking at the correct side of the gauge, but the first number on the inside of gauge was 50, with ten PSI dash lines before that. I replaced the whole regulator with this one.

404 - File or directory not found.

This is a home bar and its still under construction.Bar.jpg

I plan to serve Coors Light from one and Yuengling Lager from the other.

[KillianBoy]

BKBuilds,
Thanks for the clarification, thought you replaced the gauge not the regulator.
You are the first member to post that they have this brand, Avantco looks to me like a Nostalgia so search under this name, post pictures of the interior to confirm.
Understand this type of kegerator cannot be built into a cabinet, if you have both units under a enclosed counter, you will need to vent the hot air out, otherwise heat will build up and effect the compressor and all-in-all performance of unit (beer not getting cold).
If you had planned it out and researched sooner, members here would have given you better suggestions and ideas. I would have got one new regulator with a multiple dispense and feed lines through holes in unit, that way you can have 2 tanks, one to use, one to replace, no running out of gas at a bad time.
BTW, nice build.
KB

[BKBuilds]

I looked at some pictures of Nostalgia units and IMHO they don't look alike, but as I have said I don't really have much knowledge in this area. I will try to get some more pictures tonight, maybe Safari on my Mac will let me upload them. I was not able to post the bar picture last night from my iPad.

These are not build into the bar or enclosed in any way. They have about 5" of clerance in the back and maybe 2" on each side. My budget prohibited me from getting front venting units. If they die in a few years I can look at getting nicer units. For now I'm just looking to get these running reasonably well.

Tonight I will take a mesurement on my beer lines with a plan to replace the lines with 10' lines.

Using your advise today I also bought some RV Refridgerator fans, batter powered to circulate the air in the fridge. ($14 each) I can change these out later if the battery life blows. (see what I did there?)... and then I'll move them to my camper so its not wasted money.

The fans will be here Thursday so maybe Friday I'll stop at the distrubutor and buy a 1/4 keg of Coors Light to learn on.

Edit: Avantco is defintly something else rebranded. When I unboxed them you could see where they had pulled the protective coating off the stainless steel just enough to slap their label on it and then boxed it back up. So I have no doubt its made by another company.

[BKBuilds]

It is 3/16 ID tubing.

Here are more photos.IMG_0026.jpgIMG_0027.jpgIMG_0028.jpgIMG_0029.jpgIMG_0030.jpg