Building a 55 gallon kegerator system- need some constructive criticism

[hntashdjian]

Hey Guys,

I want to build a kegerator system using a 55 gallon plastic drum(with a removable lid) and need some advice to make it work properly. We usually buy a keg for long weekends so the goal is to have the beer last 3-4 days. We mainly buy lager style beers(Modelo, Spaten, Pacifico)

The CO2 tank along with the regulator will be on the outside and I will drill a small hole for the CO2 line to go into the drum.

I plan on mounting the tap on the side edge of the drum about 1.5 ft high. The ideology behind this is to keep the tap and the beer line under the ice level to maintain equal temperature for the line and tap to the beer. Ice would be filled around the keg all the way up to the top edge. I was thinking of using about 10 ft of beer line.

Lastly, I want to put some sort of drain valve at the bottom of the barrel to help empty water so that we can add ice as need be. Living in Southern California, ice can melt real fast, although the beer will be in the shade.

I need some of the experts to chime in and help guide me away from foam and other pitfalls.


Thanks

[djc]

"Kegerator system" is a stretch. You have a barrel full of ice and beer. You don't really need to be all that worried about drilling a pretty hole for the CO2 line. When that is done on a fridge or kegerator it is to keep the integrity of the cooled area. A plastic barrel doesn't have any integrity so not a big deal. 10' of line is a good place to start, but with a 2-3 day drinking event you will be able to lower your pressure to correct foam and won't have to worry about the longer term consequences of flat beer. For a drain, go to Home Depot and find any kind of valve you like that has a threaded flange, drill a hole and then silicone around the flange and attach with a nut from the inside. If it were me, I wouldn't put the tap 1.5' off the ground, I'd put it where it is comfortable to pour from.

Depending on how much ice costs and how serious you are, you might be better served by an insulated keg cooler:

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/main/53351/129027/red-super-cooler-i-010-keg-beverage-cooler.jpg