My New Draft System: How to do it!

[Irreverent]

This is a long one, with a lot of photos, but I hope it will help others to build their own great systems!

Holes in the wall; 1.125" carbide hole saw needed:



1" PVC sleeves in place:



6" stainless shanks through 6 mil plastic backing:



Shanks secured through 4" schedule 35 PVC end cap:



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[Irreverent]

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Shanks and stainless steel faucets in place:



Schedule 40 end splice (fits over the schedule 35 cap) linked to a 4" to 2" reducer with a short segment of 4" schedule 40 PVC pipe between:



10 foot beer lines in place:



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[Irreverent]

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Whirlpool 9.6 cu. ft. fridge, model #ETOMSRXTDO1, purchased at Lowe's:



2" schedule 40 PVC (Note: all PVC connections were sealed with duct tape prior to insulation):



3/16" ID beer lines (10 ft.) and 1" ID vinyl hose for cold air supply (Note: the 1" ID air supply line goes all the way up to the shanks at the wall):



12 cfm Dayton blower secured to a base made of scrap cherry with galvanized hanger strap:



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[Irreverent]

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Electrical supply for blower through rubber grommet, right side of fridge:



Gas lines through caulked holes in side of fridge:



5 lb. CO2 tank with MicroMatic dual regulator (excellent!), secured with chain, and the thoroughly insulated air-cooled system:



1/6 bbl. of locally brewed bourbon barrel stout on the left, and a Corny keg of locally brewed pale ale on the right:



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[Irreverent]

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The subfloor I built from poplar and a walnut scrap:



Tap handles in place:



And, finally, my first pint!:



I learned most of what I needed to know from this forum and the MicroMatic website. A little googling helped, and then I spent a good while at Lowe's in the plumbing department.

With the faucets I chose, ten feet of 3/16 ID beer line is perfect. I would highly recommend going with all stainless steel hardware and fittings for beer dispensing. Pretty much all of the dispensing equipment was purchased through MicroMatic.

I hope this was helpful. It is certainly worthwhile to do your homework and research before drilling your first hole or spending the first dime.

Many, many thanks to all the cool folks here who provided good advice!

Peace.

[KillianBoy]

Irreverent,
AWESOME!!!!!!
KB

[Irreverent]

Irreverent,
AWESOME!!!!!!
KB

Thanks VERY kindly!!!

You, of course, were one of the kind souls whose advice enabled me to do it right the first time.

Many thanks again, KillianBoy!

Peace.

[Sketch]

Well done.

I especially like the drip try, and I dig the tap handles - did you drill those yourself?

[Irreverent]

Well done.

I especially like the drip try, and I dig the tap handles - did you drill those yourself?

Thanks very kindly!

The handles, which can be made from any pool ball you choose, were acquired from an excellent eBay seller here: 8 Ball Kegerator Tap Handle Pool Billiards Beer Bar | eBay

Peace.

[THE ICEMAN]

Well done. That pint of brew looks tasty.
It should be fun cleaning that stonework after you slop some beer on it though.


THE ICEMAN

[jdanna]

wow
that stone looks really good, well done.

how does the 1" ID rubber work? version 1.0 of my system used that, and it kinked around the corners and didnt flow.
maybe you found some that was more flexible then mine (also i run my beerlines thru the air intake line)

[Irreverent]

Well done. That pint of brew looks tasty.
It should be fun cleaning that stonework after you slop some beer on it though.

THE ICEMAN

Thanks, thanks again, and why bother?

wow
that stone looks really good, well done.

how does the 1" ID rubber work? version 1.0 of my system used that, and it kinked around the corners and didnt flow.
maybe you found some that was more flexible then mine (also i run my beerlines thru the air intake line)

Hello Friend!

The 1" vinyl hose works great! I've been up and running nearly three weeks now, and every pour has been perfect. The faucets are palpably cold, and I have virtually no breakout.

I will say that threading the PVC over the lines was a bit tricky, but I seem to have no flow problems. I felt that the corrugated-looking 1" hose that Micromatic sells must have much greater resistance to airflow than the smooth vinyl hose I chose, just by virtue of the wall of the hose. I can feel excellent cold air flow returning through the PVC pipe.

Frankly, I am thrilled with the way the system turned out. I don't think it could be any better. I am tremendously appreciative of the help that you and others here provided.

Peace.

[pvs6]

Excellent piece of engineering. Where is your keg box and where is the tap wall, Family room, kitchen bar, game room?

[xscash]

that is awesome, an i love the look of the taps coming straight out of the stone. nice job!
i have found issues with flexible tubing also, i now build all my air systems with rigid pvc....takes a bit more planning when cutting and installing but moves tons of air with little restriction.
do you have a temp probe for the taps or does the blower run non-stop? i install the blowers in the freezer section and return to the fridge and use a temp probe at the taps to turn it on and off when needed.

[Irreverent]

Excellent piece of engineering. Where is your keg box and where is the tap wall, Family room, kitchen bar, game room?

Thank you kindly!

The fridge is under the steps leading down to the music/billiards/entertainment room in the basement. The wall is behind the bar that serves this area.

that is awesome, an i love the look of the taps coming straight out of the stone. nice job!
i have found issues with flexible tubing also, i now build all my air systems with rigid pvc....takes a bit more planning when cutting and installing but moves tons of air with little restriction.
do you have a temp probe for the taps or does the blower run non-stop? i install the blowers in the freezer section and return to the fridge and use a temp probe at the taps to turn it on and off when needed.

Thanks very much!

I've had no issues with airflow, even with the two 90 degree bends. I just have the blower on constantly. It uses very little power. I did buy a spare blower to have around in case it ever fails.

Peace.