Have a few questions?

[armyguy209]

I have wanted a kegerator for forever and a day now. I finally took the plunge on what I considered a really good deal I found on craigslist. I bought a used TRUE TDD-1 in pristine condition that came with 2 aluminum CO2 tanks that look brand new, a single tap tower, and the regulator/gauge. I picked it up for $450 but I had to drive about 2 hours each way to get it.

I have been researching all over the internet and could not find the answers I am looking for. I figured I would join this community to seek help from those of you that know your stuff.

So now on to the questions.

I would like to turn my kegerator into a 3 tap system. I want to run a 1/6 slim keg of Shock Top, a 1/6th slim keg of Coors Light, and on the middle tap I would like to run Pepsi on tap. I am a complete newbie at this and have no idea of where to start?

This thing is sitting in my garage just begging to get hooked up and used. I figure that since I have 2 CO2 tanks that I could use one of them for the beer and one for the pepsi?

If you could please post links to the parts I would need to buy that would be appreciated. If you cant post them on here feel free to message me the links.

Thanks ahead of time.

[THE ICEMAN]

I have wanted a kegerator for forever and a day now. I finally took the plunge on what I considered a really good deal I found on craigslist. I bought a used TRUE TDD-1 in pristine condition that came with 2 aluminum CO2 tanks that look brand new, a single tap tower, and the regulator/gauge. I picked it up for $450 but I had to drive about 2 hours each way to get it.

I have been researching all over the internet and could not find the answers I am looking for. I figured I would join this community to seek help from those of you that know your stuff.

Nice find on the True unit, you'll not be disappointed. And welcome to our little circus.

I would like to turn my kegerator into a 3 tap system. I want to run a 1/6 slim keg of Shock Top, a 1/6th slim keg of Coors Light, and on the middle tap I would like to run Pepsi on tap. I am a complete newbie at this and have no idea of where to start?

It won't be real cheap to convert over to a 3 tap. You can search THIS PAGE. Look towards the bottom of the page for a 3 faucet tower.

This thing is sitting in my garage just begging to get hooked up and used. I figure that since I have 2 CO2 tanks that I could use one of them for the beer and one for the pepsi?

If you could please post links to the parts I would need to buy that would be appreciated. If you cant post them on here feel free to message me the links.

Thanks ahead of time.

I would think you could get away with using just one tank. A couple of other guys here are better able to answer that question. In the meantime, you can search THIS PAGE to get an idea what you will need for the regulators & you can surf the BEER EQUIPMENT STORE for all the other goodies you might need.

Hope that helps to get you started.


THE ICEMAN

[armyguy209]

Thanks for the help so far. I see they have regulators specifically for soft drinks on that page so that tells me something. Are there any local shops that specifically deal with this kind of stuff?

[spdbump]

Miller Lite is the only Miller/Coors product that comes in a 1/6 th barrel. Coors Light is not availible in a 1/6 th barrell, only in the squat 7.5 pony kegs. If you find one in a 1/6th let me know.

[Mirko_S]

MAKE sure the shanks, faucet and everything else that comes into contact with soda is 100% stainless. NO BRASS soda reacts with brass and will make you ill.

[djc]

armyguy,
I think you have a terminology mix up...there is no such thing as a slim 1/6th. 1/6th is 1/6th. There are slim 1/4's however, although they are not too popular.

[armyguy209]

MAKE sure the shanks, faucet and everything else that comes into contact with soda is 100% stainless. NO BRASS soda reacts with brass and will make you ill.

Thanks,

I ended up ordering an all Stainless Steel tower with the S/S Prlick faucets from BF part #Triple Faucet Stainless Draft BeerTower w/ ******* 525SS
Model: BF EBD4743TT-525SS

Here is a list of everything else I ordered. Awesome customer service too. I told the guy exactly what I wanted to do and he went through with me and told me exactly what I needed to order. He is also going to email me a layout map on how to put it all together. Here is the list:

1 ea. Tailpice - 1/4" $0.99
1 ea. Economy Sanke Keg Tap - Black Handle $26.19
4 ea. Nylon Flare Fitting Washers

Flare Fitting Washers - 04E04291IH

$0.48
3 ea. Swivel Nut Set - 1/4" x 1/4" $3.75
1 ea. Chrome Secondary Pass-Through $27.49
2 ea. Barbed Hose "T"

SS - SS-T - 04C11134tw - 1/4"

$5.76
1 ea. 5 gallon Ball Lock Keg - Rubber Handle type $120.00
14 ea. SuperFlex 1/4" I.D. Beverage Hose $7.56
1 ea. Carbonating Keg Lid $57.50
1 ea. Quick Disconnect - Gas - Barbed end $5.90
16 ea. Oetiker Clamp - #14 - 35/64" $5.12
1 ea. Quick Disconnect - Liquid - Barbed end $5.90
$266.64
Sub-Total:

$20.66
San Joaquin CST:

$11.71
United Parcel Service (5.81lbs) (Ground):

$299.01
Total:



Anything else you guys see that needs to be added please let me know. Does this list sound about right? The guy told me that with all of this and the tower that I can run the two 1/6 kegs(Coors light,Shock Top) and then with the 5 gallon ball lock keg I can have the coke. I found a place and ordered a 1 gallon bag in box of RC cola for like 35 shipped. I was told to mix 5 parts water with 1 part syrup and shake it up really good. Then follow these directions for the carbonation:

How to use the Carbonating Lid:
Beer must be stored cold 34-40F

Preboil the stone for 2-3 minutes before using. This assures you that your stone is sterile and any residual oils have been boiled off.
Sanitize the whole keg lid before submersing into your keg filled with beer.
Set your PSI on your regulator to 3-4psi and atttach your gas in fitting to the body connect on the lid. Leave keg at this pressure for 1 hour.
Raise your pressure 2PSI per hour until your reach 10-12psi. Leave at 10-12psi for 24 hours. Pour a pint and test the carbonation. If you think your beer needs more CO2 leave for another 4-6 hours and have another pint.
Remove carbonation lid after carbonation level is satis*******. Return original keg lid for long term storage.


Carbonating Soda involves the same steps as beer except you carbonate 10-15 PSI for 24 hours

[armyguy209]

armyguy,
I think you have a terminology mix up...there is no such thing as a slim 1/6th. 1/6th is 1/6th. There are slim 1/4's however, although they are not too popular.

Yeah I believe I did. I have only seen one kind of 1/6th. I am having a hard time finding a place that fills/sells them though. I notice that you have two 1/6th's on tap with your setup. Where do you find a place that has them? Are they your own 1/6 kegs or did you get them already filled and just leave the deposit?

Thanks,
Dan

[djc]

There are two types of 1/6ths. There are commercial ones which you get at a beer store like you would a full size keg, and there are home brew ones like you bought for your soda. With the commercial ones you pay a deposit, it's no different than a regular keg. There is no "filling" at the store, they come from the brewery. The selection of beers available in the 1/6th format is not huge, especially if you are looking to put in stuff from the major brands, i.e. the Coors Light you are looking for. Most of the micros come in 1/6ths. Even within a single brand you will find the sizes of kegs they use varies and as the Rolling Stones have been telling us forever, you can't always get what you want. There is not much cost savings to be had in the 1/6th size, so if you've got the space you should go to 1/4's. Slim 1/4's are a great format, but even more rare than the 1/6ths.

I have had 11 kegs to date, among them slim quarters of Yeungling and Yuengling Black and Tan, and 1/6ths of Landshark, Blue Moon, Keegan's Mother's Milk, Bud Light Lime, Magic Hat #9 and Widmer Drifter

[armyguy209]

So what do you guys think about the parts list? Sound like it should work? My other option on the beer kegs is to buy two more of the 5 gallon ball locks but I don't know if someone will fill them?

[81david]

Not sure that anyone would fill the kegs with beer for you unless you are going directly to a brewery. I know that Iron Hill Brewery here in NJ has filled kegs for a buddy of mine before. Might be state specific. To my knowledge you can not just go to a liquor store and have it filled, at least not in NJ!

Good luck with everything and just be patient with everything once you get it all setup. Some adjustments might be necessary and they will take time.

Cheers!

[djc]

Like we;ve said, you can't just get a keg "filled". Brewery is the only option. The 5 gallon kegs you bought are for home brewing. Call a local liquor store, order a 1/6th of what you want (assuming it is available, which it may not be) and there you go.

[KillianBoy]

armyguy209,
I had to ask about the following:

16 ea. Oetiker Clamp - #14 - 35/64" $5.12
Do you have the tool to install this type of clamp?
From a part website regarding this type of clamp:

"Only Oetiker recommended tools should be used to close Oetiker clamp ears, and they should be closed with a uniform, recommended force. The closing force must be the parameter that determines when closure is complete. This method ensures positive stress on the hose which does not result in excessive compression or expansion of the band material. The visible deformation of the clamp ear provides a visible and instant check that closure has been carried out. Please not that, unless otherwise stated, Oetiker Clamps and Rings can be used only once. Once removed, they can no longer be reused and should be discarded."

I would go with worms first and once you get into it more then maybe get into Oetiker Clamps, unless your familiar with these and already have the proper tools.

And:
14 ea. SuperFlex 1/4" I.D. Beverage Hose $7.56
Again is this for soda AND beer? do you have or plan to pick up the beer line separately? I don't know anything about soda but beer line under 10 feet run should be 3/16 ID.

Also I see only 1 Sankey tap, if he said you can run 2 beers off 1 Sankey, he's wrong, if you want to run 2 beers, I'd add another Sankey, more tailpieces, hex (or wing nuts) if you want 2 beers on tap.
KB

[armyguy209]

armyguy209,
I had to ask about the following:

16 ea. Oetiker Clamp - #14 - 35/64" $5.12
Do you have the tool to install this type of clamp?
From a part website regarding this type of clamp:

"Only Oetiker recommended tools should be used to close Oetiker clamp ears, and they should be closed with a uniform, recommended force. The closing force must be the parameter that determines when closure is complete. This method ensures positive stress on the hose which does not result in excessive compression or expansion of the band material. The visible deformation of the clamp ear provides a visible and instant check that closure has been carried out. Please not that, unless otherwise stated, Oetiker Clamps and Rings can be used only once. Once removed, they can no longer be reused and should be discarded."

I would go with worms first and once you get into it more then maybe get into Oetiker Clamps, unless your familiar with these and already have the proper tools.

And:
14 ea. SuperFlex 1/4" I.D. Beverage Hose $7.56
Again is this for soda AND beer? do you have or plan to pick up the beer line separately? I don't know anything about soda but beer line under 10 feet run should be 3/16 ID.

Also I see only 1 Sankey tap, if he said you can run 2 beers off 1 Sankey, he's wrong, if you want to run 2 beers, I'd add another Sankey, more tailpieces, hex (or wing nuts) if you want 2 beers on tap.
KB

Thanks for the reply,

To answer your questions...

1. I do not have the tool and was not even aware that there was one for these clamps. I might just use regular hose clamps for now until I get everything situated.

2. As far as the tubing goes, that is all that I have ordered. I am not sure if I need to buy more but I will if I do. The tower that I ordered came with all the tubing already hooked up to the inside of the tower and running down with plenty of slack to hook up to the taps. The tower tubing also has the wing nuts built in so that all I have to do is put the washers in and screw them on.

3. As far as the taps, the kegerator already came with one Sankey tap so I just purchased the one extra for the second keg of beer. The soda keg is going to have the quick release nozzles.


I also went down to a few of the local liquor stores. I guess Coors Light isnt sold in a 1/6 keg. The only thing that they had it in was like a 7.5 gallon keg. They had the Shock Top in a 5 gallon keg though but I am wondering if this is the same thing as a 1/6th keg. People here don't seem to know what a 1/6th keg is.

And one more thing, I have the schematic that I can post if you guys want to take a look at it but I am not sure how to post it on this site. From the way the schematic looks, all the CO2 lines are 1/4" I.D. tubing. The tubing that came with the tower that will actually be flowing the liquids is alot bigger. Correct me if I am wrong but are there any other fluid lines besides the three coming from the tower?

[djc]

1/6th is a 5 gallon keg. 7.5 gallons is 1/4 (as mentioned before, there are two types of 1/4's, slim and standard), 15.5 gallons is a 1/2. We tried to ease you into the fact that you probably were not going to find the Coors in a 1/6th. The stores you want to deal with are the guys who will order you kegs of what you want, again you are limited to what the brewery puts the product in so you may not find every option you want in every size.

The only three lines that will have liquid in them are the ones from the tower.

Regular hose clamps are fine, no need to change them later.

How much tubing is there? The minimum for the beer lines is 5 feet, but depending on how your system balances out you may want longer. It isn't about "slack to attach them" it is about being able to maintain the proper pressure in the lines to keep the CO2 in solution while slowing the flow enough so that you aren't pouring foam bombs. You can always replace that later if the foam is an issue.

The Sankeys are couplers, not taps.