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  • Commercial cooler in home setting

    Hopefully I am posting this in the right forum. I'm looking for some guidance on buying a commercial beer cooler for the home bar I am planning.

    I am a home brewer and plan to have 4 beers on tap. I'm looking at 2-keg units, figuring that they will hold 4 corny kegs with no problem.

    The issues I am running into are:
    Is the price of a new direct draw system worth it for a home setting.
    What should I be aware of if looking to buy a used unit.
    Are the noise levels of commercial units too loud for a home setting.
    Can I convert a back bar cooler to a direct draw system. These are cheaper than the pre-made dispensers.

    And finally, how do I go about getting some local professional consultation on this? In other words how do I find the people that services bars and would they help out in a residential setting?

    Thanks!

  • #2
    Where are you located ?
    Colin Harrison
    Dbi Beverage Chico

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    • #3
      Atomic,

      I will address at least two of your questions with my humble opinion. As far as cost, I would bite the bullet and get a brand new unit ready to plug in and use. I bought a used four keg commercial unit and between the initial purchase and what I spent to make it run correctly I could have had a new one. It sounds to me like you're already in it with both feet being a home brewer. Secondly, yes a commercial unit is louder during operation. Period. At first I found it annoying and now I usually don't even hear it. When I do it is merely a re-assurance everything is OK and I still have good cold beer. I am no one to ask about what to look for in a used unit (see above). As far as a conversion I'm sure it can be done. With the top quality parts and equipment available from MM on this site and a bit of mechanical savy, probably wouldn't be that bad.

      Rob

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      • #4
        just outside Philadelphia, PA

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Voodoo Lounge View Post
          Atomic,

          I will address at least two of your questions with my humble opinion. As far as cost, I would bite the bullet and get a brand new unit ready to plug in and use. I bought a used four keg commercial unit and between the initial purchase and what I spent to make it run correctly I could have had a new one. It sounds to me like you're already in it with both feet being a home brewer. Secondly, yes a commercial unit is louder during operation. Period. At first I found it annoying and now I usually don't even hear it. When I do it is merely a re-assurance everything is OK and I still have good cold beer. I am no one to ask about what to look for in a used unit (see above). As far as a conversion I'm sure it can be done. With the top quality parts and equipment available from MM on this site and a bit of mechanical savy, probably wouldn't be that bad.

          Rob
          Thanks for the reply. Yeah, unless I come across a deal of a lifetime on CL, if I go this way I think the best investment would be in a new one. Just need to convince the wife! Ha.

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          • #6
            Cant help ya out then , im in Ca.
            Colin Harrison
            Dbi Beverage Chico

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by AtomicPunk View Post
              Hopefully I am posting this in the right forum. I'm looking for some guidance on buying a commercial beer cooler for the home bar I am planning.

              I am a home brewer and plan to have 4 beers on tap. I'm looking at 2-keg units, figuring that they will hold 4 corny kegs with no problem.

              The issues I am running into are:
              Is the price of a new direct draw system worth it for a home setting.
              What should I be aware of if looking to buy a used unit.
              Are the noise levels of commercial units too loud for a home setting.
              Can I convert a back bar cooler to a direct draw system. These are cheaper than the pre-made dispensers.

              And finally, how do I go about getting some local professional consultation on this? In other words how do I find the people that services bars and would they help out in a residential setting?

              Thanks!
              Is the price of a new direct draw system worth it for a home setting? - Depends on your financial situation. If you are on food stamps, probably not. If you are financially comfortable, and the price won't hurt your wallet terribly, then why not? If you are just going to do corney's, a single keg True, Bev-Air, or Pro-line (sold in MicroMatic's on-line store) will hold up to 4 corney kegs. So this may save you some money over buying a commercial 2 keg unit. But with a 2 keg unit, you would have room for 4 corneys AND you could keep spare(s) in there for when one kicks. Basically I would decide on a number of what is acceptable to spend, to you, and then start pricing things out. If you can come in close to your budget, great. If not, go the build it yourself route.

              What should I be aware of if looking to buy a used unit.? - How old is the unit (should be able to tell the date of manufacture from a data plate). Does it cool properly? If you find one, make sure it's in working order when you look at it, and maybe ask the seller to put a 5gallon bucket of water in there, and check the temp of the water to make sure it cools to your requirements.

              Are the noise levels of commercial units too loud for a home setting?
              Again, this is a matter of opinion. Is it going to be in your bedroom, or somewhere that you want peace and quiet? Or in the basement where fridge noise generally won't bother you or anyone else? If it's going to be next to your home theater system and you're an audiophile who demands audio excellence, this may be a problem.

              Can I convert a back bar cooler to a direct draw system?
              You sure can. If it has the cooling capacity and dimensions to fit kegs, by all means. This will be cheaper than buying a commercial kegerator/cooler by far. But a new kegerator sure does look pretty!

              And finally, how do I go about getting some local professional consultation on this? This is not rocket science. I wouldn't pay someone money for advice. Just do it. You homebrew, so automatically this tells me you are a hands on person and should be capable of putting this all together with a little planning.
              Last edited by cubby_swans; 11-07-2011, 09:33 AM.
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              • #8
                Excellent stuff. Thanks guys!

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