Your kegerator system..what would you have done differently?

[tizzl10]

getting close to pulling the trigger on an under-bar kegerator. now that you all are kegmasters, what would you have done differently with your setup? looking for replies here because I know once I get my system set up, i will would have done things differently. looking forward to your replies! //jt

[psychodad]

I would have built one from a standup freezer instead of buying a Danby at Sams.

[tizzl10]

what do you not like about the danby, sir?

[Pumper]

If money wasn't a factor, I would go with an upright freezer conversion. but because I picked up a good working refridgerator with a MM kegerator kit already installed for $150 on craigslist I am super happy with what i have now.

i have no personal knowledge of any "ready made" kegerators like danby, summit, haier etc..., but after reading about all the problems others have had with these systems i would never buy one or reccomend any of them. just search for the name brand on this forum to see all the problems.

[pismo10]

I too would have used a freezer with an external thermostat. Maybe a chest freezer with 1/6 kegs in it. You could have 3-4 beers on tap easy at a time. The only problem with a chest freezer is getting the kegs in from the top over the edge....Very tough to do under bar style as you are shooting for.

After mods I am happy with my underbar Danby and have three 1/6 kegs in it with taps thru the front door so 3 beers on tap at once. It is very tight tho. Much more space in a freezer, I would have room to store a couple spares.

[Hophead]

Ummm..probably nothing. I did a fridge conversion on a Whirlpool Gladiator Garageworks fridge using MM parts about 4 years ago and it's worked perfectly ever since.

[bonefish]

I wish would have bought a kegerator 20 years earlier than I did.
SEAN

[pvs6]

I wish would have bought a kegerator 20 years earlier than I did.
SEAN

I think we have a winner.

[beach31684]

I bought a fridge off Craigslist for $20. No complaints there. And then bought the MM kit. But I ran the beer line about two feet away from the fridge (which they said was a bad idea and to just mount it on the door) and mounted it on my bar top, which looks great. All I did was double insulate the line outside the fridge. I still have cold beer after about a second of pouring.

My only regret is, I wish I had drilled the hole a little higher on the fridge to make it even with where it is mounted and then used a larger pvc tube that was insulated and then used a fan to push cold air through the tower.

Might still do it, just waiting to get motivated.

[Acmemfg]

Would have bought the Bev Air right from the get go rather than screw around with the Consumer Grade kegerators. Also should have done the 3 faucet tower from the beginning also. But....the experience has been fun and informative. I think I shall go pour another tall frosty Longhammer IPA and ponder my good fortune........................................... .................................................. ......

[Sketch]

I built a door mount conversion - wouldn't change that for a second - gives me plenty of room to store 1) 1/2 barrel 1) 1/6 barrel and a large amount of bottles of cans. I love having kegs on tap, but I need more variety than 100+ glasses of the same beer in a row, so I like being able to store some options. It also allows me to keep a stock of cheap beer to hand out to "friends" that always seem to be happy to drink my beer free of charge, yet never return the favor. No one will ever walk in my door without being offered a beer - I just get to decide what tier of beverage I hand them.

Other than that I would have purchased all my equipment from MicroMatic. When I first got the idea to build a kegerator I knew nothing about Micromatic and ordered from a competitors website. The product works alright, but when I added a second tap setup I purchased those parts from MM and the increase in quality was night and day for not much of a price increase.

[panthermark]

Not a whole lot....
My biggest problem is that I had to get a slightly smaller fridge to fit in a certain space.....so it is not as big as I would like on the inside.

I guess I wish I would have went to corny kegs sooner......

[kc051102]

Make it easy on yourself...

The home units (Summit, Haier, Danby etc...) have to be modified from the get go; especially if you want to do remote dispensing. The gentleman that mentioned the Bev Air is right on target. They have built in blowers that will automatically channel the cold air up within the tower. The only issue you may have is creating enough space for the Bev Air to vent, they are not meant to be built in but can be installed just as refrigerators are, with at least 3" on each side, as well as they have to be kept on their casters. You can modify the home dispense units obviously, its just extra work on your part. If your handy and technically inclined, purchase a blower and install it yourself.