Kegerator service in Boston

The problem is that it is a low end unit and will require tweaking and working with it to get it pouring properly. I suspect you will also have trouble finding a service guy to come look at it, and if by chance you do, his answer may be that there is nothing wrong with it, it is working as badly as it was designed to. He will then charge you a third of what it originally cost for that insight.
I say this from the perspective of someone with a low end unit, it will take work to get it going and requires time and effort.

 

You've got this rather poorly designed kegerator and are using it for commercial use. Note the price, $450 .
https://www.amazon.com/Nostalgia-KRS2100-Cubic-Foot-Kegorator-dispenser/dp/B000HJVYDQ
The price is the first and last consideration. The price determines everything. And if it doesn't work right, well, it wasn't designed to work. It was designed to sell at$450.

What you need is something more like this
https://www.amazon.com/Beverage-Air...492221&sr=8-1&keywords=beverage+air+kegerator

Note the price, $1,350. That's a good price.

If my math is correct, the Beverage Air is $900 more than the Nostalgia. It is in fact three times the cost.

So either the Bev Air is a ripoff or the Nostalgia is crap. But you'll never see a Nostalgia in a commercial setting. Never.

My best advice is to suffer with crappy pours or cough up the cash. You can fix the Nostalgia, but after you spend the time and the money you'll wish you had the right equipment in the first place. Sell the Nostalgia. Buy a used BM 23 or True. Craigslist.
Cheers,

 

Yes, you need a tower cooler. It is a requirement. First order of business.
While you are at it, get yourself 20 or 30 feet of 3/16" x 7/16" beverage line. #2. You'll need maybe 6' to 10'. You are going to learn to replace the line. You are really going to enjoy getting into that bent shank in the tower. Fun times ahead!
Replace the faucet. #3. It makes a difference. Good faucets feel better too.
The regulator is probably wonky. Cheap regulators are notoriously crappy and will fail. It's just a matter of time. So plan on it. #4.
Your coupler is possibly passable, but there are some God awful plasticky Chinese couplers out there. And they save maybe $5 over the perfectly acceptable economy couplers. Price point. #5.
Not sure about the Nostalgia T-Stat. This is the one that won't go to 38 without the hack? Can't recall. Assume the worst. #7.
The tower is flimsy. But you can keep it I think. Until the chrome flakes off anyway. Bonus.

So, what's left? Nothing really. It's now just a box with a compressor. That too will fail I fear.

Sorry to be a killjoy here but the truth is many folks come here with crappy kegerators, pour foam, don't enjoy the experience and lose money everytime they should be happy with a nice draft beer.
I don't get it.
Cheers.

 

Most excellent.
You'll need a faucet wrench too. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00829HKFE/ref=wl_mb_recs_3_title
The bent shank I was talking about is just that and there is a special tool to get to the nut holding it in place. You can kind of sort of get at it with the right pliers. If you have the money and don't care that this tool will be used only when you replace the beverage line, then here you go.
https://www.amazon.com/Kegconnectio...46&sr=8-17&keywords=draft+faucet+tower+wrench
This kit has the wrench. It's also for homebrew but you see the tool, it's what you want. Find it by itself. It's a basic wrench but will do the job. You'll see...

Not sure if you will need the outboard T Stat. I seem to recall that the Nostalgia can't get down to temp without some internal tinkering. The Inkbird, or any outboard, will override the internal thermostat but if the internal T-stat cuts out at 40, it will override the external T-stat. So measure the internal liquid temp by placing a cup of water inside and checking with a good thermometer. Good thermometer not the junk rolling around your kitchen. You want to be at 38. And that should be 38 with some room to spare on the dial, not 38 flat out. So check it out before you buy that.

Get more than 5' of 3/16" beverage line. Too short. That's really not what Kegco should be supplying for homeowners. Start with 9 or 10'. You'll want extra anyway for when you replace the line.

Everything else is workable.

Source? Just go with Amazon. If you really want to spend too much time on this you can probably save 10 or 20 shopping around but this is basic stuff.

Worm clamps. They do get loose over time and are not used in commercial places because of that, but perfectly fine for everywhere else. Check them after a month.

One last thing. Blue gas line? Many of us around here have a running joke that red is the best. Blue is fine but red is always preferred. It just is.

Cheers.

 

Lowes and Home Depot do not carry 'plastic beverage lines',they carry bulk tubing not meant for food or drink contact. You need to buy actual beverage lines from a place that sells, well, actual beverage lines.
I personally wouldn't go with the rear closing faucet you show. Rear closers promote beer glue or the stickiness you describe because the mechanism is on the outside of the shut off, i.e. after the beer pours the mechanism is left to get dry and sticky since it is exposed to air. On a front closing faucet there isn't any mechanism exposed to air (there isn't really a mechanism at all), and the faucet will not stick. I like Perlicks, but there are other brands.

 

Oh, and one more thing, that faucet is chrome plated. You should get stainless. Again I come back to Perlick.

 

With regards to your CO2 leak, have you used soapy water to find the leak? Get a spray bottle and fill it with water and dish soap. Spray down anywhere CO2 could leak from. You should see bubbles form where the leaks are. Sometimes even when you think you've got the leak there's still a leak somewhere else. If nothing bubbles try spraying the places that haven't been sprayed and you think there won't be a leak. You might try isolating various parts of the system as well since you might be leaking from multiple areas. Cranking up the CO2 level temporarily can also make a small leak into a more noticeable leak.

 

That is a ball lock connector for a Corney keg, a Pepsi keg used by homebrewers and not what you want. But it's the first pic I found with a tower wrench, so there you go. You want the tower wrench. Not something Amazon seems to have identified, or they probably have some other name for it. It is a one of a kind tool with one purpose only. Have you ever been under a sink with a wrench and thought "Damn it I will spend $20 on a basin wrench and I don't care if it gets used once." That's a tower wrench.

Use beverage line. It must be 3/16" ID and it should be 7/16" OD, not 5/16". Thicker walled tubing. It matters here. Do not use hardware store tubing. Get 20 or 3o feet, you will need it later when you replace the line in a year or two.

Good luck.

 

I will add
Be certain you have a washer on the regulator. It's hard white plastic or felt. OR look at the regulator stem and see if you have an integral o-ring. That is a very common leak area and can empty a tank very quickly.

Otherwise replace the worm clamps. Replace them and tighten.
Cheers.

 

Also do a google search on "nostalgia kegerator temperature adjustment", you'll get tons of info. You can take apart the thermostat and adjust the screw to get it colder.

You won't go wrong with perlick faucets either. Love mine.

 

It will make the compressor run more but the alternative is to pour foam. Its kind of like asking if you set your fridge 10 degrees warmer will the fridge last longer? The answer is yes but if your milk spoils quicker every week does having that fridge last say an extra 6 months matter?

In all reality you are probably talking a few degrees which probably doesn't equate to having the fridge run that much more than its lowest normal setting. The temperature is key here not for quality but for chemistry. Its a matter of at what temperature and pressure the CO2 will remain soluble in your beer. Others on this forum know far more than I do and can talk more about this but without the proper temperature you might as well just quit.

You can get a keg into the Hancock building? I think of mostly conservative companies in that building. I kind of miss working in downtown Boston until I drive in there