First off I know absolutely nothing about draft beer stuff besides drinking it. No clue how any of it works or anything.... but I’m Looking to buy a kegarator as I have access to some pretty awesome kegs. Don’t have a lot of cash so looking on the lower end for sure. I’ve searched on here but can’t find much on the edge star units https://www.kegerator.com/edgestar-...y5AKq15g4Rhe-C9-z7caAt9GEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Is it even worth buying one in this price range? Would I be better off converting a fridge?
In almost all cases it's better to convert a freezer/fridge. But first you should determine if you really want to get into this. Here's a couple of links that explain the basics: http://www.draft-beer-made-easy.com/draftbeerequipment.html https://www.micromatic.com/education/draft-beer-faqs Many posts of buying a new kegerator on this Forum . . . you can use the Search function to see how others tackle this. Here's one that's pretty comprehensive: https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...e-home-bar-keg-owner-looking-for-help.546401/ If you manage to wade through these links you'll quickly realize dispensing from a keg is more complicated than installing a wide screen TV. But don't let me discourage you, many of us here do exactly this. Also, you sometimes find good deals on Craigslist from people who never managed to set there unit up correctly.
"Not a lot of cash" and "looking on the lower end" are two things that should not enter the decision to buy a kegerator. You can get a new kegerator for less than $400. You can spend more than $1300 for the same thing. There is a hell of a lot opportunity in between, but a kegerator has 1 job and 1 job only. If you are on a budget your best bet is to build one with an older fridge. By far the best option. Not too hard. Requires maybe 4 hours and some hardware which can be bought as a package. Next you can look for a used kegerator. Plenty of people never get it right and unload them cheap. Plenty of used kegerators are also seriously abused and not worth it. Cheers.
I went the used fridge route when I bought a new fridge, so that was a no brainer. Do your research before putting it together though, you can make plenty of mistakes. I came away unscathed except that I had to invest in tighter lines due to foaming. It wasn't bad but I'd have to wait for the first pint or use a pitcher and pour three at a time. After the new lines it was golden. The best thing about the used fridge is that everything is cooled, there's no need to cool a tower, and there won't be any condensation issues. Also - you have an additional freezer, which really came in handy for me. On top of that I also had a fair amount of shelf space for other bottles of beer. You don't get those things with a regular kegerator. Of course, they do take up less room, and you can probably put it on your first floor instead of the basement. The only other thing I'll note is that even though I had two beers on tap that never seemed to be enough, so I'd switch up to bottles - I like variety. Even with sixtels on it took me a long time to go through them, and I suspect, in the end, I was drinking more than I should have been because it was so easy and there was no accountability (a recycling bucket full or bottles, etc.).
Wow thanks for all the replies! I have a lot to consider with this it seems. So I’m gonna look into converting a fridge. I’m fairly handy (I work on cars for a living) so I will research and learn how it all works so I can put it together confidently. Still gonna wait and see if I hear from anyone who has owned that kegarator. But as @billandsuz said about not a lot of money and getting a kegarator isn’t a good idea. Sounds like the edgestar will be a “get what you pay for” kinda deal. If that’s the case I’d rather build my own or just wait till I can afford to do it properly. Again thanks for the reponses.
If you have any interest in building one from a chest freezer, let me know. I just finished my second build for my home bar.
A chest freezer build (aka a Keezer) is also an option. We have built more than a few. There are a few tricks but the design is about as basic as could be. A keezer can also be made like furniture if you are into that stuff. Oak trim, paint, chrome, whatever. Biggest obstacle with a keezer is you are limited to sixtels. A half bbl is about 160 pounds and can not be placed into a freezer, and only the very largest chest freezers are wide enough anyway. Otherwise a keezer is very good option. Cheers.
This would probably be the route I’m gonna take. All the beers I’m interested in are sixtels any way. And it would fit better with the space I have than and tall fridge. After doing some research I’m gonna do collar around the top seems like the best way. Once a clean cheap one pops up on Craigslist or Somthing I’m gonna pick it up. I’ll try to keep posted on progress.
I'm an outlier as my first kegerator was a Haier that gave me 8 years of great service with no issues. I sold it when we moved and have yet to buy another. I think I may have got lucky as I never had any issues with excess foaming, leaks, etc. I cleaned the lines and faucet after every keg and it worked like a charm. Your mileage may vary.... BTW, after reading this forum for years, I will be spending money on a good brand when I get my next one as I feel like I may have dodged a bullet with my old one.
Do you need temperature control on the keezer or can you just turn dial on freezer up to maintain correct temperature.
A converted freezer will not hold beer temps without an external controller. Expect the highest possible temp to be in the +10F range (it is a freezer). What just about everyone does is to plug their keezer into an external controller which has it's own temp probe placed inside. Now you can set custom temps . . . typically high 30s for beer (or 60s if you use as a fermentation chamber). Cost can be as low as 20 bucks if you wire it yourself, prewired will run $40'ish. Once dialed in they are very reliable.
