how to choose a tap system

This is a mini fridge you are planning on converting to a kegerator? Budget?

 

for answers to specific questions you can start here. Micromatic forum is very good to.

i can answer a few questions, which will likely generate more questions. but ask away.

a "tap" is not technically the same as a faucet. the tap goes on the keg. you "tap" a keg. its also called a coupler. the faucet it the thing you put your glass under. the terms are very frequently used interchangeably, but they are different parts of the system. you will find that people who are speaking of a "Tap System" are in the less informed group and will probably end up causing you more confusion than needed. there is a lot of mis-information and half truths out there. try using technical industry terms for your google. "direct draw system" or "beer dispensing system"

all faucets with one important exception are basically the same design. the materials can change, chrome, stainless, brass. the traditional design has a tendency to stick if not used frequently, and sometimes even if they are. Perlick, been in the beer and refig business for a thousand years, developed a forward seal design that is a great improvement. but the traditional rear sealing faucet is by far more common, cheaper and are perfectly acceptable. they are also easier to service.

the length of the hose ("beverage line", not just any old vinyl tubing) is important because it restricts the flow of liquid. the length and ID are what matters. 3/16" bev line is exclusive in kegerators and is also used at the faucet end in just about every other system, even if the rest of the line is bigger. an analogy is the flow of water from the garden spigot at your house compared to the flow at the end of a 100' garden hose. the restriction slows down the rate of flow. not enough restriction and you will have trouble pouring a good glass as the pressure will cause too much foam.

as for your mini fridge, if you want keg beer from a mini fridge it can be done, but there are real important considerations. for one most dorm fridges can not hold a keg, any keg at all. they don't fit. but fridge modifications are popular and a great DIY project.

plenty more to cover, search this forum, ask questions. show you are interested and you'll find many many responses to specific questions.
Cheers.

 

Picking nits here, but Perlick didn't invent the forward seal faucet. Indeed, their 'Perl' series was developed to circumvent the patent issue that they faced with their original line of forward seal faucets.

 

yes you are correct. i do believe that Ventmatic (or the parent company) successfully argued patent infringement. (but was it Ventmatic? i don't remember the name of the company).

Perlick has since gone on to redesign their original forward seal since there was a lot of failures out in the field. Ventmatic is back as well i think. and their faucets are reported to be an unbelievable work of art. the design, the machinery, the pour are said to be quite impressive. there is a side by side analysis of the two out there on the webs somewhere, and the Ventmatic is supposedly the hands down winner.

Cheers.

 

I've got four Ventmatics.

 

i've got 7 Perls at home, and maybe 25 in the field (not bragging...)
but i am really looking forward to getting my hands on some new Shirrons once they are available.
once you go s/s forward seal you wont be going back.
Cheers Mike.

 

You could start off with a really basic kegerator set up, something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Kegco-Deluxe-...3478&sr=8-1&keywords=kegerator+conversion+kit

and just swap out whatever beverage line size they give you for a 10' section and you'll be pouring fresh draft beer at home. You can always change out the faucets however you see fit. I've been doing well with the standard faucet and haven't had a need to replace it.

 

Search this Forum for "foam", "balancing", and probably "help" for some useful threads. Search Google for "draft beer balancing" for even more details.

As for faucets, you can get entry level faucets for about 20 bucks or you can pay more and have a faucet that will be pouring at your funeral. Search this Forum for "why I hate my ss Perlicks" and you will find zero threads. Then a kegger with ss Perlicks will assuredly have ss shanks/tail-pieces and can expect a higher class of mourners at the wake.

You didn't mention it, but CO2 leaks are a plague to new draft systems (plenty of threads). Nothing at all tricky about finding/correcting leaks, but imperative you do this before your precious beer is at risk.

Finally, nothing moves fast when balancing a new system. With a pretty good understanding it took me a week to get all the dangles and angles lined up. The good news is you are pretty much set forever once balanced.

 

Hard to fill traditional growlers well off a stock height tower on a kegerator IMO. It needs few more inches of clearance to give you a chance to get the growler upright. You can get tubes to allow you to hold the growler off to the side if growlers are a requirement. When I take beer with me it is for immediate drinking so I just tilt as little as possible at the end and have some spillage and a slightly less than full fill.

 

You are probably over thinking the CO2 part of it. There is nothing wrong with exchanging, and you never have to worry about the bottle being out of date. BTW you will want two bottles. There is nothing worse than running out of gas.

 

Many people mistakenly assume that CO2 suppliers are as offensive as propane suppliers with regard to refill versus exchange prices. That's generally not the case, at least in my neighborhood. While a propane swap generally costs about 30% more per lb than a refill, CO2 is priced the same either way.

Actually, there is nothing worse than driving a school bus full of children as a bridge collapses under you, causing the van to fall directly into the path of an oncoming freight train pulling 100+ tanker cars full of crude oil which burst into flames, starting a wildfire, destroying 7 million acres of National Forest. But running out of gas is a close second.

 

Good point. There is only one thing worse than running out of gas and that's it.

 

Keep an eye on Craigslist. There are an awful lot of CO2 tanks out there collecting dust. You'd be amazed at what people are willing to practically give away in the name of cleaning the garage. I found a guy a few years ago n Chicago who had six tanks of varying sizes, most with gas still in in them. Your choice, $20. The downside is that you can't be in a hurry. Ebay can also be a good source for used tanks.

 

You also need to check dates, they need to be hydro tested every 5 or 7 years, can't recall, but places won't fill them outside of their date. That's why exchange is great.

 

I honestly can't stand ventless faucets. They pour fine when everything is in perfect balance but vented faucets generally pour better and don't cause shooting foam when the temp or pressure is slightly off. The perlick ventless I have had to deal with are particularly difficult to take apart and put back together. I must say though stainless is where it is at.

 

I have never had an issue with taking apart a Perlick. Couldn't be easier, unscrew the bonnet and lift up. Forward closing faucets are very well suited to a home environment because they don't stick like rear closers do if left alone for a day or two. All it takes is a few extra feet of line to tame the unrestricted speed which can be had for cheap. I would vote Perlick any day of the week.