I just acquired a big ol' stand up freezer. Not a chest freezer, but it's the size of a stand up fridge, with plenty of room.. PLENTY of room. It's a bit older, but works great. I'm planning on doing atleast 2 kegs in there for now, perhaps 3 if I start to get more into brewing, and kegging my own stuff. I know I'll need a temp controller, any links or info on whats good, what to avoid? Any "kegerator" kits that might contain most of what I need? I can skip on the Co2 bottles, as I can get those delivered to my work for nothing, full to boot. Lines, and fittings, etc... what all would I need. Any sites that have the taps and hardware, and the lines and such to buy from? Looking to take the handle off the freezer, maybe attach something else to open it maybe.. Want to paint it, probably with the chalkboard paint, so I don't know if I need wood like others use in the collars. I can drill through the door on this without worrying about hitting coils and such. Any info is appreciated!
I used beveragefactory.com for a fridge conversion that I did. You can get a kit, includes the shank, faucet and other things you need to do a clean conversion. http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/conversion-kits.shtml Good luck!
I have a couple of Johnson A419 controllers that work great for fermentation temp control and would also work for a keezer/kegerator. If you're looking for something 'flush mounted,' I also use a Love 'TS' controller for my serving keezer that has performed flawlessly.
Thanks for the info fellas. I guess what I'm going to have is a keezer. I'll have room to store beers in there as well, so that will be nice. Being a stand up freezer, are there any tips on making it the most useful, or easiest way? Looking at atleast 2-3 taps on it I think.
are the shelves removable or fixed? Many stand up freezers have the cooling lines running through fixed shelves. if this is the case, you will find it difficult to stand a keg up.
Removeable wire shelves. It's perfect. It's huge too. Nothing running through the door as well, so I figure that works out best as well. Deciding if it's better to just go with a 2 tap set up first, and expand to 3, or if it's more cost effective to get it all together and go from there.. I'd probably only do 1 keg and see how it goes, consumption wise as well, and move to 2 later. Also getting into home brew, so I might start kegging so I don't have to fill bottles. I figure if I can't drink it all in a reasonable time, I've got co workers who would gladly pay donate a few bucks for a growler fill. Thanks for the links guys.. Any places for the thermostats/ temp controllers? Better ones to look for it? Not trying to break the bank, but something decent. Any of those kits on the bev factory site recommended? I really have no idea whats quality enough to last a while, and ones that are over priced and not really worth it.
if you think you might want to have three kegs sometime in the future, you should consider installing all the equipment now. yeah, it will cost more but if you are going to be drilling, plumbing and mounting hardware it probably makes more sense to do it now. i don't think anyone around here has ever regretted having too many handles. i have a Johnson controller and a BrewTek controller. expect to pay about $70 for an electronic temp controller. the Johnson is popular, but they are all basically the same thing. you can spend about $50 i think for an analog controller now, but go with the digital as they allow more control. i advise people stay away from cut rate hardware especially with faucets. you can find a faucet for $18 or you can spend $50, or even more. stainless is nice but not required. it does depend on your budget. remember that everytime you pull a beer, you are handling the equipment. if it feels light and the chrome is plastic you will regret saving $20 every time, until the thing finally breaks. usually stuck open with a full keg. then you will buy a micromatic or a perlick and it will be right. look at the perlick "Perl 525" faucet as a starting point. alot of people around here love these and they are a benchark of quality. a middle of the road regulator will work fine. no need for the "pro" model. cheap regulators are known to show the wrong pressure on occasion. quality regulators can be serviced with parts if needed. you want the thing to last forever without any second thoughts. the coupler is going to be standard, as something like 90% of them are made by the same company. now would be a good time to browse micromatics website to learn about your options. they are sometimes not the least expensive, but you can design whatever you can imagine and source the parts. good tutorials there as well. Cheers.
I am looking getting a kit from micromatic. Is it ok to get the chrome/brass faucet from them? I am looking at the kit which includes the gas bottle, dual guage, hoses, faucet, shank, and drip tray (for $184.95).
