Kegerator question

To get this ready for New Years is a daunting task . . . that's only 96 hours away. If this is your first time kegging you will probably still be troubleshooting gas leaks on New Years Day. The key to pouring good draft beer is balancing the carb level of the beer, temp, pressure, and beer line length. Once you load a keg I would give it 24-48 hours to stabilize temperature. Only when temp is stable will you know what pressure to set. Then pressure determines the length of the beer line and commonly this involves some trail and error. Only when this is all properly balanced will you get a good pour.

I would not use home depot lines for my beer. Don't know if they will make anyone sick, but I would not treat my guests that way. If you live in a large city and can find a Homebrew Supply Store they should have the proper beer lines . . . that would be my focus.

I really don't want this to be a negative reply, but I don't see you pulling this off with the time remaining. Consider buying some really good bottled beer and give out invitations to a "Keg Khristening" for the Super Bowl.

 

Having the keg cold helps, but what you really need from the supplier is the "carbonation level" (expressed in volumes of CO2). Your supplier should have this info . . . if they stammer and stutter and say something like "set 11 psi" then ditch them and call the brewery or do a Google search. You probably know what temp you want your beer, but you have to determine what the kegerator is capable of producing. Ignore the air temp inside the unit, you want to measure actual beer temp. To make a simple 1-2º temp change takes a long time (think overnight) because you have 15+ gallons of liquid. I have no experience with the TDD1, will let others give their experiences.

Once you get carb level and temp sorted out you now compute your pressure:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Once you have your pressure you cut your beer line to match. Yep, if you serve a stout versus a hefeweizen you will have different length of lines:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

The steps above are what is referred to as "balancing your system". I'm pretty sure you just want a good beer and I'm throwing charts and formulas at you . . . but I don't know another way. It took me a couple of weeks to sort it all out. Yes you can just hook it up and pour, but results will be spotty at best. Maybe if everyone is drinking Boilermakers they won't notice any flaws.

To clean old lines you need a product like Beer Line Cleaner, available from Homebrew Suppliers or Amazon.

 

Your plan to bring a thermometer won't tell you much other than it can cool a small volume of air. You should have the seller put a 5 gallon bucket of water in it and set the dial between half and three quarters. It should get that bucket to 40 or less at a setting like that. Dialing in is dialing in. A lesser kegerator needs a few tweaks before dialing in can start, but after that it is all the same.

What beer will you be serving?

 

Good idea replacing the beer lines on a used unit that's been out of service for a little while. You should also take apart the faucet and give it a good cleaning/scrubbing as well.

The 1st keg I got was a 1/6 because I didn't want to waste the beer for having it too long and it going bad/flat. That keg was empty in less then 6 days; been buying 1/2 kegs ever since.

I assume you already know what keg coupler to use?

That Ancient City Red Ale looks pretty good. I'm getting a 1/2 keg of Sam Adams Winter Lager on Monday for the New Years Eve party. Good luck and Happy New Years!!

 

This is what most people ask and it is the wrong question. Go back and re-read my second post . . . you want to ask the brewer the carbonation level of the beer. The answer will be something like 2.5 volumes. Tell them thanks, then go home and measure your beer temp, that's what determines the pressure. Not understanding the carbonation chart and the relationship between carb level, temp, and pressure is what dooms a lot of home keggers.

 

If you do replace the lines (from whatever source), it's the ID you need to match, not the OD.

 

That sucks...I think some Sanyos are better than others. Some are a Summit unit, some are lower end crap.Model number or pics?You should also modify with a circulation fan totherwise coldair just rolls off coil to bottom of unit.

 

ok , thats the better version..That one is the same as a summit

 

It is not.

 

How much are you looking to spend? I've been very happy with this:

http://beermeisters.com/product/dual-tower-with-stainless-door-value-line

and they have homebrew options too.

 

Temperature is a matter of preference, but if that unit only goes to 46 you will not be happy. 38 is the typical serving temp, anything lower and you start to desensitize your taste buds and lose flavor. Some beers benefit from being a little warmer as it allows the flavors to really come through. You can always pour a cold beer and have it warm up, very hard to go the other direction.