Need Kegerator advice

having not worked with this unit, i will provide an opinion based on my experiences with many similar units.

you can't fit a half barrel plus anything into that unit. so you can have a half barrel (15.5g), or one quarter or two sixtels. choose one configuration. this is a common size, so consider your two faucet requirement if you want a full half barrel.

mostly plastic. the s/s door finish is more than likely a faux stainless veneer. not a sin, but not exactly premium either. the tower is, in all likelihood, very cheap. chrome? silver on plastic if i have to guess. Perlicks- yes!

most importantly, no tower fan. deal breaker.

i'm also not too impressed with the cheesy plastic drip tray. this all is leading to a kegerator that is built around an attractive price point. if you are looking for "solid, quality, non hassle, and one I can trust to pour a wonderful beer" keep looking. good news is that with only a little more money you can get a solid unit. yes kegerators require a bit of a commitment in terms of price, but you get what you pay for. save a hundred today, pour lousy, foamy headaches for years. or spend $1,000 and get the unit you can give to your grandkids. literally.

if you go with this unit you must get a tower fan. the rest you can live with.
Cheers.

 

My wife purchased this model from Beverage Factory in December. I upgraded the tower and regulator. Running the shorter beer line and both taps pour fantastic each time. Can fit two sixtels or one sixtel and one quarter slim. Great unit for the price.

 

On Beverage Factory website, the unit is sold with all components but there is option to upgrade tower, couplers, regulator, etc. Think my cooled tower was an additional $60.

 

Link?

I do not have extensive knowledge of draft beer equipment; just happen to own the unit you originally considered for purchase. I will let a more knowledgeable BA help you with other details/models. Good luck.

 

If you order from beverage factory, then call them and do it. They took about $300 off what I would have spent on their online store. I called with a list of everything I wanted, but told them I didn't want to go over X amount, and they brought the price down to that amount. They also gave me some stuff basically free.

 

I specified that unit with the upgrades, it came out to $520. so a $70 reduction from new is not a bargain in my estimation.

if you do decide to buy used, be sure to have the seller chill a bucket of water to 38 degrees before you arrive. if the unit does not hold at least 38 degrees, not 39 or 40 but 38, then you are buying a headache. if you have negotiating skills maybe you can bring it down a bit from $450.
Cheers.

 

A keezer is definitely the best option if you have the space and a bit of skill. There is a big drawback to a keezer though. A half barrel weighs about 160 pounds full. Hoisting a full keg into the chest is not easily done. It is possible but not easy. Even with two people this is an difficult and awkward task. Sixtels and quarters are relatively light by comparison.

You can also build a kegerator from a spare fridge so you install kegs from the front. Building a kegerator or keezer is really not difficult. A lot of us have done it, some more than a few times.

You may want to explore restaurant supply stores as well as Craigslist. A very good unit in the Beverage Air BM 23. A pro model but rock solid. Another pro brand is True. Some quality brands, less common are Turbo Air and Marvel. There are others; regulars around here have favorites. Bars and restaraunts are always closing so there are usually used appliances out there. A new pro kegerator can cost $1200 to $1700 easy. You should be able to find something for $1,000 if you look hard enough.
Cheers.

 

Has the compressor turned off yet? There is no reason to go below 35 unless you are actually trying to burn something out. Also air temp isn't that reliable, you want to check the temp of a 5 gallon bucket of water.

 

That's exactly what it is supposed to be doing. Air temp. is how the thermostat knows when to turn on and off the unit. The key is that it fluctuates. Air is much more volatile than liquid - its rate of heat transfer is much faster. That's why you need to invest the big bucks and try a bucket of water in there.

 

Not a COS, just not the target you're looking for. All refrigerator units operate at full speed when running. I have my keezer set to regulate the air temp between 35 to 43, but when it cuts on the output temp is maximum (minus 20'ish).

As @DougC123 mentioned, this is normal and is exactly how your kitchen fridge works. You don't notice the milk changing temps as the air temp changes because liquid temps move very slowly. The only way to know if a kegerator is up to the task is to measure the temp of a large bucket of water (it will take at least overnight to equalize). Go ahead and get a decent submersible thermometer (and calibrate it) because you will need that later to balance your system (search this Forum for "Balancing"). Many BMC drinkers want a temp below 38, but you get the one and only vote on here.

 

With a dial setting at 5 (if it goes from 1 to 10) and the air temp range you listed is correct, I'd say that unit is running quite nice. However with the stuff your drinking, I would think you'd want to target 38 degrees (beer/water temp; not air). Many of the "Specialty" beers are supposedly better tasting at warmer temps (Not for me; 37-38 degrees is what mine is always at).
I used both types of temperature monitoring to ensure setup was going to balance out properly while checking the health/cycle of the compressor. You also need to check and see how long the compressor runs on average. You don't want it to run for 10 hours to reach the low temp region. Others here would know how long a cycle should be; I forgot.

So a good high/low temp gauge placed inside unit along with cycle time gives great info on the health of the system. I left this kind of temp gauge in for several hours, then reset it very quickly to get more accurate high temp.

Many check temp of water- this helps when buying if no beer is tapped. I'd rather check actual beer temp (which has a specific process as well).