Need Kegerator advice

That's reasonable.

 

Have you calibrated or checked the thermometer? To do this fill a glass with crushed ice and water and let it stand for a few minutes. Give it a swirl and put the thermometer in, but don't touch the glass. It should read 32.

 

There are thermometers and there are thermometers . . . as homebrewers we live and die with 1 or 2 degree errors. My guess is you have something cheap (flame away if I'm incorrect). I also recommended: get a decent submersible thermometer (and calibrate it) . . . to calibrate a thermo, dunk in in an ice slurry. That's a container completely full of ice (top to bottom) and it should read very close to 32. Once you know your error you can measure the liquid temp with some certainty.

This step will become even more important once you get a keg of beer. To look ahead, search this Forum for "balancing", "foam", or "help" to see how to set your temp/press/line-length.

EDIT: or do what Doug says . . .

 

A few gallons? Probably over night.

 

It is all personal preference, but the majority of people will tell you 38 is the proper temp for serving and so yes, you are. Let's get this party started and move on to foam issues. That's what comes next. Just to head off some of those problems, you need to make sure all the hardware has been completely cleaned with a product made for cleaning beer lines, dish soap won't cut it. The coupler and faucet need to be disassembled and scrubbed well. You probably want to get new beer line, it is cheap enough and should be changed every now and then anyway. Also read up on beer system balancing, which is basically a method of using the beer temp and the volumes of CO2 (or v/v) for the particular beer to determine what pressure to set your regulator at. There are other factors some consider like elevation and line restriction, but you can get pretty close with just temp and v/v.

 

Good deal. Foam is next on your list. Don't get down, it seems daunting at first, but there are lots of people here who can help you though it. What is the first beer so we can get ready with the v/v?

 

Not sure on how they date their kegs, but without sounding like a BA dick, it will not matter for Miller Lite because it can't possibly lose any flavor since it had next to none to start. Again, not being a dick, that's the way it is. If it were an IPA then you would have to think twice before getting 15.5 gallons. Another lesson....check the dates before you buy. All of the beers I've bought in kegs show a packaged date, not a best before date.

Did you disassemble the faucet? You should if you haven't, and one place that a lot of people miss that can cause foam is the little vent hole under the neck - use a pin to make sure it is open.

 

How long is your trip from the store? I can't imagine it warmed up all that much. Did you pull the pressure relief on the coupler after you tapped it and before you turned the CO2 on? Sitting will help the keg acclimate but generally you can tap and go right away with just a touch of foam. Is there a tower cooler on this thing (forced air going up into the tower)? If not, your first beer was warmed because it was going through a warm tower.

 

Don't keep opening the door. Let it sit