I'm starting the design/planning stages of getting my basement finished. Part of it will have a finished bar area. I currently have a small dual tap kegerator which will need to go to make room for more draft lines. My wife has already shot down the keezer idea because she wants the space to look rustic/professional/clean. It seems then my options are a larger commercial kegerator, like a True TDD, or to actually run draft lines from a refrigerated space to the bar. I'm thinking about 4-5 draft lines in total, all or mostly all sixtels of commercial stuff or Corny kegs for homebrew. Assuming money isn't an issue, what would be the best option and why?
your idea about running draft lines from a remote location to the faucets is one solution. but that is not a simple plumbing job. you can't do it right with typical kegerators as your cold space. those lines need to be kept cold and you also need to know how to calculate resistance, what size line to use, buy all the splicers, the proper blower and blower ducts... it gets to be a major project very quickly. a True or Beverage Air is great. those are loud and expensive. you can find used at a restaurant supply. some people are happy with them, but they are not designed for residential use. if you are in a bar/restaurant off hours you will be surprised how loud they hum. at they can dominate when the ceilings aren't 15' and surrounded by bar furniture. the solution is obvious. get divorced. ok, convince her that you can make the keezer look rustic. look, it isn't ever going to be some old tymie appliance but they didn't have kegerators way back. you can paint it though, use stained wood for the collar, brass faucets etc. you can make it look like it belongs if you work a bit. Cheers.
I'd put a keezer on the back side of a wall adjoining the bar if possible. Keezer is the best and cheapest way to get a bunch of beer on tap, with a short run you don't need glycol, just forced air.
If I went this route, this is more what I was thinking. There is a wall behind where I would put a bar which will basically be a large closet underneath the steps if I don't do anything with it. If I put a keezer in that space, the line lengths would be short, maybe even the same as a direct draw system. The only issue would be keeping the lines cold between the keezer and the faucet. Any ideas on the plumbing and insulation needed? PVC with styrofoam?
want to be a forced air draft installer? it will work. not my favorite job but here goes. if you can get some flexible duct that works very well. http://www.foxxequipment.com/products.php?cid=18&scat=292 is available at the home depot or lowes. flexible reinforced vinyl also works well, and it's a bit cheaper. PVC can work too. you must insulate the outside of the duct. buy 1/2" foam that is slightly larger ID then the pipe OD. slide the rubber foam over the piping. its like pushing a pig through a garden hose. but you'll get it. you can improvise the insulation if needed. just make sure you have it well insulated. run this in a circuit, air in one side and return to the kegerator on the other side. avoid a tube within a tube if at all possible. then you install a smallish squirrel cage blower. http://www.foxxequipment.com/parts.php?id=7849 do not get too big a blower though. finally, mount the blower. http://www.foxxequipment.com/parts.php?id=7868 install your vinyl choker through the blower mount and duct to the wall mount back bar. mount the dispenser. http://www.foxxequipment.com/parts.php?id=6159 and you need the collar kit http://www.foxxequipment.com/parts.php?id=7872 this is a two faucet. they look like this only with two faucets. there is some other nonsense to work with. you will have to buy retail. go to amazon. MicroMatic has it all retail too, but man that is expensive. figure about $500 for the whole rig. and that is not everything, just the stuff for a forced air system. Cheers. edit- one other thing. you need sufficient air flow around the compressor. a closed closet will get very hot and the compressor will burn out prematurely.
You can make your keezer a piece of furniture. If you're handy you can frame it out, essentially build a cabinet around it. Use some nice hardwoods and it will be as nice as a china cabinet or dining table . . . except it will have faucets. If carpentry isn't your skill, you can hire it out. I've used a local finish-carpenter who's work is equal to Ethan Allen. The man-cave approach is to make your keezer/bar the center of attention. The counter to this is to place this delightful piece of furniture as an accent piece rather than in the middle of the room. Place it in an alcove or to the side so it's not the first thing you see . . . function will remain the same, complexity is minimal, beer will taste just as good.
