Serving Fridges and Kegerators
A serving fridge or kegerator is a residential beer dispensing device. A keg is stored in a refrigerated container in order to keep the keg chilled. You can keep a keg in a kegerator for extended periods of time, usually a couple of months, without losing any quality in the taste of the beer. A kegerator may be bought in its finished form or built from a re-purposed refrigerator or freezer. The gas bottle can be either inside or outside the the kegerator.
Contents
Converting A Fridge
- Find a fridge which will fit the required number of kegs (and the gas bottle with regulator if you don't want the gas bottle on the outside).
- Drill tap holes in the door and fit the taps.
- Fit a drip tray under the taps.
- If the gas bottle is to be kept outside the fridge, drill a hole in the side for the gas line to pass through.
- Put your full keg(s) inside, connect it all up, and enjoy a cold beer!
Converting A Chest Freezer With Taps At The Front
The conversion can be done without making any permanent modifications to the freezer, meaning it can be converted back to an undamaged freezer at a later date.
- Find a chest freezer which will fit the required number of kegs (and the gas bottle with regulator if you don't want the gas bottle on the outside). Don't worry if the freezer is not quite tall enough for a keg, we'll fix that soon. Do take note of the "hump" inside the freezer at the bottom, usually to one side.
- Unscrew the lid of the freezer.
- Make a wooden "collar" (rectangular frame) which will sit on top of the freezer sides to extend the sides upwards. Make the collar tall enough that your kegs (and the gas bottle with regulator if you don't want the gas bottle on the outside) will fit once the lid is back on. Paint the collar with white appliance paint.
- Screw the freezer lid onto the collar.
- Drill tap holes in the collar and fit the taps.
- Fit a drip tray under the taps (the drip tray can be hung from the collar to avoid drilling holes in the freezer).
- Install a digital thermostat to keep the beer at the desired temperature (the thermostat can be mounted in the collar to avoid drilling holes in the freezer).
- Some people fit castors so the kegerator can be wheeled around easily.
- If the gas bottle is to be kept outside the freezer, drill a hole in the side of the collar for the gas line to pass through.
- Put your full keg(s) inside, connect it all up, and enjoy a cold beer!
Some people have experienced problems with air layering in chest freezers: cold air settles at the bottom with warm air in the top half. You can install a small fan inside the chest freezer to mix the air to maintain an even temperature throughout (a small computer fan will do the job and doesn't use much power).
Converting A Chest Freezer With Font On Top
Similar to a chest freezer with taps at the front (see above), but if you can find a freezer tall enough to fit kegs inside you won't need a collar. You do need to drill the hole for the font in the lid of the freezer, which is a permanent modification.
External links
- Kegerator Social Network Kegerator pictures, profiles, videos, groups, and events.
- How to build a kegerator instructions for download. (PDF)
- Step-by-Step Guide on Building a Kegerator.:Includes images and tips on avoiding mistakes.
- Chest Freezer Kegerator: Includes images, Cost Benefit Analysis and other information.
- DIY directions: Includes examples of materials as well as pictures and diagrams.
- The History of the Kegerator A 10-part series of articles discussing the rise of cold beer drinking and the kegerator.
- Keg Dimensions & Kegerator Plans Complete DIY Kegerator Instructions.
- DIY Kegerator Project Includes detailed costs, research, and lessons learned.
- Art of Kegerator Maintenance
- How to Construct a Kegerator Home Kegerator plans with photos.
- Kegerator Troubleshooting Kegerator Troubleshooting - Solve beer foaming and other issues.
- Build a Beer Tower Cooler Build a Beer Tower Cooler to keep your beer tower ice cold and prevent foaming.
- Energy Efficient Refridgeration Describes a serving fridge that requires about 0.1 kWh per day to operate.