Home Keg/draught system, should I?

Penguinfan

Penguinfan

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Been kicking this idea around for a while now for a few reasons, chief among them is I always seem to run out of beer when the distributor is closed (no beer in convienence stores here yet).

I think it would be cheaper to buy it by the half keg and draught beer tastes better anyway.

Any of you guys have one? Can I do it myslef with a fridge conversion kit or should I buy one of the pre-assembled ones on the market. Doing it myself costs about half as much, but if it doesn't work well then screw it.

Besides, I really want to be able to use one of these stickers:

ef0b_1.JPG
 
MadJack

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tell your wife you're getting this one

tell your wife you're getting this one

large_61hk.jpg


:00hour
 
Penguinfan

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How long does a half keg stay fresh for after it's tapped? From what I have read a half keg is about 7 cases (is this right?). I'm the only one here who drinks beer and I go through about a case a week, give or take.

I wonder if it will stay fresh for two months? Probably not.
 
Morris

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As long as it is cold and pressurized it should stay fresh for a long time. In the summer we go thru a lot of beer so it's never a problem for us.
 
MadJack

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i think a half keg is 16 gallons times 128 ounces divided by 12 ounces divided by 24 equals 7.1 cases.

i read over 3 months + just as good as day 1. have to keep the tubes cleaned every 3 weeks for best results.
 
Penguinfan

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MadJack said:
have to keep the tubes cleaned every 3 weeks for best results.
Click to expand...

My wife seems to think this is the rule as well :com:


According to the web-site they have them in stock at my local Sams.

Morris, hows the conversion kit working out for you? I can get a fridge for nothing and the kits seem to be about $200. Doesn't look all that labor intensive.
 
MadJack

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Make sure that a draft keg will fit inside your fridge or freezer.
A standard straight sided 1/2 barrel keg measures 27" tall by 17" wide and a standard straight sided 1/4 barrel keg (pony keg) measures 19" tall by 17" wide. Plus you need to add 5" to the keg height to allow for the keg coupler. Also, many refrigerators have a sloped bottom. If you have one of these then you will need to build a small platform for the keg & you need to factor in the platform height when measuring for the keg. Most chest freezers have a step in the corner that covers the compressor & I've lost count of customers who bought a freezer to convert into a kegerator only to find out that they are 1" or less too small and the keg won't quite fit past the compressor step. Carry along a 17.5" wide cardboard disk & a tape measure when shopping for a freezer and you can't go wrong. You'll know that you have the correct freezer when the cardboard disk fits past the compressor step and the inside height measures 32" tall for a full 1/2 barrel keg or 24" tall for a pony keg.

Make sure that you can load & unload your kegerator.
Remember, a fill pony keg weighs 82 pounds, a full 1/2 barrel keg weighs 160 pounds and you need to consider weights when converting a fridge or freezer into a kegerator. You, or hopefully you and a helper, will have to load kegs into your kegerator and its very difficult for even 2 people to load a full keg down into a converted freezer. Because of weight, most who convert a freezer choose to use pony kegs.
 
Morris

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penguinfan said:
My wife seems to think this is the rule as well :com:


According to the web-site they have them in stock at my local Sams.

Morris, hows the conversion kit working out for you? I can get a fridge for nothing and the kits seem to be about $200. Doesn't look all that labor intensive.
Click to expand...

I had the fridge down in the basement so I just drilled a hole in the door. I had a CO2 bottle and picked up the regulator and spout at the local dealer. Just added the tubes and was in business. My whole set up was less than $100 bucks if I remember. The bottle costs about $10 bucks to get filled.
 
B

boilermaker

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Had to get rid of the damn thing, draft beer gives me the worse headache hangovers now.[/QUOTE]

Agree CG. I always feel like shit after I drink alot of draft beer. Budweiser in bottle or can for me.:00hour
 
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