For those of you with converted fridge kegerators...

Is it worth it? I currently have a 2 tap converted chest freezer but am probably buying a house and will end up with an old refrigerator I'm going to replace. I'm considering turning it into a kegerator. I like the idea of being able to just open the door and futz around inside (less lifting that with the chest freezers) and the fact that all the lines will be chilled minus an inch or so. Also, I thought I could use the freezer part for my hops. It seems like most people prefer the chest freezers. Anyone have opinions? Feel free to post pics of your own fridge conversions.

I just went from a fridge/ freezer to a converted chest freezer this week. My hope is to get all my kegs inside carb'n and cooled!





Old kegerator! 4 kegs fit inside and 5 outside



New keezer. Tap on the right will dispense pop for the kids. I'm thinking possible 8-9 kegs should fit inside.

I went with a fridge because it came with the house. What people have done to chest freezers is a work of art. You really don't see a nice looking fridge, unless it's vintage refridgerator. I also happen to have a vintage fridge, but everytime I think about selling my current kegerator and building a new one, I remember all the hops and fruit I have stored in the freezer. I have never really checked, but I assume it's cheaper to run one fridge/freezer than one fridge and one freezer.

The only other knock on the fridge/freezer is that it is difficult to use large tap handles.
1. Opening the freezer door can open all the taps.
2. Some taps do not have enough room to close, so you need to use an adapter to angle them or have the facuets stick out further.
3. If the tap handle is heavy, the faucets can open and close when you open the door (This might be more of with my Perlick 525 + my woodchuck handle).

So I have small handles on my kegerator and the tap handles displayed elsewhere. Those yeast vial ones look pretty sweet, so you could go with them.

fwiw, for the large tap handle problem on a top-freezer fridge, you can make an "interlock" that would prevent the freezer door opening without opening the fridge door. A small angle bracket attached to the bottom edge of the freezer door that catches the inside/top of the fridge door will do it...

Cheers!

More pics..

What's the most kegs that can fit in a standard fridge? 4? (I know they're all different sizes just a ballpark)

bwomp313 said:

what's the most kegs that can fit in a standard fridge? 4? (i know they're all different sizes just a ballpark)

Click to expand...

4

I used my old fridge because it was already being used as a beer fridge/hop freezer. I just had to buy the keg coupler and other related serving stuff since I already had CO2 and regulator. I mounted my tap in the side of the fridge to avoid the opening of the door issues. Plus I still have full use of my shelves for bottles. My tank is outside because it's a 20lb and well it wont fit. I might be getting another tap soon because I get 2 free sixtels or 3 cases each month. With a second tap I can have two serving with one in waiting plus plenty of bottles.

bwomp313 said:

What's the most kegs that can fit in a standard fridge? 4? (I know they're all different sizes just a ballpark)

Click to expand...

I can get 5 in mine. There are only 4 in the pictures but 1 more fits in the middle.

It is a tight fit, but I can fit 5 kegs in mine, with the co2 outside.

.

bwomp313 said:

Is it worth it? I currently have a 2 tap converted chest freezer but am probably buying a house and will end up with an old refrigerator I'm going to replace. I'm considering turning it into a kegerator. I like the idea of being able to just open the door and futz around inside (less lifting that with the chest freezers) and the fact that all the lines will be chilled minus an inch or so. Also, I thought I could use the freezer part for my hops. It seems like most people prefer the chest freezers. Anyone have opinions? Feel free to post pics of your own fridge conversions.

Click to expand...

I prefer a fridge. Cheaper kegs (pin locks fit better), usable freezer, less floor space, built in defrost, uniform cooling, less lifting, easier access, way cheaper than a keezer, built in light

Mine fits 6, currently have 5 taps.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bhm99gy9tl4t44f/2012-09-15 10.29.48.jpg

I use both, the fridge is in the garage and the top freezer holds hops. It uses $7/month electric.

The garage freezes in the winter and I don't brew so the ferm chamber chest freezer gets used to hold kegs inside. $2/month electric? I haven't checked this running as a fridge yet.

SpottedDogBrewing said:

More pics..

Click to expand...

Where ever did you get the lights? Those are killer! Ohh and 7 beers on tap! Where is my invite? I'll bring BBQ!

Cheers
Jay

I went with a frig mainly because we redid our kitchen and got new appliances, so I had the old one available. I have a chest freezer that I use as a fermentation chamber. I currently have two taps on the kegerator and it will fit three kegs, my 5# co2 tank and dual regulator. I could fit another keg in the frig but didn't want to drill a hole in it and keep the co2 tank outside. This setup works well for me because I can have two beers on tap and one keg conditioning so its always ready to go. The other nice aspect of the frig is I can store bottles in the door convienently and hops and food in the freezer section.

I think the main question to answer when choosing between a frig and keezer is how many beers do you want on tap at the same time? Then the other question might be where are you planning on putting it? If you have a basement then the frig setup is cool... But if this is going in a living area the keezer might be better since you can usually make it look nicer then a standard kegerator.

kman6234 said:

I went with a frig mainly because we redid our kitchen and got new appliances, so I had the old one available. I have a chest freezer that I use as a fermentation chamber. I currently have two taps on the kegerator and it will fit three kegs, my 5# co2 tank and dual regulator. I could fit another keg in the frig but didn't want to drill a hole in it and keep the co2 tank outside. This setup works well for me because I can have two beers on tap and one keg conditioning so its always ready to go. The other nice aspect of the frig is I can store bottles in the door convienently and hops and food in the freezer section.

I think the main question to answer when choosing between a frig and keezer is how many beers do you want on tap at the same time? Then the other question might be where are you planning on putting it? If you have a basement then the frig setup is cool... But if this is going in a living area the keezer might be better since you can usually make it look nicer then a standard kegerator.

Click to expand...

That's a good question to ask. For me, floor space in the garage is a premium, and I don't care about looks. However, if it had to go in my family room, I would make a nice looking keezer.