Wanting to add a tapper to an existing bar

[Imlon2]

Hi everyone,

Needing a little up and suggestion from fellow DIY'ers.

A few years ago I built a bar in my basement. At that time adding a tapper/kegerator never really crossed my mind, but luckily have a great place to install a fridge. (So I believe)

When looking at the pictures below there are 2 silver remotes on the top of my bar. These are the two location I can add a tapper pretty easily from under the bar. I'm not sure which one would work beat or if it even matters where.

What all do I need? Where is a good place to buy supplies. I have only found directions for adding tappers to an actual fridge.

I would like to have 3 or 4 dispensers and was also curious if any of the mini fridges can be converted to hold four 1/6 kegs? If so what size do I need to be looking for? To save space in the fridge I can put the co2 tank on the outside of the fridge under the bar out of the way.

My plan would be to take out the shelf to the right of the sink to add the mini fridge




Any thoughts or suggestions??

Thanks in advance for your help!
Lonnie

 

[nosnhojm20]

You've got the space. That's the hardest part. Search for the thread that's got the keezer sizes would be my first suggestion. Then watch homebrew fines on Facebook, Twitter, etc. you can easily accomplish your goal.

 

[Hamaki]

I can fit four pin lock corny kegs in my largish mini fridge/kegerator...but just barely. You can probably find one that fits your needs. Unless you want to invest in a glycol system to keep the beer lines cool on any kind of run, wherever you put your kegerator the tower & faucets will need to be immediately above.

 

[Imlon2]

You've got the space. That's the hardest part. Search for the thread that's got the keezer sizes would be my first suggestion. Then watch homebrew fines on Facebook, Twitter, etc. you can easily accomplish your goal.

I have looked at a few different Keezer builds all of which are topping loading. I could be wrong but I feel that would be hard to load and unload since my bar top does not move. Is there any Keezer that are front loading?

I can fit four pin lock corny kegs in my largish mini fridge/kegerator...but just barely. You can probably find one that fits your needs. Unless you want to invest in a glycol system to keep the beer lines cool on any kind of run, wherever you put your kegerator the tower & faucets will need to be immediately above.

My thought on this would be to run 1.5" or 2" PVC pipe from the fridge to the beer tower, securing both ends with a 2" PVC Flange. Using only 45° angles (if possible) so the air can flow smoothly through out the pipe keeping the lines chilled. I would insulate the PVC pipe and run a small PC Fan in the fridge blowing into the PVC pipe.

 

[Hello]

That is a beautiful bar.

My initial impression is that you will definitely be stuck with a mini fridge. You can get a commercial style/size fridge that will hold 4 1/6 kegs but those are money. The budget being undefined but assumed, I don't think you want to spend that much. If you do, look at commercial options. Here's one on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-BACK-BAR...696?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e911631a0

To save yourself time and such either get something with the tap tower already built in (but can disassemble it). However, if you go with two mini fridges, which is what I'd do, I would be sure I know where to drill and hopefully not have to do much modification to the inside. Again, the easier way is to get two kegerators with a two tap tower on each. The importance is being able to remove the tower because you'll then need to build something that allows the lines to come through the bar and the towers to sit on the bar.

You'll need to cool the lines or have a way to keep them cool. Insulated well enough and the assumption that the fridges will be fairly close to the bottom of the bar top, you should be okay. Then you'll have to drill out the bar top and add the taps. 2 fridges, two tap towers with 2 taps each and you can make it so the towers are closer together. It's just about running the beer lines.

I highly recommend kegconnection.com for everything but the fridges. I would look locally.

 

[Spellman]

I was just about to say something about using a pvc pipe tunnel, which is what I would do. I'm not sure exactly what your dimensions are, but you may look into getting a straight up kegerator. They are a bit larger than a minifrige, and if they are large enough to fit a wide coors keg, they typically can store 3 ball locks at one time. You could remove the tower by unscrewing it and remounting it on the top of the bar. They make extensions that plop right on top of the tower to give 2 extra taps.

I think this is the one I have: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Danby-1-2-Keg-Beer-Dispenser-DKC5811BSL/203307435?N=5yc1vZc3o4
I was able to pick one up locally on craigslist for $200. To make sure it would fit the kegs I traced them on some cardboard and cut out the circles and brought them with me to see the kegerator.

For the tower: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/draft-tower-extension-1-to-3-faucet-conversion.html
This works great!

 

[Hamaki]

I have looked at a few different Keezer builds all of which are topping loading. I could be wrong but I feel that would be hard to load and unload since my bar top does not move. Is there any Keezer that are front loading?



My thought on this would be to run 1.5" or 2" PVC pipe from the fridge to the beer tower, securing both ends with a 2" PVC Flange. Using only 45° angles (if possible) so the air can flow smoothly through out the pipe keeping the lines chilled. I would insulate the PVC pipe and run a small PC Fan in the fridge blowing into the PVC pipe.

You could put a top opening chest keezer on casters to move in & out. With tower through the bar this would not be feasible unless you built a removable bar top section. Lotta work.

I don't think a fan is going to move much air in a 2 1/2 - 3" dead end pipe with 3 or 4 beer lines running through it. Using copper tubing as a sheath around the beer lines and extending into the keezer as a cold conductor has been reported on with some success. Otherwise you'll need to figure on the first few ounces out of the tap being a bit warm & foamy if it's been awhile since the last pull.