Got me a fridge

[Dustin_J]

So, I decided today that kegging is a necessity and I went out and bought a fridge. I was inspired by all the Sanyo 491X conversions I saw, and after looking around I found the Kenmore 4.9 fridge at Sears for $20 cheaper than the Sanyo model at Best Buy. I brewed a Kolsch yesterday and It will be the first to be kegged. Needless to say, life is good.

With that being said, has anybody dealt with thargrave on Ebay? I'm thinking of getting the kit listed below with the upgraded 2 pressure regulator. This seems like a reasonable deal, but I'm wondering if I could piece things together or find a better deal somewhere else? Any help would be appreciated.




(http://cgi.ebay.com/Twin-Tower-Kege...0QQihZ001QQcategoryZ38172QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

 

[Flyin' Lion]

First off I'll start by saying I don't yet have a kegerator or even started kegging yet, that being said from what I have read on here you want to make sure the kegs will fit in the fridge (does the kenmore have a freezer?). I've also heard good things about Tom Hargrave on Ebay and considered buying from him, but I have no personal experience. Good luck on what you do decide to get.

Also there is a guy selling kegs pretty cheap here:http://cgi.ebay.com/4-5-gallon-Corn...3QQihZ008QQcategoryZ67137QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He sells 2 or 4 and lists so many that you shouldn't get in any bidding wars (4 for $80 shipped and 2 for $45 shipped).

I grew up just down the road from you in Mason. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

First off I'll start by saying I don't yet have a kegerator or even started kegging yet, that being said from what I have read on here you want to make sure the kegs will fit in the fridge (does the kenmore have a freezer?). I've also heard good things about Tom Hargrave on Ebay and considered buying from him, but I have no personal experience. Good luck on what you do decide to get.

Also there is a guy selling kegs pretty cheap here:http://cgi.ebay.com/4-5-gallon-Corn...3QQihZ008QQcategoryZ67137QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He sells 2 or 4 and lists so many that you shouldn't get in any bidding wars (4 for $80 shipped and 2 for $45 shipped).

I grew up just down the road from you in Mason. Welcome to the forum.

Yeah I agree. I think the fridge is the last thing you should buy, not the first. If you're going with a mini-fridge that is. Then you take measurements of your setup, and take a tape measure to the store or yard sale or wherever you're looking at the fridge and make sure everything'll fit before you lug it home. I vaguely recall passing on the Kenmore because it was too small, but I could be remembering incorrectly. Just my .02. Also $330 dollars sounds kind of steep to me, but it's been awhile since I've put my system together. Cheers.

 

[Dustin_J]

Thanks for the advice about the kegs, that definately seems like a cheap way to go. The seller said the o-rings and poppits are brand new, too.

As for the refridgerator, it has no freezer and I'm 99.9% sure that it is the exact same thing as the Sanyo, just with a different name plate on it. I've seen websites where others have used it, so I don't think it'll be a problem. If so, I'm screwed beacuse I've already put a few new holes in it

 

[david_42]

You might be right, Sears has been selling Sanyo appliances for over 20 years.

 

[boldone]

I just bought a 2 keg setup from Hargrave and so far the communication has been great. He sent me an email confirming that he received my payment, however I was a bit upset that he stated in the email that there will be a delay in shipping my order. Something to do with his keg supplier. I feel he should have stated this problem on the ebay ad somewhere. I was really hoping to keg my IPA this weekend. Other than that his prices for the keg setups were the best I could find.

Coincidently, I have the Sanyo that I bought about a year ago, before I started home brewing. I may wait a while before drilling holes in it though. I will just use pony taps for now.

 

[anthrobe]

Sweet!! Glad to see that you are kegging now. I chose to go with a full fridge instead of the mini. I knew that I would be expanding. I purchased a used fridge (1 year old) from a classified listing in my area for $100. Then I purchased my Korneys from ebay from the seller dewdudemike

dewdudemike. He has great prices and was excellent to deal with. I have now purchased up to 4 kegs from him. I now have 3 taps on my fridge and am gearing up to install a stout tap here shortly.

 

[clayof2day]

I didn't buy from thargrave becuase I found a very similar deal locally (no shipping required) but I did correspond with him. His prices are very competitive and he seems like he runs a good business over there. I give him a thumbs up

 

[Dustin_J]

So, I checked around a bit and ran down a local welding supply place that'll give me a decent deal on a co2 cylinder and I bought 4 kegs from ebay on the suggestions provided here. Apparently, the kegs come with new o-rings and poppits and have been thoroughly cleaned and pressure tested...not bad for $20/keg.

If you can't tell, I'm starting to get really excited I just asked thargrave for a quote on a dual-pressure regulator and all of the hoses and fittings I would need. Now I just have to run down a good deal on a 2 faucet draft tower.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll let you know how things go getting the rests of the hardware.


(http://cgi.ebay.com/4-5-gallon-Corn...ryZ67137QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

 

[anthrobe]

I have a superior outlet store locally in which I get sweet deals on all types of kegging supplies. The discount store is even where my LHBS gets their equipement to sell to customers. Not sure if there is one around you or about ordering. Here is the link http://www.superprod.com

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Congratulations, I bought 2 kegs from the same guy after suggesting them. I don't see where they have new poppits just "cleaned and tested" so unless you know something I don't, try not to get your hopes up about the poppits (I think they run $8 a piece).

Edit: I've seen poppits on a couple of sites for $2.50

Any way it's still a nice score.

 

[Cheesefood]

I was surprised that everything worked so well on my kegs. The poppets hold pressure nicely.

Question: What size ratchet do I need for the I/O valves? I need to start getting my kegs cleaned and ready to be filled. My goodies should be arriving soon!

 

[Dustin_J]

Congratulations, I bought 2 kegs from the same guy after suggesting them. I don't see where they have new poppits just "cleaned and tested" so unless you know something I don't, try not to get your hopes up about the poppits (I think they run $8 a piece).

Any way it's still a nice score.

Well, I sent the person an email asking "What condition are the O-rings and poppits in on these kegs?" The response was simply "new". So, hopefully he's not BS-ing me.



Also, Anthrobe, thanks for the link. It looks like they have some good deals and it is pretty easy to order from them.

 

[Dustin_J]

doh, repeat post

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Well, I sent the person an email asking "What condition are the O-rings and poppits in on these kegs?" The response was simply "new". So, hopefully he's not BS-ing me.

Yeah, I always forget about emailing people, I hope they are new for both our sakes (we will find out pretty soon).

 

[CelticBlast]

Thanks for the welcome!!

 

[Ol' Grog]

Ratchets, 15/16ths. But, you need a really, deep socket if using ball locks. They won't work with pin locks, you need a "special" socket with deep groves. I use a 12 point box end and works very well.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Just got mine today before I left for work. I didn't get a chance to even open the box to see what condition they are in, but damn that is fast shipping.:rockin:

 

[Dustin_J]

Just got mine today before I left for work. I didn't get a chance to even open the box to see what condition they are in, but damn that is fast shipping.:rockin:

Outstanding, Maybe I'll have something to look forward to when I get home

 

[Dustin_J]

Got my 4 kegs today. There is a little glue on a few, but nothing too extensive. Also, 3 of the kegs don't really even have noticeable dents, just a few very small dings. One has a 1" "gash"/dent, but it's not too deep. I haven't opened them up to take a look yet, but I do know that they are all still holding pressure from the pressure test, which is a good sign. All in all, I think that 4 kegs fro $20 that are in this condition is a prety nice deal.

 

[Dustin_J]

I finally received all of the rest of my eqiupment for my kegerator today and got things up and running. I ordered most of the hardware on sale from beveragefactory.com and I'm pretty happy with the deal I got. I went to the local micro brewery and got 5 gal. of APA to break it in, but the true test will come in about 2 weeks when my homebrewed Kolsch and IPA are ready to tap. :rockin:

This project was a lot of fun, and I'd like to thank both the people who responded here and the forum in general for all of the information about how to properly set up a kegging system.