Outdoor kegerator

[DFP51]

Hello. As the weather warms up here in Ohio and the empty bottles pile up in the basement my thoughts turn to putting a kegerator on my back deck. Ideally, I would like a two tap kegerator that is weatherproofed enough that I could leave it on the deck in the elements for the summer and then wheel it into the garage or even the basement for the winter. Realistically, we don't drink too much beer in the winter, so I doubt I will need it functional from November to April or so. I have tried searching through this forum and the kegging/bottling forum on the assumption that others have done something similar but can't find any information. Can anyone point me in the right direction or give me some ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Ramitt]

Hello. As the weather warms up here in Ohio and the empty bottles pile up in the basement my thoughts turn to putting a kegerator on my back deck. Ideally, I would like a two tap kegerator that is weatherproofed enough that I could leave it on the deck in the elements for the summer and then wheel it into the garage or even the basement for the winter. Realistically, we don't drink too much beer in the winter, so I doubt I will need it functional from November to April or so. I have tried searching through this forum and the kegging/bottling forum on the assumption that others have done something similar but can't find any information. Can anyone point me in the right direction or give me some ideas? Thanks in advance.

All the commercial outdoor kegerators i see are pricey and don't have integrated protection of the taps. Not sure how weather proof a small chest freezer is, or how hard it would be to weather proof, but one using picnic taps and a locking door would seem ideal as is.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

If you're going to put in on wheels, why not just leave it inside most of the time? When you want to chill on the deck just wheel it out. It'll use less electricity that way and you won't have to worry about security. I can just picture the neghborhood kids dropping by after you leave for work and filling up a couple two liter bottles. You could lock the fridge and get locking taps I guess. If it was me, I would just leave it inside. Put it close to the doorway leading out to the deck and call it good.

Just out of curiosity, why don't you drink beer in the winter? That's just crazy talk.....

 

[Monster Mash]

I would go the a 5 cu ft chest freezer and build a cart for it.

 

[DFP51]

If you're going to put in on wheels, why not just leave it inside most of the time? When you want to chill on the deck just wheel it out. It'll use less electricity that way and you won't have to worry about security. I can just picture the neghborhood kids dropping by after you leave for work and filling up a couple two liter bottles. You could lock the fridge and get locking taps I guess. If it was me, I would just leave it inside. Put it close to the doorway leading out to the deck and call it good.

Just out of curiosity, why don't you drink beer in the winter? That's just crazy talk.....

I drink beer in the winter, just not as much. Winter is for bourbon .

I agree that rolling it in and out is the easiest solution, there is even a place fora kegerator right by the sliding door onto the patio. Just not sure I want a kegerator five feet from my kitchen table. At some point, when the kids leave, I plan on turning the downstairs game room into a movie room/bar. Until then though, I don't really have a dedicated place to put some taps that wouldn't look out of place.

 

[TwoRiders]

Why not run tap lines into your basement into a kegerator.

then put an outside lockable cable box over it.
SURPRISE BEER!

during the winter simply drain the lines disconnect it and lock it up.

 

[DFP51]

Why not run tap lines into your basement into a kegerator.

then put an outside lockable cable box over it.
SURPRISE BEER!

during the winter simply drain the lines disconnect it and lock it up.

Now that sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

 

[passedpawn]

I keep a 4-tap keezer on my back patio year-round. No problem here. I put plugs in my taps when I'm not using the taps. It's a covered patio, but still subject to the heat and humidity and small insects, etc.

I gave it a nice Rustoleum primer and painting, even though I bought it new. I also went with SS Perlicks.

If I can do this in hot muggy Florida, you can do it in Ohio. Don't know about the freezes though. I don't know how the compressor and its lubricants deal with extreme cold.

 

[passedpawn]

Why not run tap lines into your basement into a kegerator.

then put an outside lockable cable box over it.
SURPRISE BEER!

during the winter simply drain the lines disconnect it and lock it up.

You will probably need to run a glycol chill loop in insulated foam to make that work. Micromatic makes stuff just for this.

 

[TwoRiders]

http://www.summitsource.com/eagle-e...7.html?ref=1&gclid=CNX79fDG2bcCFYuk4AodVCoAWg

5 bucks for an outside "cable box" with a lock.

Make sure to run the glycol chill like Passed said and no need to cart anything around or carry heavy kegs in and out of the house.

Plus it makes a great base for the outdoor bar/kitchen area.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Why not run tap lines into your basement into a kegerator.

then put an outside lockable cable box over it.
SURPRISE BEER!

during the winter simply drain the lines disconnect it and lock it up.

And a sheet of something insulation to cover it and help keep the house toasty.

 

[DFP51]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I really like the running the taps through the wall from the basement, if for no other reason than it just sounds cool. One other question. Do I run in to practical line length issues with such a setup? Just eyeballing it, I don't think the lines would have to travel more than fifteen/twenty feet, but don't know the practical limits to such runs.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Well with long lines you will have a slow pour unless you push it at a higher pressure. Doing so you may want to consider beer gas as it will not overcarbonate your brew over time. I do not have a long run or glycol system to keep things cool so this is just hersay and conjecture until someone more knowedgable than myself confirms or disconfirms.

 

[knuckleheadbrewing]

before you run beer line sthrough your walls, make sure you can insulate them....especially if you have 15-20 feet of beer line...The first pour from it will be hot (beer trapt in line not in fridge)

 

[passedpawn]

before you run beer line sthrough your walls, make sure you can insulate them....especially if you have 15-20 feet of beer line...The first pour from it will be hot (beer trapt in line not in fridge)

Micromatic insulated line. I mentioned it before in this thread. Two tubes for the glycol loop, then the rest beer. Here's a pic of a 5-product line.

 

[gstrawn]

If you don't want to drop the bucks on glycol (which is likely the superior option) I remember seeing a thread with a guy running taps from his basement to living room. Instead of glycol he used a hypertonic saline solution in a bucket he had sitting in his freezer (it was a traditional fridge with a freezer on top. This allowed his coolant, which was the salt water, the stay as cold as possible and he recirculated it with a pond pump from lowes. It's no glycol but it is a cheaper option maybe worth trying before investing in the real deal

 

[Stealthcruiser]

If you don't want to drop the bucks on glycol (which is likely the superior option) I remember seeing a thread with a guy running taps from his basement to living room. Instead of glycol he used a hypertonic saline solution in a bucket he had sitting in his freezer (it was a traditional fridge with a freezer on top. This allowed his coolant, which was the salt water, the stay as cold as possible and he recirculated it with a pond pump from lowes. It's no glycol but it is a cheaper option maybe worth trying before investing in the real deal

gstrawn.............Any relation to Strawn Brewing Company in Fairburn, Ga.?

 

[gstrawn]

gstrawn.............Any relation to Strawn Brewing Company in Fairburn, Ga.?

Hahah that's funny you ask. I'm from Ga, and my last name is strawn. No idea who those guys are but they stole my name! I got my dad one of their keychains for his b-day. I've been looking for a chance to go meet those guys.