The Dog House Keg Fridge

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The cheapest part of this hole adventure was buying the refrigerator.  Almost everything else has been a major pain in the ass.  I was only about 8 months behind schedule and a couple hundred bucks over budget, but hey!  It's homebrew.  So Relax.

For those folks planning to try this at home, below is the list of the majority of equipment that was involved in my creation.  I've included the kegs in the tally because you wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't bought kegs.  You could cut some corners here and there, especially by using fewer taps, using only single shank taps, and forgetting about a fancy drip tray.  But you better plan on spending at least $200.  And that's after finding and paying for the fridge.

Notes: 

• The list above is not complete, but it gives you a good idea of what you'll need to do a similar fridge. 
• Obviously not all the kegs fit in the fridge at once, but 6 of them will.  The rest are usually left in my ferment freezer (another project), which I use for aging.  I also have a 3-gallon corny for road use or experimentals.
• Instead of using the expensive double faucet shanks, I could have just drilled two more holes in the drip tray and saved $75.  But drilling stainless is a pain, especially when the hole is sized for a faucet shank.
• Strictly speaking, the Air Distributor is not necessary.  I bought it so I could have 2 separate CO2 zones.  You can save yourself $18 by replacing it with two t-connectors, just don't forget to get some extra hose clamps.
• I did the air connections the hard way.  I used lots of brass (barbs, t-bodies and nipples), instead of just using brass t-connectors.  I probably spent $40 on 14 pieces of brass.  I've listed plain t-connectors above.  You can find them at any Home Depot, Lowes, Ace or Tru-Valu hardware store. 
• Some check valves between the CO2 manifold and the kegs would be nice.  That could keep you from losing pressure in all kegs if one starts to leak.  It also would block beer from being blown into the whole CO2 system when you connect a full keg that has higher pressure than the system. 
  

Like I alluded to, some of this stuff can be a major pain in the ass.

• While I see a lot of faucets mounted in the door, I mounted mine in the side.  If you decide to do the same, be prepared to do some disassembly of the fridge to find out where all the wires and coolant lines run.  When I cut the outer wall, I would take time to poke around in the insulation looking for wires before cutting the rest of the way through.  Be patient.
• Since a 5-gallon keg full of beer weighs over 40 lbs (and you'll have several of them), you are pretty much forced into building some kind of platform that sits on the floor of the fridge to carry the weight.  I've yet to see a fridge that didn't have that partially sloped bottom to allow room for the compressor.  My tip here...  Get a 2x6 and some serious plywood.  A 2x6 properly trimmed and standing on edge puts a plywood shelf at about the perfect level for clearing the compressor hump.  I treated my shelf with a water sealant to help it last.
• For all holes, I used pieces of duct tape to line the holes and some silicone caulk to keep moisture from getting into the insulation.  It also slows down air leaks.
• When you buy the tap shanks (that's the part that goes thru the fridge wall), be sure they are long enough.  On the first pass, I ordered 3 inch shanks.  Turns out that those will only go through about 2.25 inches of wall.  I'm guessing just about everyone needs to get the 4 inch model, unless you have one of those ancient fridges with two-foot thick walls.
• When I ran the air line for the CO2, I used a brass nipple to go through the wall.  If you decide to run the airline through the fridge wall, be sure to protect it from getting cut.
• The shanks I bought already had nipples (NO... Not that kind) for attaching the hose. 
• Use a hole saw.  It's easier than a drill bit.  I forget the dimension on the saw.
• Measure the location of every hole at least twice.
• Unplug the fridge before drilling.  It's common sense for most people, but... 

Carbon Dioxide

Those are two words that strike fear into the hearts of homebrewers.  Without it, you're beer is flat.  Too much of it and you have bottle grenades.  Luckily, I've never heard of a keg grenade (though I guess it's possible).   But too much C02 and you can't get a good pour.  So there's a learning curve here.  And patience is required. 

When I first started this project, CO2 was a bit of a hold up.  My homebrew shop sold and swapped 5lb bottles, but I wanted something bigger.  At the time, a fellow brewer turned me onto an alternate method.  Pepsi would lease individuals a nice aluminum 20 lb bottle for a $25 deposit plus gas.  When it was empty, you could call them up and get the bottle swapped for $12.50.  They handled this through their "Will Call" gate, and it worked great. 

Then my local bottler decided to get out of the CO2 business.  They decided that it was too dangerous to handle the bottles.  They claimed they were "explosive".  And they didn't want their bottle back.  In reality, many of Pepsi's CO2 customers had moved from portable CO2 bottles to fixed "tanks."  Now when a Burger King, Wendy's or McDonalds needs CO2, they call up one of the bulk liquefied gas suppliers.  The supplier drives up in a semi, hooks up to a gas port on the side of the building and pumps 500 lbs of CO2 into the building tank.  Voila!

Now... Before you buy a CO2 bottle from your local homebrew shop, figure out how you're gonna get it filled.  Swapping an empty bottle and cash for a full bottle is the easiest way to go.  If the welding shop/gas supplier will take the bottle your homebrew shop sells, you're all set.  Otherwise, get a bottle from the place you plan to get gas.  Expect to spend about $75 for a 5 pound bottle.  A 10 pounder only costs about $5-10 more.

The city I live in doesn't allow bulk gas sales of CO2 because it's not safe...  Of course, they allow U-Haul to fill propane bottles (but that's another story).  So I have a steel bottle I take to West Dipstick to get filled.  My other 5 pounder I got at the welding shop.

I can do that...  A lot of the stuff, you can find pretty easily.  But some stuff takes a little digging and scrounging.  I'm a firm believer in supporting the local homebrew shop when it comes to the recurring costs (i.e. beer fixin's!).  But at the same time, they aren't necessarily the best source for some of the non-recurring expenses (i.e. hardware).  Shop around.

All the kegs and keg fittings you can get from your local homebrew shop.  Most shops also stock CO2 tanks, regulators and all the hose you'll ever need.  If you don't want to drill holes in the fridge, simply use the picnic cobra head faucets like you find on the factory kegs at parties.  Your shop will plenty of have those too.

Now the bar fixtures are just a little bit more trouble.  You have to find a restaurant supply place that will deal with individuals (some won't).  The place I use is called Superior Products.  If you read the newsgroup rec.crafts.brewing at all, then you've seen this name and know that they have a good reputation.  I'll vouch for them too.  You can request one of their fascinating, drool-inducing catalogs by calling 1-800-328-9800 or by visiting them on the Internet at http://www.superprod.com.  They have stores all over, including one in Dallas.