Best base fridge for kegerator

[Martinez]

Hey guys, I'm looking into building a 4 tap kegerator. Wanted to fit 4x19L corny inside. I know the Series X fits it nicely, but I wanted to build one from scratch if I could save a few bucks in the process.
Anyone knows a base fridge that I could use for this project?
Thank you

 

[RRising]

I would be looking at a "keezer" build than a kegerator, i don't think many fridges outside ones specifically made for kegs would hold 4 cornies, either not high or wide enough but a chest freezer could, it's just a pain in the arse lifting them up and over.

 

[Martinez]

It needs to be a fridge though. I have a L shaped bar and the kegerator would fit inside perfectly. Chest freezers are way too big for my purpose.

But agree it'd be easier to find one that fits

 

[RRising]

It needs to be a fridge though. I have a L shaped bar and the kegerator would fit inside perfectly. Chest freezers are way too big for my purpose.

But agree it'd be easier to find one that fits

To be honest, i don't think there is a fridge out there that would fit your needs other than a Series X or equivalent, most fridges aren't big enough to accommodate 4 cornies, most homemade kegerators i have seen can only hold 2 comfortably.

 

[S.E]

It needs to be a fridge though. I have a L shaped bar and the kegerator would fit inside perfectly. Chest freezers are way too big for my purpose.

But agree it'd be easier to find one that fits

You could get a chest freezer the same width and depth as a fridge then build the desired height with a collar. What are the exact dimensions of the space you want to fit it in?

Would something this size do the job?

“The Hisense deep freezer has a 625mm width, an 859mm height, and a 559mm depth”.

 

[S.E]

Missed the 4 kegs bit but looking at my freezer I could easily fit 4 kegs if I wanted to but I would need to extend my collar from 70mm to about 140mm to be able put a couple kegs above the compressor. Mine is a little wider (710mm) than the 625mm Hisense above but I think 625mm should be enough.

 

[Martinez]

I'll check some small chest freezers out. Might do the trick.
Price difference to a Series X is like $300 though.. need to see how much I'd end up paying in materials etc to build it hah.
Cheers

 

[Jayvan90]

Here’s one I made out of a Westinghouse frost free .. fridge compartment has temp control down to 0c - fits 4 cornies plus 2.6kg gas bottle and reg

 

[fifis101]

My kegerator is basically the same setup as Jayvan90. I just found a free fridge on marketplace.

 

[Martinez]

I see I'm just making this more and more difficult
I need it to be in a bar fridge with a tap tower on top. The bar is in the middle of the living room and would look really bad with a full size fridge. The bar fridge keeps hidden behind the bar, with only the taps showing

 

[peteru]

Just buy yourself a Series X. You've done your due diligence and now you know it's the most sensible solution to your needs.

 

[Grok]

Just look for any all fridge, (no freezer compartment), do some quick measurements of your 4 cornies clumped together to make sure there is enough space inside, easy! My experience running a chest kegerator (without separate radiator type) as a fridge, is condensation inside, plus the lifting over the side a full keg hassle.
This is an old Metters fridge about 340L size bought years ago for about $50, still going strong.

I use a Pluto beer gun, that way its all cold components pouring the precious liquid, cheers!

 

[JDW81]

I had a medium size LG fridge which fitted 4 kegs. Was a tight squeeze, but I nicked up a shelf out of some old ply wood and it worked well. Holes drilled in the door to fit the taps though. Ended up using a fridge cause I drilled through a gas line on the final screw of the initial chest keezer build. Was not happy.
If you can find a cheap fridge on gumtree you can probably come in under the cost of a new one from KK/KL

JD

 

[BrewLizard]

Just buy yourself a Series X. You've done your due diligence and now you know it's the most sensible solution to your needs.

100%. Buy once and cry once.

Building stuff always costs more than you think it will, and takes longer than you think it will. A bar fridge with a collar to enable it to hold 4 kegs will likely also look pretty ugly.

I spent a couple of grand last year making a keezer and shelling it to match the furniture, and I wish that I just got a kegerator. I'll likely pull it apart soon and refit all my gear into a Series X.

Main cons of a keezer are:
1. Hurting your back awkwardly lifting kegs in and out; and
2. Related to 1, all your lines and connections are on top of the kegs, so it's a ******* juggle to pull them out of the way to get kegs in and out. Conversely, lines in a kegerator don't obstruct the path in and out.

 

[fifis101]

Building stuff always costs more than you think it will: True but it's way more fun.

Main cons of a keezer are:
1. Hurting your back awkwardly lifting kegs in and out: I can understand this for some people.
2. Related to 1, all your lines and connections are on top of the kegs, so it's a ******* juggle to pull them out of the way to get kegs in and out: Best to run your lines neatly along the walls of the keezer or kegerator. Just position the kegs with the shorter lines closer to the taps.

 

[BrewLizard]

Point 2 is good general advice, but for a small chest freezer that holds only 3-4 kegs, there simply isn't space to do this, especially when you allow for bend radii at the shanks. Conversely, a fridge that barely holds 3-4 kegs won't have the same problem.

Agreed on building stuff being more fun.

 

[mischa6262]

I will be putting my single tap keg king series 3 up for sale very soon, as soon as i finish the last keg in it. prob next week. if anyone is interested in it, still performs perfectly. Will require new gas line as i require it and the fittings.
I've just upgraded to a keg land series X - 4 tap.
Id be looking to get around $400 for it.
Any takers can pm me, its located in narre warren melbourne

 

[BrewLizard]

A brand new Series 4 is $410...

Edit: just realised you said Keg King, which is a bit more pricey new, but includes the font.

 

[Liambeer]

I like new stuff. Merry Xmas me!

 

[Sleepy Weasel]

I jumped straight in and bought a Series X from KegLand when I decided to graduate to kegs and honestly, I regret that now. The thing about the lines? So much harder to organise in that cramped space above the kegs. A keezer would be much simpler for access.