Buying a kegerator vs. drilling holes in my basement fridge

my1stpony · November 16, 2013, 4:19pm

I have a basement fridge that holds one 5 and one 3 gallon keg. I may be adding a nitro system. I am trying to figure out whether I want to drill holes in the fridge for the taps or buy a kegerator. We used to use the fridge for overflow of food and beverages for the holidays and family celebrations, marinating meats, etc. and it would be nice to still use it for that, which is why I’m considering a kegerator. So here are my specific questions:

Has anyone drilled holes in the side of a fridge for taps and does this maintain the seal of the fridge?
Does drilling holes for taps also work for a nitro tap? (maybe there is no difference, but I don’t know)
If I decide to buy a kegerator, where would you suggest I buy one? (I have seen some used on craigslist, etc. but many look sketchy and I would prefer to buy a new one that does not break the bank), so any suggestions for new ones?

We have a lot going on in the family taking care of an elderly parent which is why I don’t have the time to do a conversion of a small freezer. Brewing beer is helping me stay sane. So I’d like to figure out a way to do this that is time and cost effective.

Thanks!

nighthawk · November 17, 2013, 12:36am

I think you will find a small chest freezer may be the most bang for the buck. If you have some basic tools you should be able to build a collar to run the taps through. And a simple temp controller or try to alter the one on the freezer.

A multiple tap keg fridge is going to run $600+. For around $300 you should be able to get a new freezer. Start with picnic taps until you can piece together the taps.

jtb · November 17, 2013, 1:44am

If you want to drill into the one you’ve got, check out this video from Don O on youtube:

There is still some room under the kegs - if you build a simple little self like Don O did. There’s also some space in the door for some things and of course the freezer is still there to hold your extra frozen goods. Nitro and regular take the same size shank so you don’t need a special sized hole for that.

silentknyght · November 17, 2013, 2:45am

[quote=“My1stPony”]
We have a lot going on in the family taking care of an elderly parent which is why I don’t have the time to do a conversion of a small freezer. Brewing beer is helping me stay sane. So I’d like to figure out a way to do this that is time and cost effective.

Thanks![/quote]

I hate to say it, but you’re not going to find a solution that is both time & cost effective. Considering your situation, try for “time” effective, first, IMO. You can purchase a two-tap homebrew kegerator from places like kegconnection.com for about $650. It’s about as close to plug-and-play as you can get.

scalded_dog · November 17, 2013, 4:18pm

What Nighthawk said. My kids bought me a brand new 5 Cu Ft freezer for under $200.00. It holds 3 corny kegs plus the Co2 bottle. Eventually I plan a collar from 2x6’s but for now using the picnic taps. I also plan to mount a triple regulator on the back side. This way I can have beers with different pressures.