---
title: Kegerator
url: /projects/kegerator/
parent: Projects
---
I've been homebrewing for a couple of years now, and my least favorite part of
the whole process is definitely the bottling. Each 5 gallon batch has
approximately 55 bottles that you have to clean, santize, fill, cap, clean
again, and put in boxes. I've gotten sick and tired of doing that for every
batch of beer, so I decided to make the jump and build myself a kegerator.

![Kegerator mostly finished][0]

Building a kegerator is fairly simple, only requiring some plumbing and
woodworking. The only hard part is the cost. Below is the cost for a
three-keg setup similar to my current two-keg setup.

### Updates

#### Feb 20, 2011
Got the kegerator built yesterday minus a temperature controller. I got a
little drill-happy and accidentally made three faucet holes instead of two.
Oops, I guess I'll have to put in that third faucet.

### Links
* [Flickr set](https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickpegg/sets/72157625971333921/)

### Bill of Materials

<table border="1">
	<tr>
		<th>Qty</th>
		<th>Cost Each</th>
		<th>Item</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</th>
		<td>$198</td>
		<td>GE 7.0 cubic ft freezer</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</td>
		<td>$90</td>
		<td>5 pound CO2 tank</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</td>
		<td>$75</td>
		<td>Dual gauge CO2 regulator</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</td>
		<td>$47</td>
		<td>3-way CO2 distributor</td>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$40</td>
		<td>Used 5 gallon soda keg</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$6.50</td>
		<td>Ball lock gas disconnect - MFL</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$6.50</td>
		<td>Ball lock liquid disconnect - MFL</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>7</td>
		<td>$1.30</td>
		<td>1/4" barb-to-MFL connector</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>7</td>
		<td>$0.25</td>
		<td>Flared nylon washers for MFL connections</td>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$20</td>
		<td>Stainless steel faucet shank</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$2.25</td>
		<td>1/4" barbed shank tail piece and hex nut</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$0.10</td>
		<td>Rubber shank washer</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$31.50</td>
		<td>Perlick beer faucet</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>3</td>
		<td>$2</td>
		<td>Economy tap handle</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</td>
		<td>$6.42</td>
		<td>12' 2x8</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>1</td>
		<td>$3.37</td>
		<td>Roll of weather stripping</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>2</td>
		<td>$5.65</td>
		<td>25' roll of poly ice maker tubing</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<td>14</td>
		<td>$0.65</td>
		<td>1/4" to 1/2" hose clamp</td>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<th align="left">Total</th>
		<th align="left">$758.09</th>
		<td></td>
	</tr>
</table>

### Construction

By far the most popular way to build a kegerator outside of complete
fabrication is to take an existing chest freezer and add a collar between the
freezer and the original lid. This is what I did as seen below.

![Hinges][1]

An added bonus to the collar method is that you now have a wooden platform to
add your faucets and other items without harming the original freezer, in case
you decide to sell it later or actually use it for storing food. When building
the collar, you'll want to use something like a 2x8 to have enough clearance
for the old hinges to attach to the wood.

To help keep the cold air in the kegerator, it's a good idea to seal the
collar. I just put some weather stripping down where the collar rests on the
freezer and filled the collar joints with some extra oil pan sealant I had
laying around. The weather stripping is nice because if you're not quite a
master woodworker and can't be bothered to get the collar exactly square, it
helps fill in your gaps.

Once the collar's on and the faucets are installed, it's just a matter of
connecting everything. Don't forget to use your washers to get a good seal! You
can hand-tighten the MFL connections, but it might be a better idea to tighten
them with a pair of pliers.

### Pressure Testing

Once everything's together, you'll want to pressure test the entire dispensing
system. What I did was fill the kegs with water and pressurize the whole system,
and do some test pours. If you have any leaks, you'll either hear air hissing
or see water leaking out.

![Pressure testing][2]

In the case that it is an air leak and you're not
sure where it's coming from, disconnect things one by one until the
hissing stops. The part that you last disconnected is the faulty one, so make
sure that everything's tight on there, especially if it's a hose clamp on a
barbed connection.

[0]: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5462665976_d11faea2aa.jpg "Mostly finished"
[1]: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5462060669_436dbe852f.jpg
[2]: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5462065415_efefbb9675.jpg "Pressure testing"
