[dlihcsnatas]

I am in the process of building a kegerator out of a mini fridge that will hold two cornie kegs. Since this is my first experience with this type of keg and my first experience with kegerators much less building one from scratch I can use all the helpful advise I can get.

My plan is to put a wood partition about a foot tall across the middle of the top of the fridge. This will be decorated and house two faucets. The back side of this partition will be for tools and supplies and will eventually get a cover over it. Original thought was to put the CO2 on the back side of this partition and have the gauges turned to where at a glance I can see how much pressure is there.

With that said here a list of questions or problems I have run into this far.

1. when running beer hose through a hole is it a good idea to use another shank or will a grommet do just a well?

2. On a second thought I found that the CO2 bottle can fit behind the kegs on the area over the fridge pump. This would get the bottle off the top of the fridge. Decided it is not that important to keep such a watchful eye on pressure. Is there any drawbacks to putting the bottle and regulator inside the fridge?

3. When securing things to the fridge is sheetmetal screws enough or should I find something that can't be pulled out?

4. About how often are the lines cleaned out and/or replaced?

That is all I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure I will run into other problems before this is all said and done.

[dlihcsnatas]

Well as an update...

There is only one question left that I am debating. Is there any problems with putting the CO2 bottle and regulator in the refridgerator?

I am serously considering this but I just worry that something will go wrong with it setting in 38 degree temps.

[harsley]

Most kegerators I've seen in homes have the CO2 tank in the fridge...otherwise you'd have to drill more holes in the fridge.

[dlihcsnatas]

Thanks Harsley.

If others are doing it without problems then I will too. Just didn't know if the cold would have any ill effects on the regulator or its gauges.

[chrisanderson007]

Assuming you did run into problems with having the CO2 in the fridge, logically, I don't see any reason why you couldn't then remove it from the fridge, and go about it another way. In other words, I strongly doubt that you'd have a permanent problem. Gauges and lines are going to be used to the cold (compressed gas isn't usually warm). So, why not give it a try?

[dlihcsnatas]

OK I went for the CO2 tank being inside the mini fridge. Outside option was to put it behind the faucet box but would cause the box to set closer up to the front than I really wanted. By puting the tank inside I was able to move the box back. So today I went and had my tank filled, came home, hooked it up to the keg, check for leaks, stuck it in the fridge to start getting cold, and began putting everything together.

Everything was moving smooth. Took time out to decorate the box and chat with a friend of mine. Watched the Bud Shootout and drink a few in the process. Drilled all my holes in the top of the fridge and put in the bolts. Then that is when I made a horrible discovery.

The tank guage on the regulator showed I had already used a little over half my tank!

I checked for leaks again but still can't find any. Is this from the tank getting cold in the fridge? Is there such a minor leak that I am just missing it? Did the brew soak that much up? Where did half my tank go?

Now I see the error of putting the tank inside the fridge. Since I am putting mine in the back of it that makes it even worse. There is no quick glance of what is happening with the CO2. Now I have all my holes in the top of my fridge and they are in a spot where I can't mount my tank behind my faucet box. Looks like I am going to be plugging up holes and trying to cover them over to hide them. Then drill new holes to move my box up.

[BierNewbie]

Half of your CO2 did not disappear. Remember that CO2 is in the tank in volume as a liquid. The lower the temperature the less pressure it takes to turn tha gas into liquid. Some of your gas went liquid and can be contained there at a lower pressure. If you raised the temp of the tank, the pressure would likely go back up. That makes the tank pressure guage (which is not a volume gauge) almost worthless for knowing how much CO2 you have.

[dlihcsnatas]

Thanks BierNewbie,

After taking the tank out of the fridge for some time I noticed my gas level did go back up to almost where it was when I first filled the tank. Since I like the box where it is I figured oh well, so I don't know how much gas is in the tank. If I should run out before wanting to call it a night I will just have to keep a few bottles in the fridge as back up.

In the end the faucet box will remain mostly because I like where it is and the CO2 will stay inside the fridge behind the kegs.