Kegerator Conversion Kits - Help and Getting Started
With our easy-to-use Kegerator Conversion Kits, you can quickly and economically transform almost any refrigerator or freezer into an amazing beer dispenser!
All of our kits are made with high quality parts to give you years of reliable performance.
We use only food safe beverage and gas tubing that is extremely durable and highly kink-resistant, even at low temperatures.
Our faucets, regulators, and keg couplers are custom made to commercial draft equipment standards.
Door mount, tower, or portable kits are available for almost any keg type.
Kits are quick and easy to assemble, with only minimal tools!
Foam issues? Check out our CO2 Draft Beer System Troubleshooting page.
Safety Precautions
Do not exceed the pressure limitations of your equipment! Wear safety glasses, gloves, and any other necessary personal protective equipment when handling cleaning chemicals.
Remember that while CO2 isn’t generally dangerous, severe CO2 leaks can displace oxygen from a room. This can lead to asphyxiation and other serious health hazards. Always check your system for leaks after initial setup by spraying all the gas connections with soapy water or Star San brewery sanitizer. Watch for bubbles and you’ll know you have a leak to fix. It’s usually just a matter of tightening a fitting or a missing washer.
Getting Started
First, make sure the refrigerator or freezer you plan to convert is suitable for the project. Most kegs need at least 27” of height clearance inside in order to fit with the coupler mounted.
It’s important to use the right type of refrigerator for your project. Free standing kegerators are not suitable for most under counter applications. These require more specialized kegerators designed to work in an enclosed space by exchanging air through vents in the front.
Use caution when drilling through any part of a refrigerator. There are often components in unexpected places that can be ruptured or destroyed if you drill into them. It’s generally safest to drill through doors/lids.
If you’re converting a standard refrigerator, you may want to reinforce the floor with plywood or other suitable material. Many refrigerators have a sloped indentation in the back side of the inside bottom. Build a platform just above this indentation to maximize the usable floor space inside your refrigerator. Keep in mind that full kegs are quite heavy, so your platform needs to be sturdy and secure!
Your kit includes just about everything you need except the CO2 and a keg of your favorite beer! You’ll want to get your CO2 tank filled at a local beverage gas supplier before you get started. But it's best to wait until your system is setup, checked for co2 leaks, and COLD before you bring home a keg.
Getting Your CO2 or Nitrogen Tank Filled
Our tanks are DOT certified safe and have current hydrostatic test stamps for easy filling at any gas provider. Be sure to specify that you want beverage grade gas when filling or exchanging your tank.
In a properly functioning draft system, a 5lb CO2 tank will provide enough gas for about 4-5 half barrel kegs.
Always keep gas cylinders away from excessive heat! Store cylinders in a cool place, securely fastened in an upright position.
Check for Leaks
Once your conversion kit is completely assembled and installed, it’s time for a quick check for CO2 leaks.
Mix 1 part dish soap or Star San brewery sanitizer solution to 9 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray a fine mist onto any connections in the CO2 components of your system, and watch for bubbles to form. This will indicate a CO2 leak, which you’ll want to correct before moving on. Most leaks can be fixed by simply tightening the leaking fitting. Teflon tape will also help eliminate any leaking of threaded parts.
Once you’ve confirmed there are no CO2 leaks in your system, let everything chill for 2-4 hours. Then you’re ready to tap your keg!
Tapping Your Keg
Securely attach the keg coupler to the beer and gas tubing.
Reduce the regulator pressure to 0 by turning the knob all the way counterclockwise. Then open the CO2 tank valve and the shutoff valve on your regulator. Slowly begin increasing the regulator pressure until you reach approximately 8-12 psi. If your pour is too slow or too fast, make small pressure adjustments and wait a few minutes for them to take effect. You may need to release some pressure from the regulator by pulling the prv ring to lower the pressure. Once you've achieved your optimal pour, you should be able to serve the remainder of the keg with little or no adjustment needed.
Door or Wall Shank Installation
Required Tools:
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Crescent Wrench
- Power Drill
- ⅞” Hole Saw with Pilot Bit
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Take some time deciding where you want your faucet BEFORE drilling. It’s best to find a spot that’s flat on the inside of the door for a flush fit. If you’re converting a top/bottom style fridge, make sure the freezer door can clear your tap handles when opened. And keep in mind that you might want to add more taps in the future, so leave room to grow!
- Use a ⅞” hole saw with a pilot bit to drill your shank hole. Drill from the inside first, stopping when your pilot bit exits the front of the door. Then line your pilot bit up in the hole you just made in the outdoor door, and drill IN the rest of the way through. This will give you smoother edges and reduce the chances of cracking the plastic door trim inside.
- Mount the faucet on the shank and hand-tighten the nut. The faucet acts as a handle to make threading the shank into the door easier. Be sure the plastic finish flange is in place on the shank before installing. Thread the shank into the door hole by turning clockwise until it is securely in place, flush with the door surface. Secure the shank with the lock nut. Be careful not to over-tighten the shank nut, which can crack the plastic trim of the door.
- Use the pin wrench to tighten the faucet securely onto the shank.
- Attach the beverage tubing to the shank with the provided hose clamps. Make sure they are tight!
Tower Installation
- Use the rubber base gasket included with your tower as a template to measure and mark your holes for the beer lines and mounting screws. Use a 2" hole saw for the beer line hole in the center. You want some cold air to pass through to chill the tower, so don’t fill any gaps around your beer tubing.
- Drop the beer line through the gasket and into the hole in your fridge. Bolt on your tower, but only start to tighten the nuts after all 4 sets are in, and the tower is sitting straight.
- Attach the beer line to your keg coupler. Use hot water or a hair dryer to warm up the tubing just until it's soft, and it will go on much easier.
- Attach your faucet to the tower. Use the pin on the included tower wrench to tighten the faucet onto the tower shank.
Tower kit insulation advisory
It’s important to keep every part of your draft beer system as cold as possible for optimal performance. This is especially true of the beer tubing, since this is your next few pours!
The simplest way to keep your tubing cold is to have it all inside your refrigerator. But for some projects, you just can’t avoid having your beer lines exit your refrigerated space to reach your taps. In these instances, it’s essential to insulate your tubing as well as possible. Standard foam pipe wraps from the hardware store can work great, and even better with some insulating foil tape.
For towers, you can add a tower cooling fan to your fridge space that will blow cold air alongside your tubing, into your tower. This can keep tubing runs cold up to 5-6ft from your kegerator to your tower. For longer runs, more elaborate glycol alcohol based systems are often needed. These require a circulation pump, making them impractical for most small home bars.