Are There Alternatives To The Grainfather Kegerator?

[SkyBlue]

Hello!

I’m looking at purchasing a professional, 3 tap Kegerator due to a complete and utter inability to build my own without the risk of setting fire to my house. DIY is most definitely not my strong point!!

Anyway, I have been looking at the Grainfather/ Mangrove Jacks Kegerator which appears to be the only one on the market within the price range (around £580- 600).

Are there alternatives to this make as there seems to be little competition in the UK. There seem to be a few in the States but postage is prohibitive. I’d just like a little choice before I fork out on what is an expensive investment in my brewing.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!!

 

[Clint]

Im pretty poor at DIY...I made a brew fridge...I will make a kegerator...I'm sure you could make one!

 

[SkyBlue]

I once ripped out a fitted wardrobe and managed to destroy a double bayed uPVC window unit, burnt my tongue on an electric wasp catcher and went out the house wearing one black shoe and one brown (albeit not on the same day!!) Please forgive me if I don’t build my own!!!

 

[samale]

I once ripped out a fitted wardrobe and managed to destroy a double bayed uPVC window unit, burnt my tongue on an electric wasp catcher and went out the house wearing one black shoe and one brown (albeit not on the same day!!) Please forgive me if I don’t build my own!!!

 

[MickDundee]

Im pretty poor at DIY...I made a brew fridge...I will make a kegerator...I'm sure you could make one!

This. I’m thinking this is the year I go kegs and other than shitting myself about drilling into the door of one of my lovely larder fridges I’m quite enthusiastic about it.

 

[Clint]

Yeah,go for it!

 

[samale]

What's better to use. A larder fridge or a chest freezer and make a collar

 

[Clint]

If I was making one for in house use I think I'd go for a furniture style with a tower on top. For in the shed use I'd do a tall larder fridge with door mounted taps.

 

[MickDundee]

If I was making one for in house use I think I'd go for a furniture style with a tower on top. For in the shed use I'd do a tall larder fridge with door mounted taps.

It’s a tall larder fridge I plan to convert. I have 2 at the mo - one is a superb fridge, and the other does the job for fermenting/conditioning but the door seal isn’t great so I’d be best using the good one.

 

[Rodcx500z]

DIY = disaster as far as I am concerned, over the years I have drilled through gas pipes water pipes and killed a flat pack double wardrobe in five minutes blown the electrics changing a light fitting but, that bike in my pic I bought when it was 25 years old with no engine I bought an engine that had been sitting in a yard for 13 years completely stripped it down and I mean stripped it down and replaced all the internals then rode it all over the uk and Europe 77,000 miles in total in 12 years sold it and its still being used today by its new owner, I even replaced the original honda ignition with a modern electronic one from the czech republic which eliminated its achilles heel, so a kegerator and brew fridge should be a walk in the park dream on

 

[samale]

Would you get 4 kegs in a larder fridge

 

[foxy]

The trick to the drilling is use corn flour and rubbing alcohol, make a paste and paint it onto the door/top whichever fridge you are going to use as it dries it maps out the condenser cooling pipes, showing where not to drill. The fridge has to be on to work.

 

[Clint]

Or..pierce the outer skin with a hole cutter then use a pointy thing to pick away the insulation to see if there's a pipe there.
I recon doors don't have pipes in as you can remove them...

 

[foxy]

Or..pierce the outer skin with a hole cutter then use a pointy thing to pick away the insulation to see if there's a pipe there.
I recon doors don't have pipes in as you can remove them...

True, (about the door) I spent a day and a half last week repairing returned kegerators one of them a cockroach had fried itself under the circuit board and blew a fuse. Looking at the prices in the UK I would opt for the build.

 

[dan125]

After the untimely demise of my keezer I'm definitely going to relace with a larder kegerator - the condensation inside the freezer has been a constant PITA.

 

[Mrobson]

Would you get 4 kegs in a larder fridge

I bought a beko larder fridge last month, put three taps in the door, there is room inside for a fourth.
That’s with three secondary regulators and a heater in too.

Plan is to have another keg ready to go as soon as ones empty

 

[samale]

That looks the part where did you bring in the line for the gas

 

[samale]

So you have a mains regulator then each keg is of its own regulator to set at different pressure. So you can carbonate and serve

 

[JonBrew]

Hello!

I’m looking at purchasing a professional, 3 tap Kegerator due to a complete and utter inability to build my own without the risk of setting fire to my house. DIY is most definitely not my strong point!!

Anyway, I have been looking at the Grainfather/ Mangrove Jacks Kegerator which appears to be the only one on the market within the price range (around £580- 600).

Are there alternatives to this make as there seems to be little competition in the UK. There seem to be a few in the States but postage is prohibitive. I’d just like a little choice before I fork out on what is an expensive investment in my brewing.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!!

Unless you go the DIY route there isn't a cheaper option for a 3 tap kegerator in the UK. Klarstein do one for £500 but it's a single tap.

The other option is the very high end stuff like this, https://www.abcdirect2u.co.uk/acatalog/true-kegerators.html, but that's serious cheddar.

EDIT
If you weren't willing to DIY it or drop the coin on the MJ one, best bet would be to get on Brew Bay (Facebook group) or something similar and keep your eyes pealed for someone selling one second hand. You also find quite a few folk selling on their own DIY kegerators.

 

[Mrobson]

So you have a mains regulator then each keg is of its own regulator to set at different pressure. So you can carbonate and serve

Drilled a hole at the bottom left of the fridge for the heater cable and probe for the inkbird. The fan cable just goes through the drainage hole of the fridge. The gas line enters just behind the keg on the shelf, this goes to the middle regulator then on to the other two. Going to use the output of the last regulator to carb up the fourth keg when I get around to buying another.

I just watched countless YouTube videos and took my time with everything. I did the poking around method to see if any cables were in the side of the fridge. The regulators are fixed to wood which is glued in place. The shelf sits on the original shelf rails with a stair spindle for extra support.

Was really easy to to do and generally I’m crap at stuff like that. What’s the worst that can happen?