Upgrade Your Kegerator – 6 Improvements!
After years of faithful service in it’s current configuration, my beloved kegerator was in need of some upgrades and enhancements.
About My Kegerator:
- My kegerator based on a 7-ish cubic foot Kenmore chest freezer.
- I’ve installed a 10″ collar that hosts four faucets. I’ve also used the collar as a mounting point for my four way CO2 manifold.
- I have a dual pressure CO2 regulator. One regulator body maintains what I call a house pressure, 10 PSI. That body feeds the manifold and the manifold, in turn, feeds each keg. The second regulator body is for tasks like flushing kegs, force carbonating more quickly or for a keg that I want to serve at a different carbonation level.
- The gas side of my setup is QD based. I can swap out or remove lines without turning off the CO2 tank. The valved disconnects automatically shut off CO2 flow when disconnected.
- I use a recirculating fan to keep a more uniform temperature. See: Kegerator Beer Line Temperatures & Reducing Foam with a Recirculating Fan
- I use an Eva-Dry E-500 to fix condensation – See: Damp Kegerator? Fix Kegerator Condensation
About the Upgrades
- I had been using a temperature controller from a now defunct manufacturer for a while. That was replaced by an ITC-308 Digital Dual Stage Temperature Controller – Hands on Review
- Inkbird Temperature & Humidity Smart Sensor IBS-TH1 – my previous controller, had the ability to log temperatures and I really liked that. I added this to give me logging capabilities.
- Intertap Faucets and Accessories! – time to modernize my setup with these great faucets and accessories. NukaTap Faucets (Intertap v2!) are also a great choice.
- DuoTight Fittings – DuoTight Fittings work in concert with EVABarrier tubing. This system of disconnects offers loads of flexiblity and features. I’ve used multiple types of disconnect systems in previous versions of my kegerator and DuoTights are, by far, my choice.
- EVABarrier Tubing – This is an update to… this update. This post originally featured Ultra Barrier coiled tubing. That tubing was very expensive and has since become difficult to find. EVABarrier tubing is high-quality double walled tubing that offers protection against oxidation, CO2 loss and microbial growth. It’s BPA and PVC free. EVABarrier is also very reasonably priced.
- San Jamar VM5280 Versa-Mat Interlocking Bar Mat, 12″ Length x 12″ – also available in different colors and quantities – search san jamar interlocking bar bat on Amazon – for the bottom of the kegerator. I had already used a single square of this to set the CO2 tank on. This upgrade including lining the entire bottom with this great mat. Related: Not Just for Bars Anymore… Using Interlocking Bar Mats Around Your Home Brewery!