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Just got a kegerator...any advice?


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#1 NewMarketSean

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Posted 24 August 2015 - 11:32 AM

I picked up a  kegerator yesterday...it's an EdgeStar...looks like they retail for $500 and I was given a used one at no cost. It's pretty funky and has been sitting unused for over a year but I am going to clean it up and see if it still works. Hopefully it will. I know I need a line cleaner kit...any other recommendations?

 

 

 

 


I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#2 Mike in STL

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Posted 24 August 2015 - 11:37 AM

I have some advice. Buy a keg and Invite me over. Ill bring my own mug.
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#3 Mackus

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Posted 24 August 2015 - 03:50 PM

I don't have any advice on cleaning it, but I'd recommend buying nice 1/6 kegs unless you are having a party.  A keg will keep well over a month or longer as long as you've got CO2 and keep it cold, but that's still a lot of beer to go through unless you've having guests over.  Roughly 160 beers in a standard half keg (or 120 pints).  Get the 1/6 kegs and they go faster and you get to try more beers.  With the exceptions of huge warehouses, most places don't stock anything beyond Yuengling and Miller and those types, so you'll probably be asking for special orders for any keg you stick in there anyways.

 

Also, get a double-pressure gauge regulator.  That way you'll be able to see on the gauge how much CO2 is left in your tank in addition to the outlet pressure (you can look up what psi each brewer recommends their beer be set to for various beers if you like, or just keep it somewhere around 12).  They usually last for 2-3 kegs worth of beer, but nothing is more frustrating than getting a new keg in the fridge and then running out of CO2 as soon as you start drinking it.  Test your lines for leaks with soapy water.  If your system is leak-free, then you can just leave the CO2 on all the time.


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#4 RShack

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Posted 24 August 2015 - 04:27 PM

Test your lines for leaks with soapy water.  If your system is leak-free, then you can just leave the CO2 on all the time.

 

It's always the connections, isn't it?


 "The only change is that baseball has turned Paige from a second-class citizen to a second-class immortal." - Satchel Paige


#5 NewMarketSean

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Posted 24 August 2015 - 09:02 PM

Got into it tonight, cleaned it up some. Gonna make sure it actually gets cold before I invest any money in it. But it was in pretty bad shape. Salvageable, I hope, but left alone for over a year. Lines were filled with mold so they'll need to be replaced and the other connections and guts will need to be cleaned. Recommend a good chemical I can soak the parts in to clean them up?
I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#6 NewMarketSean

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Posted 25 August 2015 - 08:51 AM

Fired it up this morning, it works.

 

Looking to get some new supply lines and a sanitation cleaner now. Any recommendations on a good soaking solution for the metal parts?


I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#7 Mackus

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Posted 25 August 2015 - 09:55 AM

Sorry, no experience with that.  Maybe try some home-brew websites?  I know keeping the brewing equipment sterile is a big part of that.



#8 NewMarketSean

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Posted 25 August 2015 - 09:59 AM

There's one in Frederick. They have a bunch of stuff I'll need so I'll go there once I have a big list of shit to get.
I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#9 NewMarketSean

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 10:50 AM

An update if anyone cares.

 

Going to get some supplies tonight -- air line, beer line and some cleaner to soak the tap and coupler in and clean them up. Both are pretty funky.

 

Looking for a keg of Sam Adams Oktoberfest -- but I need it by Wednesday since that's the only day a buddy can help me move it downstairs and hook it up so I need something quick. If I can't get the SA there's a place with Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest in stock.

 

Pretty sure I've had it, so I may go with that. Any thoughts?


I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#10 JeremyStrain

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 01:46 PM

An update if anyone cares.
 
Going to get some supplies tonight -- air line, beer line and some cleaner to soak the tap and coupler in and clean them up. Both are pretty funky.
 
Looking for a keg of Sam Adams Oktoberfest -- but I need it by Wednesday since that's the only day a buddy can help me move it downstairs and hook it up so I need something quick. If I can't get the SA there's a place with Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest in stock.
 
Pretty sure I've had it, so I may go with that. Any thoughts?


Check with Total Wine in Laurel if you don't have one closer. They usually have a ton of kegs on hand, specialty, micro and regular brews.
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#11 Mackus

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 02:09 PM

Also a Total Wine in Towson.  They'll order just about anything you want for you if you give them a heads up.

 

Is Flying Dog allowed to sell kegs directly to customers?  That'd be a cool option pretty close by you.


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#12 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 02:11 PM

The Perfect Pour in Elkridge is a great place for beer.  I also think they sell 1/4 kegs, so you'd be able to carry one by yourself.

 

According to their website, they have 1/6 kegs of Sam Adams Oktoberfest for $83 - no idea whether or not that's a good price.

 

http://theperfectpou...asp?s=CatSearch


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#13 Mackus

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 02:12 PM

Yeah, if you're worried about lifting, just go with a smaller keg.  A lot of the specialty ones only come in quarter kegs anyways.


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#14 NewMarketSean

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 02:27 PM

Sorry I wasn't clear...I need help moving the kegerator downstairs. Plus this guy has one of his own so he can show me how to hook it up. That's what I was talking about.

 

Think I will go with a sixtel the SN Oktoberfest...I just really like SA so I will hold out hope I can get it in time.

 

I went to the brewery store today -- apparently there are different sizes for air and beer lines so I need to double check what size I need. Otherwise, I'm going to clean up the parts tonight and buy the lines tomorrow so they can be sterilized and ready for Wednesday.

 

Hopefully I will have draft beer available by then.


I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#15 NewMarketSean

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 06:58 PM

It's hooked up and I'm half way to wasted. Co2 levels seem to be off, but working on it. Still does the job though.
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I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#16 You Play to Win the Game

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 06:58 PM

It's hooked up and I'm half way to wasted. Co2 levels seem to be off, but working on it. Still does the job though.



On a Wednesday. That's what I'm talking about. Great work out of you.

#17 NewMarketSean

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 05:35 PM

So does C02 carbonate beer in a keg? Or does it just provide pressure to push the beer out of the tap? The Sam Adams Oktoberfest I have still seems pretty flat. Tons of foam on the pour, have the gas level set to ten, but nothing changes. Beer with almost no bubbles on the tongue.
I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#18 RShack

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 05:41 PM

So does C02 carbonate beer in a keg? Or does it just provide pressure to push the beer out of the tap? The Sam Adams Oktoberfest I have still seems pretty flat. Tons of foam on the pour, have the gas level set to ten, but nothing changes. Beer with almost no bubbles on the tongue.

 

I know zilch about keg beer... but I don't see how it could/would work without carbonating the beer... just like gizmo's that create sparkling water from tap water... I think that's the whole point...

 

But I'm sure some folks here know more about it than I do... so, I expect we'll both learn something shortly...


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 "The only change is that baseball has turned Paige from a second-class citizen to a second-class immortal." - Satchel Paige


#19 NewMarketSean

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 05:44 PM

I have a buddy who's familiar with kegs and such, had a custom beer fridge/kegerator before say that gas doesn't carbonate the beer. So I am wondering if this is a flat keg or something I am doing wrong. Pouring beer into a pitcher works better for all the foam since the beer pours good after a couple of seconds...pouring into a glass means all foam. I expected there to be some growing pains but I do believe the beer should have more bubbles than this. And knowing from the Mr Beer kit I used a million years ago, sugars carbonate beer. So who the hell knows.
I never had friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

#20 RShack

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 05:59 PM

We could tell if we knew the path the air and the beer take thru the keg.... does the air meet the beer at the top or the bottom? ... does the beer exit the keg from the top or the bottom (maybe via an internal pipe)?


 "The only change is that baseball has turned Paige from a second-class citizen to a second-class immortal." - Satchel Paige





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