Added a faucet

Brewing Processes
1

So, when I built my kegerator maybe three years ago I thought to myself, “I won’t need more than 3 taps”.  Well, considering that my 7.2 cf chest freezer kegerator efficiently holds 6 ball locks, I realized that adding another faucet would provide a more hygienic solution in comparison to using a picnic tap inside the kegerator when I wanted to add a fourth beer to the “currently on tap” list.

I placed the new faucet on the side where it would not interfere with moving kegs into or out of the kegerator.  Also, I can interchange that faucet with a nitro tap when desired, and it will be nice to have it separate on the side at that time.  When I do that, I will drill one more gas line hole through the wood collar to pass the beer gas tubing through it to reach the keg holding beer to go onto nitro.

The main thing I wanted to share is that I was very happy with the results from using a combination caulk/adhesive (available in caulk gun tubes) to attach the mounting board for the new single-faucet drip tray, and leaving a caulk bead of it around the exterior edges of the mounting board.  This will prevent liquids (beer, sanitizer, etc.) from dripping in behind the mounting board which would have made it hard to clean, and prone to bacteria growth.  It took a bit of patience as the adhesive began to set, to ensure it hardened in place, and used a level to keep checking that the mounting board remained level until it set hard, which took about 2 hours.

I had previously used the same all-purpose adhesive/caulk (I used Polyseamseal brand) to seal the open edges in a foam-insulated picnic cooler lid that I cut out when building a jockey box to hold ball lock kegs.  So I knew it would work for this application and provide a very strong adhesive bond.

Before I attached the mounting board to the kegerator, I added 4 coats of polyurethane to it and added the drip tray mounting screws.  I couldn’t find beechwood to match the front faucet panel, put purchased a short light-colored board of poplar which looks good.

I also replaced a 5 lb co2 tank that provided gas to my 4-way manifold, with a 15-pounder with two leads off of the regulator.  The second lead is a short line with a gas quick disconnect that I can use to purge kegs, etc, easily without having to lift them into the kegerator.  The other 15-lb co2 tank I use to carbonate kegs and/or to serve beer at a different psi and one of its leads goes through a secondary regulator.

Here it is:


P10004891_zpsfd9dc0aa.jpg


P10004901_zps89103ceb.jpg


P10004911_zps788451e9.jpg


P10004921_zps124c170d.jpg

2

Nice build :slight_smile:

3

The chalkboard/dry erase top is a great finish, especially if you have a creative/artistic side to really personalize your offerings!

4

Hah!  As you can tell, in the art world I’m from the minimalist camp.  Beauty is synonymous with functionality.  Therefore, my chalkboard script could fall in either the “laundry list” or “note to self” fonts, to enhance the elegant nuance of white freezer and nailed boards.

Still, I actually was looking for an “elemental” compromise via the beauty of natural wood, although even I prefer that they would have all come from the same species.

You betcha’ by golly yah - it works well!

5

I decided that instead of drilling another hole through the collar for a nitro gas lead, that I will put in a gas line quick disconnect outside of the kegerator on the gas line between the kegerator and the carbonating co2 tank, so that I can swap between using the beer gas (nitro) tank and the co2 tank on that line depending on what I want to put on tap for the fourth faucet.  It’s a snap to swap the standard faucet for my nitro faucet whenever I want to serve on nitro.