Christmas came early this year! On Friday I got a special delivery: a chrome draft tower with two faucets. This was the final piece that I needed to convert my mini fridge into a kegorator.
The process I used in the conversion is pretty straightforward. The first step is to bore a hole in the top of the fridge. Beer line will be passed through this hole and connect to the keg(s). Some mini fridges have compressor coils or refrigerant line running across the top panel. It is important not to cut these as doing so will render your fridge as useless as bringing a knife to a gun fight. To be sure that I didn’t damage the fridge, I started to bore my hole from the inside using a 2 1/2″ hole saw. I drilled just deep enough to remove the plastic lining and expose the foam insulation. By pulling out the insulation I was able to check and see if there were any coils or refrigerant line in the hole.
Cordless drill with hole saw Hole drilled through plastic lining
There were no obstructions in the hole so I used the hole saw to drill through the metal top of the fridge. When I finished I was left with a 2 1/2″ hole through the top of the fridge. I used strips of duct tape to seal up the insulation and prevent leaks.
2 1/2″ hole through the top of the fridge Hole sealed with duct tape
Using the tower itself as a guide, I marked and drilled pilot holes for the screws that secure the tower to the fridge. A rubber gasket, that comes with the tower, is placed between the fridge and the base of the tower to prevent leaks and cold air from escaping. The beer lines are then run through the hole and the tower is secured to the top of the fridge using the included screws.
Tower secured to the fridge
The final and most important step is to hook up the keg and pour a beer! To ensure a smooth pour while still keeping the beer carbonated the system needs to be balanced. That involves some math and science and will be addressed in another entry. Right now I just want to enjoy some Brown Ale!
Keg has been tapped! Drink ’em if you got ’em!
You’ll notice that I only have one keg tapped in the picture, but have two faucets. I have another keg and duel CO2 regulators that I want to use in this system, but only have one batch of beer brewed right now. Additionally there isn’t a lot of room in the fridge for another keg. It’s going to take some creative maneuvering and additional fridge modification to get them both to fit.
