How to Build Your Own Kegerator at Home
**How to Build Your Own Kegerator at Home**
If you enjoy a cold draft beer and have ever thought, “I wish I could have this at home,” then building your own kegerator might be a great weekend project. It’s easier than you might think, and you can often do it for less money than buying one ready-made. Plus, there’s something satisfying about pouring a beer from your own setup. Get More Info from guides and tutorials online if you want extra photos or diagrams.
To start, you’ll need a few key items: an old refrigerator, a keg, CO2 tank with a regulator, tubing, a faucet or tap, and a drill. A small fridge—the kind you might use in a dorm—can work well if you’re using smaller kegs. For full-size kegs, a larger fridge or standalone freezer is better.
First, clean your fridge inside and out. You want it to be spotless before using it to store beer. Make sure your keg will fit inside before drilling any holes.
Next, plan out where you want your tap to go. Most people drill a hole in the door of the fridge—it’s usually safe there because there aren't cooling lines in the door. Still, open up the inner panel first, just to be sure nothing important is in the way. Once the hole is drilled, you can slide in the beer line and attach your faucet on the outside.
Your keg connects to the CO2 tank using tubing and a coupler (this is what connects to the keg itself). The CO2 helps push the beer through the line and keeps it fresh longer. Set your CO2 regulator to the right pressure—10 to 12 PSI is a common range, but it might vary depending on the beer.
Place everything inside the fridge: the keg, CO2 tank, and extra tubing. Some people prefer to keep the CO2 tank outside the fridge by drilling an extra hole and running the line through it. Either way works.
Once everything's connected, open the CO2 tank valve and let the system pressurize. You might need to wait a bit for the beer to settle before pouring.
And that’s it—you’ve built your own kegerator! Invite some friends over and enjoy cold beer straight from the tap anytime.