Kegerator Essentials

The kegerator itself is an ingenious device intended to save you money and make you the king of entertaining. If you have any doubts, please refer to "Hints and Tips on Purchasing a Kegerator." The kegerator consists of a variety of components, but basically you need to know about the keg pump and cleaning kit.

Good Times and Clean Lines
All of your tasty brews from the local watering hole are that way because beer vendors instruct the kind man delivering the beer to clean the lines weekly. Even a few missed cleanings of a regularly used keg system can cause the faucet and coupler to lock up and break. Home kegerator owners should use their taste to determine when it is time to clean, but the consensus is never less than once a month.

Kegerator cleaning products are widely available at your supply store. As a home aficionado, you should use stay away from stronger products and use that product least likely to alter the taste of the beer.

CO2: Life Is a Gas
Because your life is no longer a party and your kegerator is more an evening indulgence than a Saturday morning requirement before the game, you will be using an actual beer tap with a CO2 cylinder instead of a standard keg pump. Expect to get one and a half kegs per pound of liquid CO2 provided that you have no leaks or other problems.

Unfortunately, the pressure gauge tells you nothing until the pressurized liquid inside turns to gas. At this point it is too late to order a new one if you need beer flowing. Prevent this by having an automatic changeover valve to insure no loss of beer flow.

If you don't have a changeover valve, the only way to measure the CO2 left is by weighing the cylinder. Any mount over the TW listed on the cylinder (empty weight) is usable CO2. Keeping your lines clean and having a backup CO2 cylinder are the most important aspects of maintaining your money-saving, beer-dispensing kegerator.