For my kegerator build, I used an old side-by-side refrigerator that my in-laws were throwing away. This had the distinct advantage of being free, but brought with it some other challenges. First, a side-by-side fridge does not have a ton of horizontal space, especially in the freezer section. This required some fancy footwork to try and fit my kegs and CO2 tank, but I made it work as you can see in the video.

Why not put it on the fridge side, you might be asking? Well, I certainly could have, but I wanted to use the fridge side as a fermentation chamber/cold crashing/lagering area. The real decision was made when I figured out that my Chronical fermenter would not fit in the freezer section but would fit in the fridge section. It was really as simple as that.

If you don't have an old refrigerator you can use, I'd highly recommend checking out a chest freezer. When combined with a temperature controller like the Inkbird ITC-308 (which we used in our build), you can set the temperature to your serving temperature and have a large space for keg storage. You also get the benefit of easy access to your liquid and gas disconnects, which are a pain to access in my setup. All that being said, a new chest freezer is generally at least $200, so that's a pretty significant expense if you're trying to stay on a budget.

Once I figured out where the kegs were going to go in my fridge, it was time to gut the fridge. I basically removed anything that wasn't permanently fused to the fridge. The next step was to build some wooden platforms for the kegs and CO2 tank to rest on. I just used pressure treated lumber scraps that I had lying around my shop and put them together with glue and screws.

After I had the inside of the fridge laid out, it was time to cut a hole for the tap faucets. To do this, I used a 15/16 hole saw and my Dewalt cordless drill. This was extremely simple work, and the hole saw punched right through. I also added a small piece of wood, with two of the same sized holes drilled through, to help brace the faucets.

All that's really left at this point is to install your faucets, connect your lines, and install your drip tray. Once that's done, you're ready to serve your homebrew on draft at home. Be ready to be the envy of your family and friends, and also expect your rate of visitors to increase significantly.

All of the kegging equipment in this video is from KegOutlet.com. Click here to receive a 5% off discount.