
If you've even been to a party with a kegerator, you already know what a great party item they can be. Unfortunately, buying one online can mean spending hundreds of dollars or more for a generic machine.
If the only kegerators you have seen are the expensive pre-made ones, you might be surprised to know that you can make your own at a fraction of the cost. You don't have to be a DIY wizard and you don't have to spend every penny you've made to do it. In fact, if you or someone you know has an old fridge hanging out in the garage that they're looking to get rid of, you might have a potential kegerator project. If you have friends to invite to a party, there's a good chance you can even get some help assembling a kegerator for your next get together.
The first step is to get your hands on a refrigerator. Even cheap models can cost hundreds of dollars at the store, including things like a crisper, humidity control and racks that you're not going to need.
Your best option is to find someone looking to get rid of their old fridge. You might be able to get one for free, but at the most you will be spending substantially less than if you buy something from a showroom.
The next step in making a kegerator is to buy a kegerator conversion kit from a retailer. These kits are pretty cheap, usually under $100, and will have everything you need to convert the fridge into a kegerator. Most importantly, they should come with instructions on how to put everything together and what to do to the fridge.
You will have to run lines for the tap which go through the fridge doors so make sure you have the tools needed to complete the job. Since a keg requires things like compressed CO2 and gauges, you won't be able to construct this part yourself unless you really know what you're doing and if that were the case, you probably wouldn't be reading this.
After installing the kit in the fridge, the rest of the process should be pretty simple. Most standard fridges will hold a normal keg and hooking everything up should be easy if you've tapped a keg before. Your kit should come with instructions that show you how to get everything working so you're ready to use the kegerator at your next event.
After you have the kegerator built and everything ready to go, you get to the fun part. When you buy a kegerator, you only get the options the manufacturer builds in. If you use it for football parties you can paint it the color of your favorite team or you can keep it black with stainless steel for something more upscale.
A metal fridge can even hold magnets so you can change your style around or put up pictures of friends at past parties. You can also get custom tap handles and serving glasses for your kegerator. Buying a kegerator might be easier, but nothing really makes a party as much fun as a great custom kegerator you built yourself.

