TAP
Materials - Poplar, Plywood, Metal
860mm x 1525mm x 1420mm
The Design Behind TAP
Tap started as a desire to get more into our homebrewing hobby and the recent renovation to our basement. This combination of equipment is typically know as a Keezer (kegerator freezer) and most if not all of them are custom pieces designed to fit the needs of the homebrewer.
Tap set out using an old 8.6 cubic foot chest freezer that had been neglected and was destined for the scrap heap. The freezer still worked, but the exterior was rusting and the interior tub was cracked and leaking water. We set out refinishing the chest freezer and fixing issues like the rust and cracks to make sure the fridge would survive to become useful again.
The exterior casing around the fridge is made of readily available plywood and 2x4 lumber. The top is constructed of dimensioned Poplar wood.
Some design requirements that needed to be considered were:
-It needed to be able to be moved into our basement without too much hassle
-Short enough for smaller users (like my wife) to be able to operate the taps and actually load the kegerator itself if needed.
-Avoid hitting the wall or ceiling with either the taps or top when opening
-Movable so we can relocate it if needed elsewhere in the space
-6 taps (4 for rotating beer varieties, 1 permanent carbonated water tap, and a cider tap)
The hardware inside consists of Taprite and Kegco regulators along with high quality beverage lines that do not impart flavors and all the other components are made of high quality stainless steel for sanitary cleaning. The fridge is regulated using a Inkbird temperature controller and the whole unit has been re-insulated for additional energy efficiency.
Want to see some of the development work on Tap? Check out the videos and photos below
