Nothing tops a draft beer. A home kegerator is a super fun and convenient way to step up your beer game. If you’ve ever bought or been given a kegerator, it’s certain that you’ll eventually encounter a few common problems.
Regardless of what brand you have, pretty much all kegerators operate under the same principle. Since kegerators can be very closely compared to a mini fridge, it’s easy to see how over time and many uses, your kegerator will begin to have some issues.
Edgestar kegerator problems are similar to danby kegerator problems and so on. Luckily, the majority of the problems are easily fixable. It’s good to familiarize yourself with what might go wrong. This is so that when/if it does, you won’t be completely caught off guard.
Common Kegerator Problems
If you look at reviews for kegerators online, you’ll probably see a lot of the same complaints from customers. All kegerators are modeled so similarly, which is why they experience a lot of the same issues. What are the most common kegerator problems?
Kegerator Freezing
When the outside of your kegerator starts getting icy, it can really compromise the flavor and quality of your beer. For this reason, you want to be sure to defrost your kegerator on a regular basis and examine it for any signs of icing.
Some kegerators will come with auto-defrost features, but it’s still important check it out yourself and do a manual defrost every once in a while.
Kegerator Not Cooling
It’s common to find that kegerator not cooling your beer as much as you’d like. Remember, since your kegerator is essentially a type of mini fridge, it needs to have good circulation and air flow in order to cool down and stay cool on its interior.
Since kegs are so large and take up so much space inside the kegerator, that can cause a lack of circulation. This is the most likely reason why your kegerator not getting cold. The best and easiest way to solve this dilemma is to put a small fan inside the of the kegerator.
If nothing else, you can always call a technician and have them calibrate the kegerator’s thermostat for you.
Kegerator Beer Coming Out Foamy
You want your beer to have some foam, but it can really ruin it if there’s too much. It’s almost as bad as if you’re kegerator won’t pour beer. The ideal perfect pour will have about ½ to 1 inch of foam head on top. There a several reasons why you kegerator might be dispensing foamy beer.
This is common when a new keg has just been put in and you try to pouring beer without allowing time for it to settle. Also, if the beer is too warm, it can cause your pours to come out foamy. Check and make sure that the thermostat is working properly.
Other things that can cause excess foam are having dirty lines or having the CO2 pressure too high. You can avoid this by keeping the lines clean and by checking the pressure of the CO2. Try to keep the CO2 at 12 to 14 psi and never open the tank completely.
Kegerator CO2 Leak
Another big issue you might experience with a kegerator is a CO2 leak. Not only is it inconvenient, if gone unattended it can end up costing you a lot of money. And without this pressure, it could leave to your kegerator not dispensing beer.
Luckily, as long as you stay vigilant and can catch them in time, you’ll be able to fix it yourself. The best way to check and see if this is your issue is to begin with solid system. As you’re setting up you kegerator check each component as you go.
Check that the manifold, regulator and connecting lines are all in good shape. Next, you can spray down the components and look for leaks. Another way to diagnose this issue is the pressure gauge showing a low reading.
Simply turn the CO2 tank off and see if there are any pressure changed. If you notice a drop, then there’s a leak. Now that you’ve found the leak, it can be easily repaired by simply replacing a few parts.
Depending where the leak is easy – most easily determined by the spray method – you’ll know whether to change a post, lid, valve, o-ring, poppet, etc.
How To Unfreeze A Keg
As a kegerator owner, it’s important to know to unfreeze a keg. You don’t want your kegerator freezing beer. Not mention, too much ice on the unit could cause cracks and breakdown of the kegerator as a whole.
Try to defrost your kegerator about once every 6 months, unless you notice ice building up. At that point, you’d want to defrost even more often. It can be a long process, so allow yourself about 5 to 8 hours.
Start by removing the keg from the refrigerator. Then, unplug the refrigerator and take out the regulator, beer lines and CO2. Take that as an opportunity to clean out the beer lines as well.
Open the refrigerator door and keep it open for about 1 to 2 hours. This lets in the warm air and really helps the defrost process.
As it begins to thaw, you can begin separating any large pieces of ice from the fridge. Keep plenty of bowls and towels on hand to catch and soak up the melting ice.
Now, you can detail and dry out the keg. Then, in the same order you removed the parts, put them back in. You can then turn it on and reset to your desired temperature.
As great as it is to have a home kegerator, they can all experience some issues at one point. No matter the brand, kegco kegerator problems are going likely going to be similar to summit kegerator problems.
This is simply because they all are modeled and function pretty much the same way. If you experience any of these issues, know that they’re very common and often an easy fix that you can do yourself.