Nostalgia Electrics Kegorator

UPDATED REVIEW 4/1/13: Nostalgia customer service provided instructions on how to screw-adjust the underlying kegorator temperature (see picture). Our regulator was damaged during the freezing event mentioned below, and Nostalgia is going to replace it (DO NOT LET YOUR REGULATOR FREEZE). Unfortunately they are backordered so we have to wait several weeks to obtain the new regulator, but Nostalgia is replacing it under warranty. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON KEG COUPLER WASHER CONNECTION: On the 18mm washer issue noted below, Nostalgia customer service said we should be using one of the clear washers provided (even though that washer measures 20mm-another discrepancy in the instructions and this washer is not pictured in the parts list or instructions) AND the instructions say to set the washer "on" the Keg Coupler shaft. This is incorrect (see picture). The washer slides over the L-shaped neck and under/into the wing nut assembly. The 20mm washer does not seal leaks if it is set on top of the Keg Coupler as illustrated. Following my instructions looks counterintuitive, but it doesn't leak. Can anyone else comment on this? I want to ensure we are doing this correctly. I also suggested to Nostalgia Customer Service that they seriously rewrite the instructions and my suggestion was apparently passed on to their Director of Product Development. Also, because of some of the interior space issues noted previously, we've decided to move our CO2 cartridge outside the kegorator once the kegorator is out of warranty. This looks easily accomplished by running the CO2 air line through the Beer Dispenser Tower. A small hole will be drilled through the stainless steel decorative cap and temperature sealed with another rubber washer. This will also make it much easier to read the regulator gauges on a frequent basis and without opening the kegorator and loosing coolant. Because we live in a remote area, we have issues getting our 2.5lb CO2 tank filled anywhere near us, let alone not near us and in one day. Generally no one carries swappable 2.5lb tanks so we have to visit a filling retailer in Albuquerque to do it. However, for FDA reasons one now has to wait until the next day to pick up a filled tank, making filling the 2.5 tank very expensive (hotel, food, gas, time expenses for an overnight trip). In my situation it makes sense just to buy and swap out the 5lb tank as I can do that instantaneously and only five miles away. I would assume living in larger metropolitan areas this might not be an issue. Because of size and ability to read the gauges frequently, this is another reason to move the 5lb tank outside the kegorator. LOVE THE NEW PICTURES PEOPLE POSTED! I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE CHALK BOARD HANDLE-GREAT IDEA. ------------------------------------------------------ Read the prior reviews and bought this forewarned. Most critical items that get this kegorator three stars only: 1) the instructions are almost worthless and some of the parts pictures are so small a novice has a hard time interpreting them; 2) the temperature dial is crude & operates outside of the manufacturers specs so finding the right temperature takes caution; 3) the interior is too small to accommodate some kegs. I would have spent more to eliminate these three problems. I'm not sure yet if I will keep this kegorator. Details We never had a kegorator before but are divers so we understand how gas works, how to read the regulator, how important O-Rings are, etc. If we had only the written instructions to reference we may have never successfully connected the gauges. Nostalgia Electrics needs to seriously rewrite these instructions. I suggest read the whole manual first twice, then go back and decipher what is out of order. Some sections are actually written backwards in logical task order (and this is an American company-come on). Nothing like frustrating your customer right out of the box. Critical note on the washers and O-Rings: page 11, step 10 says to use coupler washer #3 18mm. We either did not receive the correct washer or this washer does not work on this fitting because it is too small and fits INSIDE the fitting, not ON the fitting. We instead used #1 Bottom of Coupler 22mm WITH teflon tape on metal threads to minimize leaking. I'll be calling Nostalgia about this and will update. Three hours after beginning assembly we were ready to insert the keg and CO2. Of course we already had the keg so we could use the kegorator and CO2. Well the keg is too tall (25" high instead of the documentation's maximum of 23" high and the kegorator door label that indicates 24.75" high), so we had to rotate sideways both the 5lb. CO2 cartridge and keg and remove the drip pan to get them to fit. Knowing the temperature gauge was suppose to produce either 30F or 40F on the outside, we maxed the temperature setting to hurry up to a cold keg. Twelve hours later the CO2 cartridge and keg were frozen at 20F degrees. This temperature is WAY outside the manufacturer's specs of 30-40F degrees. So we hoped the green chili beer wasn't ruined, opened the door, unplugged the kegorator and let it thaw for another 12 hours. I then set the temperature dial to just over the off setting (the lowest setting on) and the kegorator is now at 30F. On this particular unit there is no room for error on the temperature setting. I'll also contact Nostalgia about this and let you know about their customer service. I hope to be able to attach pictures to my review so look for those. Bottom line: manufacturer's specs say you can fit a 24.75" high keg in this unit. You can, BUT PERHAPS WITHOUT THE KEG COUPLER PARAPHERNALIA ATTACHED AND WITHOUT THE DRIP TRAY INSTALLED. So basically you can store a keg of this height but not actually tap a keg of this height as the keg coupler is easily 3+" high. DO NOT BRING HOME A KEG OVER 23" HIGH AS THAT WILL STILL BE A TIGHT FIT. You only have 27 1/4" height to work with when the drip tray is removed. Also, if you have a 1/2 barrel, you would have to use the 2.5lb. CO2 cartridge as there would not be enough room for the 5lb. CO2 cartridge. These are easy design problems to fix with a little more interior space (height and depth). And changing this would give the consumer more flexibility on slight variations in keg sizes. Thanks for the prior reviews! The beer tower washer still is not referenced in the instructions and is important! The kegorator looks fine with the black paint for my garage and the casters work and lock. The top drip tray is easily removable for cleaning. If you can't use the interior drip tray because of space issues, check for leaked barley pop periodically and clean up so vermin aren't attracted to the kegorator. I bought a 5lb. CO2 cartridge at the hardware store for $82.50 and $14.85 for the CO2, but I have to drive 2.5 hours to get the 2.5lb. CO2 cartridge filled at the nearest gas fill center in Albuquerque.