Does a kegerator need a drip tray?

Does a kegerator need a drip tray?

Unless you want beer all over the top of your Kegerator … Yes you should have a drip tray anytime you have a tap dispensing beer.  A drip tray will keep that sticky mess confined to the tray instead of all over your counter, kegerator top or floor.

Why do I need a drip tray?

Drip trays are meant to catch over pour or dripping faucets.  Unfortunately, even the fanciest beer faucets tend a drip a couple drops after you’ve closed the faucet and stopped pouring beer.  Additionally, over filling a glass is a fairly common occurrence, so having that drip tray in place contains the mess.  Also, if your friends are anything like mine, they tend be a little less careful about catching those drips or preventing over pour than I am and as the beer flows, it tends to get worst!

What are the Types of Beer Drip Trays?

• Wall Mount Drip Trays – typically used in bulkhead type installations or keezers … they have a small backsplash and stick out from the wall under the bulkhead mounted faucets

• Surface Mount Drip Trays – typically used on bar top, kegerator top or countertop tower installations. As the name implies, they sit on the surface beneath the beer faucets from a kegerator tower or wall installation

• Glass Rinser Drip Trays – can be mounted either on a wall or surface but they are a typical drip tray with a glass rinser disk built into it. What is a glass rinser disk? … it is a disk shaped portion of the tray that when pressed down, sprays water out of the center and into an upside down glass.  This means it must have a drain as well as water plumbed to it.  There are two advantages to glass rinsers … it ensures the glass is clean and dust free and, more importantly, adding that thin layer of water in the glass significantly reduces the potential for foamy pours.

Drain or No Drain?

This is typically dictated by the type of installation.  It is almost always better to have a drain but for a small, at home, kegerator … it may not make sense to have a drain installed.  Drip trays with no drain are usually easily removed to be cleaned and also typically have a top that can be easily removed to clean the inside of the tray.  Most commercial installations require a drain, due to the amount of over pour or drips. 

At Keg & Brew Supplies, we offer a wide variety of drip trays … contact us if you have any questions!