Beer Forum

yanknrebel · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:11 PM

Hi everyone! Great info here-- seriously considering voiding my warranty to get some real performance from my Danby. Here is my situation. I keep my Danby on the back Patio (covered but not weatherproof) and our summers here in TN tend to get into the upper 90's and stay there for months. Moving the keg indoors is out of the question, Mama says no way. So...what do I need to do to keep it cooling?? and another new development, my contorl panel went inoperative today. read 37 and was really about 65 OMG!!
Now the Dilemma. Do I mod this sucker with over 12 months left under warrany, or do I try calling Danby for service??? I am a Mechanic and former electronics Tech in the US Navy, so modding is not a problem. Is it gonna be worth it to call Danby, or just say screw it and mod it to work? TIA for all your help!

monkey710 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 10:54 PM

First off: GO NAVY!! As a Submarine LT here...the mods are easy. No problem for you.

Second, I never thought twice about the warranty. I was getting crap beer. What is the point of dealing with a shabby machine when I am perfectly capable of fixing it myself. I am so happy with my product now I never look back.

Start the mods....

psychodad · #3 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 05:12 AM

Doing these mods is going to help, but it still will be far from making the unit suitable for outside use. You are going to find that as the weather warms up, the compressor is going to have to run longer to keep temperatures cool. This is going to be a strain on the compressor motor. You may want to fill some milk jugs with water and place inside the Danby filling the dead space as they will stay cold longer than air. A box fan placed by the unit to insure air circulation may not be a bad idea as well. And keep the opening and closing of the door to a minimum.

yanknrebel · #4 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkey710

First off: GO NAVY!! As a Submarine LT here...the mods are easy. No problem for you.

Second, I never thought twice about the warranty. I was getting crap beer. What is the point of dealing with a shabby machine when I am perfectly capable of fixing it myself. I am so happy with my product now I never look back.

Start the mods....

GO NAVY!!! 6+ years fixing P-3's. Not scared of any of the mods, for sure. I was kinda thinkin that danby wasnt gonna be much help anyway. Now, where did I put that 3" hole saw??

cubby_swans · #5 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 06:51 AM

Why would you need to void the warranty? You don't need to cut anything to add a resistor, blower for tower, and a fan for circulation.

yanknrebel · #6 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychodad

Doing these mods is going to help, but it still will be far from making the unit suitable for outside use. You are going to find that as the weather warms up, the compressor is going to have to run longer to keep temperatures cool. This is going to be a strain on the compressor motor. You may want to fill some milk jugs with water and place inside the Danby filling the dead space as they will stay cold longer than air. A box fan placed by the unit to insure air circulation may not be a bad idea as well. And keep the opening and closing of the door to a minimum.

Thanks for the info Psychodad! Gonna do the resistor mod tonight, and the rest later. How much insulating do you think will be needed? I mean it gets HOT in the summer here in Memphis. would something like a waterheater blanket do any good? wont look the best, but cold beer is the point here, right?

yanknrebel · #7 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cubby_swans

Why would you need to void the warranty? You don't need to cut anything to add a resistor, blower for tower, and a fan for circulation.

well I think I need to a bunch of modding if I am gonna leave it outside this summer. I will start with the simple things and move on as necessary I guess

THE ICEMAN · #8 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yanknrebel

Thanks for the info Psychodad! Gonna do the resistor mod tonight, and the rest later. How much insulating do you think will be needed? I mean it gets HOT in the summer here in Memphis. would something like a waterheater blanket do any good? wont look the best, but cold beer is the point here, right?

The main thing you should be concerned with is proper air flow around the unit. Don't stick it back in a hole somewhere & expect it to work. Keep fresh air moving over the condenser/compressor at all times & you should be fine. They are made to work with a 90* ambient temperature but of course they work better with a lower ambient. Also, make sure the condenser stays clean. A clogged or extremely dirty condenser coil will kill a compressor faster than anything.

I have a small commercial ice machine on my back porch that I have on a timer set to run only at night. Living here in Az it is the only way in the summertime to keep the little beast alive. I know this would not be practical for a kegerator but it illustrates the need to operate those systems in the best conditions possible.

Later, THE ICEMAN

lunkhead · #9 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 08:30 PM

The OP stated "and another new development, my contorl panel went inoperative today. read 37 and was really about 65 OMG!!". So adding the resistor is not going to do you any good if the control board is fried. You could try getting a new board out of Danby if the unit worked ok before (cold Beer), but if the beer wasn't cold enough than you may want to go with an external temp controller. Just make sure the compressor still runs and is not causing the "65 OMG!!" With the unit sitting outside is the warranty still valid??

psychodad · #10 (**permalink**) 05-07-2008, 04:57 AM

I missed the 65 OMG. Holding Danby's feet to the fire on this wouldn't be out of line. However if the compressor and refrigeration pieces are all good, an external temperature control is going to likely yield better results.

yanknrebel · #11 (**permalink**) 05-07-2008, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychodad

I missed the 65 OMG. Holding Danby's feet to the fire on this wouldn't be out of line. However if the compressor and refrigeration pieces are all good, an external temperature control is going to likely yield better results.

Well I cycled the power to it, and it came on and started running. but its set at 41 and the control panel is still DOA. I used a thermometer last night to check it, and its poring 49 degree beer. not exactly cold. but it is cooling. I wasnt able to get by the radio shack last night, so I am going on lunch break today. If I can get an assortment of resistors, i was thinking of starting with the 33K ohm, and moving up from there. Since I'm stuck at the 41 degree setting, prolly need to go smaller though. I have tried to call Damnby several times now, and keep getting hung up on. I will keep trying though, maybe they can just send me a new control panel. its not the circuit board, it is the touch keys that are inop, but I think there is an undrlying bigger problem too. Otherwise it would not have been reading 37 and been 65.thanks to all of you for all your advice and suggestions. I have pretty much decided to try the "non-destructive" mods first, and at least try to preserve whats left of my warranty (if keeping it outside hasnt already voided it). One other thing, I was looking at the schematic last night, and the temp sensor plugs intop the control board. I think that is where I am gonna put my resistor, leave the temp probe in the ******* location and add a seconday thermometer in a mason jar of water to monitor liquid temp. I have a remote probe digital thermometer for cooking that reads down to 32 degrees.

yanknrebel · #12 (**permalink**) 05-07-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunkhead

The OP stated "and another new development, my contorl panel went inoperative today. read 37 and was really about 65 OMG!!". So adding the resistor is not going to do you any good if the control board is fried. You could try getting a new board out of Danby if the unit worked ok before (cold Beer), but if the beer wasn't cold enough than you may want to go with an external temp controller. Just make sure the compressor still runs and is not causing the "65 OMG!!" With the unit sitting outside is the warranty still valid??

Lunk, I was able to unplug it and replug and now its at 41 and cooling, but i cant adjust. Pouring 49 degree beer. yuk!

yanknrebel · #13 (**permalink**) 05-07-2008, 05:43 PM

OK, i think the controlboard has issues. When I got home tonight, went out to check on the keg. Display read "LE" and compressor was running. I pulled a beer off and checked the liquid temp, 35! so obviously cooling equipment functions allright, but temp control is hosed. Cycled the power again, and the compressor did not start back up. opened the door for a minute or two and display changed over to 32. i will monitor to see if it kicks back on. I think I have figured out how to change my temp with the control panel inop too. i am working on a chart of what each of the 5 pins on the cable connection for the control pad do. I will post it when its perfected. Found a slightly used damnby control board on Ebay today for 20$, so I bought it. Figured it may be faster than dealing with Damnby. gonna go ahead with the resistor mod tonight. I'll let y'all know in a day or two if its working.

lunkhead · #14 (**permalink**) 05-08-2008, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psychodad

I missed the 65 OMG. Holding Danby's feet to the fire on this wouldn't be out of line. However if the compressor and refrigeration pieces are all good, an external temperature control is going to likely yield better results.

Have to agree with psychodad on the external control. For an extra $20 you should be able to find one on ebay. I paid $35 with shipping for mine, is easy to wire in and works great.

yanknrebel · #15 (**permalink**) 05-09-2008, 06:21 AM

Well, the resistor mod seems to be working, when the control board wil co-operate. My quart of water was froze solid yesterday morning, but compressor was still running. I unplugged it for the day and let it defrost. Plugged it up last night and it acted crazyfor a few minutes, and then took off and started working again. I unplugged the keypad and ran it down to 36 by shorting the correct two pins together. Put it all back together and then camped out next to it and babysat it for about 4 hours. It was cycling on and off exactly as it should, and was still running "properly". Dispaly temp was 37 and my liquid temp was 32, so i gained the 5 degrees with the resistors. new control board will be here in a coupla days. Well see what happens.

yanknrebel · #16 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 10:09 AM

Just a quick update. Had another freezing issue, so i went back in and disconnected the keypad for good. Manually set the temp to 36 and put it back together. Been holding fine now for almost a week with the keypad unplugged. So... i reckon something with the keypad was messing with it. I have a new control board and display board i got off ebay for 40$, but I'm not gonna install them until it acts up again. I finally got Danby to answer their phone, and they are sending me a new keypad. With the resistor mod, a liquid temp at the top of the keg is hangin between 35 and 37. Now just need to add a fan and some tower cooling and I think it will be set. Just gotta convince the wife I need to spend more money on it. LOL. Thanks to all of you for all your input and advice.