Danby Kegerator Improvements

[lunkhead]

Originally Posted by dbaird6154

Sorry, but I'm new at this. I was going to install a Brewers edge controller onto the Danby since my LCD panel is not working correctly and I thought that I would have to by-pass (by re-wiring the unit) the auto defrost. I read earlier that someone entered the control box and somehow re-wired the unit.

Please help

Here's the link that shows the before and after wiring mods. Danby Kegerator Improvements If your unit has this drawing on the back it will work fine. When I did mine I cut and spliced the wires down at the compressor, so I did not have to pull the top off. If you plug the unit into the wall after doing this the compressor will always run, just to test, then plug it into new controller.

[dbaird6154]

thank you I'll give it a whirl this weekend

[dbaird6154]

OK, I rewired the Danby as suggested above and by-passed the auto defrost. I noticed that my fan no longer runs. Is there any way to re-wire the fan at the control panel so it runs when the Danby runs? I do not want to install another fan.

[lunkhead]

Nope. The danby fan only ran when the compressor ran any way. It's best to have the fan run 24/7 and very recomended. You could power the existing fan with a 12vdc wall transformer, just disconnect it from the wire harness that goes back into the unit and splice into the fan wiring. The power wires for the blower/fan that I use come into the unit with the co2 hose, 20 or 22 gage wiring is fine for this. A little larger fan than the stock fan would also be better.

[psychodad]

The little Danby fan really doesn't do anything IMHO. But it is better than nothing.

Again, I must say that lunkhead has some good ideas. I like the 12 vdc power supply spliced into the existing wire idea. I looked into tapping off of the 12 vdc on the Danby control board, but lunkhead's idea is much simpler.

[knees]

Many thanks to everyone on here: especially pyschodad and lunkhead! I took the simple road for my Danby, but I'm already making plans for a chest freezer mod with about 6+/- taps. Anyway, I finally got around to taking some pictures:
Hole cut out for multiple beer lines:


Temp probe moved:


Blower fan:


Multiple CO2 & computer fan:


Finished product:


I attached everything with velcro because I was afraid of drilling into any lines (you can see my blower fan velcro didn't hold up!). Also, my 33K resistor makes the Danby readout display 40 degrees F when in fact it's 34 degrees inside.

[psychodad]

Heh.. I have that same "Free Beer Tomorrow" sign in my beer cave.

[lunkhead]

Looks pretty sweet knees. The temp error is the by product of getting the unit cooled down so you'll need an alternate method of watching the inside temp. I see there's 2 places I have to go to "Tomorrow"

[knees]

I actually have a small wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer velcroed inside just above the temp probe and the display is sitting on the shelf to the left of the budlight tap handle in the last picture. It reads 34+/- degrees except when it's going thru defrost. I'm not going to worry about by-passing the defrost cycle on this unit, but when I make my chest keg I certainly will.

Funny thing about 'Tomorrow'........when you have a kegerator, as far as your buddies are concerend it's always 'Tomorrow'!

[wsf0817]

Well, I received a Danby as a gift this January from my loving girlfriend and as an engineer, enjoyed the challenge of getting it dialed in. Originally I started with the resistor mod, and while this helped, it didn’t cure my issues, plus, in my mind it was a quick duct tape fix for a larger issue. I ordered a standalone control similar to the ones posted in this thread and took over control of the units cooling from the Danby. The result was remarkably consistent temperatures, wherever I felt like setting the temperature.

I still had foam issues, and pilfered a small 12VDC fan from a computer power supply and mounted it in a box. I ran some ¾ inch tubing up to the top of the tower to improve overall cooling. In my opinion, one of the large issues is that as the beer warms while it sits in the tower, the CO2 separates from the beer, creating lovely foam until such point that I am drawing cool beer from the keg.

As it is now, I get inconsistent performance. Some days with a fresh keg I will pull perfect first beer pours. A few days later, I’ll come by and the keg is foam central on the first pour, and if I follow it immediately, I’ll get a clean second pour.

I’m beginning to wonder if the coupler or regulator are bad. And as much as I love to blow money like the next guy, I’m curious if anyone has any theories as to which it may be. There was one post in here already that indicated replacing both helped, but they weren’t not sure which piece individually it was.

Other items I may also look to include a larger fan, larger cooling ducting, larger opening for the tower, and new insulation. I appreciate any other theories.

Thanks!
~Walter

[dtvguy]

I have had my danby 4 years worked fine beer temp couldhave been little colder but was not as bad as all u guys say.
I came home the other day and my lcd said ce and the unit was running constant needles to say everthing was iced up if my controll board went bad will the brewers choice fix? also if i need a new temp sensor where do i get one

[psychodad]

The Brewers Edge will bypass the control board. You will not need to buy an additional temperature sensor.

[tonyb]

Just got the Danby as a gift and have the same problems as everyone else. Can you just replace the existing internal fan with out a complete retro? How are you powering the blower? is it an external power source? Has anyone trying to insulante the tower line and tower instead of installing the blower? I am trying not to tear the unit apart as i am not an electrician. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[psychodad]

Sorry. Just replacing the existing fan won't help. It is controlled by the control board and only runs when Danby wants it to.

[tonyb]

Psychodad- is it easy to install the blower fan and do you have to expand the tower hole diameter? can you just run a 1/2" tube up the existing tower hole? I would lke to have the unit outside during the summer will the retrofit be sufficient to handle NJ summer heat and humidity? Any help that you or anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[psychodad]

You don't have to open the tower opening up. You can get by fine with what you have. I wouldn't expect good results outside this summer. This thing is an indoor unit and the extra work to keep cold during high heat and humidity will tax the innards.

[tonyb]

Anyway to retro the unit to work under counter outside? What if i insulate the tower as per Lunkheads thread, do you think it will hold temp? As i stated before i am not the electrician but like to tinker just like everyone else on this forum. I enjoy some carpentry/ masonry work and am about to build my own outdoor grill area and want to install it undercounter for the summer and move in house the rest of the year.

[psychodad]

I just don't know. Maybe someone else can shed some light on it, but I think there is more insulation needed than just for the tower. Perhaps under your counter it won't be in direct sunlight, but I can't really be sure that would be enough.

[TheSlavik]

Hey everyone,

I have just ordered my Danby and was doing some googling and ended up here. After a long read in this amazing thread, I decided to register and participate as my Danby will probably have these similar problems.

I am planning on tapping Guinness with my kegerator. I've read that guinness is best kept and served at 41-43 degrees; would this mean my Danby might be perfect for me without modifications? This seems to be the temperature that all of your Kegerators happen to stay steady at without modification.

I also ordered the Stout convertion kit that comes with the European Keg Coupler, Nitrogen dual gauge regulator, and Stout tap head. A few of you have mentioned the the cheaper Keg Coupler and Regulator that come with this fridge may add to the poor performance.

If I need to, I plan on doing the resistor/thermometer probe modification. The tower temperature concerns me as well, but I guess time will tell.

I will update you all as I aquire my new kegerator. Any other tip or tricks would be great!

Thanks.

PS: Amazing thread!

[psychodad]

I don't think you are going to have any trouble keeping it at 41-43 degrees. If you do, the resistor will fix that. Tower cooling is all I would start with.

[thebug]

Hi just got my Danby.....plugged it in and it started beeping right away and the display say EE. When I press the one of the button the change temp, the beeping stops but it still says EE. Call danby and they said it was a sensor issue? and to return it. Well I bought it on the internet from New Brunswick and I am in Ontario (NFL Draft party in 2 days)....HELP!

[TheSlavik]

First thing I would do is contact whoever you got it from (Ebay or whichever) and let them know immediatly. Typically you would have to ship it back at your cost, then they would send a new one and reimburse you for your freight cost if the unit was defective.

As for a quick easy fix... maybe someone on here who knows a bit more could help you out.

[monkey710]

Originally Posted by thebug

Hi just got my Danby.....plugged it in and it started beeping right away and the display say EE. When I press the one of the button the change temp, the beeping stops but it still says EE. Call danby and they said it was a sensor issue? and to return it. Well I bought it on the internet from New Brunswick and I am in Ontario (NFL Draft party in 2 days)....HELP!

Take off the sensor cover on the bottom left of the inside. Check to make sure that the sensor wiring is properly connected at the connector.

If no fix, take off the top of the kegerator to access the back of the digital display. Check that all the connectors are snug.

If this doesn't fix it, you have an open in the wiring somewhere and need to get it fixed or return.