inexpensive blower setup

[cmorin1171]

After purchasing a danby and going through all of the same temperature and air flow issues, i decided to make the changes that were listed on this board. First thing that i did was the resistor mod and instead of soldering it to the temperature probe like most here have done, i quite simply just tucked the ends of the resistor into the plug for the temp probe. now if i need warranty service i can just remove the resistor in two seconds and avoid any issues with a denial of a warranty claim. now on to the blower setup that i have created. rather than spend money on a elaborate blower from grainger that i would have to mount in place, i opted for something easily done and removed. I used a fridge air circulator made for recreational vehicles. CAMCO FRIDGE AIRATORS - JCWhitney RV & Camper Parts

just rest it on top of the keg and place a short length of pvc resting on the output of the fan (the hole on top) and the pvc is long enough to go halfway up the tower. with this method, you can slide the pvc up or down to match the height of any keg, and its easily removed for cleaning or changing kegs! works perfectly! after these mods, my kegerator and tower both hold at 35.2 degrees as measured by a digital thermometer in water placed on the top front of the keg and there is no more foamy or warm beer! best of all was the cost! $16.99 for the blower and $0.99 for the resis!tors. total time to install both was literally under 5 minutes! yay beer!!! pics to follow

[Beer4MeGood]

I've been reading several postes on this board since I purchased my Danby a few weeks ago. Obviously I've been having similar problems - foam foam foam!

So far I've yet to do any modifications - but I'm with you on the quick and dirty resistor mod (I purchased the extended warranty). Could you provide some pictures as to how you did that?

My temperature isn't really a problem and I'm not sure why that is. Exterior says 36-37 degrees and when I take the temp of a glass of water inside (as well as taking the temp of the beer right out of the tap) it hasn't been more than 38 degrees.

I've dropped my PSI down to 8 and I've found that when I fill a pilsner up I have about 1.5-2.5 inch of foam. But when I fill up a pint glass it is about half the glass of foam. I hate to sound like a noob (even though I am) but does the glass make that big of a difference? How low can the pressure go before I risk flattening the beer? I've read about 5 psi?

I like your blower idea but personally, I'd rather not do battery operated. My problem then is how do I wire the thing without losing refridgeration and without drilling holes and voiding my warranty...

[cmorin1171]

ok.. i hardwired the camco blower! had a universal dc power supply laying around and i soldered it to the battery connectors and routed the wire out of the back of the danby through the hole intended for the co2 hose. i also routed my thermometer probe wire through the same hole and pushed the rubber plug back in to seal the hole! works great and no more batteries! if you do run on batt power you have to change them once a month. not a big deal! you can get a universal dc supply at walmart for under $10 so its still a cheap solution! ill get pics of the temp probe as soon as i can but basically, you just bend the resistor into a u shape and wedge the ends tightly into the sensor probe plug between the plastic and the metal! (no need to even unplug the sensor) by doing this, the resistor is held against the metal of the base of each prong. it fits very snug and wont come loose! i did it because of the best buy extended warranty! mods= no warranty service! as far as the pressure setting goes, i have been told that anything under 10psi will lead to the product going flat sooner than its expected shelf life. as far as the style of glass and the foam, you got me there. never heard anything about that being a cause of a foamy pour! im a noob also but i read anything i can find on this subject! cheers!

[cmorin1171]

here is a pic of the setup

[Cold One]

I like the looks of that setup you've come up with for a blower to cool your tower and might consider trying that with my Sanyo if it eliminates the extra foam on the first pour. If those D batteries last up to a month, I might go that route rather than risk drilling. What size PVC do you have hooked up to the aerator? Is it a snug fit?
Great idea, and economical...keep us posted on how it works.

[Beer4MeGood]

Originally Posted by cmorin1171

First thing that i did was the resistor mod and instead of soldering it to the temperature probe like most here have done, i quite simply just tucked the ends of the resistor into the plug for the temp probe. now if i need warranty service i can just remove the resistor in two seconds and avoid any issues with a denial of a warranty claim

Cmorin, have you had any problems with frost now that you added the resistor? I've read about people having to do a defrost as often as every day because of the lower temp created by the resistor?

Update: I purchased a resistor and attempted your "patented" jam it in the plug then connect the temp probe. I don't know how you got it in there! I tried my hardest to jam that connector back together with the resistor in it and couldn't get anywhere. Am I missing something?

[cmorin1171]

answers to questions... first, i used 3/4 in pvc and just rest it on the output of the blower.. i was going to secure it with duct tape but it ended up not being necessary. as far as the resistor mod goes, i have had no frost issues at all. no need to do any extra defrostings at all.. the danby defrost cycle seems to take care of it. now as far as putting in the resistor goes, you dont unplug the sensor at all!!! it does not connect to the prongs you see when you unplug the sensor!! rather, you tuck the ends of the resistor in to the back side of the plug where the wires enter it (while its still plugged in!) .. if you look inside the back of the plug you can see where the wires are soldered to the base of the prongs in the plug. thats the metal that the resistor touched when you wedge it into the back of the plug between the plastic outer wall of the plug and the metal base of the prongs! hope that explains it a bit better. so far so good with both of those mods! the liquid temp hovers around 35.2 deg and the tower is holding at the same temp! im real happy with the blower! works great and costs very little $$$ cheers

[gwebster]

cmorin,
Thanks for the info on the CAMCO blower. I'm going to try that set-up in an effort to battle foam from my Haier Brewmaster kegerator. I think I have additional issues causing foam, but certainly lack of cooling in the tower is a contributing factor. I do have a few questions. You mentioned using a universal dc power supply. If you get a minute, could you provide more info on how the connections work and materials used (I have no electrical skills). Also, is it possible to power the fan by using one of those power packs that are sold to jump-start cars? I have one sitting around, and it has a "cigarette lighter" jack on it. My thought is that I could use an old cord from a car cell phone charger and connect the open wires to the battery terminal of the fan and then simply plug in the fan to the power pack. I'm guessing it would provide power for a much longer period than 2 (d) batteries, and it is rechargeable. Again, since I am not electrically inclined, this may be a rediculous idea, but thought I would ask. (I'm not sure how it would affect the fan to connect it to 12V, when 2 D batteries are much less)

[cubby_swans]

I just built a CHEAP blower out of a PC power supply, a spare DC power supply I had laying around (like a cell phone wall charger), and a short length of hose I bought. Works great, and I was able to snake the power supply cord next to the co2 line without drilling anything, so it's connected to a plug in power supply. No batteries required.