I was out and about running some errands and a rummage sale made me just about slam on my brakes. Saw this obviously used and abused Danby kegerator. Decided to pull the trigger for the $65 they were asking. I figured since it came with the co2 tank, regulator and everything it'd be well worth it. The guys I started homebrewing with have been talking about giving kegging a shot anyway. Plus, it came with a really cool porcelain Miller High Life tapper I gotta tear it apart, clean everything, replace the lines and figure out what keg to throw in there in order to get things figured out. I'm already doing quite a bit of reading about temp/pressure/foaming issues so I'm hoping to do all this right the first time.
First thing to do is put a 5gal bucket of water in there and make sure it can get below 40f. Otherwise your pissing into the wind!!
I plugged it in at the rummage and the compressor ran. I then took it home and tossed my digital bbq thermometer in there and it made it bottom out which is 32*.
Air temp and being able to hold mass qty of liquid at temp are two different things. Run with a bucket filled with water for 24hrs and test water at that point. And to dispense beer right your gonna need a decent digital probe therm that can be calibrated anyway.
nice find. these Danby units can work well enough if you make some small adjustments. for $65 with the tank and regulator you are well ahead of the curve. this is a very popular kegerator. it is sold in big box stores and i think most people get them as an impulse buy then have a hard time figuring out how to make it work. the price point is most important thing here, so you only get a very basic unit. then they end up in a garage sale because people get tired of pouring warm foam. get a good thermometer. a Taylor food service dial thermo is fine and cheap. you must have a calibrated thermometer. plan to get a tower cooler if it isn't included. they are sold on amazon or make your own. order some 3/16" x 7/16" (preferred over 3/16 x 5/16") beverage line. may as well buy 20 or 30 feet. it is pretty cheap. get some BLC, can be found at the homebrew store. keg lube is nice but optional. Cheers.
Yeah, the tank and reg were a huge part of me pulling the trigger. The cooling components seem sound, and I'm confident in my ability to make it work well. Shit, I've spent more than $65 on a random trip to the liquor store so I'm really not out that much if the fridge doesn't work... but it will
Well I cleaned it up a bit, bought new lines, and plugged it in and let it run all day with a camping water jug that holds a few gallons of water. Thermometer is holding steady at 36 degrees. I think I did alright :-)
Just make sure your using a calibrated thermometer.. A few degrees out of Calibration can screw you up when dialing in v/v
