The Danby DCR412 works great!

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shlap

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I thought I should post (for any googlers) that the Danby DCR412 mini fridge is easy to convert to a kegerator and works great!

  • No freon lines on the top.
  • It can fit two homebrew kegs (although it's a tight fit).
  • You do need to remove the door shelving but it just screws right off.
  • You also need to bend the freezer tray down and move the temp control, both easy tasks.

And for $150, I have myself a nice looking kegerator in the kitchen! I picked up the Danby on craigslist for $50, and bought the tower for another $100.

The girls love the homemade root beer tap and Dad loves his American Wheat :mug:

Here's a photo
CIMG3067.JPG
 
Oh wow, you have a lot more room in yours than mine...strange! My kegs are wedged in tight!

Where did you get your drip tray?
 
Bernie Brewer said:
I took a utility knife and cut away the plastic that juts out.;)

Aaah cle-ver! I'm still looking for a cheap drip tray... where did you get yours?
 
Williams Brewing, but I don't think they sell those cheapos anymore.

Also, since I took my pics, I have since replaced my standard faucets with Perlicks. Pricey, but well worth it! No more sticking!
 
My drip tray is a stainless steel large soap dish (I don't recall exactly what they called it). Found it in the kitchen utensil aisle of the local department store. Looks OK for $8 and will get me by until I can justify spending more.

Tower_1.JPG
 
Seems to be nearly the same, but mine didn't have a freezer tray to worry about and also has a plastic tray-type top. Also, I put the tower more toward the back so I didn't have to relocate the thermostat/light (also, it just made more sense to me).

medium.jpg


Originally built mine before getting into brewing, hence the single tap. :( On the upside, I just added digital control to mine. :D
 
MrFebtober, that is a really cool picture on the inside door panel...a poster of some kind I take it?

I used dry erase board so mine is plain white. I like the ability to use markers to make notes, but I also really like that picture...hmmmm...decisions...decisions.
 
Uncle Argyle said:
MrFebtober, that is a really cool picture on the inside door panel...a poster of some kind I take it?

I used dry erase board so mine is plain white. I like the ability to use markers to make notes, but I also really like that picture...hmmmm...decisions...decisions.

Thanks! This is the second poster I've installed. The first one got really moldy after a while so I had this "Hop Union" poster laminated prior to putting it behind acrylic in the door. I got the poster as part of a prize package at a local homebrew competition (everyone who competed got some sort of goodie bag).

Personally, I thought the white board idea was very clever the first time I heard about it, which was on this forum. Had I thought of it back when i built mine, I might have gone that route.
 
Grimsawyer said:
What is the biggest air tank you can fit in there with 2 kegs? Would a 5lb tank fit?

I hung my tank off the back and routed the line inside so I can fit two cornies with out issue (or 1/4 or 1/6 barrel sankes for that matter). However, I just measured my 5 lb. tank and to the top of the reg gauge is just shy of 20". The back of the fridge (where the compressor hump is) to the ceiling is just about 20", but you'd also probably need to build some kind of shelf since that hump is on about 5" deep. So, it might be possible to have to kegs plus a 5 lb. tank, but it would be damn tight, to the point that you'd have to be very careful how you route your lines. Putting the tank on the outside seems much simpler and makes gas monitoring and adjusting very easy.

medium.jpg
 
Hi - I came across your post on google. I can get a Danby DCR 412 relatively cheap and was thinking of buying it for my husband to convert to kegerator. I do not know anything about the subject, but have found information saying that some units with freezer compartments are very difficult to convert without damaging the unit. Any information you (or anyone!) can give me on this would be helpful. Just don't want to buy him a christmas gift and have it turn out to be a dud.

Thanks!!
 
how handy is hubby? people do it all the time...but the possibility of failure does exist if your all thumbs??

basicly he needs to unscrew and CAREFULLY bend the freezer down and against the back wall of the fridge. Also you need to remove the door shelving to gain enough room for kegs. there is also a light / thermostat dial thing that needs to be moved. Not hard at all, but you need to be al least a little mechanicly inclined.
 
He is VERY handy. Sounds like it could work out well. Don't want to spend the $$ on a new one, but figured I could buy him the fridge and conversion kit. It would be a little project I am sure he would love to do. Any advice on the conversion items? (As I mentioned I am pretty clueless about this.) What to buy, how much to spend, etc? Again - REALLY appreciate your help!
 
What a great present! Is there a homebrew shop in your area? Stopping there and getting advice on what to buy is probably your best bet. If not I'd recommend getting a kegerator conversion kit from kegconnection.com. They have good prices and sale through tomorrow.

Does he already keg his beer? Do you want to support two kegs or just one?


If he doesn't keg, go for one of the Tower kits on this page: http://stores.kegconnection.com/Cat...5+#+Homebrew+Kits:Premium+Kits:Tower+Keg+Kits

The site doesn't appear to have kits that don't include kegs, but perhaps you can call and get a special order placed.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to respond back with questions; someone here will answer.
 
It is actually not for homemade beer - just for a regular keg you would buy from the distributor. Don't know if they are different sizes??? Will this fridge still work for commercial beer?
 
The fridge will fit a commercial sixth barrel keg but certainly not a quarter or half barrel. Those kegs are too wide.
 
Thanks for all of the useful information so far. I have a couple of questions for people that have done this...

After I was done bending the cooling element down I noticed that there was a slight (1/8") sharp bend in the tubing right where I bent it down, where the tubing enters the back of the refrigerator. I can't tell if it broke the whole way through or not. I tried sealing it with caulking just in case. Is there something else I should do instead? I turned on the unit and it still cools, but I guess there could still be a refrigerant leak. Would it still be cooling if I screwed this up?

Also, I'm looking to move the temperature control panel to the back of the fridge. How did you guys do this? Did you add another wire and splice it with the original for the extra slack or something else?

Thanks!
 
Where did you move the element to? It is on the rear wall and should not have needed moving.

Put some soapy water on the cooling line where you have the sharp bend and see if it bubbles. Caulk will not be enough to hold that type of pressure.
 
Where did you move the element to? It is on the rear wall and should not have needed moving.

Put some soapy water on the cooling line where you have the sharp bend and see if it bubbles. Caulk will not be enough to hold that type of pressure.

The element was at the top of the fridge, I bent it down to the back so I would be able to fit a corny keg in it. I'll try the soapy water and see if I get any bubbles. Thanks!
 
I lucked into one of these - it was left by previous tenants in my new apartment. I also just bought a 2 keg system. Things are looking up!

Since no one else has provided updates on how well a CO2 tank fits on the back hump, I will post another reply with pictures. I won't be able to do that until i get mine all fixed up - which will probably be another two weeks (kinda busy for halloween weekend, and my beer won't be ready for the keg by then anyway!)

maybe I will start a second batch tomorrow, so I can have both kegs filled and in the fridge..
 
I lucked into one of these - it was left by previous tenants in my new apartment. I also just bought a 2 keg system. Things are looking up!

Since no one else has provided updates on how well a CO2 tank fits on the back hump, I will post another reply with pictures. I won't be able to do that until i get mine all fixed up - which will probably be another two weeks (kinda busy for halloween weekend, and my beer won't be ready for the keg by then anyway!)

maybe I will start a second batch tomorrow, so I can have both kegs filled and in the fridge..

Any luck with this kegerator conversion? I might be getting one today and would love some pointers if you got it finished.

EDIT: So I got the dcr412bls for $80 bucks!!! I'm pumped and can't wait to mod this thing out.
 
Any luck with this kegerator conversion? I might be getting one today and would love some pointers if you got it finished.

EDIT: So I got the dcr412bls for $80 bucks!!! I'm pumped and can't wait to mod this thing out.

Not yet - rest of my life got in the way for a bit. I had it in use as a beer fridge for bottled homebrews - but they are all gone. It is unplugged, i hope to mod it this weekend!
 
Do you by chance know where the lines run in the top? Do you have the freezer version or the non freezer version?

EDIT: Man that was nerve racking. I have the freezer version so I had to bend it down and sheesh was it close. Got it basically flat and it looks like it didn't pinch so I should be good to move on to the next step!
 
I too have the freezer version - and am nervous about the bending part! it is most of the reason I haven't done it yet. any tips?
 
I pulled the little rubber piece out of the hole first. Make sure the unit has been off for awhile so that the pipes are nice and warm. (atleast room temp) I used a lighter and just help warm up the pipe a little bit.

Then I slowly started to bend at the base. Bend at the part that is closes to the fridge wall because where it connects to the tray is really brittle. I also disconnected the thermostat so it didn't bind up with the tray.

I used one finger and just kept bending till it was flush. Took about 3 or 4 breaks to heat up the pipe again.

I got it to be basically fully parallel with the wall. Just keep using your finger to make sure you aren't causing a crease in the pipe. Mine develop a tiny tiny one but I don't think it will be a problem.

I have attached a crappy pic of what it looks like. I put the rubber seal back around the hole afterwords.

img20101203082856.jpg
 
So maybe someone can answer this question.

Since the co2 bottle is now gonna be sitting right against the bent down freezer part...will it affect it in anyway? I don't want to get any of the gas lines too cold or somehow screw up the regulator.

Btw...you guys just ziptie your extra length of gas and beer line and just kinda lay them down? I need to find a nice little spot for the dual valves I have so it isn't just laying on the ground.
 
Called Danby and they said with the freezer model there are no lines running in the top of the unit. Only lines running on the sides.
 
Finally got around to bending the freezer down out of the way. piece of cake, just went slow n gentle. I think it helped that i wasn't bending it til it was fully vertical - I am going to be keeping the CO2 tank on the outside and running the line thru the wall, so I didn't need the space on the hump. I'll post a pic when next I work on it - going to put a piece of MDF or something on the inside of the door to protect the insulation, and hopefully paint it with some chalkboard paint.

IPAAAA: ziptying the lines together and leaving them laying around will be fine. dunno about the cold regulator business, hence why i'm keeping mine out of the fridge
 
I just drilled the hole in the top and am gonna extend the wires on the thermostat so I can move it.

Also just installed a acrylic sheet where the door was. Just waiting on a tap to show up and get this thing finished.
 
So at what setting do you guys usually set your freezer? Mine is about 3/4ths and I used my temp probe and it is 50 at the bottom of the freezer and about 35 when sitting on top of the kegs. Think this is ok?
 
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