Danby Kegerator Thoughts

[butterblum]

Hi all,
I just got a Danby model DAR044A5BSLDD mini fridge to convert into a kegerator. Does anyone know if this is just like all of the other DAR044 models? Are there any cooling lines on the top of the fridge I have to worry about?

Anyway, I am planning on adding a PC fan for air circulation, and I am going to add some copper piping as a passive tower cooling system, which I will run the beer lines through. Here is my question: does this fridge have a defrost cycle built into it and therefore require me to buy a temperature controller to keep it at a constant temperature?

I currently use a STC-1000 to switch on an aquarium heater to warm up my primary sitting in a water bath in my basement, however the basement is too warm right now to use this method, and I would like to use the fridge to ferment, and then throw the pin lock cornys in afterward. I was thinking about using the STC-1000 for the kegerator, however even if the STC-1000 supplies power to the fridge when the sensor registers a temperature that is too high, the fridge's thermostat can still independently decide to keep the compressor off.

Any suggestions?
I appreciate the help.

 

[sdbyrd]

Just curious how you made out converting this particular model? I'm getting ready to start and already noticed that 2 cornys won't fit side by side. I'm assuming you had to cut out the side molds to squeeze them in? Any other gotchas with this model? Thanks!

 

[butterblum]

I started out with two pin lock cornys, and yes, they were too wide when placed side by side in the fridge. You have to cut the molding off of the door and the lower shelf molding on the sides. I think that I could have left the side molding had I bought two ball locks instead.
You will need to add some sort of reinforcement between the top of the fridge and the plastic trim piece that covers the top of the fridge. There is a thin piece of Styrofoam in there, but it isn't sturdy enough to keep. I did add a plastic block inside the fridge to spread out the force caused by the bending moment due to pulling on the tap handle. It works okay, but the insulation is so soft that there will always be a little bit of flexing in the tower when you pull on it.