Reddit reviews Danby DAR440BL 4.4-Cubic Foot Designer Compact All Refrigerator, Black
We found 3 Reddit comments about Danby DAR440BL 4.4-Cubic Foot Designer Compact All Refrigerator, Black. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
4.4 cu.ft. capacity all refrigeratorTall bottle storageIntegrated handleSmooth back designEnergy Star Compliant
TL;DR: A fun project turned brutal when I realized the 1/6th barrel kegs wouldn't fit into the kegerator.
Back in January I decided I would build a kegerator, I've got a buddy that home brews and has one and I've seen lots of kegerator and keezers on here and after paying $4 a pint for a beer at the grocery store and realizing they sold it in 1/6th barrels for a fraction of the price I figured it was a good idea. I don't actually home brew so this kegerator would be specifically for retail kegs.
After searching craigslist for used kegerators and minifridges I decided to buy everything new and do it from scratch.
MiniFridge from Amazon was Prime Eligible and only $169 when I got it, so free shipping.
After receiving the fridge, I discovered that there was currently a legal spat over the ability for distributors to sell 1/6th barrels. (gotta love our 3-tier system). So while that got worked out I put the project on hold for a few months. They passed a new law (which I later realized goes into effect July 1st) to let distributors sell the 1/6th barrels so I figured now is time to build it.
I went to our local home brew store and picked up the first set of parts I would need.
Government's share: $8.97
Total: $158.54
While assembling the tower I discovered that the screws that it came with were too short for the way I wanted to install it, so quick trip to Lowes to get stainless steel screws and locking nuts and also picked up some dry erase board and had Lowes cut it to size to fit the door. $14.34 with tax.
After getting the tower setup I made another trip to the home brew store and got the 2nd set of parts for inside the kegerator.
Government's share: $16.79
Total: $296.64
Got all this setup and ready to go, just need the kegs. Oops, found out that the distributor wouldn't sell them to us until July 1st, but they pointed me to someone who could actually deliver them to me now (at a markup of course). So went ahead and ordered 2 kegs, one of a local brew called Crooked Fence 3 Picket Porter and the other was Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat. Figured a good start until we figure out what we want for the next time.
Keg's showed up, went to put them in and found out they wouldn't fit. I had already figured I'd probably have to cut out some of the plastic on the inside so this wasn't a big deal. I cut out the moulded plastic support for the bottom shelf. crap, the two kegs still won't fit.
Now I'm pissed. Amazon has this picture as part of the set to sell the fridge uploaded by users which is a pair of cony kegs which according to every internet search are only 1/4th of an inch smaller than 1/6th barrels. But try as I might I can't get the damn kegs to both fit in the fridge and be able to close the door.
So I start cutting out more and more plastic inside the fridge, its a slow process and I'm trying to be careful not to remove too much as the plastic provides good protection, easier to clean, and helps insulate. Even with more plastic out on both insides of the fridge I still can't get the kegs in. I strategically take out a few other spots where it looks like it would give the keg more room to fit and a quarter inch at a time I get the kegs in a bit further each time I try.
Finally, with the one keg still sticking out about 1/4th of an inch I hook up the kegs and ducttape the door shut and we enjoy some of our first brews from the kegerator. This morning I pop'd the kegs out again and looked to see how I could gain a bit more. On the right side inside the insulation that is no longer protected by the plastic I've found 3 wires that are used for the door light switch. I slowly file down more and more of the insulation where the two kegs when pressed together touch the sidewalls. Put the kegs back in, force them tight and finally the door shuts without any additional weight or tape from the outside to keep it shut.
SUCCESS!!!
As many of you know already, first set of kegs you get has some extra costs. Despot in our area was $30/keg, so beer with delivery was $236.84.
Total cost for Kegerator: $638.52 (including CO2), so initial investment to get started totaled: $875.36
Lessons:
So the biggest lesson is obviously to buy a minifridge that you know can actually hold the kegs, be wary of internet reviews especially if the person is guessing or is setting it up differently than you will.
Tighten all pre-assembled connections. This morning I discovered that the line containing the porter in the top of the tower had a loose hose clamp causing just a little beer to slowly leak out of the system and drip down inside of the kegerator.
Use teflon tape on the CO2 threading on the tank.
I think I want shorter beer lines than what came with the tower, perhaps shorter gas lines too, ends up being too much inside the kegerator but it does allow me to leave everything assembled and functional while moving kegs in and out of the kegerator. Anyone have any advice about this?
Anyway, the beer tastes great and I'm now the owner of a functional kegerator and my wife and I look forward to many years of cold beer on tap whenever we want it.
It looks like the same fridge I'm using. If so, it's a Danby DAR440BL.
It's a perfect fit for 2 ball-lock kegs and a 5lb CO2 tank.
I've built one out of this danby fridge. I can fit 2 ball lock cornys in there, or a ball lock and a sixtel, but 2 sixtels wont fit. Not sure about pin locks.