for what it's worth i had a MKOL bottle where a valve failed
it was leaking in the off position after 1 days use
Craftbrewer swapped it for another no drama
could you just replace the smarts with the STC?
I have a bar fridge that just runs off a stc, wired it direct into it and removed the thermostat
or find the beeper and cut it out?
he drilled a 3 holes in the 1&1/8th" end caps and soldered the 3 tubes into the End Caps then used some reducers to get back to 3/4"
it would require some sort of blowtorch or a large power soldering iron / old school copper soldering iron thingy
or maybe mcgyver it with a gas stovetop / BBQ /...
great idea, might give it a go!!
just make sure you also clean any machine oil off the scrubber from the manufacturer process by giving them a good soak boil in some detergent as well before sanitizing