DIY Walk in Cooler Design

[2rocky]

I'm toying with the idea of possibly doing a Coolbot controller on a A/C unit for a seasonal walk-in cooler. Curious if folks here have done such a thing and I'd love to see pictures and hear budget numbers and money saving ideas.

 

[seeth07]

I'm toying with the idea of possibly doing a Coolbot controller on a A/C unit for a seasonal walk-in cooler. Curious if folks here have done such a thing and I'd love to see pictures and hear budget numbers and money saving ideas.

Just doesn't work the same. Just buy a used walk-in cooler. You can seriously find them cheap if you are willing to travel a little bit. Look for restaurant closing auctions - some online some in person. I have bought a freezer and 2 walk in coolers doing this. Both coolers I got for $500 and $600. The freezer was a bit steep at $900 but I was actually there buying something else and I just knew someone that was willing to go to $1000 for it.

 

[Mallardsx2]

We jerry rigged up an old air conditioner before Coolbot was cool. Seems kind of funny that they sell those things for so much money. I think it cost us $20 to rig ours up with a thermostat.

 

[seeth07]

I bought one of these at an auction for $40 bucks. Took a peak at the main auction group near me that does restaurant auctions and they had this one from over the weekend that sold for $25. You can fit a lot of meat in these - probably half an elk or more.

 

[Oak]

I'm toying with the idea of possibly doing a Coolbot controller on a A/C unit for a seasonal walk-in cooler. Curious if folks here have done such a thing and I'd love to see pictures and hear budget numbers and money saving ideas.

Check this out.

Search results for query: coolbot

www.hunttalk.com

 

[Steiny77]

I've got a nice walk in, but years before when my budget was smaller I purchased one of those glass door soda display coolers from a convenience store that as being remodeled for $50. It was about 6' wide, two doors, 30" deep and maybe 7' tall. Took all of the shelves out of it, installed some galvanized pipe hangar rods and had a dandy meat cooler. Could easily get four deer in it.
Noticed our local Pepsi distributer has a bunch of these sitting outside the warehouse. Bet you can still find them pretty cheap.

 

[rjthehunter]

I've got a nice walk in, but years before when my budget was smaller I purchased one of those glass door soda display coolers from a convenience store that as being remodeled for $50. It was about 6' wide, two doors, 30" deep and maybe 7' tall. Took all of the shelves out of it, installed some galvanized pipe hangar rods and had a dandy meat cooler. Could easily get four deer in it.
Noticed our local Pepsi distributer has a bunch of these sitting outside the warehouse. Bet you can still find them pretty cheap.

This is what I was going to say. You can hang a lot of meat up in one!

 

[Beignet]

That coolbot seems expensive. I’ve seen some other instructions out there for gutting an old fridge and adding some cheap components to control humidity, temp, and airflow. This was for an interest in making charcuterie, but could work well for just dry aging meat. Google around some for “diy meat curing chamber.”

 

[Hem]

There was a previous thread in which I commented. I turned a space in my shop to a walk-in fridge/freezer using a/c unit and Coolbot. I am able to maintain a temp of 34 degrees. The point was a place to hang quarters and give me more flexibility when processing instead of being frantic to get it all done at once. Works great.
The key is in the insulation. I had the space framed in when I had the insulators spray closed cell in my shop, so they did the walls/ceiling. I added batts to the stud bays and covered the entire interior with 2" rigid insulation. Taped all seams with duct tape.
Lesson learned the hard way..I was skeptical of mounting the A/C unit in the exterior wall but did so anyway since I don't have a fresh air supply in the shop.Dumb...unit won't work below freezing outside.. Moved the unit to an interior wall, no problems.
Check to make sure your a/c unit is capable for the size of space.
Coolbot has thorough explanation of all aspects.

 

[NoWiser]

Turned an old tool trailer into a walk-in cooler using the Coolbot. It works awesome. Never had a problem keeping it down around 35 degrees. I put 4” of foam insulation on the walls and then had someone spray-foam the floor, ceiling, and a thin coat on the walls to seal them up. I can’t remember what we have into it but it works great, is mobile, and gets a lot of use every fall.

 

[Hem]

No rush to process. I can watch football tonight.