Home built meat cooler ??

[Clint_S]

I'm thinking of trying to make my own personal meat cooler. My last deer (with 50lbs sausage) cost me $186 :eek:. Seems it's getting more expensive all the time and while I've cut several deer I've yet to try sausage making but don't see any challenges there. Certain times of year hanging a deer for a few days is no problem but early season kind of gives a fellow no choice but to take it to the meat cutter unless you want a really late night and cutting a fresh deer is pretty messy and more difficult before the meat "sets".
So.. anybody ever see a homebuilt or know how it worked. I'm thinking 4'w x 2'd x 6' h with two racks and 1' styro insulation, just enough for 1 elk or 2 deer to hang for a week. Thinking an old fridge compressor system should keep it at the desired temp. but don't know if you would need fans for air circulation or fresh air intakes??? Any ideas or plans out there?

[Farmer]

We built one on the farm here about 20 - 25 years ago. It is about 8ft by 10 ft by about 7.5 ft high inside. We used 2x6 studding and insulated between the studs with lots of fibreglass insulation and then covered that with 1.5 or 2 inch styrofoam insulation. We then covered that with plywood. I built tracks on the ceiling out of sliding door track and used rollers that allowed a hook to hang off them. this way we can slide quarters down each side of the room. We had a commercial cooling unit installed . It came from a small grocery store that was expanding. The door hardware came used from the refrigeration outfit as well. We built it in one of our machine sheds. The building has a cement floor but no heat and the compressor unit does not vent externally. The cooling unit inside the room has 2 fans that run continuously. The compressor is located on the top of the ceiling of the room and is controlled by a thermostat inside.
Once the meat is cool, the compressor runs about 5 minutes an hour - I think that the fans heat up the room enough to trip the thermostat.
We have held several critters at once in this cooler. From cows to moose elk and deer. Most of the winter it just keeps a few boxes of apples cool.
I don't think that you would want a fresh air intake as that air would be warmer than the desired cooling temperature.

[dukester]

How about a A/C unit?? build the cooler(portable so you can take it to camp with a generator) and mount the A/C unit like you would in a window. seal it up tight, plug it in. should be able to pick a couple at a garage sale this spring. have an extra for emergency. be alot cooler then a small fridge motor. plus i'm thinking that fridge motor may burn out trying to reach its temp.

[bighornbob]

Just take the meat to hang at the cooler then bring it home to cut up. We have done this a few times when temps are close to 30 degrees the first week of hunting. We skin the deer and then take them to the butcher. I think he charged 5 bucks a day. We left it there for 4 days and would then go pick it up and butcher it ourselves.

In regards to the sausage, when butchering just put all the meat scraps etc in large ziplocks and freeze till you are ready to make the sausage. If we dont have time we just take the ziplock bags to a sauage maker to get done. Never had a problem just taking clean meat to the butcher. Just show him a tag and he is good to go.

BHB

[BlacktailStalker]

In cranbrook 2 years ago it was $1.50 an hour for 7 days and there was NO where else to go.
To top it off the deep freeze kicked the bucket at the butcher and I was sent home with bloody meat on a 15 hour drive. I honestly wanted to tell him where to put it and leave but it was my first elk and I had to be on the road.
$260.
I was livid. Never again.
Cut/wrap, deepfreeze and a generator now.

[270WSMGB]

Wired one up for a guy. It had no external vents. 2 cooling fans. The room itself was about 4'wx8'lx7't. A small monorail down the center. The refrigeration unit was a commercial unit from Alberta. I think you have the right idea.

[freeman6]

A buddy that works as a power engineer in a hospital built one the front of a utility trailer using a portable A/C unit. The generator was mounted on the trailer hitch frame. Worked great, but you had to really watch and fine tune the thermostat to prevent freezing. It probably had something to do with where he had the sensor mounted.

Construction was 2X4 frame, pink styroboard between the studs, plywood interior, painted of course. Outside the frame was thin OSB sheeting, more pink styroboard, plywood outer walls covered with metal siding. Inside the refrigerator, there were 2 tracks with rollers on them for hanging the meat on hooks. At intervals along the tracks there were blocks that could be moved into place to keep the hanging meat spaced out even if the trailer was moved from one location to another.

Building or buying one like his is definitely on my to do list. Just as soon as I win the lottery and can afford to hire someone to take care of the "honey do" book.

[NEEHAMA]

buy a small inclosed trailer spray in the insulations. screw up plywood over top. buy a RV ac unit for the roof and bob's your uncle.

[25hunter]

This summer I will be building my own. I have a shed already that will work, just need the cooling unit. check out this site http://www.storeitcold.com/index.php

[Phil]

I have been looking in to doing the same thing. If you can get a hold of a cooling system from a pop/vending machine it apparently has all of the required components to do the job well.

[OOBuck]

I got given a R/V roof A/C unit that I plan on building a
portable unit from one day...

[greybark]

;-) Hey Clint , I hope all is well with you and your family (dogs included). Friends of mine purchased a used air conditioner (House window type) and have very good results with it . It provides the much needed ventilation and if you place the thermocoupler outside the cooler it alse functions as a freezer . The cooler was made with a 6 in wood frame insulation and plywood outer .
Cheers - Ken

[Don in BC]

We have had this for about 10 years. Works very well. Old household a/c unit on the front. Plug into 110v or power off a 2800 watt gen set that sits above it. We have a wooden shroud that slides over the a/c unit for travel. Factory thermostat changed to allow the a/c unit to go colder. With 8 moose quarters (previously cooled from hanging for a day or two to skin over) hanging the unit will cycle from 38 deg down to 34deg and it will do that for day after day. No more running for a butcher after knockin' your animal down on opening morning and your hunting trip is over ! Mid August Moose hunts are never a problem.:smile:
The rear half of the trailer has a fold down ramp for running the bikes into or just gear storage.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/basil1000/BudandDon--Huntingtrip2005-Moric-1.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/basil1000/2005ElkHunt--RemembranceDayweeke-2.jpg

[Clint_S]

Hey Don

That's a real nice setup. You said
Factory thermostat changed to allow the a/c unit to go colder.
What kind of thermostat was that and does it stay pretty dry inside the trailer?

[Don in BC]

I don't know what make the thermostat is and the trailer is tarped right now so I can't go look. It is mounted on the wall above the a/c unit. It's a commercial thermostat, 4" high,2" in width,gray metal case. The trailer in well sealed and no moisture problems. I always hang my game for a day or two to make sure it is cool. The a/c unit never frosts up if I do that. Problems occur if you put warm moist meat in there without cooling first. I have a indoor/outdoor thermometer mounted on the outside of the trailer so I can monitor temps without opening the door. 15" wheels and load range D tires handle the weight well ,backed up by 3/4 ton springs with overloads.

[leadpillproductions]

ive been wanting to build one

[jaywill]

I saw another thread maybe here or another site, a guy had a large freezer with the coolbot temp sensor on it so the freezer only turned on 5-10 minutes an hour and that kept the meat the right temp.

[boxhitch]

If using a household A/C unit, does the air have to be vented out also, or does the unit recycle inside air ?
If vented out for a start, that could take care of moisture issues ?

[gbear]

I just recently finished building one. Inside dimensions are 3 ft wide, 5 1/2 ft long, and 6 1/2 feet high. Was hoping to have it done sooner, but the motor took much longer to be finished. I got a motor out of an old pop cooler from the local refridgeration place. He fixed it up nice for me and we tested it and it works fine. Will be ready for next season with it.

[leadpillproductions]

I just recently finished building one. Inside dimensions are 3 ft wide, 5 1/2 ft long, and 6 1/2 feet high. Was hoping to have it done sooner, but the motor took much longer to be finished. I got a motor out of an old pop cooler from the local refridgeration place. He fixed it up nice for me and we tested it and it works fine. Will be ready for next season with it.

gbear what did the motor cost you and can a guy get one

[gbear]

gbear what did the motor cost you and can a guy get one
I got the motor from Atchisons (sp?) refridgeration here in Dawson. Talk to Mike, he runs the place. He buys up these pop cooler motors and fixes them up and sells them mostly to guys wanting to build a meat cooler. He told me the price varies, depending on what he gets the motor for and how much work he has to put into it to rebuild it. When I talked to him, the range was $600-$900. A new motor is $3,000. Mine was $600. When a buddy talked to him about the same thing, the range was $100 bucks less on both ends. So, there may be some room there. The motors are really well built and designed for this type of thing. He can talk to you about the mechanics of the thing and why it does work for coolers better then going with a A/C unit. For the August season, he had 6 units ready to go and they sold quick. After that, he was taking names. I got on the list in mid September, and finally got the unit in late October. The motors are 1/2 horsepower and just have a regular plug, so nothing special needed. He said that 4x6x6 is about the maximum size you would want to go with it.

[rudysteelhead]

I have had good luck keeping my meat in those super large igloo coolers with a 5 gal block of ice. For deer this works great. You just have to make sure that the drain is open and the water can flow out, and that you open the lid a few time a day for fresh air to circulate. For elk in the field we bring a small chest freezer and we pre-freeze blocks of ice. If we get an animal, we run the freezer every other night and the blocks keep them cool during the day. When we get back we age the meat in the freezer with the blocks only. Seems to work really well.

[Essential]

the big problem with not using a proper refrigeration unit instead of an a/c adapted to cooler is the 2 fold the first is an a/c is considered a high temp refrigeration designed to operate around 70 Deg not 35-38 so the compressor is outside its normal operating range and does not have the capacity to do a quick pull down of the temp which means the meat is cooling very slowly which has a higher probability of spoiling due to longer time spent in "the bacteria zone"

The other major problem you can have is moisture removal, a properly operating cooler is also dehumidifying the air which is called a "latent" load on the system as your can not measure it with a normal thermometer "sensible temp" the lack of proper moisture removal will also casue the system to appear to stop cooling below a certain temp because all the capacity in the system is being used to attempt to remove the moisture but the moisture just keeps recirculating causing bacteria growth


Another problem is some a/c units will freeze up when you try to reach these lower temps because again they are operating outside their design conditions and most times using an incorrect refrigerant/oil which can shorten unit life expectancy

[Farmer001]

This looks like the way to go, cheap as it could get.

http://storeitcold.com/install.php

[freonguy]

Man oh man!!

' Essential ' has it mostly right - a window mount A/C is designed to keep a room @ 70 F. It will dehumidify though, and that latent load is a big part of a cooling system load.

The Coolbot, while it looks like it will do the job, it addresses a couple issues - it has a frost ' sensor ' which, it looks like, will shut the unit off to defrost it, however, it looks like it can only shut off the entire unit - what a commercial system does is have a defrost that keeps the fan running but shuts off the cooling source ( compressor ) to successfully defrost the inside coil. A couple of problems I see - shoving the coil sensor between the coils and squeezing the fins back - - - wiring a heater to ' trick ' the sensor for the a/c to running all the time, - well, Red Green would be proud - hey, it has some merit - but:

1) Make sure the A/C you use restarts after the power goes off - many of the new electronic ones don't and it looks like the Coolbot shuts the unit off to defrost
2) Ensure the unit is sloped slightly to the outside so the moisture ( condensate ) runs to the outside ( and make sure there is nothing that will be bothered by dripping water underneath the unit,
3) Lots of insulation and tight fitting doors as well as the vapour barrier on the OUTSIDE of the insulation ( especially if using fibreglass ) - the vapour barrier always goes on the warm side of a structure.

Another reply said that they had the thermostat changed to a ' commercial ' style - that may help, but there is wiring considerations - -

I am a 30 year in the Refrigeration Trade guy - I have seen many of these ' abortions ' where people have brought them to me and ask why they don't work - NOT SAYING THERE ARE NOT SOME HOME MADE UNITS OUT THERE THAT GUYS GET TO WORK; it amazes me how much effort people will go to to make something that is intended to keep their prize in good condition, without talking to someone who knows, or heaven forbid, shell out a few bucks to buy the right equipment - ( not that it is cheap BTW ) - - - - Talk to someone who knows - - - - - - -

I am not soliciting for anything here - I just get a chuckle from all the effort that goes into a guessing game - there was a post a few months back about guys who were concerned about putting meat into plastic bags in cold streams - better to hang in the warm shade, because, heaven forbid, anything put in plastic rots - think condoms - keep the air out of the thing and you get good heat transfer - better to have meat in an air free garbage bag in a cold creek ( = good heat transfer ) than hanging it in the shade on a 70 degree day - ?? Basic physics 101.

Sorry for the rant - get to know a competent Reefer guy and go from there -

Freonguy

[Fishgutz]

Why build it when you can buy it! I just picked up a 60 cubic foot reach in cooler for 200. Works great my kids first deer is chillin at 1 degree.

[bigshooter]

I'm thinking about one of the small 5 foot or 6 foot sea cans 450kgs or 550 kgs

[lip_ripper00]

I'm thinking about one of the small 5 foot or 6 foot sea cans 450kgs or 550 kgs

In a word INSULATION, I am sure you could build a wood structure cheaper and insulate it for the cost of small shipping container?

[bridger]

make sure you put a vapor barrier on the outside and a small humidifer to keep deal with the moisture to prevent mold. would also advise to put an electrical outlet.. we build a 8x10 cooler that an hang 6 0r 7 elk works great.

[dougan]

iv herd that the very best is a cooler unit from a pepsi machine

[bigshooter]

I have a 16 foot car trailer. The sea can would be strong for taking on and off and it would leave room for some quads. Just thinking.

[Brambles]

I'm going to retrofit my shed into a meat cooler when I get my shop done, Its a pretty decent sized shed, 8'x16' with vaulted 10ft ceilings in it, I already have a I beam with a roller chain hoist on it for game. Its got double doors so I can back my tailgate through it and attach the chain hoist and up she goes. Probably won't use the hole shed for a meat cooler because the air compressor for the shop is in there too but I'll partition off a good chunk/

I have a friend in refrigeration and he got me a good used commercial refer unit from a school that was upgrading. The building is 2x4 insulated with R12 but I'm going to line the inside of the building with Steelcraft insulated garage door panels Those panels are R12-R16 depending on thickness, might put a layer of SM Foam panels in first for another R12. R36 should be nice:mrgreen:. My other buddy is an installer and I got a boatload of dunnage pannels from him. Once they are installed I'll have a nice insulated metal lined meat cooler.

With those two bulls we killed this year a meat cooler would have come in handy. We had to cut them the day after the kill.

I just gotta finish the shop cause the shed is chocked full of crapola.:roll:

[Trapper]

freonguy

I bought one of those cool-bots and a 18000 btu a/c and it works like a charm, i have it in a 10x10 shed with 4" styrofoam walls and 6" floor and ceiling in styrofoam, it can be 35c outside and i can have it down to 3c degrees in 30-40 mins. and when it is in the defrost mode it does not shut down the a/c,it keeps running the fan,you can hear when the compressor kicks in and out,so far its worked flawless.






Man oh man!!
Essential ' has it mostly right - a window mount A/C is designed to keep a room @ 70 F. It will dehumidify though, and that latent load is a big part of a cooling system load.

The Coolbot, while it looks like it will do the job, it addresses a couple issues - it has a frost ' sensor ' which, it looks like, will shut the unit off to defrost it, however, it looks like it can only shut off the entire unit - what a commercial system does is have a defrost that keeps the fan running but shuts off the cooling source ( compressor ) to successfully defrost the inside coil. A couple of problems I see - shoving the coil sensor between the coils and squeezing the fins back - - - wiring a heater to ' trick ' the sensor for the a/c to running all the time, - well, Red Green would be proud - hey, it has some merit - but:

1) Make sure the A/C you use restarts after the power goes off - many of the new electronic ones don't and it looks like the Coolbot shuts the unit off to defrost
2) Ensure the unit is sloped slightly to the outside so the moisture ( condensate ) runs to the outside ( and make sure there is nothing that will be bothered by dripping water underneath the unit,
3) Lots of insulation and tight fitting doors as well as the vapour barrier on the OUTSIDE of the insulation ( especially if using fibreglass ) - the vapour barrier always goes on the warm side of a structure.

Another reply said that they had the thermostat changed to a ' commercial ' style - that may help, but there is wiring considerations - -

I am a 30 year in the Refrigeration Trade guy - I have seen many of these ' abortions ' where people have brought them to me and ask why they don't work - NOT SAYING THERE ARE NOT SOME HOME MADE UNITS OUT THERE THAT GUYS GET TO WORK; it amazes me how much effort people will go to to make something that is intended to keep their prize in good condition, without talking to someone who knows, or heaven forbid, shell out a few bucks to buy the right equipment - ( not that it is cheap BTW ) - - - - Talk to someone who knows - - - - - - -

I am not soliciting for anything here - I just get a chuckle from all the effort that goes into a guessing game - there was a post a few months back about guys who were concerned about putting meat into plastic bags in cold streams - better to hang in the warm shade, because, heaven forbid, anything put in plastic rots - think condoms - keep the air out of the thing and you get good heat transfer - better to have meat in an air free garbage bag in a cold creek ( = good heat transfer ) than hanging it in the shade on a 70 degree day - ?? Basic physics 101.

Sorry for the rant - get to know a competent Reefer guy and go from there -

Freonguy

[freonguy]

Trapper:

Glad to hear you had success with a COOLBOT - They must then take the heat off of the thing that that ' tricks ' the compressor to run all the time ( while cooling ) - thus the compressor will cycle and fan stays running .

I guess I am a purist of sorts - like I said, I have seen all kinds of abortions - one guy had a built in unit in his shop ( on the Charlottes ) - the guy he bought the house from said it worked like a charm - it was the guts out of a small ice machine with the plate style evaporator to cool an 8 x 8 room - I don't think so !

Your success has alot to do with the amount of insulation - thanks for the report - hope others can use the info as well.

Freonguy

[leadpillproductions]

Any more idea's im going to build one 6 ft long 5 ft wide should hold a 4 quarters fine