Walk in cooler thermostat options?

[palerider3]

Well, I just got moved into my new place, and I'm converting one of my outbuildings to a walk in cooler and meat cutting area. I am looking at using the Coolbot thermostat to control the AC unit. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this unit of if anyone has used any other means of controlling a window AC unit to cool a walk in cooler? I need something that will be reliable as it will be outside of the house and might go a day or two at a time without getting checked on. Thanks, Sam

 

[wyowinchester]

I started using a 220 AC unit for my home made cooler. Found that the condenser would freeze up and would not cool. I had to shut it down and thaw out. I took out the AC's thermostat and hooked it up to a timer. Run for 20 min, shut down for 20 just to keep the ice down.
Make sure the AC unit will handle the cold temps you want and need it too keep in that room for meat.
I had pink fiberglass rolled in the joist's covered with 2" sheet, then a hard board so I could wash it down on the inside. Tried to keep it between 38 and 42 degrees.
Talk with some HVAC people and pick their brains on this.

 

[dok7mm]

I would avoid a conventional window AC unit. You would be trying to cool outside air instead of recooling the air in your cooler.

When I was outfitting, I built a trailer that had 6" of foam insulation. The compressor was mounted outside and fans and air exchanger were inside. Sorry, but I don't remember the brand.
It worked failure free for 12 years and never had the ice buildups I observed in other units. Worked great in the heat of Texas and Mexico.

 

[swe123]

I used a unit off the boxes they store ice at gas stations and such.

 

[wyowinchester]

My "now" one is a walk in freezer that you use to buy ice out of.
Get a real cooling unit. It will save you in the long run.
I agree with dok ^^^

 

[birdiemc]

I built one last year and used the coolbot. I got no complaints. The box is 4x8, 8ft tall, OSB exterior walls wrapped in tyvek and skinned with sheet metal, with closed cell spray foam, then another sheet of osb for interior walls painted with some marine grade 2 part epoxy paint from sherwin William's on the walls and floor. Threw a dehumidifier in it to help regulate humidity for drying sausage. The AC is a 110v if I remember correctly 12000 btus. Have to run it in ECO mode to keep from getting too cold. About to fire it up next week, got some hogs that I should have butchered in Feb, but kept never having time for it. The floor is insulated too, door is just a solid core exterior prehung door from mccoys. Roof is osb covered in sheet metal with the spray foam, no "ceiling"
Agree that it would be more efficient if not cooling outside air, but for what it is, it works great. I dont run it all the time, only when I'm using it so I'm less concerned about energy efficiency.

 

[bigngreen]

All my conventional a/c units draw air through the evaporator coils from the interior of the room, out side air is blown through the condenser coils only.

 

[birdiemc]

All my conventional a/c units draw air through the evaporator coils from the interior of the room, out side air is blown through the condenser coils only.

Dangit now you made me have to stop and think about how an air conditioner actually works....YOU'RE RIGHT. haha

 

[bigngreen]

I'm planning on a coolbot cooler build next year, going to uses SIPs panels I think, love them for my shop. Get by most the time naturally cooling but the weather the past couple years has made even rifle season sketchy let alone bow season.

 

[bigngreen]

Really if you just poked the sensing tube out the back into warm air then wired in a mechanical deicing switch you'd have the same thing but the WIFI on the coolbot pro is awesome sauce!!!

 

[birdiemc]

Really if you just poked the sensing tube out the back into warm air then wired in a mechanical deicing switch you'd have the same thing but the WIFI on the coolbot pro is awesome sauce!!!

I would want to plug it in to a thermostat that kills power to the unit if going that route, that way you can regulate your temp. I got one to plug a fridge into in order to build a curing chamber, but it's been sitting in the box on top of the fridge for a year now....not exactly high on my priority list.

 

[bigngreen]

You don't want it to turn the fans of just the compressor which is normal function of an air conditioner, you just keep the thermostat warm to keep the compressor on but then add a deicing switch which is normally at 36 of and around 40 on to control the compressor. Really it's all the coolbot is doing only they warm the sensing tube for the thermostat so you can set the temp at different points and adding a digital deicing sensor but really a cooler you just set it and forget it. If you kill the power you will freeze up, units that kill power at that low to the fans have a heating circuit that de-ices the evaporator so air movement is not required for the job.

 

[rem.xp100]

I went with the CoolBot and love it. Had a shed off the side of the house and insulated the heck out of it. I wish I had done it years ago. We never know if we are having short sleeve weather or below freezing when our season starts up but no worries now with a walk in cooler. We always used to let our deer hang to age but at the mercy of the weather as to how long. Now I can age it properly and the meat is perfect. If the temps get below freezing I have it wired for a very small ceramic heater that keeps it above 34 degrees. I can keep my garden hose in there now and not freeze up which is also a plus for cleanup and I no longer have to drain the line every time I use it in the winter.

 

[Rhett Crider]

I built one for a friend to go on his lease down in S. TX.. I took a cold plate body w/ 5" poly urethane insulation(18' x 7' x 7') and skidded it for him and framed it for a LG unit that was 24-25000 BTU? and 220 single phase. He's running the Koolbot and getting low 30's on temp. Got to have swing doors to seal good.
If you look around, you can find 16',18-20' cold plate bodies pretty reasonable. Usually used for Ice Cream, Frozen Pizzas, etc..