Caso 125 dry ager issues?

[321nitram]

Hello,

I have a Caso 125 dry ager where I have a wifi thermometer, it never reached 2C
Could see that from 1 to 2 times a day the temp goes up to 6-8C(43.8F-46.4F)
Set up a timelapse to check if the display on the unit shoed the same and it does. Suddenly the display rises and the glass fogs over.

They changed the motherboard a few days ago and the average temp dropped around 0.5-0.6C, but the rise in temp still occurs.

Anyone else experienced this?

 

[MacPhisto]

Hi. I have the exact same chamber, and registered to answer your question, and perhaps we could share some experiences and ideas? I am extremely disappointed with the cabinet CASO dryaged master 125. I think it is of really, really poor quality. I have actually tried two of them, and both simply did not work as expected. The first one, bought in November (2023), was so unstable in both temperature and humidity, that I had to contact service. Some days before they arrived the cabinet started to make a lot of noise. He changed two components, and after that the cabinet was totally dead (I have never seen a craftsman leave so fast ). I was sent a new chamber and received it 19. February. I set it up immediately and put 4 external Govee thermo-/hygrometers inside to monitor. All 4 devices agree that the temperature and humidity are impossible to adjust. The fluctuations are extreme, and can vary +/-3 degrees celsius and +/- anything for the humidity. I have tried since 19. February to have 12 degrees celsius and humidity at 80%, but to no success. Both parameters are wrong. Now the settings are at 12 celsius and 65%, and the cabinet shows these values, but the actual temperature and humidity is 9 and 96% right now. I have tried to up the temperature to 14 and humidity down to 50-55 to see if anything happens. Humidity is still varying and as high as 97%. I am really, really disappointed in this chamber, and I do believe it is of extremely poor quality with no possibilities of actually adjusting parameters. There are also no possibilities or functionality to calibrate the temperature and humidity sensors, which I think is strange. I saved for such a chamber for 2 years, but now consider my money lost - that is how bad both chambers I had the opportunity to test were. The only good thing I can say about it, is that it looks great in the kitchen. How do you use the water reservoir, by the way?

 

[02ebz06]

Don't have one, but howdy, and welcome to the community from New Mexico.
Hang around, we always like new members with new ideas.

 

[321nitram]

Hello,


I received a new unit from the reseller. I asked them to take the old in return but the delivery guy had not been told this.

Same temperature rise with the newunit. The reseller didn’t want me to have another so they refunded me, I now have two units and got my money back.
After receiving the new unit I sent an email to Caso support in December and they just asked me to contact the Norwegian reseller for another replacement unit.

Did a test with a bucket of water. Temp is set to 2C, temp sensor is +-0.5C so 3C is ok.
Every 12h the temp of water rises, see attached image.
Then I used an automatic power switch that turn of the dry ager for one minute every 12h, no temperature rise.

Contacted Caso again and it took them a month to come back to me and confirm that this is normal behavior as the unit is defrosting. It’s strange that they did not know this the first time I contacted them.
Can't see that dry aging meat that has a temperature rise to 5.5C(41.9F) every 12 hours is good for food safety. It takes a long time for the water to reach 3 degrees again.

I might create my own electronics card to control the unit.

 

[MacPhisto]

I see. What reseller was this? In general it is the average that is important. You could try dry ageing in dry age bags in the fridge. I am trying charcuterie in the chamber, hence temperatures at 12 celsius. I have four capicolas, one pancetta and two other meats I am sincerely worried about at the moment. Did you try to up the temperature and control the humidity? I am thinking about turning my chamber into a cheese cage instead. Was it a scandinavian reseller you bought it from?

 

[indaswamp]

Correct, the average is what is important. The meat hanging has thermal mass, so it take a while for it change temperature. Small spikes in temperature higher than suggested are not an issue.
If you want tighter control, use an auxiliary temperature controller.

 

[MacPhisto]

Hello,


I received a new unit from the reseller. I asked them to take the old in return but the delivery guy had not been told this.

Same temperature rise with the newunit. The reseller didn’t want me to have another so they refunded me, I now have two units and got my money back.
After receiving the new unit I sent an email to Caso support in December and they just asked me to contact the Norwegian reseller for another replacement unit.

Did a test with a bucket of water. Temp is set to 2C, temp sensor is +-0.5C so 3C is ok.
Every 12h the temp of water rises, see attached image.
Then I used an automatic power switch that turn of the dry ager for one minute every 12h, no temperature rise.

Contacted Caso again and it took them a month to come back to me and confirm that this is normal behavior as the unit is defrosting. It’s strange that they did not know this the first time I contacted them.
Can't see that dry aging meat that has a temperature rise to 5.5C(41.9F) every 12 hours is good for food safety. It takes a long time for the water to reach 3 degrees again.

I might create my own electronics card to control the unit.

Is the temperature every hour approximately? Or every 12 hour? The new one i got have a temperature spike every hour, and it ruins the humidity completely, averaging at 87%. Setting is at 59%. Was it Bakaren och Kocken?

 

[321nitram]

Is the temperature every hour approximately? Or every 12 hour? The new one i got have a temperature spike every hour, and it ruins the humidity completely, averaging at 87%. Setting is at 59%. Was it Bakaren och Kocken?

If I turn on/off the fridge every 12h the temp stays stable at around 3C when set to 2C
Yes bakerenogkokken.no is the place i bought the unit from.

 

[321nitram]

Correct, the average is what is important. The meat hanging has thermal mass, so it take a while for it change temperature. Small spikes in temperature higher than suggested are not an issue.
If you want tighter control, use an auxiliary temperature controller.

Temp sensor is place in a bucket of water, this enough thermal mass.
When the unit is defrosting temp inside the unit rises to 10-12C over a period of 19 minutes.
The water rises from 3C to 5.5C and the time to go back to 3C is several hours.

Is this safe temperature to dry meat in?

 

[MacPhisto]

Temp sensor is place in a bucket of water, this enough thermal mass.
When the unit is defrosting temp inside the unit rises to 10-12C over a period of 19 minutes.
The water rises from 3C to 5.5C and the time to go back to 3C is several hours.

Is this safe temperature to dry meat in?

I have approximately the same problem. 10-12C over 19 minutes does not sound good for your meat. It was wise to to use water to check. I'd say you are just on the edge. With my chamber I found that adjusting the humidity helps a bit on the temperature, so maybe you could try that? If it works with lowering the humidity, maybe also dry the yellow water reservoir (I will struggle with case hardening). Caso suggested that to me when i complained about humidity.

 

[indaswamp]

The water rises from 3C to 5.5C and the time to go back to 3C is several hours.

Is this safe temperature to dry meat in?

I am not familiar at all with the CASO 125 Dry Ager. Dry curing or Dry aging? If dry aging, my understanding is that here in the U.S.; 1-4*C is the sweet spot. But I am not familiar at all with the CASO 125 Dry Ager and how it operates or is suppose to operate. Is the thermometer verified that it is calibrated and accurate? Have you checked the temp of ice water to be sure?

 

[MacPhisto]

I am not familiar at all with the CASO 125 Dry Ager. Dry curing or Dry aging? If dry aging, my understanding is that here in the U.S.; 1-4*C is the sweet spot. But I am not familiar at all with the CASO 125 Dry Ager and how it operates or is suppose to operate. Is the thermometer verified that it is calibrated and accurate? Have you checked the temp of ice water to be sure?

One can adjust the cabinet from 2-14 degrees, so one can both dry age and cure. Same with humidity, 50%-85%. There is unfortunately no way to calibrate the sensors for temperature or humidity in the cabinet, which I find very strange.

 

[indaswamp]

Were it me, I would put the sensor in ice cold water and verify that is should read 0*C. It could be off. But if it is accurate, then you know that the temp. swing is accurate.

If it is not accurate, then the chamber may not actually be rising to 5.5*C.