Curing Chamber

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mr_whipple

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Jul 3, 2021
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I have a beer fridge that I replaced with a used full size side by side in the garage and nobody wants it. I'm too lazy to sell and there is nothing wrong with it other than a few scratches and dents. The coppa I did in the umai bag went well so I thought maybe I could turn it into a small curing chamber, but I'm wondering if it's too small. It's 4 cubic feet and I've never had to defrost it like my small cheapo at work.
This is the exact model https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-4-cu-ft-Mini-Fridge-Black/3701432


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From the bottom of the freezer to bottom is roughly 22", inside is 16" wide the depth is 14" above the rear shelf and below that its only about 6" deep

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I'm guessing pieces I would need ( humidifier/dehumidifier etc) would take up precious space .I'm just spitballing for now, but is this thing too small or simply not capable? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 
The main problem I foresee is that the refrigeration plate is on the ceiling. Running the fridge to keep it at 55*F and ~80%H, you will have moisture condense on the chiller plate. If it does not have a drain to channel the water to the side and out of the unit, that water will dri on your salumi hanging and that will cause problems.
 
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The main problem I foresee is that the refrigeration plate is on the ceiling. Running the fridge to keep it at 55*F and ~80%H, you will have moisture condense on the chiller plate. If it does not have a drain to channel the water to the side and out of the unit, that water will dri on your salumi hanging and that will cause problems.
For as little as I know about this, that makes sense and I should have thought more about it before posting. There is a slotted plastic plate under the freezer portion that collects the moisture and dissipates it over time, unlike a regular frost free fridge that drips it into a pan underneath with a fan to do the work. Simple enough, this is a no go.
Thanks !
 
Now, you can use a non frost free unit with a vertical chiller plate as a drying chamber. and they make small humidifiers that use a 16oz. water bottle.
Nope! Just going to keep on keepin' on. Probably better not to chase a rabbit down that hole anyway.
 
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I used one like that for years. Worked great. Just needed a refrigerator thermostat and I used a reptile humidifier to keep the humidity where I wanted with a PID controller. I used it for sausages then I started using it as a cheese cave.
 

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Ok.... how about this? Viking Professional Wine Refrigerator 34x24x24. It could be mine for $100.
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Well... that thing followed me home after work yesterday. Its an old fridge but works like a champ. Oh what have I gotten myself into? Now I gotta come up with a plan for the rest.
 
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Well... that thing followed me home after work yesterday. Its an old fridge but works like a champ. Oh what have I gotten myself into? Now I gotta come up with a plan for the rest.

You will need to account for temp, humidity and air flow.

There are some controllers that you could use for those functions or you could put your own control system together if you are handy with wiring and possibly ducting.

JC :emoji_cat:
 
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I'm going to plug it in later today or tomorrow and hang some string in it to see where and how much the air is moving thru it when its running. I've been doing some reading, and have an idea or two but I didn't plan on this so all of a sudden. I was posting something for sale / trade on Craigslist and just did a quick search on a whim... and here we are. I'm not going to build a controller, I'll be buying whatever I need. I do a lot of electrical / electronic work at work and I pretty much leave that at work. All I do is fix stuff all day so when I get home that's the last thing on my mind. Baby steps for now but it can't be that hard as long as I don't get stupid.
 
So... plugged it in this morning and let it run for a few hours. dial has a Off to 7 setting so I put it somewhere between 2 and 3 to see where the temp would settle. It has been going back and forth between 53 and 57, however there is zero airflow inside. The only fan is external for the condenser. In my travels on the web I've seen a few instances regarding the use of both an ultrasonic humidifier and a dehumidifier setup being sufficient for air exchange, or so they say. Not sure on this and will continue to read, but if anyone has any guidance I'm all ears. Thanks in advance.
 
however there is zero airflow inside
You do have some airflow in a refrigerator with freezer plates. As the plate chills, it cools the air close to it, which sinks. This starts a loop flow down where the plates are. In my small refrigerator with a freezer plate, it is located in the back of the unit at the top, so air flows down along the back, forward along the floor, up along the door, then toward the back along the top.
 
You do have some airflow in a refrigerator with freezer plates. As the plate chills, it cools the air close to it, which sinks. This starts a loop flow down where the plates are. In my small refrigerator with a freezer plate, it is located in the back of the unit at the top, so air flows down along the back, forward along the floor, up along the door, then toward the back along the top.
I should have worded that a bit differently. There is no fan internal to the chamber, but I didn't take into account the cool air sinking. Looks like this may work fairly well.

It takes a lot less airflow to properly dry salami than most people think.....
I would be in that group. I had no idea and am in the beginning stages of this project so it's "ears open mouth shut."

I came across this post from you in regard to my question on air flow / exchange. The wine fridge I have is approximately 6.1 cubic feet.
How many cu. ft. is the refrigerator you are using? Knowing this will help fine tune your set up. It is easier to control the humidity the in a larger space.

And with most set ups using a standard upright frost free refrigerator, air exchange is not necessary if you are using a dehumidifier. The whole point of air exchange is to remove the humidity, which the dehumidifier will take care of. Also, if you live in a high humidity area like I do, where the RH inside your home is 45~60%, then air exchange is futile and will not solve the problem of high humidity inside the chamber because you will be pulling in humid air- not dry air. As the warm humid air cools, the humidity actually goes UP. This defeats the purpose of the air exchange.

As far as air movement, there will be plenty enough during the cooling cycle when the refrigerator kicks on. In some cases, it could actually be too much air flow (regardless of humidity) which is why home made curing chambers can tend to have some mild case hardening compared with commercial set ups. Also, the humidifier and dehumidifier will contribute to airflow while they are running.

Looks like I need to gather the equipment (controllers, humidifier/dehumidifier) black out the glass window on the door, remove the lower wine racks and clean / sanitize the inside. Then it's setup and testing to see how it works.
 
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All good there... I have both inkbird controllers as well as the evadry dehumidifier. One thing to be sure of is that the cool mist humidifier is analog and not digital so that when power is turned off by the controller, the unit will turn on again. Allowing the controller to turn it off and on.
 
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