Freezer to Fridge Conversion for steak ager. Safe to drill holes on the side?

[meatsweats86]

I just picked up a nice older working Whirlpool Freezer Model EV150FXKQ03 that I am going to convert into a fridge for aging beef using the Ink-Bird ITC-308 Temp Controller.

The freezer has coils that run under under the shelves and the refrigerant line runs on the inside corner and down through the bottom to the compressor area. Arrows point to the line and bottom arrow shows where the line runs too.

Am I safe to drill holes through the side to run my thermometer probe and muffin fan and then caulk the hole? I don't believe there should be any cooling components running through the sides.

I will also be adding a SensorPush sensor to monitor the temp and humidity.

 

[crazzycajun]

Can’t tell where the condesor is in your pics if in doubt plug it in and let it run 30 min to hour and feel the outside where you want to drill if it’s hot or warm don’t drill!!!!. You might have more wear and tear on a freezers compressor than using a refrigerator for your project

 

[meatsweats86]

Thanks for the info guys. I did a little research and people are saying the the freezer is more insulated than fridge and because the temps are higher, it will mean the compressor is turning on less than if it were in freezer mode. I guess the only way to find out is plug in the ink bird, set my temp to 35° and see how well it holds temperature. It will be in my basement which is around 60° and told this is stressful than being in the garage with high fluctuating temps.

Hopefully the coils on the shelving will not give it cold spots and if so, hoping the muffin fan will help circulate.

 

[mike243]

Most of the freezers have the condenser coil built into the sides and top of cabinet with about 6-10" spacing so do plug in and find the hot spots and mark well before drilling,don't store any thing on top or the sides as that slows down the cooling process

 

[mike243]

Also being a non defrosting unit it will not remove enuf moisture from the inside on its own like a refridge that has a defrost cycle so you will need a method to do that