Make shift cold room help

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Hockeydudde

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jan 31, 2022
389
433
New Mexico
Each year we set up a make shift room to age beef quarters for about 7 days.
It's just tapped together foam insulation board. The average temp though can be nice and cool, or sometimes just a little warm. Just depends on the weather.
The room is approx 5' x 8' x 12' tall.
I'd like to set it up this year with a temp and humidity controller to better control the environment.

I have an inkbird controller that does humidity and temp.
Will a dorm fridge with a little circulation fan be enough to cool this space to 40 F? It's a large volume, but we are only trying to achieve probably 5F temp differential.

For humidity, just planning on a little desktop ultrasonic humidifier. It probably won't achieve the ideal, but it'll help a little bit.

Any tips are appreciated!
 
I don’t think a full sized upright freezer would drop the temps much in a room that size much less a dorm fridge. What will work is a window mount A/C unit with a Coolbot attachment will work though.
 
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I agree with edge...doubt the dorm fridge would do much. With the coolbot and window ac you would have a bit of investment but nothing compared to the cost of beef you want to hang

Ryan
 
a refrigerator or freezer will put out more heat through their vents then cold air coming out the doors.
 
I think the plan is to build a cool room in the next year, but not going to happen this year. Don't think there are many window ac units for sale this time of year. We will probably go the cool bot route when we do it.

I kinda expected these responses, but we have everything listed, so it's free to try it out. If it works, I'll repost back.

The fridge will be sitting outside the cool area, with the open door butted up against an opening in the foam board. But your correct tbern tbern , if we put the whole thing in there it would be a very inefficient heater, lol.
 
Years ago, my uncle built a cellar under the staircase in his house. Lots of insulation. Used a 60's vintage fridge with door removed and butted up against the back wall for a chiller. No added fan that I recall.
Fridge door remounted on the opposite wall of cellar.
Volume probably about 1/3 your objective. Will not totally work in your situation for adding high volumes of warm flesh at a time.
You need quick recovery and the window A/C units provide lots of BTUs and a very strong forced air (fan) system.
A fridge unit is a slow a steady

Do you really need to go 12' high?

When do window A/C units go on the sell market in New Mexico? May need to look outside your area for bargains
 
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I'm not really in control of this situation, I just help with the butchering. We'll probably hang the first one right after Christmas.

Good points about the fridge vs AC though.

Now I'm wondering if it is even worth trying, or just go with what we usually do.

If I convince the others to try this fridge set up and it doesn't with at all, I'll never hear the end of it, lol.
 
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