Cool-Bot Walk In Cooler?

[Clarktar]

Haven’t broke it in yet but got the uni-strut and eye bolts up. Head out for moose on Thursday and hoping to have it full here soon. Using it to pre-cool my coolers now and it’s holding between 38-40*. I need to try your insulation trick on the blower housing to see if it helps as the AC unit runs pretty much non stop but I think that’s just how it’s going to be.
View attachment 323714

Nice job!! This is the route I'd like to go someday. Are the metal studs pricey??

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

[bbrown]

Normally those would probably run around $3-400 depending stud gauge but right now with all this craziness they would be 3x that. I lucked out as these were leftovers from a project so they were free.

 

[Clowe12]

Great convo!

 

[bbrown]

Working great and holding a consistent 38-39* since Saturday - gonna let him hang another week or so before I start cutting and packaging.

 

[Ike Carlson]

Sure is nice to see meat in the cooler.

 

[MOBowkill]

I did a quick build last year when butchered 8 hogs. I used brackets so I can in the future quickly take down and the reassemble. The bot works great, we had 85-90 temps and it held 40-45 degrees for the 2 weeks that I used it.

 

[gelton]

Haven’t broke it in yet but got the uni-strut and eye bolts up. Head out for moose on Thursday and hoping to have it full here soon. Using it to pre-cool my coolers now and it’s holding between 38-40*. I need to try your insulation trick on the blower housing to see if it helps as the AC unit runs pretty much non stop but I think that’s just how it’s going to be.
View attachment 323714

Been using a cool bot for years...if you have the right BTU for the AC it should keep it 34-36 degrees no problem...also, they recommend leaving the fan on all the time which seems to keep the condenser from kicking on and off as often as well as keeping the fins ice-free.

The only problem I ever had was when I tried to change it to 50 degrees with too large of an ac and started having ice problems. The controller that turns the compressor on and off went out (was on all the time)...replaced that controller inside the AC and no problems since. But its pretty clear that a smaller AC is better if you want to run at temps 40+.

Edit - I have a 7x7x7 and a 15,000 BTU for comparison.

 

[Lhook7]

Very nice! I’m at the planning stage of building one.

 

[Gone4Days]

I am starting my walk in build this week. Pretty excited to see how it turns out

 

[Headwatermike]

I've been running one for years in a similar setup in my shop. If you are reading this and have the capacity to construct such a unit I would. It is the greatest luxury to come back from a hard hunt and just string up the game in the cooler, come back to it as suits you, and with better results (just don't forget to extract tenderloins first). Mine gets lots of use and is busy through the entire hunting season.

I just used an insulated (cheap ext grade fiberglass door) and put in a window for it. Mine is part of other rooms in a mezzanine. I set up a small hoist that reaches down through the ceiling, through a little trap-door, and helps to lift critters and quarters into place--it is really convenient and I would recommend doing that. I have the smallest a/c unit I could find and it still over-cools and has trouble regulating temps well until you have enough meat in there so I wouldn't over-think insulation other than for efficiency, though there are some potential moisture issues to be concerned with. I was able to plan for mine and installed a floor drain which I also like. I also ran my wiring for the cool-bot through the wall and mounted it on the ext of the cooler which really beats having to get in there to check temps and make any changes, especially when it starts getting crowded in there! That required getting mini-jack extensions. I used runs of uni-strut on the ceiling with some L brackets that are really sturdy.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Love this thread. Going to be building a 10x10 in my barn this spring/summer.

 

[bbrown]

The first season using the cooler worked out great. Think I ended up with 8-9 critters total in it over the year and up to 4 deer in it at a time but that was a bit tight. Really can’t think of anything I would have done different except maybe making it a bit bigger but it’s about perfect for my needs.

If anyone is on the fence I’d say go for it if you have the space. Shoot me a PM with any questions - happy to help.

 

[Gone4Days]

Finished the project, just need to put on exterior corner moulding and foil tape inside insulation seams

 

[Team4LongGun]

Looks good! Your eye hooks seem close together, but it may be the photo. I know in mine when we hang 3 or 4 it gets tight with the legs.
Is that a blue tooth app for cool bot? Mine doesn’t have it-that would be a great feature for sure!

 

[Ike Carlson]

Ours is 5x5 and we can fit 8 deer without much trouble because of the 3 rail layout.