DIY Walk In cooler help!

[wytx]

We installed a cooltbot in the ranch walkin 2 years ago and it works great. We only needed the smallest a/c unit for this 4x10 cooler.
Have good friends that used one for the commercial keg storage on their craft brewery and it has worked for years on the same a/c unit. For a small walkin with use only during hunting season they are great. It will keep a walkin at 38 pretty easily if insulated right. Our small walkin has very little insulation and metal walls and roof over concrete floor and still the coolbot works very well.With the proper a/c unit you will be amazed.

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[polemtn]

I've been running a coolbot in my 8x8 box for 4-1/2 yrs, never turn it off.

 

[Customweld]

I run mine on a Ranco controller. I wanted to go with a Coolbot, but read about the Ranco on some home brew pages. The controls were about $35.

 

[Elk Packer]

Been using the Coolbot for 5 years now in a 7' x 12' cooler with no problems.

 

[dingle]

Draw it first, including corner details. Really!

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Make sure the cooling unit is meant to work in the temp. range you are looking for. window a/c units are not designed to work much below 62 regs. Look at a mid temp range unit. I installed many walk in freezers and coolers. One of my neighbors had a friend put a split systems a/c unit on his wine cooler, when he tried to get down to the desired temp of 55 deg. the cooling coil would ice up. He had me put in a medium temp cooling unit which has a working range from 60 thru 35 deg. which would hold the desired 55 deg without icing up. These unit generally only come in spit system unit, cooling coil/fan unit, and condensing unit are separate components as are most home a/c units, but with a different working temp range.

 

[wytx]

Pretty sure coolbot recc not using a mini split type system for their units.
Coolbots work great on their a/c s they recc. Just do a little research, many folks been using them for years, on the same a/c for years.
Do you have any experience with Coolbots?
The purpose of the coolbot is to take the a/c down to cooler temps and it works, adjustments keep the unit from freezing up.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Pretty sure coolbot recc not using a mini split type system for their units.
Coolbots work great on their a/c s they recc. Just do a little research, many folks been using them for years, on the same a/c for years.
Do you have any experience with Coolbots?
The purpose of the coolbot is to take the a/c down to cooler temps and it works, adjustments keep the unit from freezing up.

Not familiar with that product, but they must have a widow type a/c system design just for that application, which has a defrost cycle built in. To reach a box temp of 38n degs the cooling coil would need to be in the 20 deg area +-..

 

[jdinville3]

My buddy has a walk in cooler about that size and he uses a window ac unit. I don't have exact details, but he has some system that trucks the ac to run down to much cooler. I believe it's called a "coolbot"? Be sure to post pictures of the build!!

 

[mike.adams.467]

I built one in my garage; 8x8 room cooled with a Coolbot and an LG window unit. I installed 2 8' pipes to hang meat from, and can keep it at 38-40 degrees indefinitely. I've used it to hang elk the last 2 years and it worked well. It is 2x6 construction with foam insulation. I also put in a hose bib and a floor drain, and painted the floor.

 

[Ark6]

I need to build one. Have a perfect spot for it in concrete block former stable. About 10x10 with ceiling under 8 feet high. Thinking foam insulation, then shower panel or similar for easy to clean wall covers, going to run a load bearing beam from one wall to the other. Working on power and water lines run in and drain line out, then concrete floor pouring. Planning to use cool bot/window ac.
Anyone tried using a man trap two door system to minimize heat infiltration when entering/exiting? I’m a small holding farmer who butchers a lot of the family’s meat here in the farm so multiple entries per hour would be commonplace on butcher days. Also. Anyone else in hot climate area doing anything similar/is the concrete building the best option?


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[MTN Humper]

Sure a window shaker air conditioner can be manipulated to bring a small well insulated room to desired temp. I have seen a few of them working pretty well. With that said, it’s like hauling a cord of wood in a 1980 Chevy Luv. With tall enough racks and careful stacking that can be done too. But for how many loads before you’re broke down in the middle of the road?

I would just caution anyone relying on one to either have a spare unit ready to put in place, or have a plan to butcher the meat on a moments notice should it fail.

Walk-in cooler temps are far below what an air conditioner is designed for. When it fails is likely going to be when you really need it. Keep in mind that most HVAC companies won’t work on window shakers either. Please be aware of those things and have a secondary plan just in case.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Sure a window shaker air conditioner can be manipulated to bring a small well insulated room to desired temp. I have seen a few of them working pretty well. With that said, it’s like hauling a cord of wood in a 1980 Chevy Luv. With tall enough racks and careful stacking that can be done too. But for how many loads before you’re broke down in the middle of the road?

I would just caution anyone relying on one to either have a spare unit ready to put in place, or have a plan to butcher the meat on a moments notice should it fail.

Walk-in cooler temps are far below what an air conditioner is designed for. When it fails is likely going to be when you really need it. Keep in mind that most HVAC companies won’t work on window shakers either. Please be aware of those things and have a secondary plan just in case.

You are absolutely correct, typical window bangers are not meant to operate at cooler box temps. That being said, some of the manufactures may have similar units which are designed to work in those temperature ranges. If you want a box to hold 40 degs. the coil temp will need to be 18-20 below that, which will ice up the evaporator coil, unless the unit has a built in defrost cycle and coil heater. Similar to the defrost cycle on your frost free freezer.

 

[def90]

Restaurants go out of biz all the time, if you live near a large metro area I would think a walk in cooler could be had for less $$ than what it's worth to rig something up.

 

[Jermh]

We built one a couple years ago and used a window unit with a cool bot. It works great and is so nice being able to let deer hang for a week before you've got to mess with them. Friends and family sure enjoy us having one too lol. Started a thing where everybody that hangs deer in there writes their name, date, and what they killed on the wall inside the cooler which has turned into a pretty neat little log over the years

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I just looked into COOLBOT controller to see how it works on a/c units. It does shut the unit down when the evaporator coil starts icing up, and that really what is required. For those of you who use that controller, do you have to install a heating element on the evaporator coil along with coil temp sensor, or does it just work on time off cycle?. I see the controller has a heater port on it.

 

[Customweld]

We built one a couple years ago and used a window unit with a cool bot. It works great and is so nice being able to let deer hang for a week before you've got to mess with them. Friends and family sure enjoy us having one too lol. Started a thing where everybody that hangs deer in there writes their name, date, and what they killed on the wall inside the cooler which has turned into a pretty neat little log over the years

That’s a great tradition. I wished I had done that when I built mine. It’s crazy how many folks contact me asking to hang meat. I’ve got lots of friends that I’ve never even met!

 

[Jermh]

I just looked into COOLBOT controller to see how it works on a/c units. It does shut the unit down when the evaporator coil starts icing up, and that really what is required. For those of you who use that controller, do you have to install a heating element on the evaporator coil along with coil temp sensor, or does it just work on time off cycle?. I see the controller has a heater port on it.

We have been using just the coolbot alone with no additional equipment for a few years now and have never ran into any issues and we've had the cooler on and running for a week or two at a time quite a few times.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

We have been using just the coolbot alone with no additional equipment for a few years now and have never ran into any issues and we've had the cooler on and running for a week or two at a time quite a few times.

So then, it is just a time off cycle.

We have been using just the coolbot alone with no additional equipment for a few years now and have never ran into any issues and we've had the cooler on and running for a week or two at a time quite a few times.

Are you using this controller. I see it has four ports, room, fins, heater and power. fins, I figure is the sensor that goes on fins to activate heater ( if used). when coil gets ice build up. Other wise it will be a simple time off cycle.

 

[UtahJimmy]

So then, it is just a time off cycle.

Are you using this controller. I see it has four ports, room, fins, heater and power. fins, I figure is the sensor that goes on fins to activate heater ( if used). when coil gets ice build up. Other wise it will be a simple time off cycle.

I built one back in '17 with a window unit and coolbot. There's a thread on the 'slide of my build somewhere. Have not had a single issue and it runs from Aug-Dec most years. I did a 90 day age on an elk rear last year that turned out amazing.

Room = ambient cool room temperature
Fins = sensor that gets placed in the fins of the window unit
Heater = heating element that you connect (via tin foil) to the window units' fin sensor

The fin sensor keeps the unit from icing up while the heater tricks the unit into thinking it's still too hot in the room.

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