Freezer/refrigerator conversion

[HuntInWild88]

Has anyone converted a French door style refrigerator/freezer combo into a aging locker?
I'm planning on cutting out the wall between the freezer and fridge to make it one big chamber.
I'm trying to figure out if I can just cut the wire to the freezer thermostat.

 

[maxp]

I don't know if I would say converted but I use a fridge to age...warmest setting keeps me 34-36...a fan helps and I typically go three weeks...make sure you clean it well so there's no bad bacteria and remember white mold is good, green or black is bad.

 

[crich]

Youd be better off finding a refrigerator without a freezer. Might take more time to find a used one but will be worth the interior space.

But yeah I have a friend that uses one as a meat cooler. It works out great. His is large enough without the top frezer he hangs whole deer hide on to age without losing any crusty dry meat. Tenderloinsare pulled thats it. He cuts the legs at the knees and runs a stainles steel rod through the tendons above the back knee. Then lifts the whole deer/rod into the fridge. The rod ends stick into holders mounted up high on the sides. This way there is no wasted space up high from a gambrel etc. Pain to lift them in and out but it works.

We talked about drilling a hole through the top and using a winch or pulley system to lift deer inside but haven't got any farther than that.

Edited to say now that I reread your post sounds like you already have the side by side. Id cut that wall out epoxy something to cover up where you cut and disable the freezer condenser. Youd probably be gtg... DISCLAIMER I have never done that before so at your own risk haha

 

[realunlucky]

Most setup I've seen use a vent that opens between the freezer and lets cold air pass into the fridge part. I be careful with the freezer controls and ensure how your unit works before premenently removing any wiring

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[HuntInWild88]

Most setup I've seen use a vent that opens between the freezer and lets cold air pass into the fridge part. I be careful with the freezer controls and ensure how your unit works before premenently removing any wiring

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

The set up I have has the vent between the two. I was hoping someone had some experience with it and could tell me to just cut the blue wire and not the red type of thing haha..

 

[Pn8hall]

I just recently did this. I cut most of the divider out between the fridge and freezer (Side x Side). I kept about 2 inches in front so the doors could still seal up as normal. I bought an Inkbird ITC-308 temp controller off amazon to control the temp. Very simple to setup and program. I also bought an Inkbird IHC-200 Humidity controller off Amazon and hooked it up to a cheap ultrasonic humidifier from Home Depot along with a small fan to move some air. I have not hung any game in it yet but its ready to roll for when I do. All my research says the hard part of aging in a fridge is controlling humidity to keep it around 60-70%. Thats where the humidity controller and humidifier come into play.

 

[HuntInWild88]

I just recently did this. I cut most of the divider out between the fridge and freezer (Side x Side). I kept about 2 inches in front so the doors could still seal up as normal. I bought an Inkbird ITC-308 temp controller off amazon to control the temp. Very simple to setup and program. I also bought an Inkbird IHC-200 Humidity controller off Amazon and hooked it up to a cheap ultrasonic humidifier from Home Depot along with a small fan to move some air. I have not hung any game in it yet but its ready to roll for when I do. All my research says the hard part of aging in a fridge is controlling humidity to keep it around 60-70%. Thats where the humidity controller and humidifier come into play.

Thanks. That's alot of great information!

 

[maxp]

One thing I do now also is I don't hang backstraps and I take shanks off to before I hang..

 

[bryanclark519]

Has anyone converted a French door style refrigerator/freezer combo into a aging locker?
I'm planning on cutting out the wall between the freezer and fridge to make it one big chamber.
I'm trying to figure out if I can just cut the wire to the freezer thermostat.

My family moved to a new apartment last year, and my chest freezer was about 2.5 feet high. Our place is totally rural, with plenty of wild areas.
Among animals. So, it's easy to get a whole lot of crazy meats. I've been trying to store this by removing the freezer slides so that I can hold them in a horizontal position and attach a drain to flow out the water content of the meat.
I doubt how long the freezer can hold these heavy meats. This is not fundamentally personalized,
If necessary I will prefer a commercial freezer that can store large quantities of food if needed.

 

[Grit2]

I'm also using an ink bird itc-308 with an upright freezer. I set it to 36 degrees with a +/- 2 degree deadband but can always bypass the controller and still freeze with it. I also put it on casters so I can roll it into the driveway to wash it down.

I tried a chest freezer but it built up a bunch of moisture in the bottom.