Homeade Walk-In-Cooler.

[Jake C.]

Some buddies and I are going to build a walk-in-cooler in my garage. We are gonna start out with one of those Coolbot computer overrides for a window air conditioner and if we like see about getting a better set up to cool it. Looking for advice from anyone who has built their own or who has used one. How long can you allow a deer to hang in the cooler or how long have you guys hung carcasses and the meat still been fine. Do you hang them with the hide on? We typically shoot around 10 total between four of us here in Indiana. Bow season starts Oct 1 and doesn't end until January with gun seasons mixed in there. Would it be okay to let one hang for two or three months in there?? We would like to let our deer hang the rest of the year because we always shoot some in Oct when days still climb into the 70s, we always do the hurry up and butcher as fast as you can and were tired of doing that. We want to have one big butcher date at he end of the year. ANY advice and tips are welcome!! Thanks

 

[prconnection]

Hey Jake

I have walk in cooler. It's exactly that a cooler not a freezer. So no you can't hang meat in a cooler for 2or 3 months. Proper meat care is the most important part if u want good tasting food. Hide comes off as soon as possible and then hung in the cooler. Deer usually hang for 3-7 days. Large animals such as beef, moose and elk the recommended time is 21 days. The cooler temp needs to stay consistent. I set mine for 33 degrees F. I use a proper refrigeration unit with a low volume fan condensing unit not to dry out the meat

Hope this helps

 

[livingandlearning]

Hey Jake

I have walk in cooler. It's exactly that a cooler not a freezer. So no you can't hang meat in a cooler for 2or 3 months. Proper meat care is the most important part if u want good tasting food. Hide comes off as soon as possible and then hung in the cooler. Deer usually hang for 3-7 days. Large animals such as beef, moose and elk the recommended time is 21 days. The cooler temp needs to stay consistent. I set mine for 33 degrees F. I use a proper refrigeration unit with a low volume fan condensing unit not to dry out the meat

Hope this helps

+1. We also have a walk in cooler and everything said above is how we do it. We have hung deer for as many as 12 days but prefer 7.

 

[Jake C.]

Thanks guys. Yes totally helps. I've reading online about them and for the most part everyone does it that same way as you guys have stated. I only found a couple guys saying that its fine to let the meat hang for a long period as long as it doesn't freeze and thaw. I was skeptical so I figured I would consult you folks here.

 

[RCA Dog]

I built one last summer using a coolbot. It works great. It goes down to about 34 degrees in about half an hour depending on ambient temp. I built it to fit on a flat deck trailer so that I could transport it to where we were hunting. If you've been looking around online, that's great. Most people say to not put any drains or anything in the floor because you lose the insulation value there, but trust me, you will absolutely want a floor drain. Also, if you intend to hang whole animals, make it taller than you think you need. I have a chain hoist on a trolley attached to my ceiling, which makes it nice for heavier animals.

 

[colersu22]

My father in law built one a couple years ago using the cool bot and it works great. It is probably 6'x4' and 7'tall, he framed it up and used foam board between the studs and spray foamed the gaps. He did add a floor since it was loosing temp through the concrete floor in the shop. Thing has had multiple animals hang for about a week then be butchered and never have had a problem. The cool bot is still going strong the past 3 years or so. He did mention he wished he made it bigger cause with 2 elk it was pretty packed in there.

 

[Loebs]

I just finished putting one together with a friend. We moved a walk-in cooler from another friends house to his cabin. We built a platform from 2x4 and 3/4 inch pt ply, then foam filled the void spaces and decked the top. This was set on top of block so we could slide it onto a flatbed trailer if needed. The pannels have cam locks and the whole thing can be put together in less than 30 minutes. We use a cool bot and 10,000btu window unit. It cools down to the low 30's in less than 30 minutes if it's not to hot. We added foam pannels to the roof and then put a TPO membrane over to help with the weather. Also laid diamond plate floors and trim to make clean up easier. I'll add some pictures soon. We hang for 1 to 2 weeks down here and have not had any issues. We do hang with the hides on for deer and hogs, elk and antelope get hung in their game bags. You can find the cooler pannels on Craigslist cheaper then you can build them yourself.



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[prconnection]

Curious why you guys leave the hide on?

I just finished putting one together with a friend. We moved a walk-in cooler from another friends house to his cabin. We built a platform from 2x4 and 3/4 inch pt ply, then foam filled the void spaces and decked the top. This was set on top of block so we could slide it onto a flatbed trailer if needed. The pannels have cam locks and the whole thing can be put together in less than 30 minutes. We use a cool bot and 10,000btu window unit. It cools down to the low 30's in less than 30 minutes if it's not to hot. We added foam pannels to the roof and then put a TPO membrane over to help with the weather. Also laid diamond plate floors and trim to make clean up easier. I'll add some pictures soon. We hang for 1 to 2 weeks down here and have not had any issues. We do hang with the hides on for deer and hogs, elk and antelope get hung in their game bags. You can find the cooler pannels on Craigslist cheaper then you can build them yourself.



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[Jake C.]

Cant thank you guys enough for the feedback. Any pictures you guys could post of your set-ups would be awesome. Didn't even think about a floor drain but it makes total sense now. I was thinking from the floor up(not so much floor haha) and cleaning it didn't even cross my mind with trying to figure out how i wanted to build one. Thanks again

 

[Loebs]

Curious why you guys leave the hide on?

You know that's a great question, it was the way I was taught years ago. With the a/c unit versus a tradational cooling system, the a/c tends to dry the air a bit more which really toughened the outside layer of meat.

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[livingandlearning]

We take the hide off for two reason.
1. To get the meat cooled as quickly as possible.

2. Taking the hide off before the carcass goes into the cooler greatly reduces the amount of hair that makes in inside thus reduced the amount of cleanup.

We also do not have a drain and see no need for one. What little bit of blood is left just drips onto a small square of plastic we cut and set on the floor below the animal

 

[WVTrooper]

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/meat-and-trophy-care/79068-diy-meat-locker.html

Not sure if this one will help you

 

[prconnection]

You know that's a great question, it was the way I was taught years ago. With the a/c unit versus a tradational cooling system, the a/c tends to dry the air a bit more which really toughened the outside layer of meat.

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This makes sense for the meat drying out. Even in a traditional cooler with the low volume fan I get ,after seven days the meat definitely forms a dryer layer meat right at the surface compared to a just shot animal .

 

[gelton]

What type of budget do you have for this? Just asking because I picked up a 6x6x7 Norwalk walk in cooler last week for $1500 installed...used of course...local subway sandwich shop was selling it.

 

[Loebs]

What type of budget do you have for this? Just asking because I picked up a 6x6x7 Norwalk walk in cooler last week for $1500 installed...used of course...local subway sandwich shop was selling it.

That's a good price as long as it included the cooling unit.

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[UtahJimmy]

I finally emptied/cleaned mine last weekend and installed the flooring. I would say that unless you're doing a lot of hanging, a drain is not necessary. I put 7 animals in mine so far this season and the amount of blood drain is very minimal.

Also, oversize the A/C unit if you can. Since mine was donated, I sized the cooler to match. It will be more efficient with a larger unit.

As far as hanging for extended times, I think you'll be fine, but you start to lose meat due to drying. If you put them in hide on, that will minimize loss but you'll need to get them in there quickly to start the cooling process.

The coolbot route does produce a lot of humidity. I was averaging 95%RH. USDA recommends 80-90 for beef. I was getting some white surface mold after 10 days, but it's not harmful.

For dimensions, I don't know if I'd recommend a tall ceiling unless you are planning on hanging whole carcasses. Big mature deer may require 6 or so feet. You end up with a lot of volume that needs to be cooled that is useless. Air is a terrible insulator, so your unit will become very inefficient. It's nice to walk around in, but your not building this thing to spend time in.

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[wytx]

This is the cooler on the ranch we manage. We put the coolbot in 3 years ago and it is great. The rancher built the cooler years ago and it has very minimal insulation, it is attached to the back of the barn. We put large cardboard boxes on the floor to catch the blood then just have to throw them away. It is 4 x 10 ft and will hold 3 elk and 2 deer. Make it tall,enough for hooves to stick up. We usually leave on hide if it was cool enough at harvest not to worry about the meat. Careful skinning leaves no hair on the meat.View attachment 61393

 

[Jake C.]

Good stuff thanks guys.

 

[cuerro viejo]

You can hang deer for a long time in a well built walk in cooler, got to watch humidity. I’ve use home made and commercial down here in Texas .

 

[Ike Carlson]

I just want to add to this thread because it comes up a lot on google searches.

We built a walk in cooler in the house last year with an inkbird controller and johnson freeze protector. All of the controls/electronics were removed from the air conditioner. It is wired directly to the inkbird controller. There other brands now available, but we used an inkbird. The cooler is 4" thick polyiso foam, even on the doors. We also insulated the blower housing on the air conditioner. We run it at 34*.

We have had deer and pigs hanging for 3-4 weeks (pretty much a month) with no problems. There was just a bit of mold starting at 4 weeks, which is not necessarily bad. I am tempted to age some beef for 2-3 months and see how it turns out.