Humidity in a walk-in

[Maineiac]

I recently built a 6’x6’x8’ cooler with a coolbot and a 10k ac unit. The animals I hung this year all hung between 1-1.5 weeks before processing. Everything has been great!

A friend suggested a dehumidifier in the unit. Is there an advantage to that? The way it is now, there is hardly a rind on the meat and the meats stays almost exactly the consistency/texture/firmness that it was when it came off the critter.

Curious about the ups/downs of decreasing humidity. Thank you.

 

[Tmac]

More humidity increases chances of bacteria growth, mold, etc. I try to keep humidity down in a walk in. Have you measured it? My guess is you lack a vapor barrier someplace or have a leak in the a/c. How much condensation does the a/c drip out the back?

 

[Boarmaster]

The ac unit with the coolbot should dehumidify sufficiently so long as you dont have moist air entering somewhere. If your not having issues I wouldn't address it. Im not sure that dehumidifier would hurt any.
My understanding is the drier you can keep the meat the better for hanging or aging is and less chance of bacteria issues.

 

[Maineiac]

More humidity increases chances of bacteria growth, mold, etc. I try to keep humidity down in a walk in. Have you measured it? My guess is you lack a vapor barrier someplace or have a leak in the a/c. How much condensation does the a/c drip out the back?

Thank you, there is no VBL, but there is no water leak around the ac unit. I don’t have an answer for the dripping condensation, I live in S. Oregon and every animal we’ve killed so far has died during rains. The unit is framed into the wall though and is calked inside and out. Additionally it has a small extended roof over the top of it to protect it from precipitation.

 

[Maineiac]

The ac unit with the coolbot should dehumidify sufficiently so long as you dont have moist air entering somewhere. If your not having issues I wouldn't address it. Im not sure that dehumidifier would hurt any.
My understanding is the drier you can keep the meat the better for hanging or aging is and less chance of bacteria issues.

I’m not having any issues that I can identify at this point, but, I want to ensure that my m getting the best I can get out of my investment.

 

[EdP]

Most dehumidifiers work by drawing air from the room over a coil cooled to a very low temperature by a refrigeration system. These are commonly known as refrigeration dehumidifers. The water vapor condenses on the cold surface and the liquid water drips into the water collection bucket underneath.

You already have a dehumidifier, and even better than the one described above, it sends the water outside. The colder the coil the more moisture is removed. You can spend a bunch of money chasing diminishing returns.

 

[Maineiac]

Thank you, I was unaware the mechanism of their water removal. Maybe it stays humid in there because the ac compressor doesnt run frequently because of the low ambient air temp. The fan on the ac runs 24/7 though.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Your goal for a meat locker is (or should be) a humidity of 75-80%.

The amount of water within the cells of meat can be drawn out via evaporation, convection and drainage when the humidity is <80%. Most great steaks range in the aW 80-85% range. Jerky and dried fruit is around 70%.

Bacterial invasion is greatly reduced at aW 75%, virtually inhibited at 70%.

aW is the amount of water in meat measured by its vapor pressure compared to distilled water in the same environment.