Several years, a friend of mine bought a used walk in chiller about 8' x 8' and it is a real god send when we have a carcass or two to deal with in the summer. However, it is 20 miles from my home and is a hassle treck back and to with carcasses.

So I am wondering, what can be done to make a budget chiller suitable for a hunter to use at home?..In my circumstances, I need something that is around 3' x 4' x7' tall...I can get all the materials to make the actuall body but I am stuck on the actual chiller part.
I have long thought that the guts from an old chest freezer should be able to be converated, but I have no idea about refridgeration beyond the basics. Any experts out there? Any ideas at all?

I could buy a second hand cold room like my mate,
but they tend to go for $700-$900 over here which is way more than I want to spend and I just don't have the space for one either..

Any or all ideas welcome!

Regards,

Pete

on my grandparents farm, they built a 8x8 insulated room. They put in an air conditioner, for cold air.Two years ago we built a 20x40 cooler for our produce buisness.We used 2" foam boards, plus pink house insulation.the walls are5, or 6" thick.Make sure you use plastic as a vapor barrier.A frind of mine does a lot of catering. He has three black metal trailers, with the front areas insulated, and refrigerated.His run off a generator in the back of the trailers.If there is a heating, and air supply in your area. See if they have a used unit cheap.

I have hunted on a couple of ranches that used window unit air conditioners as a chilling mechanism in their cold rooms. I asked about one, and they said they had the temperature control "fixed", so that it cooled full-bore, no matter what the temperature was inside. Your idea of using freezer guts to build one should work. It ocurrs, that you could use an automotive condenser as an evaporator inside. Just add a box fan to blow air across the grille. I would also recommend 2" foam board as a minimum of insulation. If you used foil-backed foam, it would make cleanup a snap.>>>>>>Bug.

Thanks for the ideas guys...I like the idea about those small window air con units...You would not happen to have a link showing one and some idea of prices. Here in the land of warm beer, air con in private homes is virtually unheard of although I do recall seeing small portable air con units for sales somewhere, but i an sure these had a warm air "exhaust" which you needed to vent out of the window...I envisage recirculating the chilled air with in the room with each pass making it a bit colder till the whole thing is down to just above freezing...

Regards,

Pete

Look for convenience stores or groceries that are being closed or remodeled.

I bought one of those glass front soda pop coolers about 6' wide x 3' deep x 7' tall a couple years ago for $50. Jerked the shelves out, installed some galvanized hanging rods and it makes a great deer cooler. Holds about five or so deer on meat hooks.

Pete, one option I have seen work, though it was on a small stone barn, roughly 12 foot square, was a small refridgeration unit of a little box van. You know the sort of thing, about Ford Transit size. The guy bought the 'fridge of a damaged van in a scrap yard, cost about �150. It is a great job, but you need some fancy footwork with the power supply, as I think they run on 24 volts.

Brian.

Steiny,

That is exactly what I am looking for! Unforetunately I never seem to drop onto bargins like that. Similar items (but slightly smaller) seem to go for silly money over here; I was recently quoted $400 for one 4'x2'x6' and it was in crap condition..

Brian,

I have been looking out for one of those units but I have not been lucky so far. Found one on a big artic style trailer, but it was way to big..
I am not sure what current they draw, but a basic 24v supply should not be a problem...

Regards,

Pete

Pete,

Well this is going to make you green....

I bought a refridgerated double axle trailor in perfect working order from my hospital. It had been used for storing clinical waste (adult nappies). A bloody good wash and installation of a couple of poles and I have a chiller that takes 20 roe plus. It's 12v but draws about 13-16amp on start up so an extension lead is not up to it.

Cost �130 except they forgot to invoice me...

Before then I had searched for 3 years for a box off a Bedford rascal etc. I would suggest ringing around the refridgeration servicing outfits from yellow pages to see if you can get a reconditioned motor and fan and either get a box from free ads/exchange and mart or make one up yourself. Other sources are the liquidation auctions of butchers and meat processors (specialist auctioneeers deal with them and there is a LOT of good kit up for grabs - ask your gamedealer if he has a brochure)

My gamedealer is relocating in Nov/Dec - I'll keep my eye out for you.

Once you've built it keep shtum and lock that motor down - it's a diddicoys dream.

1894,

These damn bargins happen to eveybody but me! I would appricate you speaking to your gamedealer or keep an eye out in the hospital for me.. I am looking for something fairly small ; approx 3' x4' x7 is all I need...

I am curious about where you found a 12v transformer beefy enough to delivery that ampage though...

Regards,

Pete

Once you've built it keep shtum and lock that motor down - it's a diddicoys dream.

Could you translate that please, sounds kinky!

Mark

1894,

I am curious about where you found a 12v transformer beefy enough to delivery that ampage though...

Regards,

Pete

The chillers were built for the NHS which didn't want to mess with transformers so the motor is standard 12v but quite high amp when kicking in.

quote:

---

Originally posted by MarkWhite:

Once you've built it keep shtum and lock that motor down - it's a diddicoys dream.

Could you translate that please, sounds kinky!

---

Mark,

Here in the UK we have a group of people who live out of caravans moving from place to place when the heat from their pernicious thieving gets too much. They are variously called gypsies (insult to real romany gypsies), travellers and didicoys. Something like a fridgemotor which is valuable and portable is likely to be stolen if it becomes general knowledge in the area - hence the advice to keep quiet (slang -shtum) and lock it up

We're talking slightly different cultures here, (When will you Brits learn to speak American? )but on our side of the pond, around any big city there are always auctions, tear downs, Convenience Store/gas stations going broke so there is a fairly easy supply of the beer/cola type coolers. I suspect that if you snoop around and are patient you will come on a bargain. After all, you've made it this long without one.

Just one thought, I wonder if a couple of old standard 36 inch refrigerators (again, we can buy them for $50 to $100 over here)with the interiors removed might not handle your requirements. They are designed to hold just above freezing and have adjustable thermostats, so there wouldn't be much fiddling required.

Gatogordo, good thinking, but I don't think I've seen but one or two "full size" refrigerators on that side of the pond. They make do with sizes we would refer to as "dorm fridges".

Building the box is easy, building the evaporator / motor would be expensive.

Have you thought about a box, and then using block dry ice as a cold source? Put it in a corner and let it gas out (make sure you account for the ventilation -- do not put in enclosed areas, and do not use in anything you can "walk-in" -- the C02 could quickly get you. Depending on the cost of dry ice, it might be more economical for occasional use. Refrigeration is expensive to work on! FWIW, Dutch.

Dutch,

If you think we are ass back wards with regards the size of our fridges, I won't even mention the problems of getting hold of dry ice! Hell, we don't even have those vending machines with regular ice never mind dry ice!

Gatogordo,

With regards places closing down, I suspect your right. However from what people have post here, like every thing else in America, it seems you drinks chiller cabinets are that much bigger than ours!

Still, unless I can get hold of an old chest freezer to pull apart, i think that is going to be the most likely source...

Regards,

Pete

Pete,
I remember meeting a fellow some years ago boating in the San Jaun Islands (Washington State). He had a 45 or 50 foot Trawler type of pleaure boat and he had made a freezer by himself out of foam fiberglass etc that sat on the back cabin of the boat. The boat configuration was what is called a tri babin and the rear cabin or room was at a low level and the t0p became a deck.

For cooling he used a Ford air conditioner and had the cooling coils in a brine tank at the bottom of the chest freezer. He used the ford because the type of coolant that those AC's used allowed it to go a lot colder. He said he only had to run the main engine 15 minutes a day to turn the AC comperessor. One of he real keys in this setup is that the chest freezer loads from the top and that when you open the door all the cold air does not escape. Not so with a walk in type.

Just some food for thought but if you can find a wrecked Ford AC or another mobile type you could turn the compressor with your regular power source. I would do a double door/entry if opening the door became a frequent occurence. One of the other things you see at our fruit cold storage units here locally are hanging plastic strips that you can walk through to inhibit air movement at entry ways.

[ 09-02-2003, 19:35: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Pete.

Keep searching Bud! The drinks chiller was something I got hold of a few years back - its ideal! 5 Roe, 3 fallow, 2 pigs or 000's of rabbits! Imagine - no more hassles with breaking down carcasses the morning after during summer....... Fly proof as well! Good Luck

Ian

Pete E: You ought to be able to pick up a cheap window unit in France by now...

Speaking from an HVAC/R standpoint - your room air conditioner idea won't fly for a cold room. Any return air lower then 65 degrees (F) will freeze the indoor coil, this renders you a warm box. Stick with a refrigeration coil/condensing unit setup - that way you can maintain a lower box temp. Do you have access to any used appliance vendors on that side of the pond? A small system out of a commercial freezer box will work for you - may just take longer to pull your size box down.

I have thought of taking a refrigerated semi trailer and making one out of it. It would have it's own power supply.

T/C nimrod,

Thanks for the advice- I was looking for some input from somebody in the trade so to speak rather than me just speculating..
Now the weather has gone cooler, I have a little breathing space so i will keep looking over the winter. Used Chiller units from such places as you mention seem probitively expensive over here; it seems you have to just "drop lucky" and find somewhere closing down and buy it direct.

WyoJoe,

Alot of commercial Gamedealers use those over here, although I would not have the space to park one. I am also looking around some local scrapyards for a scrapped refrigerated van I can salvage the chiller unit from...these would be nearer the size i actually need..

Regards,

Pete

My elk hunting partner in crime has a nice one in his basement: He just built the cooler when the basement walls were poured (concrete)for the house so the cooler only required forming two walls as it is in the basement corner.

The cooler is about 6 ft x 5 ft x 7 ft high inside dimensions.

3 inch foam insulation on all walls and ceiling. door is double wall construction, plywood, with 6 inches of foam inside. Epoxy paint takes care of the moisture.

Has a small refrigration unit rescued from an old small grocery store, remember the row of small units sitting out behind the stores that cooled the meat cases and milk cases? Compressor mounted outside the cooler, with copper pipes running through the wall to the coil/fan unit hanging from the ceiling.

Stays at 36 to 39 degrees, perfect for cooling elk and deer. Ceiling has a lot of hooks screwed into the beams, it will hold two elk quartered up. We have been lucky a few times, both he and I had quarters hanging.

Has a external dial thermomenter so you can check the temp without opening the door. And a high temp alarm wired to a buzzer and light upstairs in the kitchen, just in case the compressor quits.

[ 10-15-2003, 18:24: Message edited by: John Ricks ]