Anyone built a cooler using a window AC unit???

tod osier

tod osier

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I'm thinking of building a 4x4 (footprint) cooler to hang game in (mostly deer). I know old Parks built a walk in that used a window AC to chill it. We have a lot of not very good hanging weather, since our deer season starts mid-sept, I'd love not to have to rush to get deer chunked up and processed in a cooler or fridge. It would also be sweet for short term storage of all kinds of edible things.

From what I've read units like these: http://storeitcold.com/ trick a window AC in chilling below their preset, by heating the original internal thermostat untill the temp is chilled to the temperature the secondary thermostat is set to. Anyway, it seems like one could be made fairly easily if you had the right thermostat, you could use heat tape or a small light buld as a heat source. I'm wondering if anyone has run across a tutorial or seen an article on the web. The premade units are expensive at $300 and it woudl be nice to find a couple part numbers so I didn't have to start from zero.
 
I was thinking the exact same thing! I've seen AC units to keep a small room cold during a summer festival, but that's about it.
 
My nieces dude is an HVAC guy. I'll ask him tonight if he knows of any ways to over ride the thermostat for less then $300 if you haven't gotten a good answer by then. I doubt you will find something as convenient as that box though. I never knew that could be done. That would be so nice for hunting and garden season.

Tim
 
I'm thinking of building a 4x4 (footprint) cooler to hang game in (mostly deer). I know old Parks built a walk in that used a window AC to chill it. We have a lot of not very good hanging weather, since our deer season starts mid-sept, I'd love not to have to rush to get deer chunked up and processed in a cooler or fridge. It would also be sweet for short term storage of all kinds of edible things.

From what I've read units like these: http://storeitcold.com/ trick a window AC in chilling below their preset, by heating the original internal thermostat untill the temp is chilled to the temperature the secondary thermostat is set to. Anyway, it seems like one could be made fairly easily if you had the right thermostat, you could use heat tape or a small light buld as a heat source. I'm wondering if anyone has run across a tutorial or seen an article on the web. The premade units are expensive at $300 and it woudl be nice to find a couple part numbers so I didn't have to start from zero.
Click to expand...

I have one and it is the best thing I have put in the house yet. the room I built in the corner of my garage is 7 ft x 7 ft x 8 ft tall. 4" of solid foam insulation on all 6 sides then sheath the outside with 3/8" plywood and the inside with Luan. I use a coolbot controller and a 8000 btu air conditioner to cool it. within an hour of turning it on the inside temp is down to 40 deg, and after a day I can make 35 degrees and hold it for as long as it takes. cost to run it is around $25 a month here in NJ.
I put a track and rollers on the ceiling and have three gambrels to hang three deer in there at a time. leave the skin on and hang for 20 days at 35-37 degees. head down
you can't believe how good the meat is after aging that long.

also use the room as a fridge during the summer if I have a party. I also use it to pre chill coolers for the weekend fishing during the summer months.

I went the same route as you and tried a commercial thermostat to slowly lower the temp to prevent icing on the AC unit. in the end wound up buying the coolbot and it solved all of the problems with icing up and attending it during cool down. that unit has a defrost cycle built right into it. so it takes care of the attending. with the commercial thermostat I had to lower it and watch it, open the door ect. until it made temp. then if you didn't watch it
the Ac would freeze up and it would take some time to de-ice then the cooler temp rose and defeated the purpose.

total cost for me was $800 in materials, $110 for the AC unit. and $300 for the controller.

if you need some pictures or have any more questions pm me.
 
I'm thinking of building a 4x4 (footprint) cooler to hang game in (mostly deer). I know old Parks built a walk in that used a window AC to chill it. We have a lot of not very good hanging weather, since our deer season starts mid-sept, I'd love not to have to rush to get deer chunked up and processed in a cooler or fridge. It would also be sweet for short term storage of all kinds of edible things.

From what I've read units like these: http://storeitcold.com/ trick a window AC in chilling below their preset, by heating the original internal thermostat untill the temp is chilled to the temperature the secondary thermostat is set to. Anyway, it seems like one could be made fairly easily if you had the right thermostat, you could use heat tape or a small light buld as a heat source. I'm wondering if anyone has run across a tutorial or seen an article on the web. The premade units are expensive at $300 and it woudl be nice to find a couple part numbers so I didn't have to start from zero.
Click to expand...

I have one and it is the best thing I have put in the house yet. the room I built in the corner of my garage is 7 ft x 7 ft x 8 ft tall. 4" of solid foam insulation on all 6 sides then sheath the outside with 3/8" plywood and the inside with Luan. I use a coolbot controller and a 8000 btu air conditioner to cool it. within an hour of turning it on the inside temp is down to 40 deg, and after a day I can make 35 degrees and hold it for as long as it takes. cost to run it is around $25 a month here in NJ.
I put a track and rollers on the ceiling and have three gambrels to hang three deer in there at a time. leave the skin on and hang for 20 days at 35-37 degees. head down
you can't believe how good the meat is after aging that long.

also use the room as a fridge during the summer if I have a party. I also use it to pre chill coolers for the weekend fishing during the summer months.

I went the same route as you and tried a commercial thermostat to slowly lower the temp to prevent icing on the AC unit. in the end wound up buying the coolbot and it solved all of the problems with icing up and attending it during cool down. that unit has a defrost cycle built right into it. so it takes care of the attending. with the commercial thermostat I had to lower it and watch it, open the door ect. until it made temp. then if you didn't watch it
the Ac would freeze up and it would take some time to de-ice then the cooler temp rose and defeated the purpose.

total cost for me was $800 in materials, $110 for the AC unit. and $300 for the controller.

if you need some pictures or have any more questions pm me.
Click to expand...


Thanks a bunch. Makes sense with the freezing up / defrost - I didn't think of that. $25 per month is damn cheap.

Post some pictures up - it sounds awesome!
 
Couple things you have to watch out for.....

A product designed for comfort cooling(high temp refrigeration) Like a window unit, IS NOT designed for medium Temp refrigeration(32-50 degrees F)....Although the coolbot DOES work(quite well in fact!) you are consistently over amp'ing your compressor...When used in this type of application, Most window AC units are prone to liquid slug backs to the compressor because they lack a crank case heater to protect the compressor.

A typical Window AC unit does not come equipt with a "defrost cycle" in the proper sense........what happens is the unit trips on a Low pressure saftey switch which kills power to the compressor but still allows the fans to run, thus "melting" the ice that forms on the evap coil.......The coolbot effectively modualtes the low pressure switch...But you have to becareful of short cycling the compressor.


Other then that.....I did one last year for a buddy that is running like a champ, I did wire in a 120v CCH, off a relay to protect the compressor from slugging.........I have my suspicions on how long these window AC compressors will last though
 
Couple things you have to watch out for.....

A product designed for comfort cooling(high temp refrigeration) Like a window unit, IS NOT designed for medium Temp refrigeration(32-50 degrees F)....Although the coolbot DOES work(quite well in fact!) you are consistently over amp'ing your compressor...When used in this type of application, Most window AC units are prone to liquid slug backs to the compressor because they lack a crank case heater to protect the compressor.

A typical Window AC unit does not come equipt with a "defrost cycle" in the proper sense........what happens is the unit trips on a Low pressure saftey switch which kills power to the compressor but still allows the fans to run, thus "melting" the ice that forms on the evap coil.......The coolbot effectively modualtes the low pressure switch...But you have to becareful of short cycling the compressor.


Other then that.....I did one last year for a buddy that is running like a champ, I did wire in a 120v CCH, off a relay to protect the compressor from slugging.........I have my suspicions on how long these window AC compressors will last though
Click to expand...


David, can you give be a quick description of what a liquid slug back it , would you. I have no idea... I

For my use I'm thinking 100 hours a year would be a lot.
 
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A friend of mine built a 3 keg tap system for his house using a collage fridge. He removed the door from the fridge than built a insulated box to hold the kegs and mounted the fridge with the door opening on the side of the box. Maybe you could use a full size fridge the same way.
 
David, can you give be a quick description of what a liquid slug back it , would you. I have no idea... I

For my use I'm thinking 100 hours a year would be a lot.
Click to expand...
sure,

The first 2 things to know are

1) refrigerant will ALWAYS migrate to the coldest spot

2)The compressor can only compress Vapor


The compressor through the suction line(the larger pipe) Takes a low temperture super heated VAPOR, compresses it and puts out a high pressure high temperature super heated VAPOR through the discharge line(smaller pipe)

The compressor in no way, shape or form can compress liquid(especially the smaller semi-hermetic ones in a window AC unit)

A Crank Case Heater(CCH) heats the bottom of the compressor(during its off cycle) As I said Refrigerant will always find the coldest spot...In this case when using a small window AC "packaged" unit in an enviroment that it is not designed to run in EVERY component is cold....Being so small, during shut down time(OFF) or when the box satisfies(reaches set point, lets say 37 degrees) The refrigerant will slowly migrate back to the coldest points in the system......One of which will be the compressor..A few hours later you go and turn on you cooler and BAM the compressor starts with liquid refrigerant in it and you blow apart the internals.......A CCH keeps the compressor warm NEVER allowing that to happen.
 
David, can you give be a quick description of what a liquid slug back it , would you. I have no idea... I

For my use I'm thinking 100 hours a year would be a lot.
Click to expand...
sure,

The first 2 things to know are

1) refrigerant will ALWAYS migrate to the coldest spot

2)The compressor can only compress Vapor


The compressor through the suction line(the larger pipe) Takes a low temperture super heated VAPOR, compresses it and puts out a high pressure high temperature super heated VAPOR through the discharge line(smaller pipe)

The compressor in no way, shape or form can compress liquid(especially the smaller semi-hermetic ones in a window AC unit)

A Crank Case Heater(CCH) heats the bottom of the compressor(during its off cycle) As I said Refrigerant will always find the coldest spot...In this case when using a small window AC "packaged" unit in an enviroment that it is not designed to run in EVERY component is cold....Being so small, during shut down time(OFF) or when the box satisfies(reaches set point, lets say 37 degrees) The refrigerant will slowly migrate back to the coldest points in the system......One of which will be the compressor..A few hours later you go and turn on you cooler and BAM the compressor starts with liquid refrigerant in it and you blow apart the internals.......A CCH keeps the compressor warm NEVER allowing that to happen.
Click to expand...


Thanks, what is a CCH, like heat tape?
 
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