146 replies to this topic

[gnef]

More progress has been made!I revamped the lighting all around the cooler - I added 6 T8 fluorescent shop lights around the walk-in cooler with switches, this should help with the actual construction, and it will be good for when it is complete and I am pouring from it.Aside from that, a brewclub friend has been helping me tremendously these past couple days, and I will have him and at least one other brewclub friend come over tomorrow to get as much done as we can.Now for the pictures!Here is the framing for the ceiling:Here is some R-19 wall insulation installed:Here are the ports to go to the coffin box for the faucets/shanks/gas lines:Here is the rigid foam board insulation in process of being installed:I have come to realize that I am tremendously over budget, so I will only be doing one layer of the rigid foam insulation, and sealing it as best I can with silicone caulk and the foil tape.I am also conflicted now on the final interior ply. I was originally planning to use this polywall material, but it is nearly $18 per 4x8 sheet, and I've come to realize that I will need about 20 sheets to cover all interior surfaces. Needless to say, I am looking for cheaper options - any ideas?A guy at home depot suggested looking into roofing EPDM rubber sheeting. I still need to look in to that to see if that will be viable, but I am still in search of other good options!Once I can get that sorted out, this whole project should not take too much longer to complete.

[gnef]

After another work day and the help of three friends, we have just about completed the walk-in cooler, and have done a test run with the air conditioner. Even without insulating around the air conditioner and having the door cracked open a bit, the air conditioner was able to get one chamber into the 60's, with the air coming out of the air conditioner in the 40's. We actually took a break and drank a beer in the chamber. Haha.I have decided due to funds and the amount of work required to put in another layer to the inside, I think I will forgo it for now, and just be very careful working inside the cooler. I will paint the floor, or possibly tile it since I already have the tiles. I assume tiling it would be best?Only a few things left to do: finish the flooring (tile or paint), foil tape the rigid foam insulation to seal up any holes/cracks/crevices, finish fitting the second door, work on the coffin box, finish electrical work inside the chambers.Once I do the above items, I should be able to do some test runs and then start using the cooler. I am stoked.Pictures to follow.

[ChefLamont]

I would consider linoleum on the floor. Sure it seems a little redneck, but it is easy to clean. It is not too expensive and inf you don't glue it down like the end of the world is coming, then replacing it when it gets worn/stained shouldnt be all that hard either. Tile and grout lines.....no thanks.I can't remember (which means I really should come over and see this thing first-hand), but did you build up the floor or is it just the concrete. Reason I ask is that another good option might be one of those garage floor epoxy finishes. Just a thought.

[gnef]

I'll look more into linoleum, I think there are sizes available at home depot that weren't too expensive.Yes, I built up the floor. I think the garage floor epoxy stuff could still work, but it is relatively expensive - about $100 for basic kits. I'm trying to keep the costs lower than that if possible.You should definitely stop by sometime, especially once it is completed!

[Jud]

I would look into some non skid paint. Cheaper then epoxy, comes in different colors, and it is safer. It is about $30 for a gallon at Home Depot.

[gnef]

This looks like the stuff:https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100672152/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053That looks like my best option right now for the flooring. I assume since it is a paint, it will also prevent moisture penetration into the wood beneath it, and the added grip is also desirable. Hopefully I will wind something suitable for walls and ceiling in the future, but for now, I think I'm leaving them as-is, once I've finished sealing them.

[Jud]

Sounds like a good idea.

[gnef]

I just went to my local home depot, and they don't stock the paint in store, so I will have to order it and have it shipped to the house. It looks like I will have to wait to finish the flooring for now, and focus on the other parts that I can work on now.

[bierboy]

I bought a manufactured walk-in cooler and compressor for $2400. You might want to look around and talk to your local restaurant supply store. You may be able to find one that is going to be more efficient around that price point.Here's where I bought mine.https://www.barrinc.com/

[gnef]

It is a bit late for me to consider such options, as this one is almost completed, but thanks for the information. The next time I build a walk-in cooler, I will look in to them!

[gnef]

I've been steadily working on the walk-in, and am almost done with one chamber - the fermentation side. I painted the floors yesterday, and let them dry overnight.I have finished all the interior electrical work, and have lights and outlets working.To get the chamber finished, I just need to mount the temperature probe, and wire the controller. I was originally thinking a mounted box above the door, but now I am thinking to make it simpler, and just have the controller laying on top of the cooler so I can see the temperature.I still have a decent amount of work to do on the cold side though - I drilled the holes for the PVC pipe to go to the coffin box, but now I need to seal though, fit the door, paint the floors, and build the coffin box. Hopefully this will be complete soon!

[positiveContact]

I can't view your pics but are you going to have a serving station (coffin box) attached to your walk in?

Edited by mashleyJwilliams, 13 July 2011 - 06:05 AM.

[gnef]

Yup, that will be my goal for today, at least to get started (hopefully finished!).I did a test run on the fermentation side yesterday to see what the chamber and AC unit could handle. I was being too aggressive with the temperature drops, and it froze at 44F. I have now raised it back up a bit, and will be trying to lower it much more gradually to get all the moisture out before it drops further.I also fitted the door yesterday, glued the PVC in place, and painted the floor for the cold side.All that is left now, is to build the coffin box, add some interior insulation to the cold-side door edge to seal it up as best I can, and then it should be ready for a test run itself!

[positiveContact]

how many taps are you going to have on this thing? don't you have 50 cornies of beer or something like that?

[gnef]

Haha. Well, I currently have over 80 filled - 14 are for a wedding tomorrow though, so we'll see how many I have filled after that.I will start with only 6-8 taps, just what I have now, so I don't need to buy any more equipment (man, am I overbudget), but I am going to build the coffin box to support around 20 or so, maybe more if I offset the faucets from each other.I plan on gradually adding more taps as I save up money for it, probably two at a time - every two will be a bit over $100 (this is for a stainless perlick perl, stainless shank, stainless tailpiece, and tubing), so I need to space out the purchases. It may take 3-5 years to get it all the way up to 20+, but I should be able to get there eventually.I just checked on the walk-in, and the ac unit froze up overnight, and was sitting at 64F, so I am defrosting it now. I am thinking about putting in the dehumidifier in the chamber to pull out as much moisture as possible to help prevent the ac units from freezing up - has anyone tried this before?

[gnef]

Well, all major construction is completed for now. I built the coffin box, but have not drilled out the holes yet. I loaded up the cold side with most of my kegs (probably around 60 or so), I still have 14 kegs in the chest freezers that will be for a wedding tomorrow, and another 8 kegs in my kegerators. I was able to triple stack the kegs inside, so I should have more than enough room now for all my kegs (just bought a few more kegs, and that puts me into the triple digits - 101 kegs!)I wanted to load it up so that there would be a thermal load for the test. I am going to bring it down to 70 first (kegs were at room temp, around 78F), then try to bring it down by 2 degrees every few hours or so. From my experiments with the fermentation side, if I try to drop the temperature too quickly, the AC unit will freeze up on me because it can't pull that much moisture from the air that quickly. I figure if I drop it slowly, it gives the unit more time to remove the moisture, and then I will be able to get it lower without the problems that I've had the past day or so.I have set the love controllers to a defrost cycle every 8 hours for 30 minutes. I also don't allow it to restart the power for 20 minutes to allow the compressor to rest between on cycles.Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, the cold side will be stabilized at 70, and I can start to bring it down throughout the day.Once I feel comfortable with the ability of the walk-in cooler, I will drill the holes for the shanks, and start to put in the serving hardware. I already feel comfortable with the fermentation side, it is sitting at 58F now, and it seems to be able to hold this range very easily. Perhaps it is time to brew a batch, and ferment it in the cooler!

[BlKtRe]

FYI, right when you think its stabilized and holding, out of the blue it freezes up. The real test is once it is stabilized is how it handles things when you go in/out.

[gnef]

Any recommendations based on your own experiences for things I should do and be wary of?

[BlKtRe]

Any recommendations based on your own experiences for things I should do and be wary of?

It takes longer than you think to stabilize. I like your 2* step down. But I suggest once you reach your goal temp, let it stabilize there for 2-3 days without going in/out. This will ensure your thermal load reaches temp and any condensation has been removed. Once you start using your system you will find its limits on temp's and what to expect from going in/out. I usually take all my tools in with me if Im going to switch kegs, carb, that sort of thing to limit how many times the door is open letting in warm air which means added condensation which can effect your ac unit.

Edited by BlKtRe, 15 July 2011 - 06:55 AM.

[gnef]

Well, I think I was too aggressive in the step down, plus I've opened the door a few times now letting in the warm moist air, and it froze up when getting into the 40's.Last night I brought it back up to 54F, and I think I have it down to 52F now, and will try to take it slower in 1 degree increments over a greater amount of time. I may just try to get it to 50F tonight, but man am I impatient with this!I'm waiting till I can get it to my preferred serving temperature (38-40F) before I start drilling the holes and putting in all the serving hardware. Also, they did not drink nearly as much as I was expecting for the wedding, and still have 50 gallons of beer left over, so I need to strategically add those 10 kegs into the cold side as well. They are currently in the fermentation side sitting at 60F now, but I know that a 10F differential with 50 gallons of beer is adding a lot of heat into the system, so I may just wait till I am able to get the temperature down first and then start adding them in. Suggestions?