Author Topic: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave  (Read 7432 times)

DaggerDoggie

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DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« on: June 12, 2008, 10:18:26 PM »
As obsessive as I am with hobbies and becoming tired of repacking ice almost daily, I have gone a different and more permanent route for my cheese cave.  Yeah, one of these days I may borrow a backhoe and dig a big hole in my back yard and make a real cave...I live on a hill in the woods and have the perfect spot, but I digress.  Oh, and my fiance does think I am crazy.

I ordered this to moderate the temperature in the freezer:

http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=thermostat&x=22&y=16

I got a small 7.5cu/ft freezer to put my cheese in and will regulate the humidity with a bowl of water.  It may take some time to get the humidity right and until the temperature controller comes in, I will have to check the temperature and control it with ice and plugging and unplugging the freezer.

As you saw from my other posts, my ice chest's humidity was getting quite high and I couldn't keep it down even with opening the lid.

My plan is to add some shelving layers so I can fit in more cheese.  Keeping the daily turns at the top and older cheeses on lower shelves.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2008, 10:20:14 PM by DaggerDoggie »

Cheese Head

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2008, 11:21:15 PM »
Duh :-[, my neighbor who just moved back to Norway was trying to get rid of his small chest freezer and I said no as needed a small fridge for cheese aging. Great idea, your thermostat should work great, and of course here around us cheese nuts we don't think you're crazy . . . mind you $53 and shipping . . . assume the thermostat on the freezer doesn't go warm enough, dumb question . . .

I'm also sure you've already thought of this but how about for easier access, turning it on end and placing it on a 1 inch pedastal so that door swings clear and cutting and wedging plywood or other material shelves in? OK dumb idea as the compressor needs to be horizontal.

As a young man I also used to work up in Yukon in summer camps and at one in the Tintinna Trench valley we dug rectangular 2 x 4 ft x 2 ft deep pits through the muskeg and down into the permafrost for food storage. Worked great until a spring 2 yo bear found it and eat through some 1 liter UHT milk cartons, then we had a bear every 3 days!

PS: My brother is a bit of a grizzy adams and live on a hill near town of Haida Quay in Queen Charlotte Islands BC just below Alaska but I'm off topic . . .
« Last Edit: June 12, 2008, 11:26:17 PM by Cheese Head »

DaggerDoggie

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2008, 09:30:18 PM »
My thermostat was waiting here when I got home from work.  The set-up is a little ugly right now, but I will clean that up later.  I set it to 55 degrees and left the lid open to expel some of the humidity again.  It only ran a few minutes.  With the lid closed, I am betting it will only run a few minutes each day.  I'll keep you posted on a day when I am around to see how much it actually does run.

Cheese Head

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2008, 11:00:15 PM »
That's more cheese in a personal fridge than I've ever seen ;D.

Looks great, assume colder at bottom that top but probably only a couple degrees variation.

Your blue cheese looks like it's coming along great, especially compared to mine.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2008, 12:31:59 PM by Cheese Head »

reg

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2008, 11:34:58 AM »
great job DD. that blue does look impressive

reg

Cheese Head

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2008, 02:33:58 AM »
As my Cheese Cave #4 didn't work very well as very low humidity and temperature too low, I emailed my Norwegian neighbor who left 2 weeks ago and turns out he left his small chest freezer with his brother also here in Houston (oil business). Brother just contacted me, I bought it for USD100, he's going to drop it off this weekend, looks like I now need to buy that same Johnson Controls refrigerator thermostat and a shelving unit to go inside ;D  ;D  ;D, like your fiance, my wife is not that happy with me right now :-[.

Googled the controller, lots of chat about it in beer forums where people makiing small chest freezers into beer keg coolers. Looks like the best price is place you ordered it from.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2008, 02:45:22 AM by Cheese Head »

DaggerDoggie

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2008, 10:00:56 AM »
Nice find and good price. ;D  So far it is working well.  It took me some time to get the humidity under control, but the nice thing is when it is high, I just leave the top open and I don't loose much cool air.

I still need to get busy and make some shelves for mine.   :)

Cheese Head

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2008, 10:37:10 AM »
So my old fridge that I tried had too little humidity as dehumdified forced air, whereas the chest freezer with lid closed is a sealed unit and thus problem of too much humidity? To which the only solution is leave lid cracked or open for a bit correct?

Do you think it is possible to put unit on end and have lid work like a door to save space and to be more effcient with internal space or not good for compressor as refrigerant will not drain-circulate properly?

I moved a large fridge with friend once laid flat on back of pickup and store advised that after moved to let stand for a couple hours and allow refrigerant to drain back into compressor before plugging in.

DaggerDoggie

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2008, 04:23:40 PM »
I believe since the coolant is also the lubricant for the compressor, it needs to stay at the bottom.  Also you might end up pumping air through the coils instead of coolant.  I'm not sure of that, but I will try to see what I can find out.

DaggerDoggie

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Cheese Head

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2008, 02:34:59 PM »
Thanks, sounds I cannot put my new-2-me mini freezer on end :-\.

DaggerDoggie

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Re: DaggerDoggie's Medium Radient Chest Freezer Cheese Cave
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2008, 12:33:15 AM »
I think this picture in your thread says it all: