Posted: 4/6/2010 8:48:10 PM EDT
No, this thread isn't about the coming summer months and running AC in your BOL on solar power. 
Actually, I have been thinking about long term frozen meat/food storage. I am going to build a home and am looking at the benefits of a cool room with 4 to 6 freezers or would it just be more economical (think long term) to make a walk in freezer? I will put the room waterproof and made of concrete ICFs 10+ feet underground and therefore (should) stay at 55 degrees year round. Would it be best to buy a freezer unit and just make the whole room a walk in freezer instead of buying a bunch of chest freezers? I would like to know which will be more energy effircient and cost effective. Also, for consideration. I will have half cows to keep frozen. I can cut/bag them or hang - makes no difference to me unless there is a big cost difference. Please advise. Regards, SOG |
| the only thing that comes to mind is that cooling air is much less efficient than keeping something dense like meat cool. a walk in freezer could take a lot more power to maintain the temp than a few chests packed full. Then you also run into the problem of ventilating the heat produced by a large walk in freezer; you don't want to dump that heat into your nice, cool underground room. |
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Quoted:
the only thing that comes to mind is that cooling air is much less efficient than keeping something dense like meat cool. a walk in freezer could take a lot more power to maintain the temp than a few chests packed full. Then you also run into the problem of ventilating the heat produced by a large walk in freezer; you don't want to dump that heat into your nice, cool underground room. Right, anyway he slices it, the condensing unit will have to be remote for max energy efficiency. Even any air circulating motors could be outside the cold room. The floor drain is a good idea. |
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Quoted:
My only suggestion, whichever way you go, is to put a drain in. That way if TEOTWAKI comes poof icehouse. My thoughts exactly and a drain is a must (in every lower room of the house I believe). I agree on all the points listed. I know a bunch of freezers in an unventalated room is going to get hot. I also agree the cooling unit will need to be outside and pump the cold in. Also, yes, I agree air is harder to maintain at a cold constant temp than solid frozen meat. I am looking to pack the room as much as possible with beef. All great ideas and dead on task... What I quess we need here is anyone with actual experience in the area to make the argument valid, either way. So what's the best setup? Thanks for all the input and looking for more. Regards, SOG |
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My grandparents ran a bakery for 50 some years. The building they bought early on was built over a 100 years ago. It had a walk in cooler that was originally an ice box walk in, there is still a nice door up top for putting blocks of ice up on top and yeah it was set up to drain the water away as it melted. Once ice blocks became old technology for economical cooling the walk in cooler was changed to a more common setup with a cooling setup and compressor being setup to cool the walk in cooler. Since this thing was very well insulated it does not really cost a whole lot to cool when you consider the fact it has enough space you do get to walk into it a couple feet and have shelves on all 3 sides. The current owner of the building has been using the walk in cooler, a couple commercial freezers, and now a 15 cubic foot chest freezer he bought. He uses them all but is currently not really needing all 3. He got a deal on a commercial freezer right after he bought the chest freezer so the chest freezer is going home for personal use I think. Anyway, as he got things up and running he uses the walk in cooler and then the big commercial freeze that came with the building and then the chest freezer and finally the last commercial freezer he bought. In talking with him the walk in cooler cranked down to colder temps than we ever ran it at is more efficient than the commercial freezers. I don't know much more about it than that. If adding to what is already there I would figure out a way to buy chest freezers and more the heat producing motor and condensor outside of the room I guess. If building it from scratch I am not sure what I would do because I have never handled pieces of meat that size. For what I do a chest freezer is easy and I find it easy to expand by plugging another one in or shrink by emptying one and unplugging it. To some extent chef over in the food section here might have some good advice. I never worked in the bakery full time. I helped out when visiting and what not but it was shut down by the time I moved down here. |
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Quoted:
the only thing that comes to mind is that cooling air is much less efficient than keeping something dense like meat cool. a walk in freezer could take a lot more power to maintain the temp than a few chests packed full. Then you also run into the problem of ventilating the heat produced by a large walk in freezer; you don't want to dump that heat into your nice, cool underground room. This is why I fill in the empty spaces in my freezer with bags of ice. Anything that displaces the air increases efficiency. |
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i use soda bottles filled 7/8th with water to take up space.
I would prefer a propane freezer personally, we process a hog and 4-5 deer a year and have not dealt with the volume in question???? but any walk in style will have the compressor and condenser installed remotely, be it on top of box or 50 feet outback. PS do NOT have your refrigerant line (copper) in direct contact with cement |