DIY Walk In Cooler Build

Travestian said:

It always costs more to do it right the first time. It's always worth it when you get to laugh at the other guys in the end. More $ up front means less money in the end. Good on you for doing it right the first time.

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Just wanted to add a comment to this quote:

We live about 2 hours south of Dallas and 3 hours north of Houston. We built our 1900 sq ft house here which was completed April - 2011. We elected early on in the planning to build an Energy Star rated home no matter what the expense was. To have our house sprayed-foamed was an extra 9 thousand and the garage ( which was decided before the foam rig showed up ) was 11 hundred. In the 2 plus years here we have never seen an electric bill over 141.00 and that was for July/August 2011, which every day was hotter than 95 degrees and most in the lower 100's. Our neighbors (most) will not discuss electric bills with us anymore, which most see 300.00 - 375.00 for the June/July/August months. Our electric co-op has replaced our meter twice because they do not understand what an Energy Star home saves. If you are wondering - our house stays at 75 degrees unless it's cooler outside then we open the windows. If you have never been in a spray foamed house, just imagine living in a ice chest - when you walk into our attic it's just as cold as the house. There is no insulation above the ceiling sheet-rock ( attic floor ) and no attic or soffit vents. Do you have any idea how happy our central A/C unit is sitting in a 75 degree attic?

Sorry for the long post ---- but please ---- if you can afford any extra insulation on any project, DO IT!

That's a beautiful house!

Comment removed: Read insulation cost incorrectly.

Insulation is not cheap. But it is worth it. It's the classic case of you get what you pay for.

amazing build. I just spend the last hour catching up from the first post. Holy smokes!

I'm still saving up for my first house... But I already know what upgrades I'm saving up for next!

That is looking really good. As I was looking at the last photo, I started wondering about the A/C and your HOA. I know you had to do a little dancing for the HOA earlier in the build. I don't recall seeing anything mentioned about the A/C. Did you have to hide it or disguise the outside?

No the HOA guy thought it was already part of the house and didn't care. They commended me for building the shed so much like the existing structure. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed so to say.

Irrenarzt said:

No the HOA guy thought it was already part of the house and didn't care. They commended me for building the shed so much like the existing structure. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed so to say.

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So I didn't get anything done last night I was out drinking with friends. I had some errands to run and ended up meeting up with a group of people, which led to the consumption of a few pints and some entertaining conversation. We had a big thunderstorm roll through (it is still monsoon season) so a few pints seemed like the better choice.

I got the diamond plate all sorted out so if it is not raining tonight after work, I'll try to hang the door and turn on the AC.

So I've got the diamond plate installed. It's a touch short on the top, but not enough to complain about. Worst case, I have a bit extra and can machine off a section to put on the top when I get back from vacation:



It's wicked shiny if you're in the right position so I think it will do a good job of not heating up the bulk of the door when the door is in the direct morning sun.

Solar Steve suggested installing some insulation into the lock bodies:



Got the new probe installed from Ron at Store It Cold. Talk about wicked customer service! That guy is a rock star!



No door yet so it's not getting below 70 in there. I'm waiting for Ghettogyle Greg to help me lift the door into place. He's a freaking slacker lately.

So a couple hours later and the door is up:



Schitty pic but I ran out of light. I'll take a better pic in the morning. We still need to address a few little details around the door and grease the hinge pins (squeaking badly) but that can wait til after vacation.

Scottish and his lovely girlfriend popped by so they helped me wash the keg rack and put it in the cooler:



I'm leaving the cooler on overnight and I will report back on how low a temp it gets. I'm a bit worried as it's about to rain in a big way (thunderstorm coming in now) so it's not the best day to do a temperature test but it was at 45 F after putting the keg rack in there and the door had only been closed for about 15 minutes.

Irrenarzt said:

It's wicked shiny if you're in the right position so I think it will do a good job of not heating up the bulk of the door when the door is in the direct sun.

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Too bad you couldn't put that stuff all the way around the cooler! Imagine how big of a heart attack the HOA would have with that...

Travestian said:

Too bad you couldn't put that stuff all the way around the cooler! Imagine how big of a heart attack the HOA would have with that...

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not to mention the bank account.

Damn, Brother!..........How much is that door gonna' weigh when you're done with it?

Just curious if the frame and hinges can handle the added weight.

Irrenarzt said:

Solar Steve suggested installing some insulation into the lock bodies:

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Aw Crap, hadn't given thought to the whole "lock on the door ploy".
Cunning Irrenarat, very cunning.
Now I must come up with a new way for that free beer for life angle I was looking for.

Oh yes. A lot of people in my beer circles know about this build. I'm sure someone might have had the same idea at some point. Imagine if you were a neighborhood kid and you came across a walk in with 100's of bottles of high gravity beers?

Marshall might tell his little friends as I'm sure he's pissed at me for firing him after his Helen Keller moment.

Stealthcruiser said:

Damn, Brother!..........How much is that door gonna' weigh when you're done with it?

Just curious if the frame and hinges can handle the added weight.

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It's not as bad as I thought it would be but it probably weighs 50-60 pounds.

We ran some 4" screws in place of the short 3/4" ones in each hinge. I think it will hold. But only time will tell. I found some beefier hinges so I know where to go if we need to upgrade.

Down to 39 F after another 15 minutes but it runs right out to 46 if you open the door for any length of time. I need to put that curtain up.

I think she will be colder than Morticus' wife. You wait and see.

Door pic from the inside:

I just opened and shut the door and it was reading 33 F. I'll leave it overnight but I'm pretty sure we are good to go.

If you ever stop brewing you can use it to hang meat.

Looking Great man! What a great place to hang out in the desert!

Irrenarzt said:

Imagine if you were a neighborhood kid and you came across a walk in with 100's of bottles of high gravity beers?

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They would probably say: WTF is this s%^t?! Where is the Bud Light?

You have room for a cot in there? I'll hang out and take careful notes on the temp swings until, say, October.

thatjonguy said:

They would probably say: WTF is this s%^t?! Where is the Bud Light?

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Probably but I bet they would still try to drink it.

GotPushrods said:

You have room for a cot in there? I'll hang out and take careful notes on the temp swings until, say, October.

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Without the shelves, I bet you could fit a cot in there. I hope you have a good sleeping bag.

Irrenarzt said:

Probably but I bet they would still try to drink it.

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Of course, they steal store brand mouthwash to get drunk. Like stealing the store brand is less serious than name brand.

Kids today I tell you.

She's holding at 34 F in the rain. Good test to see if the coils freeze up in the morning. It's supposed to rain all night.

How often does it run and for how long?

Since it's raining, i haven't been out there to check. But I did check the meter and it's not spinning that fast. It goes way faster when I run the dryer (electric dryer)...

I may have missed it, but would the room benefit from a fan to recirculate the air?

Damn dude, great job. Just incredible.

johnsnownw said:

I may have missed it, but would the room benefit from a fan to recirculate the air?

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The AC unit is a rather large fan. You can feel it blowing at the door when you open the door.

Speaking of which, I just opened the door. It was 32 in there. I'll check it in the AM.

So the AC ran all night and it was 34 F when I went in there on the coolbot. It went up a bit to 35-36 in the minute I was in there but the door wasn't closed:



I threw this in there as a way to verify that we are in the right ballpark. There was some icing on the fins, but only at the bottom and only about an inch up or so. If I run it at 38 F, that should help. There are setting on the coolbot to reduce icing so I can look into that as well but when I get back from vacation. I expected to ice up since we started it up in the rain and it rained for awhile last night.

As promised, a better pic of the door:



After a half hour or so of turning the AC off, it was still 38 in there. I think that's a good sign.

And an hour after that, she's only up to 40. Now it's the morning and there isn't direct sun on it yet but the drift up is pretty slow which means we are sealed up pretty good.

Well done sir, well done.
I don't recall how or why I came across this thread, but have enjoyed it from the start. In no way could I come close to something like this. Your attention to detail and carpentry skills are to be commended, along with the people who helped you along the way. I'd suggest buying Solar Steve a drink.
Can't wait to see a picture of it stocked with beer.

I think the temperature should be more stable and require the A/C to run a lot less once you start filling it up. Better start brewing!

Irrenarzt said:

The AC unit is a rather large fan. You can feel it blowing at the door when you open the door.

Speaking of which, I just opened the door. It was 32 in there. I'll check it in the AM.

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Well, I was wondering if the temp sensor for the AC was situated up near the unit. Since warm air rises, I was thinking that even though the temperature where your beer is stored would be close to where you want it, the AC would read warmer...and thus run more.

Just wondering if circulating the air would save some energy by reducing the amount of time the AC had to run.

You might also consider posting this in the "Homebrewing" section over at BeerAdvocate.com.

Irrenarzt said:

Marshall might tell his little friends as I'm sure he's pissed at me for firing him after his Helen Keller moment.

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I still think it was Marshall that pee'd in there - The dog is innocent!

LOL, the dog is always the one who gets blamed.

johnsnownw said:

Well, I was wondering if the temp sensor for the AC was situated up near the unit. Since warm air rises, I was thinking that even though the temperature where your beer is stored would be close to where you want it, the AC would read warmer...and thus run more.

Just wondering if circulating the air would save some energy by reducing the amount of time the AC had to run.

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The temp sensor for the room temp is attached to the conduit, which is about halfway between the floor and ceiling. You can see it in an picture from yesterday.