old chest freezer need advice

I recently received this large chest freezer that I'm planning on using for a fermentation chamber but it's got some rust mold/mildew issues. What steps should I take to get this up to ferm chamber standards?

Here is some pics!

One more think is a rust killer. Naval Jelly works. It is what I used on mine. Scrub everything. Rescrub with bleach. Rinse with plain water and let dry. Use rust killer/naval jelly as instructions say. Then use the appliance paint. You will need at least 2 cans and 3 coats. Don't forget to sand the rust spots and any loose paint. I used black since that was the original outside color. I wish I had used a bright color inside so I can see any problems if they come back. Don't forget some damp rid or some kind of moisture control.

So sand the rust then apply the rust killer and paint? Do I need to prime first or just do several coats of the appliance paint?

On the can of appliance paint I bought it says specifically not to prime.

I had a lesser problem than yours, but I used Borax.
It is a powder that comes in a box. In the grocery laundry section they sell it. It is one of those really useful, muti-use things.

1 cup powder with about a gallon of water, makes a good cleaning liquid.
Scrub with it using a brush and really put your elbow into it.
Then let it air dry, the material is a mold inhibitor, so once evaporation occurs any remaining Borax will inhibit future growth.

Tilex worked great on the mildew I had in my freezer when I got it. It's made for cleaning the mildew from grout in the shower, but it worked like a charm. Easy to use and not crazy toxic. Just spray it on and wipe it off. If the mildew's really bad you can scrub with a non-abrasive scrubber.

I think I'm headed to Home Depot during my lunch break to pick up some supplies! My e-bay temp controller came in the mail too so I need to go get a project box and an extension cord.

I highly recommend removing the inside plastic from the lid, removing the insulation, cleaning the inside metal of the lid, putting some fresh insulation in there with a plastic vapor barrier and then replacing the inside plastic. Most likely there's going to be a lot of nasty moldy gunk on the inside of that lid.

I would clean it, and kill any mildew with bleach, spraybomb it w/ inexpensive paint and be happy...not worth putting too much time, money, or energy into an old freezer...might last 20 days, or 20 years???

f0xtr0t said:

On the can of appliance paint I bought it says specifically not to prime.

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My can said don't prime also.

I would clean it, and kill any mildew with bleach, spraybomb it w/ inexpensive paint and be happy...not worth putting too much time, money, or energy into an old freezer...might last 20 days, or 20 years???

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I cleaned and dried mine originally. After about 2 months the rust was back and getting worse. You can cut your losses and resell it and buy a new/better one or spend the extra 30 bucks and 2 hours fixing what you have. I don't mind putting a few dollars and 2 hours into something so it lasts for 20 years. I figure I will get my money back out of it soon enough.