DIY Walk In Cooler Build

Bookworm said:

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!

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This is true. The temperature the beer reaches will actually provide some reserve cooling to the unit as it heats up meaning you'll run the A/C less.

Who ever said beer was only good for drinking?

Irrenarzt said:

Kids today I tell you.

She's holding at 34 F in the rain.

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CALLED.
THAT.
SH*&! :rockin:

Well done good sir! Now Time for me to build mine!!! albeit much smaller lol!

Don't go too small or you'll regret it later (I think). Build it to the size you plan to brew.

Irrenarzt said:

Don't go too small or you'll regret it later (I think). Build it to the size you plan to brew.

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Now just convince everyones' SWMBO, and we'll be good.

Irrenarzt,

Do you have any plans on reworking this thread into a new thread or an article with the "step by step" you took? Would really be cool to see the build go up in pictures like you have done but all strung together.

I hadn't considered that but it wouldn't be too bad to do a full build thread without the banter at some point. Bear in mind, this is not finished as I still need to set up all the taps and shelving (but we are mostly done) and I want to build on a few small little details. I will continue to update the thread as these things happen.

As for a truncated build thread, I'm wondering if the admins wouldn't like that as we already have a thread in place?

nsring said:

Now just convince everyones' SWMBO, and we'll be good.

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I'm the guy all the SWMBO's hate. I plant all these silly ideas in their men's heads that you can do and build fun stuff whenever they like.

I'm the guy that has a SWMBO that doesn't really care.

And that's how it should be. Amen to that brother.

Irrenarzt said:

Don't go too small or you'll regret it later (I think). Build it to the size you plan to brew.

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Remember mine is just going to be a large custom sized keg cooler. Not a walkin, BUT you proved many wrong who said you couldnt get to 34-32 with a window unit. Mines only going to be 48 cubic feet and inside the house, so...

I just finished reading all 45 pages on my phone. Great job! i am a good ways away from my own walk in, but it was a very good read and is useful for other projects and smaller coolers.
Is security an issue there? I only ask because when the door was mounted to swing out, the hinges are now exposed and the bolts can be popped out. You may need to secure the bolts in some way?

thatjonguy said:

I'm the guy that has a SWMBO that doesn't really care.

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I used to date her. Is this her? Ahh, good times

DrBuzz said:

I just finished reading all 45 pages on my phone. Great job! i am a good ways away from my own walk in, but it was a very good read and is useful for other projects and smaller coolers.
Is security an issue there? I only ask because when the door was mounted to swing out, the hinges are now exposed and the bolts can be popped out. You may need to secure the bolts in some way?

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Typically security is not a problem in my neighborhood. In 12 years in my house, we've only had one robbery in the neighborhood. It being in the back, in a fenced in area with dogs, I'm thinking it will be fairly secure. If someone wants a beer, all they need to do is ask. I'm happy to share.

Irrenarzt said:

Typically security is not a problem in my neighborhood. In 12 years in my house, we've only had one robbery in the neighborhood. It being in the back, in a fenced in area with dogs, I'm thinking it will be fairly secure. If someone wants a beer, all they need to do is ask. I'm happy to share.

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Cool will stop by with friends...Mashall

limulus said:

I used to date her. Is this her? Ahh, good times

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Nope, but since she is pregnant with #2...she has started complaining a little more. So I go out to the garage and start working on homebrew projects and let her take a nap.

Irrenarzt said:

Typically security is not a problem in my neighborhood. In 12 years in my house, we've only had one robbery in the neighborhood. It being in the back, in a fenced in area with dogs, I'm thinking it will be fairly secure. If someone wants a beer, all they need to do is ask. I'm happy to share.

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Ok awesome. I just don't want you to have it unnoticed. Your like me -> it must be shared

beaksnbeer said:

Cool will stop by with friends...Mashall

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Please don't bring Marshall. Or better yet, bring him to see how it looks when finished correctly.

You're inspiring me to plan a HBers US tour.

nsring said:

You're inspiring me to plan a HBers US tour.

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^^^ This!

Been at the beach for a couple weeks...the progress is amazing! I can't wait to see it stocked.

Came across this temperature controlled storage at the last rest stop on the 10 heading into California. Don't know if it's a walk in per se but it presents an interesting option for those wanting to go big, such as a brewery.





Insulate the inside, cut in the cooling, paint the thing and you're off. Lots of space for cheaper than a new walk in I reckon.

Kolpak brand walk in freezer, Lone Pine CA



Whole Lotta Ice:



Nice views of the Eastern Sierras. Pic doesn't do it justice. Much nicer in real life. But it did smell like goat schit. Dogs were excited about that:

Irrenarzt said:

Kolpak brand walk in freezer, Lone Pine CA

Whole Lotta Ice:

Nice views of the Eastern Sierras. Pic doesn't do it justice. Much nicer in real life. But it did smell like goat schit. Dogs were excited about that:

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i went to a Fresno state vs kansas state football game a few years ago and the whole 2 hour drive up cal smelled like schit too haha atleast you have an amazing view!

finsfan said:

i went to a Fresno state vs kansas state football game a few years ago

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GO K-STATE!!! :rockin:

EZCyclone said:

GO K-STATE!!! :rockin:

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EMAW! its hard to find others on here haha too many ku fans popping up and not enough purple :rockin:

Irrenarzt said:

Came across this temperature controlled storage at the last rest stop on the 10 heading into California. Don't know if it's a walk in per se but it presents an interesting option for those wanting to go big, such as a brewery.

Insulate the inside, cut in the cooling, paint the thing and you're off. Lots of space for cheaper than a new walk in I reckon.

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Slightly OT, but there are a couple of Starbucks built out of used up shipping containers.

I was looking at a container as a way to build my shed. Only problem was I couldn't find a good enough price on a 15 footer. I was strongly considering it.

Irrenarzt said:

I was looking at a container as a way to build my shed. Only problem was I couldn't find a good enough price on a 15 footer. I was strongly considering it.

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What would the HOA have said about that? Stucco the outside I suppose?

Well let's just say I doubt they would have approved. Luckily I will never have to deal with them directly on this issue.

Rubberized coated walk in cooler at the Pilot Travel Center southwest corner of 395 and 58 (middle of freaking nowhere):





The tan color would have been copasetic with the HOA dude.

Edit: I saw a pretty ghetto walk in in Blythe by the Starbucks but I didn't get a chance to snap a pic. Not as ghetto as the one up the street from my house but still pretty shabby.

Just more and more evidence you are doing it right!

Exactly. But now I've got an eye out for walk ins. I was looking for them all week when I was in town during my vacation. I didn't see as many as I thought I would.

Inkleg said:

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.

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+1 on this. Sadly, I'm just too much of a half-assed kind of guy. You clearly put your whole ass into this project. Very well done.

Well I finally got home from the high sierras today after a couple long drives.

I got home to find this:



It's been raining it appears. It is still monsoon season and we need the rain. I retract my earlier statement about mowing the lawn. It looks like I have a schit ton of weeds to mow. I won't have time to brew until September anyway. Oh well.

I also found this:





That'll be my racking table for cold crashes to keg. Why not do it right there so I won't have to carry the kegs that far? Thanks to Ghettogyle Greg for putting the box inside the house while I was away so the box wouldn't get rained on. I flipped the AC on and it was down to 39 in 12 minutes. Woot!

I also made a stop at the Home Depot:



In a couple weekends, we will paint the metal roofs to keep the HOA happy. The tech from Henry Coatings claims this stuff will keep the roof cooler and thus be more efficient than an uncoated metal roof. So perhaps there will be a performance advantage instead of just keeping the HOA happy. Luckily we went to town with the IR barrier layers so I won't lose that advantage completely even if we paint the metal roof.

Ran the cooler overnight. I ran the temp setting up to 39 but it was more like 37 in there when I checked this morning with no evidence of icing, even at 100% humidity (lightly raining since about 3 AM). I also threw a few extra beers from my fridge in there to free up some space. I should not start thinking about getting the shelving all built and in place so I can start the bulk transfer of beers. I'm not a fan of the MDF fiberboard the shelves I bought so I might consider buying some bulk polyethylene and cut sheets to fit. It's over 90% humidity in there and I don't think the fiberboard will hold up. That and most of the corners of the fiberboard are damaged from shipping.

Quick update, I installed a new handle on the door, above the deadbolt. I noticed it was difficult to open the door from just the door knob as the door does suck in pretty well to the seals when you shut it. This handle will help me open the door and also doubles as a way to protect the door from hitting the house/garage stucco wall if you open it too far. I tack welded the handle open so it won't rotate as it was originally a handle that pivots.



It's holding 35 without icing up pretty easily. The AC fan is always on recirculating air, but the AC unit is only kicking in occasionally.

I highly recommend the handle for those who choose to use a regular door versus an actual cooler door. It's a HUGE help in getting the door opened and closed.

I've been researching building a cooler in my garage to replace my 5 tap keezer and full size frig. The cooler would be 36" x 63" x 7' high. It would also act as a temperature control for an existing wine closet that is currently cooled by a fan blowing cold air from the keezer which results in significant condensation in the keezer. I also use the closet as my fermentation chamber.

So I've loved your progress on your cooler. Thank you.

On the ask how diy it say to lay insulation directly on concrete floor which is easiest. I see in your that you had air space. Is having air space between floor and insulation important?

My plan is to use an ac unit for chilling. I know the cool bot is expensive, is it worth it? I'm not an electrician to do my own.

Also concerned about the added heat in the garage from the ac unit since I won't have an exterior wall to install it on. Should this be a major concern? I live in coastal San Diego so it doesn't get major hot.

Anything else I should be concerned with? Thanks again

Air space between floor and insulation isn't critical I think. The key is not having circulating air if you have airspace I imagine. Air is a great insulator, as long as it is not moving/drafting around on you.

The coolbot kicks ass as you don't have to rig up a heater for your AC unit temperature probe(s). But if you can't afford it, you can always rig up some kind of resistor to couple with the temp sensors to keep them warm. You'll still need a temperature controller. The way I see it, I'm already going to spend 100 bucks or so on a Ranco from Morebeer (that's the ones I use so I doubt I would try a different one unless it was clearly better), might as well spend the extra to get the working solution without the need to kluge anything. Coolbot obviously stands behind their product and it works great. I've been running the cooler for a whole work week now and it's been keeping 35 F with relative ease.

I wouldn't think the heat in the garage will be a huge concern. The biggest problem is likely dealing with condensate drainage. You'll need to design the AC unit space to not cause any standing water to collect on your frame or sensitive parts. You don't want to have to tear anything down due to mold buildup.

I can't think of anything else right now. If anyone has suggestions for menisale, post them up.

I've been working on the shelving units for the cooler but nothing to report as of late. All I can say is it is working very well at this time. No icing yet since the first deep cycle trial day and it's been at 35-37 F every time I've checked in there. The AC unit is not working all that hard it seems.

Populating the shelves a bit as they go in:



There's some gems buried back in there.

Irrenarzt said:

Air space between floor and insulation isn't critical I think. The key is not having circulating air if you have airspace I imagine. Air is a great insulator, as long as it is not moving/drafting around on you.

The coolbot kicks ass as you don't have to rig up a heater for your AC unit temperature probe(s). But if you can't afford it, you can always rig up some kind of resistor to couple with the temp sensors to keep them warm. You'll still need a temperature controller. The way I see it, I'm already going to spend 100 bucks or so on a Ranco from Morebeer (that's the ones I use so I doubt I would try a different one unless it was clearly better), might as well spend the extra to get the working solution without the need to kluge anything. Coolbot obviously stands behind their product and it works great. I've been running the cooler for a whole work week now and it's been keeping 35 F with relative ease.

I wouldn't think the heat in the garage will be a huge concern. The biggest problem is likely dealing with condensate drainage. You'll need to design the AC unit space to not cause any standing water to collect on your frame or sensitive parts. You don't want to have to tear anything down due to mold buildup.

I can't think of anything else right now. If anyone has suggestions for menisale, post them up.

I've been working on the shelving units for the cooler but nothing to report as of late. All I can say is it is working very well at this time. No icing yet since the first deep cycle trial day and it's been at 35-37 F every time I've checked in there. The AC unit is not working all that hard it seems.

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I'm really glad this is working out for you. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see how much your electric bill increases after the install.