Walk in Under Stairs

This Is my first Post, but I have been studying this forum for some time and after reading about walkin coolers I knew I had to design and build one, The 1st Problem was where. I needed it out by my bar but had no usable space. My main thought was to have four or five taps through the wall and be able to store bottles and wine. Behind my bar in a closet was a heating system That wouldn't work. The only other area was the very back of the basement, but how would I run beer lines up to the bar some 25' and keep them cold. So I decided to put it under the stairs. I knew I couldn't use a traditional Window a/c unit because the stair well was right in the middle of the room so I knew I would have to buy a commercial evaporator and compressor. I went to my local refridgeration Co. they advised me on what to buy. The main problem was where to put the evaporator Since the ceiling is at a 45 degree angle. For the most part the fans are made to blow out and mount on a vertical wall. Since the space under the stairs is small to begin with I couldn't give up any wall space. So I found An evaporator that Mounts on the back wall and vents at a 45 degree angle (commonly used in salad bars). The other problem was the door. How to make a door that was affordable but looked like a door
I used an exterior door and insulated the inside with some foam board and bought a custom cut refridgerator magnet and some spring hinges. Worked perfectly.

I am still in the building stages and all comments Would be appreciated
I wish I would of asked sooner but When I get Involved in a project I seldom do anything else. My wife says I need to stop reading forums. I get an idea and can't stop.

 

Sounds great! but I can't see the pics

 

I'm new to this I will try and figure it out

 

Question:



Does this mean you have taps coming out of the wall????? badass.

 

That's pretty awesome

 

yeah, i wanna see that!

 

You better believe it, 5 taps to be exact. The funny thing is It took 2 months to get it up and running so in the mean time I forgot to brew Which means I have no home brew to drink. I did go out and buy two kegs to get me by.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562570658lMQfnU?vhost=good-times&start=60

The picture Shows 4 But I put in 2 more, One is used for cold water to rehydrate.

 

Is everyone getting the pics ok?

 

What kind of temp will the room hold? How are you controlling the temp? I'd be interested in finding out what kind of condenser you used. I have a similar closet for fermenting and storage and use a portable AC unit. It's not ideal though as I can only control the temp down to about 62*F. I can get the room colder, but then I can't control the temp well as I'm using the unit in dehumidify mode.

 

I am Using a Tecumseh 115 volt unit using r404a Which makes all the difference in the world. Its a lower temperature coolant. I have had the unit down to 10 Degrees and held it there of 24 hrs Right now I keep it at 36 degrees With a Penn Temperature controler (digital)

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2439671020103088655HMZscy?vhost=good-times

 

sweet.. you need to find one of those wooden barrel tops to hang on the wall and have those come out..

 

Check out www.coldparts.com

 

I am actually doing a 32 drip tray on a 12"x7' bar top With a stainless steel back splash. Hopefully Granite but I'm not sure yet

 

Should I keep the thermostat in a glass of water to keep the unit from cycling on as much?

 

Interesting project - looks like you've used the space wisely...

I keep my thermostat in a White Labs vial full of goop from an ice pack... its worked very well. My walk-in has been up and running for over a year now and has become an integral part of our house. We keep it at 36 degrees year round.

 

This walk in has started an entire basement remodel. Damm these forums

 

John Beer Does the goop help keep the unit from cycling as often? Is so doesn't it have to run longer to establish the temp again?

 

Well its been over 1 1/2 years and still going strong. A few points.

During partys the door gets open too much and freezes over the condensation unit. So now i run the fans at full blast then turn them down after the party.
Also the door seals have started to leave quite a bit of condensation I may need to add a heater wire behind the seals.
The thermostat had allowed it to freeze over a few times need to change that out for a new one.

Everything else works great.

 

The Finished Product

 

How well does it hold temp?

 

Made me laugh and imagine the following scene:

theguest: Whoa, dude! You have beer taps coming out of the wall!

thehost: Yup. Help yourself.

theguest: Awesome! Where do you keep the kegs?

thehost: Under the stairs.

theguest: No way! Can I check it out?

Repeat for every (male) guest.

 

hahahah totally

 

Just so they don't scream like little girls on the Hien commercial with the walk in.

 

I thought you said there were 6 altogether? looks awesome. Have you noticed a diff in your electric bill?

 

Dang, that is cool. There are so many crative people on this forum.

 

Haven't been back in a while started a bunch of new projects. Let me tell you this walk in has been a absolute joy to have. There has been no noticeable difference in the electric bill and I haven't had any problems once I removed the variable speed on the evaporator seems that was slowing down the fan and causing freeze overs. I also installed the heater in the door seal and now have zero condensation.

Yep thats exactly what happens.

 

I keep the temperature at about 36-38 the unit doesn't cycle on often as long as the temp prob is in water. But i've never timed it Again no noticeable change in the electric bill so i'm not to worried how many times it comes on. I still need to try out that Goop stuff from a cold pack.