Sealing a smelly broken chest freezer for ferment chamber

[matts]

Here in Colorado I have to keep my ales warm for most of the year. Been using a heat pad but I want to create a warm fermentation chamber.

So I picked up a broken chest freezer on CL for free. It's in good shape but smells horrid. I tried cleaning it with ammonia but it still reeks. I think some bacteria are impregnated in the seams and there is one spot where the foil was punched thru.

Thinking of sealing it with silicone or something else I can find at the hardware store.

Should I just throw this thing out? Am I asking for infections by keeping this thing? Maybe just build an insulated box instead?

 

[kpr121]

Im kinda in the same situation, but havent gotten the freezer yet. A neighbor buddy offered it up to me for free. Its large, I was planning on cutting a hole in one side, mounting an old AC unit hooked up to an external temp controller, and sticking it in the garage for fermentation. In the winter I would use a heat lamp or something.

 

[tasq]

Even in Lyons, why do you still need heat? Just how cold is your house?

 

[matts]

Even in Lyons, why do you still need heat? Just how cold is your house?

I don't need heat right now, it's actually too hot. My coolest room is around 78 this time of year. But I'm planning ahead.

I picked up a chest freezer on sale to cool things down. Was thinking about using that as well as this broken one during the winter so I could have lagers and ales going simultaneously.

 

[beaksnbeer]

What you need is 2 part paint works like an epoxy seals and encases just used it on inside of my 20 cu inch keezer.

 

[phidelt1499]

Maybe try a cleaning solution of bleach? Ammonia smells like piss already.

 

[rockytoptim]

+1 on bleach. I got a used fridge from craiglist and it smelled like old chinese food. Made a spray bottle of bleach and water (read back of bleach bottle for ratios) and sprayed and scrubbed that thing down then sprayed it out with water hose. Wiped out water and left door open in sun for a couple of hours and smell was gone.

 

[matts]

Thanks for the suggestions. I used ammonia because that's all I had. Might try bleach and then the epoxy paint but might just scrap it. I don't know what dead bodies smell like but this smell is what I imagine it to be.