My new coppa cabana

Post by **redzed** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 07:17

For the past 4 years I used an older all fridge as my curing chamber. I picked it up really cheap and it has, for the most part, served me well. It already was showing signs of rust, especially on the bottom of the chamber when I got it, and now it's really looking ugly. All the interior walls are metal and now there is rust everywhere. Everything else works fine, but the appearance is quite disconcerting.

So for the past few months I have been on the lookout for a replacement unit. It had to be a frost free "all fridge" or an upright freezer, also frost free, not that old, and clean. And of course I wanted a unit with plastic interior. There always were many decent looking and inexpensive fridges with a freezer compartment available and a few all fridges, but they were either not frost free or dirty and rather well used and probably abused. I did not want to mess around with removing the bottom or top freezer compartment. And most of the upright freezers were of the type where the coolant runs through the tubing in the shelves. The few that would have worked for me were priced too high for what I was willing to pay.

My search ended a few days ago when I brought home a two year old 17 cu. ft. Frigidaire freezer or refrigerator. You can use it however you want, simply switch the mode with the press of a button. Runs well, in fact today in freezer mode the temp dropped to -28.6C! None of the freezers I have get that cold! Almost a shame to start drilling holes in it! I'm a bit mechanically challenged so I will be taking my time in setting it up and making sure everything is done right. Have to now study a bit more on how to improve over the old unit and will be learning from what some of our members here have constructed. Hopefully everything will be finished in a few weeks.

Post by **Bob K** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 11:52

redzed wrote: Almost a shame to start drilling holes in it! I'm a bit mechanically challenged so I will be taking my time in setting it up and making sure everything is done right

DO NOT drill or cut holes in the sides or top, coolant lines run throughout the top and sides.
Look at what Harley and Lou did for ideas.

Post by **Butterbean** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 14:08

Looks like a fun project. I'll be interested to see how you put it together as I might want to copy it.

Post by **redzed** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 15:55

Bob K wrote:DO NOT drill or cut holes in the sides or top, coolant lines run throughout the top and sides.
Look at what Harley and Lou did for ideas.

I am considering doing that. And I do like the way Lou and Jason converted their units. But installing the venting in the door will require taking the inside panel and probably the gasket off if I want to hide the wiring. And here is the repair manual for the unit and it does not appear that there is anything in the side walls or the ceiling. However, when I had it running, the sides do get quite warm when touched on the outside. Have to determine where that heat is coming from. ftp://ftp.electrolux-na.com/prodinfo_pd ... 641932.pdf

Post by **Bob K** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 16:31

I looked at the same manual

Don't ask me why I know this:

The burst of air or gas you experienced that came out of the hole, would be gas (refrigerant). Unfortunately, there is no schematic drawing that will show where the refrigerant lines are inside the cabinet.

I think Lou had a similar experience.

Even if you probe from the inside..the shelf holders pop out...the lines are against the outside wall, to disperse heat, and near impossible to detect because of the dense foam insulation.

Wherever you feel the warmth on the outside of the unit, the line are there.

Look how Jason ran his electric lines, ingenious and they are hidden.
http://www.wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=7756

Post by **Butterbean** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 19:15

Yeah, Jason's is about as cool as it gets.

LOUSANTELLO · Post by **LOUSANTELLO** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 13:01

Mine is a frigidaire also. If your unit doesn't have coils on the back exposed, which most don't anymore, they are in the side walls. Trust me, I know. They were definitely closer to the outside wall.
LOL
My first unit, I plunged from the outside in and hit it immediately. I bought another Frigidaire and I was determined I was going to make this happen. On the new one, I use a 3/4" hole saw from the inside out. Be careful not to do a complete plunge. Once I got the inside panel cut, I probed around with a screwdriver and vacuum to get rid if the styrofoam. Once it was cleaned out, I did notice if I would've plunged through, I would've hit the line again. I then took a longer pilot bit and drilled from the inside out directly between 2 lines and confirmed I had enough space between the lines for a 3/4' hole saw. Then I went at it with the 3/4" from the outside in. No problem. As far as the door fans, I purposely left my wiring exposed for the fans. The fans are mounted on flat panels that slide into groove plates. This way if I feel like using is at a refrigerator again, I can slide the fans out and place a blank plate in its place,,,,,,and the wiring will go a way completely. By doing it this way, I also did not have to take out the inner liner or gasket on the door.

Post by **Butterbean** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 16:22

What about using a Dremel power tool with a bit just long enough to cut to the depth of the inside wall and cut this out then using a stick with some cotton fashioned on it like a big Qtip you could use either acetone or gasoline fumes to gently melt the foam insulation out of the way of the outer wall to reveal any coils that are floating in the foam. I think with a little practice you might find the qtip rig would work like a flameless torch melting the foam. Just a thought.

Post by **redzed** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 16:30

Thanks Lou. I have been taking my time in studying the unit before I take the drill out. Yesterday I went to a repair shop and talked to a technician and he confirmed what you and Bob have been telling me that there are coils on the sides. But he could not tell me whether they run all the way down from top to bottom and also told me that there isn't anything on the floor or ceiling. So I will be bringing in the wiring through the top or bottom, mounting the exhaust fan on the top and the intake (no fan} on the lower part of the door. Would have been nicer to have fewer wires exposed but it's just not possible. I will be using the Auber dual controller and a trying to decide whether to mount it on the inside or outside of the unit. It's a lot easier to have it inside but more preferable for it to be out.

Post by **Bob K** » Sat Jun 11, 2016 17:20

Here's how to locate them:

- Plug in the refrigerator and let it run for about 30-40 minutes

- mix cornstarch and vodka together into a paste (about the consistency of sour cream)

- spread the paste around the surface of the fridge

- the refrigerant lines are hot and will cause the vodka to evaporate from the mixture faster than the surrounding areas, leaving a lighter colored line that indicates where the refrigerant line is.

Its pretty much an "S" grid that runs top to bottom, but you can get a 3" vent hole through. Use Tin snips not a hole saw, pretty much guaranteed not to cut a line.

harleykids · Post by **harleykids** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 14:21

Chris, I hid all my wires, except for the power cord coming out of the back, in the front door.
And I didn't have to remove the door interior panel, just use a fish tape and go from one hole to the other, where the wires are hidden between the inside panel and the foam. Easy!

And be sure to look under your freezer and familiarize yourself with the condensation pan....I have to empty mine about once a week. If you are wondering where the gallon of distilled water that you just put in the humidifier a week ago is going, just look in the catch pan!

If you don't empty it, it will overflow and you will have water all over the floor under your chamber. I put an automobile oil drip tray under mine for floor protection. $14 and it's about 3'x3' and the whole freezer just sits inside it. Has a 1" lip all around. Fantastic!

I didnt like the idea of holes in the side walls...I want to have access to all the electronics from the front of the unit. Plus putting stuff on the sides just takes up space left and right, and you can't see the controller settings when the unit is slid between other items, etc

Post by **redzed** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 07:19

Well, my plans for a new curing chamber have been stalled for a while. My wife decided that the Frigidaire fridge/freezer combo that I acquired to convert to a curing chamber was just too nice to start making holes in and confiscated it for use as a freezer. Too bad, because it is a really well built and quality unit. And used ones in that shape are hard to find.

But I did find another upright frost-free freezer. This one is a cheaply made Kenmore 13.8 cu. ft. unit, manufactured 5 years ago. https://www.kenmore.com/products/kenmor ... ezer-white It's about 30% smaller than the other one, but then I really don't need to have a bigger one. So far I have been testing it, removed the shelves panel on the inside of the door, and replaced it with a sheet of galvanized metal. It will be easier to clean and will increase the hanging capacity. But with so many other things going on, it will be a while before I will put it into service.

BlueMonkey · Post by **BlueMonkey** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 11:53

Good idea about removing the panel.

Should help with maintaining a constant humidity too.

Post by **Bob K** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 14:34

There were a "few" screws holding the door panel/ gasket, EH. Thats is the same freezer I have. It has a small evaporation reservior, so you will likely need to run a hose to an external drain container, or deal with puddles on the floor.

Post by **redzed** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 15:04

BlueMonkey wrote:Should help with maintaining a constant humidity too.

Yes it should help with better distribution of air in the chamber. In my current chamber the door shelves serve no purpose and only collect dirt and mould.

Bob K wrote:There were a "few" screws holding the door panel/ gasket, EH. Thats is the same freezer I have. It has a small evaporation reservior, so you will likely need to run a hose to an external drain container, or deal with puddles on the floor.

"Few" is an understatement.

Thank goodness for electric drills! Good point on the water drain issue. The container is butted against the comressor so that it evaporates faster, but since the unit won't be running as long as a regular freezer, there probably won't be enough time to heat it up. And with the high humidity there will no doubt be a lot of water. Will have to look at that.