biuld my own meat locker

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Not sure where to put this so i will try here.

I now have the space to biuld my own meat locker. bought a new house and have lots of land. I was thinking of biulding my own meat locker to hang and process my game. I was wondering if anyone else has done this. looking for ideas. What to use as a cooling unit. what size to biuld. costs and whatever else. could you use A/C units?

just a idea for now. any input would be great
 
Size is for you to determine for your needs. As for the unit, not an A/C unit. They are not designed to run cold enough and will only really dehumidify and probably freeze up. There are units designed for this application that will give you the temp you want and also keep your humidity up to prevent drying as your meat ages. I'm sure many will say "i used an old A/C unit at the camp and it works great". If it is only to keep the meat from spoiling you are right but to properly age it is another story.
Take a guess what I do for a living? My handle Iceman should be a clue.
 
Iceman is correct in that an A/C unit it not up to the challenge. This being said there is a hunting family in my area that have an insulated room with a small residential A/C in it. They just use it to buy a bit of time before butchering. They bow hunt and that season can coincide with some warm temperatures here in NS. Unsuitable for hanging meat. I don't know how much you hunt or how much game you will hang but a commercial reefer unit might not that expensive. If you have friends that hunt maybe pool your cash. Good luck with your setup.
 
Winchester_II said:
http://bc.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-...lk-in-Cooler-with-Flooring-W0QQAdIdZ422406129

I don't know what your budget is...there are many more from B.C. on Kijiji.Seems you could do some shopping around at places that offer refurbished restaurant equipment too.
Click to expand...

thank you. i didnt not even think of buying a used one. that is in my price range. this may be the best route
we hunt moose deer and bear. mainly. new with the new move elk should be on the menu as well.

so hanging to age the meat for 7-10days would be great
 
I recall seeing this in OOD a few months back.

http://www.storeitcold.com/index.html

Looking for an alternative to an expensive walk-in cooler compressor?

The CoolBot turns almost any brand of off-the-shelf, window-type air conditioning unit (purchased separately) into a turbo-charged cooling machine. Transform an insulated room into a walk-in cooler to keep your vegetables, meat, flowers and other products fresh and thermostatically controlled cool down to 35 F!

CoolBot will not only save you on installation and repair costs, it will also help you save electricity, reducing your operating costs when combined with new Energy Star air conditioning units engineered to much stricter environmental standards than standard walk-in cooler compressors. CoolBot uses new (patent-pending) technology that just became available in 2006.

Order now and get a free guide to keeping your produce fresh, including reference charts on the best temperatures to keep vegetables at for the best quality.

Performance varies based on the size of your room and the size of the A/C unit you have. As a guide: Here in Southern New York, a $400 Home Depot 18,000 BTU window A/C unit keeps produce in a 7' x 12' insulated room at the 38 F we set it to during the summer with plenty of cooling power to spare.
Click to expand...
 
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We have always used two home A/C units in a home made meat cooler and it has worked wonders. It will hold 4 large moose and keep it just above freezing. The cooler is built into the corner of a large shop, so maybe that's why the A/C units don't freeze up.
 
Tagged for interest.
I dug out a old cinderblock root cellar two years ago. It'll be underground so it'll naturally stay somewhat cool already.
It's almost the right size to drop in a small C-can. But what other folks have used for cooling unit's will help too.
 
Start calling refer companies in your area or surrounding cities tell them what your doing and see if they have any old walk ins or any tear out coming up tell them you'll pick it up from the site and you'll be amazed at what you can find.
 
Fall Guy said:
I recall seeing this in OOD a few months back.

http://www.storeitcold.com/index.html
Click to expand...

One of my huntingt buddies has put this on a wall hang style AC unit. Worked great until the outside temp dropped to low on us. Had to remove a sensor on the exterior condeser unit to get ac unit running correctly. We hung 10 deer within a week in a small area made with insultaed panels/floor in a large shop (all removeable) and this setup worked perfectly. And then barely ran once the heat had come out of the meat.
 
Winchester_II said:
http://bc.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-...lk-in-Cooler-with-Flooring-W0QQAdIdZ422406129

I don't know what your budget is...there are many more from B.C. on Kijiji.Seems you could do some shopping around at places that offer refurbished restaurant equipment too.
Click to expand...

If this price includes the cooling unit, and it works , it is a very good price. We had to replace the complete cooling apparatus in our cold room this summer and the bill was around $5000. The old was was used when we installed it and had been here for 20-25 years so it was probably about time.
Make sure there are rails to hang your meat from. Some ot these units may have been used for boxed items only.
 
DFarmer said:
If this price includes the cooling unit, and it works , it is a very good price. We had to replace the complete cooling apparatus in our cold room this summer and the bill was around $5000. The old was was used when we installed it and had been here for 20-25 years so it was probably about time.
Make sure there are rails to hang your meat from. Some ot these units may have been used for boxed items only.
Click to expand...

I just went back in and checked that ad,it does have a rail with hooks on it..yeah it is a good price.
 
The kijji unit looks pretty cool (pun intended ;) )
I have seen several guys traveling at work who have home made cooler/meat lockers on trailers heading North for LEH and Reg. season hunts.
They have wooden sheds(plywood) and a portable A/C the kind you get from London Drugs or your choice of supplier.
You know the ones that hang outside your window and they run them off a small genie.
I would assume there is some insulation of sorts as well.
But, if your going to build it, your options are countless.
But, ensure if anyone asks that it is a temporary structure, less hassels with building inspectors and the likes.
My last comment are for those considering such a project who live in semi suburbia as opposed to those country folks.
Rob
 
The coolbot sounds good. The New house has biult in A/C. And i have 2 Window A/Cs already. looks like ill be doing some reaserch.

thanks guys
 
You might even get a refridgerated sea can. They run on shore power, but I don't know what the voltage is.
They're insulated, heavy duty, but only 8' tall.
The reefer unit might be rewired to tun on 110 or 220 ac if they don't already run that way.
They're not like the reefer units on the front of regular semi trailers as they spend a lot of time in the hold of a ship and refueling a bunch of hard to get to diesel engines is awkward. Power from the boat is easier as the main engine is already running and generating electricity for the ship (unless you are on a cruise in the gulf of mexico...)
 
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