Page 1 of 1

Think I found a freezer for a curing chamber

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 15:52
by atcNick
Found this on craiglist. It's a "white newer ge freezer in great shape". $120 obo. Im probably going to jump on it if everything checks out and the seller emails me back.

http://easttexas.craigslist.org/app/3120046614.html

Any problem with this for a curing chamber that Im not aware of?

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 16:11
by nuynai
Don't know what area you live in but you may want to contact your local sanitation dept., as people are always throwing them out when they go bad, get a new one or quit. Probably could get it free, as long as you can pick it up and they don't have to pay to get rid of it. Good luck.

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 16:21
by IdaKraut
Nick,
The size of the freezer looks right. You may want to get a picture of the inside. Does it have non-removable racks? Most non frost free models have racks that are not removable since they have the cooling tubes attached to them. This may be a problem if you were planning to hang longer sausages, like summer sausage. I guess I would want to see the distance between the racks to see what length product I could hang. Personally, I would prefer a chest freezer which are usually even cheaper than uprights.

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 17:32
by atcNick
Thanks. Didnt even realize they made freezers with non removable racks. I'll look into that.

About the frost free feature. Im reading conflicting info about whether or not a curing chamber should or should not have it. Uwanna61 says you dont want it, the curing chamber tutorial I was reading here somewhere said it doesnt matter. If I get a frost free freezer Im concerned whether or not my humidifier and humidity controller will be able to counter the effects of the frost free feature fast enough to avoid major swings in humidity everytime to freezer comes on.

What do y'all think?

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 20:40
by Cabonaia
Just one data point here - i have a fridge with a top freezer compartment, which is frost free. It works fine - no problems with the humidity.

A freezer is nicer than a fridge because it is all one chamber - I would like that but I took what was free. Haven't come near to maxing out my capacity, but I imagine some would.

Just so everyone knows - you can't disable the freezer in a fridge with a separate freezer compartment.

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 02:19
by atcNick
Well it took a while but I finally found a freezer that should work. it's a 6 ft tall frost free upright. Got it off craigslist for $100. Now time to make it a curing chamber

Image

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 03:55
by two_MN_kids
Fantastic, Nick, Good Luck with the build. I'm still looking...

Jim

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 04:47
by Chuckwagon
Nick, good going! Now be sure to take some photos as you go along. We'd like to see your progress as you transform it into a first-class curing chamber.
Here's something that might help you a bit. It's a tutorial by our pal Mac Stanuszek at The Sausagemakerâ„¢ Link: http://www.sausagemaker.com/tutorials/c ... amber.html

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 05:26
by Cabonaia
Nick - nice find! I think you did well by getting a frost free unit. Setting it up is a snap once you've got the supplies.

Cheers,
Jeff

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 05:54
by Chuckwagon
Cabonaia, on a frost free unit, the unit gets rid of moisture. The idea behind a curing chamber is to introduce moisture (controlled of course). On a frost-free unit, the mechanism must be disabled or bypassed by disconnecting it's wires or simply cutting them once you've tracked them down. Sometimes that is a bit tricky. There are several posts about doing this. Some of the electricians out there have been very helpful.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 07:03
by Cabonaia
Hi Chuck Wagon - I have a fridge, not a freezer for my curing chamber, so I don't need to get into disabling the defroster. I did try to disable the freezer part - no go. Sounds like Nick could benefit from these posts about disabling a defroster, though.

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 13:07
by atcNick
I don't plan on disabling the defroster . Instead, I will use a humidifier and humidistat to compensate.