Drilling holes in curing chamber build

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jjnurk
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Post by jjnurk » Fri Dec 15, 2017 16:26

I'm in the process of building my curing chamber and upon reading some threads, I noticed serval comments on not making holes in the walls/top. My design was to make a hole in the side and install a fan so as to 1) remove excess humidy and 2) re-circulate air. If that isn't a good way to do, can some one recommend? I noticed I cant see a lot of the photobucket pics so I'm not really sure what others have. Thx in advance.
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harleykids
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Post by harleykids » Fri Dec 15, 2017 17:25

I suggest you put the fan in the dooor, not the side, top, etc.
The door has no electronics and no freon pipes, etc so you can modify without worry.

No reason to cut a hole in the fridge body itself.
When I made my curing chamber I drilled a hole in the very top corner of the back of the fridge, ran a chase straight thru to the front on the fridge body, drilled a hole in the top front corner and drilled a corresponding hole in the top corner of the door, and ran my power wire thru that.
Easy, and gave me 120VAC in the door to add outlets, fans, DC adapters, etc.
Also used that power to run my humidistat and temp controller, both mounted on door as well, with readouts on the outside of the door.

Then use the shelves that are molded into the door to house your ultrasonic humidifier, lights, fans, camera, etc.

Easy! And no chance harming any of the fridge cooling components. Also allows all equipment to be door mounted....not sitting around in the bottom of the curing chamber taking up valuable hanging space, getting dripped on from above, etc.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Fri Dec 15, 2017 18:14

I agree, don't make any holes in the sides or top. Take a look at my latest here:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... 9&start=15

I will also be adding a dehumidifier to the set up. Bought a dehumidifier and another controller but have not had the time to install it.
LOUSANTELLO
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Post by LOUSANTELLO » Sun Dec 17, 2017 20:08

Dehumidifiers are a must in my opinion. When hanging fresh meat, it`s not uncommon for the interior to hit 90%. I think it`s too much. I like to keep mine at 75-80%. I drilled the side and hit a line. I bought the same refrigerator again and carefully drilled the side again. It worked great for 7 months, then the compressor took a dump. I wasn`t in the position to call a serviceman and tell him it was under warranty. They would`ve looked at me like I was crazy. I also had 2 holes drilled in the front door for push pull fans. Now I have a commercial double door all stainless and didn`t drill anything. I ran everything between the gaskets and transfer new air daily by opening the door for 5-10 minutes. It seems to be working great.
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Post by bolepa » Mon Dec 18, 2017 19:51

I drilled the side as a pilot hole using a very small tiny bit first and then checked surroundings with a thin wire to determine if there are any lines next to it. I was expending the hole step by step always checking with a thin wire until finally cut 2 inch diameter hole. This hole was intended to run all electrical cables and temperature/humidity probes into the curing chamber. I was always battling with myself if I should run two more holes for air intake/exhaust but always was afraid to hit the line(s) and permanently damage my chamber. Currently I do exactly what LOUSANTELLO does:" transfer new air daily by opening the door for 5-10 minutes". I know it`s not an ideal setup but... so far so good.
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