Think I found a freezer for a curing chamber

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atcNick
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Think I found a freezer for a curing chamber

Post by atcNick » Thu Jul 19, 2012 15:52

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?
-Nick
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Post by nuynai » Thu Jul 19, 2012 16:11

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.
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Post by IdaKraut » Thu Jul 19, 2012 16:21

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.
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Post by atcNick » Thu Jul 19, 2012 17:32

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?
-Nick
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Post by Cabonaia » Thu Jul 19, 2012 20:40

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.
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Post by atcNick » Mon Aug 27, 2012 02:19

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
-Nick
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Post by two_MN_kids » Mon Aug 27, 2012 03:55

Fantastic, Nick, Good Luck with the build. I'm still looking...

Jim
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Aug 27, 2012 04:47

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 Sausagemaker™ Link: http://www.sausagemaker.com/tutorials/c ... amber.html

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
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Post by Cabonaia » Mon Aug 27, 2012 05:26

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,
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Aug 27, 2012 05:54

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.

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Post by Cabonaia » Mon Aug 27, 2012 07:03

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.
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Post by atcNick » Mon Aug 27, 2012 13:07

I don't plan on disabling the defroster . Instead, I will use a humidifier and humidistat to compensate.
-Nick
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