Low Cost Cold Room Using

CoolBot for Refrigeration

2012 Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention

John Wilhoit, Extension Specialist
Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering Department
University of Kentucky

Room Air Conditioner Unit Used

for Refrigeration

Advantages

Low cost
Easy to install

Disadvantages

Coils will freeze up if you attempt to cool below about 60 F

Makeshift way to overcome this problem (using strip
heaters, a thermostat, and a timer to create a defrost cycle) is
cumbersome to rig up and hard to maintain

CoolBot control unit overcomes limitations

of using air conditioner for refrigeration

Available from Store it Cold, LLC1 for about $300

Prevents freeze up by cycling the compressor on and off
based on sensor readings of room temperature and frost on
the cooling coils and by fooling the air conditioners
temperature sensor with a tiny micro-heater
Can cool down to 33 F with sufficient capacity air
conditioner
Simple digital controls and readout
Very simple to install
1Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and
does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.

Requires certain brands of air conditioners that have plastic

temperature sensors (does not work metal temperature sensors)
Use without filter and front grill on the AC unit
Insert frost sensor into fins, free ACs temperature sensor and
attach CoolBots micro-heater to it
Installation takes only a few minutes

Low cost cold room for using CoolBot

Constructed from readily available building materials.

Room

measures 8 ft x 10 ft x 8 ft tall, large enough for substantial

walk-in cold storage space, but small enough to fit into many existing
barns or other covered storage spaces.
Floors,

walls, and ceiling constructed using 2 x 6 or 2 x 4 studs and

plywood sheathing inside and out.

Floors,

walls, and ceiling insulated with batt insulation and foam

board to an R-value of 19.

Since

this is a cooler, vapor barriers are to the outside (the hotter

side) of the constructed walls.

Foam

board with taped joints forms vapor barrier on the outside

Constructed with skids on the bottom so it can be dragged around,
or even lifted with large forklift

Walk-in space of 8x10x8 tall cold room

Link to construction plans schematic at:

http://www.bae.uky.edu/ext/Specialty_Crops/plans.htm

Link to materials and price list at:

http://www.bae.uky.edu/ext/Specialty_Crops/

Additional considerations for low cost cold

storage room construction

Floor drain
Floor insulation
Alternative to batt insulation
Alternative materials or structures
Low-cost methods for forced-air cooling to
remove field heat

Cold Room

< 55F

Cold Room

>55F

Concrete Floor

Concrete Floor

Ground (soil)

Ground (soil)

= 55F

= 55F

Floor Insulation important for improved efficiency if cooler used

for very cold temperatures

Foam board instead of batt insulation

Disadvantages of batt insulation

Loses

much of its insulating value if it gets wet

Can harbor mold if it gets wet

Foam board as alternative to batt insulation

R-value

of 5 per inch thickness

4 inch thickness would not fit within 2x4 stud
walls
Estimated additional cost of $500-600 for
equivalent insulating value of batt insulation used
in this cold room

Low

cost cold room can be made from recycled materials such as

these insulated panels.
Manufacturers (such as that make garage door panels) sometimes
have scraps available at very low cost.

Different fruit and vegetables have different

temperature requirements for storage

For market growers, many items like squash,

cucumbers, peppers & watermelon do best at
45-60 F.
Tomatoes subject to chilling injury if stored too
cold (< 50 F).
Different fruits and vegetables also have
different humidity requirements. Best to
oversize AC unit if higher humidity is needed.
HortFact-7002, Recommended Storage
Conditions for Vegetables available at:
www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/comveggie.html

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/HortFact7002.pdf

Old

or defunct cold storage structures can be refurbished at very

low cost using the CoolBot for refrigeration.

NC State extension publication available at:

http:// www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/postharv/ag-414-7/index.html