Aaron Patterson
New member
Hi everyone! I thought I'd post my curing equipment. Everyone here has been helpful to me, so hopefully this information well help others!
My current setup is:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Vinotemp VT-27 wine cooler
<LI> Freezer controller
<LI> Crane drop shape humidifier
<LI> Dayton Humidifier controller
[/list]
Here is a picture of my setup (during fermentation phase):
I have an extension cord that runs in to the fridge. The humidifier controller and fans are plugged in to the extension cord, and my humidifier is plugged in to the controller:
To get the humid air in to the fridge, I drilled a hole in the back of the fridge:
I added threaded L adapter, and ran tubing to my humidifier:
One problem I found with this fridge is that it was definitely not meant to run with such high humidity inside the box. As such, the drip tray would fill up and I would get water all over the floor. To fix this problem, I ran a tube from the outlet in the fridge down to a larger container:
I'm estimating that my setup cost around $400. Since the freezer controller has a wide enough temperature range for meat curing, you could save money by buying a used fridge that isn't a wine cooler.
However, the interesting thing about a wine cooler (especially this one) is that it has digital controls. I figured out the wiring for the digital controller, and hooked it up to a micro controller that keeps the temperature higher during the fermentation stage:
Using the mico-controller eliminates the need for the freezer controller. The sensor I'm using with the micro-controller can also measure RH, so I'm going to eventually use it to drive the humidifier. That means the micro-controller could replace the freezer controller *and* the humidity controller. The micro controller + parts cost me around $15, where humidity controller and freezer controller were about $100 together.
Using the "off the shelf" parts got me up and running more quickly, but seem to require more outlets and more cables running in to my fridge. I'm glad I went that route though because it has motivated me keep curing meat and to try improving my equipment. Once I get the micro-controller to control the temp and RH, I'll publish info on that project.
Thanks for reading!
My current setup is:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> Vinotemp VT-27 wine cooler
<LI> Freezer controller
<LI> Crane drop shape humidifier
<LI> Dayton Humidifier controller
[/list]
Here is a picture of my setup (during fermentation phase):
I have an extension cord that runs in to the fridge. The humidifier controller and fans are plugged in to the extension cord, and my humidifier is plugged in to the controller:
To get the humid air in to the fridge, I drilled a hole in the back of the fridge:
I added threaded L adapter, and ran tubing to my humidifier:
One problem I found with this fridge is that it was definitely not meant to run with such high humidity inside the box. As such, the drip tray would fill up and I would get water all over the floor. To fix this problem, I ran a tube from the outlet in the fridge down to a larger container:
I'm estimating that my setup cost around $400. Since the freezer controller has a wide enough temperature range for meat curing, you could save money by buying a used fridge that isn't a wine cooler.
However, the interesting thing about a wine cooler (especially this one) is that it has digital controls. I figured out the wiring for the digital controller, and hooked it up to a micro controller that keeps the temperature higher during the fermentation stage:
Using the mico-controller eliminates the need for the freezer controller. The sensor I'm using with the micro-controller can also measure RH, so I'm going to eventually use it to drive the humidifier. That means the micro-controller could replace the freezer controller *and* the humidity controller. The micro controller + parts cost me around $15, where humidity controller and freezer controller were about $100 together.
Using the "off the shelf" parts got me up and running more quickly, but seem to require more outlets and more cables running in to my fridge. I'm glad I went that route though because it has motivated me keep curing meat and to try improving my equipment. Once I get the micro-controller to control the temp and RH, I'll publish info on that project.
Thanks for reading!
