True Cooler Build Questions

[adamfritzsche]

So I scored this little gem yesterday. I was wondering if anyone had any input, ideas or builds that they would like to share on the most effective way to heat/circulate air in one of these full size bad boys. Do people use two strips of 11" on the back side? Would it be better to go from one side all the way down and up the other with the flexwatt?

Don't think I am going to need this for awhile as I am still struggling to fill up my wine cooler build, but this is the stuff I enjoy doing, so why not?

[scooter11]

Sweet pickup. I've been trying to find one on craigslist for a while, but the y cheapest I found was 250

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[toyota89]

Yeah the only ones i find are 2 or 3 door ones. To big to fit in my house.

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[adamfritzsche]

Sweet pickup. I've been trying to find one on craigslist for a while, but the y cheapest I found was 250

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Yeah, I was having this same problem for awhile. I was looking everyday and all I was finding was ones that people wanted way too much for. Then over the weekend, I was just browsing and found this one for $75. Only problem is that the seal on the door is ripped down one side, to replace the entire seal is about $40, not sure if I need to do this or not may just try to rig it, still looks like it makes decent seal. And then the lights do not work on it, think its the ballast, which would be another $40 to replace if I decide I want light. Trying to figure out if I can take one of the cheapo shop light figures apart and take a ballast from one of them or finding some sort of LED light fixtures that I can light the inside when needed.

Yeah the only ones i find are 2 or 3 door ones. To big to fit in my house.

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Let alone they are ridiculously heavy.

Anyways, since I am not going to need this for awhile, I have also been thinking about building in its own thermostat. I have been working on an arduino 4 channel temperature controller, and it has been working pretty good although quite a bit unpolished. I think it might be cool to change it to a single channel, but have 3 other temperature probes that could be placed wherever for indication purposes, or maybe even take all 4 inputs and be able to split the difference on the min and max temps for the output control. Plus since it is an arduino, I can throw in some relays to control the lights and then figure out how to even control the fan speeds.

[snakesRkewl]

Our true coolers are set up with a false wall in the back to cover the 30 inches of 11x12 heat tape.
We use a bathroom ceiling fan plugged into a rheostat on the floor of the inc, it sucks air into the fan and blows it through a hole in the false wall.
The air is pushed over the heat tape and heated as it goes to the top and out into the main area to be sucked down and repeated by the fan.
Super stable, no worries about getting the tubs too close to the heat tape, and hot spots are a thing of the past.

[scooter11]

I've seen alot of them with LED strips. They work real well. Also, I think you can by the the seal at home depot and put it on yourself for short money.

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[adamfritzsche]

I think I remember seeing a post of yours explaining this before. Did you use the shower insert stuff for the false back?. I will have to look into doing it that way. Sounds like it would work great. Those bathroom fans don't get hot enough to mess with the temps at all?

[scooter11]

Our true coolers are set up with a false wall in the back to cover the 30 inches of 11x12 heat tape.
We use a bathroom ceiling fan plugged into a rheostat on the floor of the inc, it sucks air into the fan and blows it through a hole in the false wall.
The air is pushed over the heat tape and heated as it goes to the top and out into the main area to be sucked down and repeated by the fan.
Super stable, no worries about getting the tubs too close to the heat tape, and hot spots are a thing of the past.

Do you have any pictures of this?

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