Cool Bot controller

clkeiper · June 7, 2017

does anybody have a cooler with a cool bot as the main source of refrigeration?

BigVanVader · June 7, 2017

I don't but when I build a WIC I plan to use it.

clkeiper · June 25, 2017

Up and working. so... I guess no one who does markets has a WIC? how do you pick and store produce until the market?

BigVanVader · June 25, 2017

Extra fridge.

Nematode · June 25, 2017

Buddy uses one to keep grapes cool on the way to the winery.
Had to make a trailer of his own because when he is harvesting so is everyone else and no trucks/trailers available.

Seems ok.

Cole_Robbie · June 25, 2017

My grandpa has an old wic that he bought used when I was a kid, mostly for peaches and melons, I think. Grandma used an extra fridge or two on the porch for okra, beans, and squash.

That's what is nice about only growing tomatoes, no fridge required.

clkeiper · June 25, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My grandpa has an old wic that he bought used when I was a kid, mostly for peaches and melons, I think. Grandma used an extra fridge or two on the porch for okra, beans, and squash.

That's what is nice about only growing tomatoes, no fridge required.

we have outgrown the fridge size storage.
we grow a bit of anything I think I can sell or know I can sell. fruit is terribly fragile and perishable... corn, grapes, peppers, apples, lettuce, cabbage, cukes, zukes, beans... lots and lots of beans, watermelons, cantaloupe, etc.... and I grow on about 2 acres (1 is corn) so I grow huge quantities that need chilled. AM markets don't leave much time for AM harvesting.

PureHarvest · June 26, 2017

The coolbot is good. Cheap and efficient way to cool a small box. Especially if you can locate the box in the shade.

BigVanVader · June 26, 2017

Realistically I need a WIC, but I will have to build one, and I hate building stuff. I keep checking CL but most are either junk or way to expensive. I'm planning to focus much more on salad mix next year for early cash flow so infrastructure is a must to streamline the washing/packing/storing. I'm going to practice with lettuce/salad mix this fall/winter and if things go well I'm going to buy the greens harvester (dam thing is so cool I want one badly) and a old washer for spinning. Baby steps. Not having weeds this year has been a game changer. I have free time & can manage my garden so much better that I need more to manage at this point.

clkeiper · June 26, 2017

we built the wic. I have a small barn next to the driveway that I use as a roadside stand. we partitioned off a section that we insulated with sprayon foam (we also have two commercial refrigerators). we have been doing this for 8 years now and finally are to the point of "its a necessity". just found an old two basin SS sink from someone who used to do a 26x96 of greens for a market all winter long... whoo whee! he said he did 800.00 of lettuce a week out of it... that is a lot of lettuce, but he is done now and selling off his equipment..I have an old honey extractor I am going to use to spin salad... if it works out, I have no idea, it is just an idea as it is sitting unused in the shed. thought I would try to line the cage with mesh and dump in the lettuce and spin it out. think it will work? I am not interested in another mechanical device. I am not that mechanically inclined nor do I have time to fix things that break.

BigVanVader · June 26, 2017

Idk, definitely be worth trying. If your gonna do salad mix I think the easiest way is an old washer. Put lettuce in laundry bags and set to spin cycle.

FarmerShawn · June 28, 2017

I built a Coolbot cooler in a shed last year, and my life changed dramatically! I used a fridge before, but the cooler is so much easier and more spacious. I did find it necessary to keep most of my stuff in closed plastic containers, because the cool air is very dry, and can wilt things quickly.

Salsacharley · June 28, 2017

It seems that the cost of running refrigeration would really challenge the break even point of selling unless you have really big volume sales.

clkeiper · June 28, 2017

I do a roadside stand and 3 farmers markets a week. I have done so for 8 years now. everything we do we save up and pay for as we see the need. This is my main source of a job here. I need to be close to home with a fairly flexible schedule and this allows it to happen. the coolbot allows for me to not have to be picking and packing everything the morning of or the night before each market. the cool bot runs off of an air conditioning unit in a well insulated room. pretty efficient.

"I did find it necessary to keep most of my stuff in closed plastic containers, because the cool air is very dry, and can wilt things quickly."... yep, I do cover or package before putting the produce in the cooler.

Worth1 · June 28, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

It seems that the cost of running refrigeration would really challenge the break even point of selling unless you have really big volume sales.

Depends on how well insulated the container is and how often you go in and out of it.
I just drilled into a commercial freezer and refrigerator for temperature probes.
The insulation was over 4 inches thick.

Not for sure how the coolbot works but it looks like they are just changing the temperature span of an air conditioner thermostat control.????
This can be easily done for way less money if that is the case.
Worth

June 7, 2017	#1
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Cool Bot controller does anybody have a cooler with a cool bot as the main source of refrigeration? __________________ carolyn k

June 25, 2017	#3
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	Up and working. so... I guess no one who does markets has a WIC? how do you pick and store produce until the market? __________________ carolyn k

June 26, 2017	#10
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	we built the wic. I have a small barn next to the driveway that I use as a roadside stand. we partitioned off a section that we insulated with sprayon foam (we also have two commercial refrigerators). we have been doing this for 8 years now and finally are to the point of "its a necessity". just found an old two basin SS sink from someone who used to do a 26x96 of greens for a market all winter long... whoo whee! he said he did 800.00 of lettuce a week out of it... that is a lot of lettuce, but he is done now and selling off his equipment..I have an old honey extractor I am going to use to spin salad... if it works out, I have no idea, it is just an idea as it is sitting unused in the shed. thought I would try to line the cage with mesh and dump in the lettuce and spin it out. think it will work? I am not interested in another mechanical device. I am not that mechanically inclined nor do I have time to fix things that break. __________________ carolyn k Last edited by clkeiper; June 26, 2017 at 08:11 AM.

June 28, 2017	#12
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	I built a Coolbot cooler in a shed last year, and my life changed dramatically! I used a fridge before, but the cooler is so much easier and more spacious. I did find it necessary to keep most of my stuff in closed plastic containers, because the cool air is very dry, and can wilt things quickly. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

June 28, 2017	#14
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	I do a roadside stand and 3 farmers markets a week. I have done so for 8 years now. everything we do we save up and pay for as we see the need. This is my main source of a job here. I need to be close to home with a fairly flexible schedule and this allows it to happen. the coolbot allows for me to not have to be picking and packing everything the morning of or the night before each market. the cool bot runs off of an air conditioning unit in a well insulated room. pretty efficient. "I did find it necessary to keep most of my stuff in closed plastic containers, because the cool air is very dry, and can wilt things quickly."... yep, I do cover or package before putting the produce in the cooler. __________________ carolyn k

June 7, 2017	#2
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	I don't but when I build a WIC I plan to use it.

June 25, 2017	#5
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	Buddy uses one to keep grapes cool on the way to the winery. Had to make a trailer of his own because when he is harvesting so is everyone else and no trucks/trailers available. Seems ok.

June 25, 2017	#6
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	My grandpa has an old wic that he bought used when I was a kid, mostly for peaches and melons, I think. Grandma used an extra fridge or two on the porch for okra, beans, and squash. That's what is nice about only growing tomatoes, no fridge required.

June 26, 2017	#8
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	The coolbot is good. Cheap and efficient way to cool a small box. Especially if you can locate the box in the shade.

June 28, 2017	#13
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	It seems that the cost of running refrigeration would really challenge the break even point of selling unless you have really big volume sales.