Anyone use coolers for food storage?

burtonridr · Heavy Crude Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 492

I was thinking about using coolers for underground storage. However, I started to think about it and now I wonder if the insulation value the cooler provides may block out to much of the cool ground temperatures...

I was planning on burring them up to the lid, then you could fill them with apples, potatoes, etc to keep good.

Anyone ever used them to store food?

Is there something else I could use?
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Ludi

burtonridr · Heavy Crude Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 492

Yea thats true.

I could even put a few water bottles filled with cool water in there.
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Tired of high gas prices? BangHead

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FLFireman

Should work, I have even heard of people burying old refrigerators in the same way for food storage.
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WisJim

We have been using picnic coolers to store apples, carrots, cabbage, etc. I have described our method somewhere here previously. We start in the fall when harvesting apples that we want to store, and after cleaning the apples, we put them in bags in the coolers. We leave the coolers open, under a roofed area, at night to cool off, close them during the day, etc., until the contents are cooled. Then we keep track of the food temp inside the coolers with a remote reading digital thermometer so we know when they need to be opened to cool a bit, moved into the garage, etc., to keep the interior temp in the 33 to 40 degrees F range. We move the last of the stored items into our spare refrig in the spring when it is warming up (refrig is off all winter), so we now are down to carrots and apples. They should last until we start harvesting this years carrots, and we start eating strawberries from our garden in a month or so.

We do some moving of the coolers to keep them at optimum temperatures.

gnm

WisJim, do you have any issues with condensation/rot that way?

Thx,

-G
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WisJim

No, no problems with rot. The insides of the chests are plenty moist, but I think that opening and closing them night and day in the fall to cool the contents is allowing excess moisture out before it causes a problem. We have been doing this for 3 or 4 years with no problems other than an occassional spoiled apple, carrot, or a head of cabbage with a slimy spot on the outside, and we remove the damage item as soon as we find it.

burtonridr · Heavy Crude Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 492

Opening and closing them each day is going to be a tough one to get use to...

Do you open them up at night during the winter?
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Tired of high gas prices? BangHead

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RedStateGreen

I read this when you posted it before, WisJim ... where do you get a remote thermometer?
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Newfie

RedStateGreen

Thanks, guys! I have several coolers and this looks like a great way to get some use out of them in the winter. :D
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WisJim

I think that this thermometer might be the one that I got. I have seen numerous similar ones in hardware stores, when I can find an actual hardware store. We started out using a small thermometer with a sensor on a cord and that works fine, too. The easier it is to check the temperature inside the cooler, the better. And most people don't use their picnic coolers in the winter, either.

PeakOiler

I've been keeping my beer cold using ice made in the solar-powered freezer.
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DryObserver · Coal Joined: Feb 23, 2008 Posts: 11

I lost the original link to the following article on zeer pots -- essentially a cheap, renewable form of simple refrigeration used in Africa and elsewhere. You may find this to be a useful alternative. At the bottom of this piece I'm including another article with some links.

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We can consider passive solar cooling and air-conditioning. Please note that we are not talking about the use of photovoltaic solar panels, those are active solar devices. I’m talking about passive solar cooling. A lot of people have trouble imagining that the hot summer sun, can actually cool your house, but it can. The second law of thermodynamics is our best friend, and it works endlessly for free (or at least as long as the sun exists).

Heat rises, and heat will always move toward cooler areas, and if it happens to draw liquid with it, and that liquid evaporates...the inside surface of what just evaporated will be cooler. Solar chimneys, underground cool rooms (the old fashioned cellar), and the zeer pot, are just a few ways that use this to our advantage to help us cut your power needs forever, and for free. After all, isn’t that what we all want? Why should we slave away at work all day and then spend our hard earned money on things that we can get for free?

To the surprise of many, the world’s cheapest refrigerator costs less than $2 dollars to make, uses minimal resources to produce and runs completely without electricity. It’s called a zeer pot, or the pot-in-pot and was developed by Mohammed Bah Abba, who realized that he could put the second law of thermodynamics and transpiration to work for him. The zeer pot, is actually two earthenware pots (I’m assuming they are both unglazed), one pot smaller than the other. The smaller pot is put inside the bigger pot, and the space in-between them is filled with sand. The sand is made wet with water (twice a day) and a wet towel is put on top of the two pots to keep warm air from entering the interior. As water in the sand evaporates through the surface of the outer pot, it carries heat, drawing it away from the inner core, thus cooling the inside of the inner pot which can be filled with soft-drinks, water, fresh fruit, vegetables or even meat. A damp cloth placed on top keeps the inside pot away from hot air. In this way, fresh produce can be kept for long periods of time without the need for electricity, or camping coolers made high embodied energy. Tomatoes and peppers will last for up to three weeks, and African spinach, or rocket, which normally would spoil after just a day in the intense African heat, can and will remain edible for up to twelve days. Eggplants will keep for up to 27 days instead of three. It can even be used for storing sorghum and millets for a long time since it protects from humidity, thus preventing fungi from developing. The zeer will keep water (and other liquid beverages) at about 15 degrees Celsius, and even meat can be kept fresh for long periods.

The new technology is now being used by farmers at the market. Fresh produce is kept inside, with just a couple fresh items displayed on the damp towel resting on top. In this way, most of the produce is kept hidden away from both warm air and insects. In the past, all produce was displayed in the open air, attracting flies resulting in stomach disease such as dysentery. Now food can be kept fresh for longer and kept away from flies...even miles away from electricity or ice.

Although many people are excited about promoting this technology in developing countries, I see greater potential for this technology in the developed western cities, suburbs and countryside.

Instead of having humming, heat producing, electrical, bank-sapping refrigerators and freezers, we could have zeer pots stashed away in cabinets or under sinks (for convenient kitchen access). We could have them placed in, or near the garden, by the back door, out on the porch or balcony...anywhere. We could have them on the truckbeds of roadside vegetable stands, in cross-country delivery vehicles...at the local farmer’s market. We no longer have to make choices about freshness based on expensive camping coolers, refrigerated trucks, ice machines and electrical outlets. We can provide our own endless supply of refrigeration for less than two dollars.

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And here's a set of instructions for making zeer pots. Also, here's the link to the other article:
http://www.energybulletin.net/22792.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pot-in-a-Pot-Refrigerator

How to Make a Pot in a Pot Refrigerator

In a community without electricity, storage of food long-term can be tricky. One simple solution is to build your own pot-in-a-pot fridge, using basic pots, sand and water. An idea revived by Muhammed Bah Abba, this neat item is now being used by many farmers in warm climates who need to preserve their food for a longer time and keep the insects away. [1] Keeping the sand moist all the time enables evaporation to cool the produce kept inside the inner pot.[1] This enables the storage of freshly grown vegetables to last much longer than usual in a hot climate. Here is how to make your own.
[edit] Steps

1. Obtain two large clay or terracotta pots. One pot must be smaller than the other pot. Check that the smaller pot fits and that there is a space around it of at least one centimetre, up to three centimetres.
2. Fill in any holes at the base of the pots. Use clay, large pebbles, cork, a homemade paste - anything suitable to hand to fill the hole. If you leave the holes open, the water will enter the inner pot and will also run out of the larger pot, making the fridge ineffective.
3. Fill the base of the larger pot with sand. Only fill to a height that will ensure the smaller pot sits even in height with the larger pot.
4. Place the small clay pot. Place it into the large pot on top of the lower layer of sand.
5. Fill all around the small pot with sand. Fill it right to the top.
6. Pour water into the sand. Do this until the sand is completely soaked and unable to take any more water.
7. Take a cloth or towel and dip it into water. Place it over the top of the inner pot so that it covers it completely.
8. Allow the inner pot to cool down. If you have a thermometer, you can use this, otherwise test with your hands.
9. Keep the pot-in-pot refrigerator in a dry, ventilated space for the water to evaporate effectively towards the outside.[2]
10. Place your vegetables inside for storage. You will need to keep checking regularly for the dampness of the sand. Pour in more water as it becomes drier to keep it well moistened. Usually this will need to be done twice a day. [3]

[edit] Tips

* The pot-in-pot refrigerator is also known by its Arabic term, a "Zeer" pot.
* Try different types of vegetables and fruit to see how long they last using the pot. Natural Innovation notes that "Abba's project has brought about major changes for many Nigerians: eggplants can last for 27 days rather than three, African spinach can be kept for 12 days instead of spoiling after one day, while tomatoes and peppers stay fresh for three weeks. Food hygiene standards and overall health are improving."[1]
* It is also possible to store sorghum and millet grains this way - the pot-in-pot refrigerator protects against humidity and stops fungi growth.[4]
* Meat can be kept for up to two weeks, as opposed to a few hours without this device. [5]
* Water and other liquids can be kept at 15ºC.[6]
* If selling the produce, place some of the produce for sale atop the damp cloth that is sitting over the middle pot. This will keep the exposed produce a little cooler, as well as letting people know what you have for sale.[7]
*
A similar use with just drinks kept cold
A similar use with just drinks kept cold
Drinks can be kept cool in a single pot with water at the base.

[edit] Warnings

* Evaporative cooling works most effectively in dry heat and this pot-in-pot refrigerator is no different. In high humidity, you will find that this solution does not work.[8]
* Do not use glazed earthenware; only unglazed.

[edit] Things You'll Need

* Two clay (terracotta) pots, one larger than the other
* Sand
* Water
* Cloth to cover the pots
* Clay, cork or other material to plug holes in the pots if they have them