Thread: refrigerator/freezer guts as chiller?

Tweet

has anyone tried this? Like disassembling say a chest freezer and using the refrigeration system as a chiller? I've been looking around on craigslist and classifieds ever since I came up with this idea a few days ago and found several freezers for insanely cheap

I know it will be some work but refilling ice gets tired and messy (and looks amateur), ice melts, dry ice is too pricey to go all nite, and ice only cools the fog to 32F whereas freezer coils would get it a bit cooler. In the end I would think if I could build a self-contained, reuseable contraption I would feel alot better about it

thoughts?

Too complicated and not worth the trouble as yardjunkie posted in another post about making a elaborate chiller when the wind blows its not worth the trouble. Easiest and cheapest thing to do is a straight through design. Easiest is usually the best and i have been using the same design for years now and it works like a charm and very easy. Cooler 3inch duct fittings on either end and screen so the ice doesnt fall out. Fill it up and your set. No need for all those bends angles and what not. and the ice doesnt melt on me after 4 hours so......But its your choice

OH! and we have enough plugs and cords out there to begin with right? So less is more less trip hazards. SAFETY FIRST!

I have to agree with toetag.

Unless you have a degree in air conditioning or refrigeration, I wouldn't even attempt it. Maybe you could create some sort of "chute" that ice could fall down from. (talk to your local movie theatre......They have Ice like you wouldn't believe!!! Or even your local Mc. Donalds. They have lots of ice too!)

Ice melts, no matter what you keep it in. Large places that need alot of ice need NEW ice. (you don't want some Week Old ice in your drink...) Ask them if they have extra ice and see if they would give it to you if you stop by and pick it up. Maybe shop around for some extra "coolers" to keep it in.

I wouldn't mess with any type of refrigeration just for a haunt, unless you were an expert. There is free ice out there if you know the right people.

I think I read somewhere that the pump for freezers aren't strong enough to cool down hot fog fast enough to really work. I think you need something more along the lines of an air conditioner pump and coils. But that's if you want to build it. I would do what Toetag said, and keep it simple.

Oh, these guys aren't sounding very helpful, or supportive. I say go for it, if it doesn't work, throw it to the curb. Of course you want to do some research on the freezer, so when hacking in to it you don't rupture coolant lines and send refrigerant into the water supply. My one other thought is that Ice cream salt cools the melting point of ice to 2 degrees, or something to that affect. Hey, if no one tries it, how can we tell you it won't work. Just have fun doing it, that's what counts!

I agree, go for it. Maybe use it along with ice to slow the melting. Don't use the salt though. It actually lowers the freezing point. So ice will melt at temperatures that would normally freeze water. That's why people put it onto the sidewalks and streets in winter.

I noticed I was referenced in this thread and wanted to clarify. I think that building stuff yourself is a great idea. However I get 3 or 4 fridges and freezers that work a week for FREE (people actually pay me to haul them away). I thought about doing this and it would have cost me nothing. However no matter how great I made it, there would be no gain in overall effect. You can make chilled fog that hangs on the ground using ice and a bucket, the catch is you need an environment that is ideal. If you put it outside there is a high likelihood that people walking by will be enough to stir it up, not to mention slight breezes and wind. If the fogger is going to be inside, then a refrigerated fogger would be cool. But, why go to the trouble and expense when a bucket and ice works almost as good?

Plus most people will use this once a year. Does changing ice a few times a night really kill you that much that you need to go all the trouble of tearing apart a fridge? Plus most likely you would need to take apart the tubing to put it in a fog chiller. If you did this you would have to have it filled again with Freon. And if you were to leave the freezer whole and use that as your fog chiller, be careful because if you cut a whole for the fog to come in you might puncture the tubing for the refrigerant. If you do that your freezer is useless and you would need to get it filled with Freon anyways.

I don't mean not to be supportive, I say go for it. I just was trying to impart some constructive criticism. I know most people don't have the the time and money to spend on something that is not really going to be effective. I am one of those people. However if you have the time and money then it might be worth it. If you have the money then you might want to look at already assembled fog chillers.

Seems like more trouble than it's worth. If you have that much time, energy and inclination put it towards something more productive than keeping your fog cool. Just my three cents.

Originally Posted by Fangoria

Oh, these guys aren't sounding very helpful, or supportive. I say go for it, if it doesn't work, throw it to the curb. Of course you want to do some research on the freezer, so when hacking in to it you don't rupture coolant lines and send refrigerant into the water supply. My one other thought is that Ice cream salt cools the melting point of ice to 2 degrees, or something to that affect. Hey, if no one tries it, how can we tell you it won't work. Just have fun doing it, that's what counts!

I support my fellow haunters with advice that saves time, money and aggravation. I see nothing "fun" about wasting the first two, while increasing the third. I also support good ideas, and I'll point out quickly when it's a bad one. Hacking a freezer for a fog chiller is a complete waste of time unless you haunt for more than one night a year. If you have pro haunt, or one for charity it might make sense, but I heard nothing along the lines of that implementation.