How to Build a Cooler

Help Support Steer Planet:

S

Schneider Show Calves

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2007
Messages
45
Me and a buddy are just really getting into the competitive part of showing.  He has an area were he is going to build a cooler for up to 3 steers.  What are the supplies we need besides the A/C that you would suggest to build a solid cooler. any imput is helpful.
Thanks
Schneider SHow calves
 
G

GoWyo

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
1,691
Location
Wyoming
We used a stall on a lean-to barn -- 10'x10' area for 2 steers.  Framed up the front and sealed the stall sides.  Then sprayed 4" of the foam on ceiling and all 4 walls.  Put OSB to 4' high over the sprayed on foam.  Put in tie rings, a 36" door and a window for a 18,000 BTU AC unit.  The floor is dirt and slopes to let liquid out.  Set the AC at 60 deg. with a 24" fan going and it stays around 60 deg. even on 95 deg. days.  The room is completely dark when the door is shut.  For 3 head, I would want 10x14 at the least and might need to step up to a 24,000 BTU AC.
 
LostFarmer

LostFarmer

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
528
Location
Eastern Idaho
Not in the know on this stuff but I was thinking that some Structural Insulated Panels aka SIPs would make a great cool room.  The panels are foam with a layer of OSB on each side.  I think you could build a heck of a cool room out of them pretty quick and easy.  Not too expensive but shipping would get you but there are suppliers all over the country.  Most come in up to 8x12 panels and in normal snow areas they will span 12 feet unsupported.  I think it would make a dandy fridge. 

Being that we are in Idaho I have wondered how a potato celler would work for the summer.  Potatoes are gone, big, dark and insulated.  A few fans and you could make it work quite well.  Not sure I want to get that serious about showing.  ;)
 
R

RCF Farms

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2009
Messages
201
Location
Daleville, Indiana
had a 11 x 11 area framed it with 2x4 walls and 2x 6 ceiling with vents. Put electric for lights and outlets. and rolled insulationin the walls, I believe r13 but may have been r19 in walls and celing. sheeted walls and celing with the cheapest sheeting i could get at lowes. put in 2 air conditioners on 24,000 btu other 11,000 btu.and two fans.  Put two fat steers in there, and it stayed at around 55 degrees all the time.Worked great for us, the width was fine, but would have like for it to have been deeper.
 
G

GoWyo

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
1,691
Location
Wyoming
LostFarmer said:
Not in the know on this stuff but I was thinking that some Structural Insulated Panels aka SIPs would make a great cool room.  The panels are foam with a layer of OSB on each side.  I think you could build a heck of a cool room out of them pretty quick and easy.  Not too expensive but shipping would get you but there are suppliers all over the country.  Most come in up to 8x12 panels and in normal snow areas they will span 12 feet unsupported.  I think it would make a dandy fridge. 

Being that we are in Idaho I have wondered how a potato celler would work for the summer.  Potatoes are gone, big, dark and insulated.  A few fans and you could make it work quite well.   Not sure I want to get that serious about showing.   ;)
Click to expand...

I have seen the cellar type set up and it works very well.  Probably better than most of the other set ups and energy efficient too.
 
K

KMJCC

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2009
Messages
212
I have a 12'X16' cool room that I framed up inside of my pole barn.  One wall is an exterior wall of the barn that gets the evening sun.  I framed mine up and used some white metal siding that I got from a demo job on the inside.  I then from the outside stuff the walls with as much as I could get in them.  The are as thick at a 4"x4" so 3.5" thick and then sheeted the outside with more white metal.  My ceiling  is framed out of metal 10" studs and packed as full of insulation as I could get in them. I then used the expanding foam insulation and sprayed all the gaps and siliconed  them.  I have a 24,000 btu window unit A/C that I run on energy saver mode so it doesn't run constantly and I have 2 Sullivan 24" fans going in there and with 3 calves in there I can keep it about 62-64 depgrees.
 
A

AkersShowCattle

Active member
Joined
Apr 26, 2010
Messages
40
We have considered building a cooler. The only problem that has crossed our mind is we do a lot of showing in the summer time. So will it effect the calves going from about 60 degrees in the cooler out in the heat to show them? I dont want to take a risk of getting my calves sick all the time caused by going in and out of the cooler.
 
farmboy

farmboy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2007
Messages
5,652
Location
south webster ohio
AkersShowCattle said:
We have considered building a cooler. The only problem that has crossed our mind is we do a lot of showing in the summer time. So will it effect the calves going from about 60 degrees in the cooler out in the heat to show them? I dont want to take a risk of getting my calves sick all the time caused by going in and out of the cooler.
Click to expand...

If you don't keep it 40 in there they are usually alright. You have to adjust them a couple days before the show. Say maybe, raise the temp gradually up until its not really cool anymore and keep fans on them, then go show.

Also, I'd like to see Nasc's post here. When I talked to him at the State fair he described an epic cool room which could be cleaned with a water hose in one hand and a beer in the other

EDIT: found this message from a long time ago describing the epic cool room
Nasc said:
zach said:
you mind explaining that carpet rubber deal you got going on in your cool room. after our fair I'm going to redo ours. i hate the way it is now
Click to expand...


OK……………
Here is a try, you may need to just bite the bullet and stop by our place sometime and take a look at it.

1st- Cool room is 12X16 with a concrete floor that has about a 3 inch slope to an elongated drain that runs the entire length of the cool room.

2nd-On top of the concrete we have Cattle Comfort Mats, a.k.a. water beds for dairy cattle.

3rd- On top of the Comfort Mats we have two layers of the ¾ inch rubber stall mats that you can get at any farm dealer.

4th- On top of the rubber mats we glued “with formica adhesive” indoor/outdoor carpet.

Pros to this system-
Cuts way down on the dust and air borne particles in the cool room.
Easy clean up every night.
As to date we have not had any joint swelling unlike we had when using mulch.
Hardly any ammonia smell in cool room.

Cons to the system-
Costs- It is expensive. But if we defray this cost over the length of our two daughters showing careers it will be cheaper then any other bedding we would have used over that same time span.

Front Knee Hair- The carpet does wear on the front knee hair. I think it is from where they use that part of their body when getting up. This is not real bad and something we will be able to cover up with a scotch comb and a can of adhesive on show day.

Hope this helps some and please feel free to drop by and take a look if your ever in the area.

-Nasc
Click to expand...
 
G

GoWyo

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
Messages
1,691
Location
Wyoming
Long ago I threatened all of the kids that this was how I was going to remodel their rooms if they couldn't make a tiny effort to look clean up after themselves.  However, they wouldn't have gotten the nice carpet.
 
LostFarmer

LostFarmer

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
528
Location
Eastern Idaho
To take this a step further they have this product called Inulated concrete forms.  Similar to Styrofoam cinder blocks that you fill with concrete.  It gives you concrete with insulation on each side.  http://www.logixicf.com/ This is one brand I am familiar with.  Anyway pour the slab that drains to the back to a grate.  Add the ICF blocks with concrete.  On the inside use this.  Then use this on the wall to cover the insulation.  http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_building_material-ft1_polymax_wall_4;pg106835.html A few fans and a method to exhaust and you would have one fine cool box.  If you have cold well water to work with you could put pipe in the floor and be able to run cold water in the slab to help keep it cool.  If you all have not guessed I am a structural engineer by trade.  Farmer by choice.  ;D  I tell people with their money and my expertise we can do anything.  (thumbsup)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Top