Wine cooler conversion curer

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Disclaimer - I take no responsibility for you copying this, especially the dodgy bits.....

 

As per another topic, I was looking at the 'cannatrol' unit online. As far as I can tell it's a thermoelectric cooler (a peltier cooler based fridge) on a dew point controller. I figured I could have a pop at making one. I could have missed something fundamental about the cannatrol, but I don't believe so. So the same thing, if not better could be achieved with a wine cooler and humidity control, provided both temp and RH can be controlled, it's the same as regulating dew point. These boxes have so much potential as you can exactly control the temp and RH for different phases of drying and curing. The box is completely sealed so no air exchange or moisture exchange. Terp retention is immediately obvious. Difference is genuinely huge if, like me your drying game was the weakest link. I've been monitoring with a Bluetooth rh/temp sensor and it's been very precisely controllable.

 

I am still fine tuning but so far this works from fresh chopped:

 

- 3 days at 45% 17c

- 3 days at 50% 16c

- 3 days until as long as you like at 60% 16c

 

Rh set on the inkbird, temp on the cooler.

 

Theoretically you can just leave them in there indefinitely at that point, or jar them up. I notice the cannatrol has a sponge in a dish for humidification. So far that hasn't seemed necessary. If anyone knows something about the cannatrol I've missed, feel free to let me know! I can't see exactly how they route the supplementary dehumidifier but assume it's partially external. Maybe they don't have one and rely on the dehumidification provided by the peltier cooler... although that'd be naff.

 

There's only really room for about a bar or so, I may buy another. These aren't really upscalable. So I'm using it for my choice persy selection.

 

My unit is a cookology one that's £169. Dehumidifier was 30. Inkbird maybe 30 or so. A lot cheaper than a cannatrol. Excuse the shite everywhere.

 

 

These work differently to a compressor fridge which would be no use. They don't strip moisture from the air as much as compressor fridges and also cool down to 10 ish c below ambient only, generally down to about 12c lowest. The benefit of these is that they are a sealed box. I added a very small dehumidifier (also thermoelectric) with a drain hose. These generate a small amount of heat and it's a small space, so no point having a powerful one. 

 

I cut a hole in the back. This comes with a serious health warning. They fill these with foam containing pentane so it's flammable. Im drilling through a metal case into that foam so it's probably a bad idea. Take no responsibility for you doing it. I took out the plastic and a core of foam first. Sprayed down and cut slowly. Then threaded through the power lead for the dehumidifier. Then the inkbird RH sensor (this is used to control the dehumidifier).

 

Mounted the sensor inside. I also removed some of the rear housing to allow better exchange on the rear heatsink, again at risk - this exposes the PCB to a greater extent.

 

Next step I unclip the temp sensor from the fan housing and move it out into the cooler. This gives a more accurate ambient reading. You don't need to unscrew the housing like I have here, it's the blue wire, you can unclip the little bead sensor at the front of the casing and bend it straight.

 

 

Cables are routed round, shelves cut to accommodate and support dehumidifier, holes filled and totally sealed with foil tape and silicone.

 

Mount the humidity controller screen to the outside, plug socket for the inkbird with the dehumidifier plugged into it.

 

Unscrew and remove the drain tray from underneath

 

 

 ....and a hose can be attached from dehumidifier to drain, then another section added underneath. Hose can then drip into a bucket under a shelf. You can't run it straight through as the drain bends inside the casing.

 

With this setup no excess moisture should gather on the bottom from the cooler as the dehumidifier mops it all up. There aren't many dehumidifiers that are this small with drain hoses, but I found mine on that site of bezos'.

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by FarmerPalmersNT

[OneMorePuff]

I was the one who posted the original topic, and I'm glad I did as it got you to post this, and this is awesome.

 

 

You've already started using this right? The reason I started the other topic is because I was reading that certain terpenes are preserved through this method that are lost in the traditional 60f/60rh whole plant hang. 

 

Any comment on this? Have you done any side by side comparisons?

 

 

 

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Not got that far. Only done a trial single run through it. I'll know more after the next chop!

 

Although some shitty greenhouse popcorn psycho animal stomper I dried in it beats the shit out of the same cut I nursed in my notill for loudness. That's definitely down to the drying. So I'm convinced. 

Edited October 18, 2021 by FarmerPalmersNT

[Rhubarb & Flustered]

Very cool.

[FarmerPalmersNT]

I will say I fucked up the dry on that psycho animal stomper. But that's exactly the issue. So weather dependent trying to dry in an uncontrolled space. Fuck that anymore.

[Deranged World]

Nice one @FarmerPalmersNTreally good description.

 

Have you toyed with the settings to attain optimum dry? Or just thats what worked so far? 

 

From reading up and a bit for research, it seems that its quite commonly used in cheese aging/curing. 

 

However i seen a description by Cannatrol that said they set drying targets for 60% 16c over 12 days and slope it down, so i assume day 1 is 71%RH then day 2 is 70% and so on until you get to the desired 60% then cure is 58%RH and for as long as you want. Or until you need to jar up for next batch. 

 

But i would imagine that going from 71% to 60 over 12 days would give a much more controlled and slow dry, as moving 1% a day would allow moisture to leave the entire plant at a more steady level. 

 

Just my thoughts based on what I have found since doing a bit of searching after reading up that other thread. 

 

Some guys say they have minimal smell leaks but keep it in by their grow area and that scrubs what there is when its pulled in by the intake. 

1 i seen on currys earlier had a carbon filter in it

 

Think this will be my Christmas holidays project, in time for cropping late January. The removal of the need for burping sounds great on its own, and be great to get that perfect dry every time too. 

 

Which dehumidifier did you go for? And does it restart again by the controller? Or need buttons pressed? 

[blackpoolbouncer]

Awesome as ever mate

[FarmerPalmersNT]

I've not messed with the settings at all really @Deranged World I think sloping it is probably unnecessary although you could if you wanted go down by as little as 0.5% a time.

 

[FarmerPalmersNT]

The dehumidifier was an "aidodo". It's shit, cheap and flimsy but its the smallest thermoelectric one I could find with a drain hose.

 

Looks like this:

 

 

[ukbudz]

Awesome thread as usual. I can see cookology having a bump in sales soon 

 

Shame about the scalability but if someone's doing a perpetual single or couple of plant grow they'd be daft not to give this a whirl. 

[Exhale]

@FarmerPalmersNT let's hope it doesn't go the way of the dodo!

 

Brilliant work mate, something else I'm going to have to have a go at when it comes time to making hash of my own.

 

Love your messy extraction corner 

[buddy13]

 

awesome as always dude

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Cheers guys. Hopefully will help a few folks out. Like you say, ideal for the small scale grower or a bit of selected persy. 

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Just to add, in in response to questions it has to be a thermoelectric dehumidifier a compressor type will dry your nugs to dust in short order. Or at least be uncontrolled and shit. Can't use a normal fridge either. Same reasons.

[MindSoup]

Fuck yeah this could be the answer to my prayers, been having a few issues drying/curing with high ambient humidity. Nice one for the info mate.