Wine cooler for your stash?

[Slippy One]

All this talk of using a wine cooler to dry/cure. Does anyone use one for their stash over the summer months? My indoor temps are mid high 20's and probably stay there until October like last year.. 

 

I like that they can be set at around 16 degrees which is perfect to save electric (compared to a regular fridge)_, I'd just be worries about the condensation on the bud..

 

 

[MindSoup]

I think the inventor himself @FarmerPalmersNT does exactly that. Don't think condensation is an issue. 

[MidgeSmith]

I'm no expert, trying to get help on my build right now.  However, I think the good part about the thermoelectric wine-cooler curing setup is that it doesn't really get condensation inside because of the humidity controlled dehumidifier inside it.

What I would say though is that storing it despite heat has never been a problem for me, have you noticed degradation after storing it for a while?

 

I have let my Kilners full of  > 1 year old weed dry out further than they should perhaps as I haven't used bovedas or anything, but the strength and taste is pretty damned good having left all of the jars in a shady shed through last summer and winter.

I'd be tempted to use a temperature and humidity controlled fridge to store all of my weed if I had anywhere inocuous within the house to store it.  They're a little more sensitive to environmental temperatures than compressor based fridges though, so it wouldn't work out for me.  I'd be rumbled.

[OldFord]

13 minutes ago, MidgeSmith said:

I'm no expert, trying to get help on my build right now.  However, I think the good part about the thermoelectric wine-cooler curing setup is that it doesn't really get condensation inside because of the humidity controlled dehumidifier inside it.

What I would say though is that storing it despite heat has never been a problem for me, have you noticed degradation after storing it for a while?

 

I have let my Kilners full of  > 1 year old weed dry out further than they should perhaps as I haven't used bovedas or anything, but the strength and taste is pretty damned good having left all of the jars in a shady shed through last summer and winter.

I'd be tempted to use a temperature and humidity controlled fridge to store all of my weed if I had anywhere inocuous within the house to store it.  They're a little more sensitive to environmental temperatures than compressor based fridges though, so it wouldn't work out for me.  I'd be rumbled.

 

Im very intrigued by this method also ,   at present like you im a kilner user , i do use the cheap fleabay little digital RH / Temp meters in the jars and i do replace the seals annually on the jars , as i find the seals prone to leaking too often         Any new drying fridge would need to go in a cold workshop and it concerns me a tad.   

Poss in time when i get my head around it more and see how others fare 

[Slippy One]

Regular fridge might be cheaper, as wine coolers all look like they have wooden shelves, which usually means hand built and expensive. Regular fridges don't have glass doors that ghive the game away either. Only issue would be if a new fridge can be set quite high, like 16C, usually they just have a 1-10 dial... Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever bought a fridge.. 

[MindSoup]

I don't think there would be any harm storing it at low temperatures, some people put in the freezer. 

[MidgeSmith]

2 hours ago, OldFord said:

 

Im very intrigued by this method also ,   at present like you im a kilner user , i do use the cheap fleabay little digital RH / Temp meters in the jars and i do replace the seals annually on the jars , as i find the seals prone to leaking too often         Any new drying fridge would need to go in a cold workshop and it concerns me a tad.   

Poss in time when i get my head around it more and see how others fare 

Yeah, same thing. In your position, I might be tempted to recommend putting your weed in something like takeaway containers or something to keep their shape and then vaccuum sealing them in bags and putting them in a normal fridge.

You could just put it all in suitable sized Grove Bags.  They keep the humidity constant and at the right level if they are heat sealed.

[Slippy One]

22 minutes ago, MindSoup said:

I don't think there would be any harm storing it at low temperatures, some people put in the freezer. 

Yeah, I'd be hesitant to go too low, for fear of condensation upon thawing again. 

 

I'm just after a stable (year round) and cheap way of achieving 12-16C with the door shut to keep it simple. Not much information on using fridges to store if I'm honest, you'd think at least 1 youtuber would have a side by side comparison on cooled/vs room temp bud long term..

 

[MindSoup]

9 hours ago, Slippy One said:

cheap way of achieving 12-16C

Dig a hole. 

[MindSoup]

 

[AnonyMice]

On 11/06/2023 at 9:00 PM, Slippy One said:

Regular fridge might be cheaper

A frost free fridge on the warmest setting is around 12c and won’t cause condensation, so long as you don’t open and close the door multiple times a day. 
there’s folks on another forum that dry this way at low temps (5c), said to retain more terpenes

[MidgeSmith]

4 minutes ago, AnonyMice said:

A frost free fridge on the warmest setting is around 12c and won’t cause condensation, so long as you don’t open and close the door multiple times a day. 
there’s folks on another forum that dry this way at low temps (5c), said to retain more terpenes

I believe the problem is that they dry things out too quickly, requiring the need for paper bag wrapping. 

[AnonyMice]

@MidgeSmith the idea is to dry slowly mate. A lot slower than traditional drying. Humidity must be kept above 40%, hard when fridge gets down to nearly 0. Bowl of water inside fridge raises RH to range.. I’m gonna give it another go this year stabilising the environment a lot better than last year 

[Slippy One]

I’m in large Grovebags, and pretty sure they’re airtight. I just think 12 is too cold. I’d only open the door every few months but good wine coolers start at 11° and go up to 19° but I’d be aiming for the 16° mark.. 

[MindSoup]

You could just use a compressor fridge/freezer but run it off an inkbird temperature controller to sit at 16°, way cheeper and roomier. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by MindSoup