# Drying/Aging chamber DIY/How to w/ pictures



## Holly2015

Update 1/9/19:

In posting and talking with other folks there is some confusion on what we commonly call a "curing chamber" when it actually a drying/aging chamber.

Curing is the 1st step in the process followed by the drying and aging process.

I have gone though this thread and changed "curing chamber to drying/aging chamber or D/A chamber.



I hope this thread inspires folks to build their own drying/aging chamber or at least this thread is that little push for other's who were the fence about building a drying/aging chamber.

The whole idea behind a drying/aging chamber is having the ability to mechanically replicate a naturally occuring environment. Not many people live in environment that is naturally perfect for curing/aging meats. Even those who are most likely these conditions are seasonal and not year long. So if curing/ageing meats or cheeses is something you want to do and you do not have the right natural conditions its time to build a D/A chamber. In a chamber you need to control 2 things. Temperature and humidity. To do this you need to be able to

Cool
Heat
Humidify
Dehumidify
Means to control the 1st four (4) bullet points

*Appliance you'll need to convert into a curing/aging chamber:*

Refrigerator, beverage cooler, freezer or wine cooler (This is the cooling and chamber body)

*Note: *If using a upright freezer the type with cooling running through the shelves/racks will not work. It must be an open style. Also wine coolers are typically too small.


Then you will need the following all available off of Amazon. Prices are as of 11/14/18:

Inkdird IHC-200 = $34.99 (this will control the humidifier and dehumidifier the chamber)

View attachment 380421


Inkbird ITC-308 = $39.99 (This will control the cooling and heating in the chamber)

View attachment 380420


Crane "Drop" 1 gallon humidifier = $39.99 (This will add moisture when needed)

View attachment 380422


Eva0Dry-1100 dehumidifier = $37.45 (This will remove moisture when needed)

View attachment 380423


Honeywell HCE100B ceramic desktop heater = @21.18 (This will add heat when needed)

View attachment 380424


*Note: *There are other humidifiers, dehumidifiers and heaters that will work. You must make sure that they have manual on/off switches. Push button electronic lo/med/hi or digital switches will not work. The equipment must always be mechanically in the "on" position or always "enabled" to run. The Inkbird controller will take care of turning the equipment on/off

Now that you have the chamber body , controls and equipment you will need a way to get the power wires from inside the chamber to the outside. This can be accomplished several way. I chose to add three (3) single gang surface mount 120v outlets to the interior of the chamber and then extend the wires through the chamber wall to the exterior.

Note: If mounting electrical boxes to the interior do not be tempted to by a 3 or 4 gang box. Since some of the equipment has a big plug on it you will not be able to plug stuff in side by side. Using single gang boxes spaced an inch or so apart overcomes this.

*Electrical hardware you'll need:   *

*3 - single gang surface mount back box*
*3 - 120v duplex outlet*
*3 - duplex cover plate*
*4 - female extension cord plug ends* (make sure you get the ones shown below. If you get the traditional round one they are to big to plug in side by side. Home Depot and Lowe's both have the plug ends needed)
*3 - 1/2" PVC 90's*
*3 - 1/2" PVC male adapters*
*3 - 1/2" conduit nuts*
*2 packs of 1/4" cable clamps (optional)*
*10' - 1/2 PVC conduit*
*21' - sacrificial extension cord*
*1 small box of sheet metal screws (if using cable clamps)*
























































*Now onto the interior layout of the electrical boxes.*

1. Verify the chamber is unplugged.

2. Determine what wall you want the electrical boxes on and verify there is no wiring, drain lines or refrigeration piping in this wall.

3. Next draw three (3) vertical pencil lines from the floor of the chamber up about 8 inches. Then left to right space the lines 3 to 4 inches apart.

4. Next come up from the bottom of the chamber 6 inches and make a level line across all three vertical lines. This will be the center of the electrical boxes and where you will drill the holes for the conduit to exit the chamber.







5. Where the three lines intersect drill a 1-1/8 inch hole through the wall of the chamber. This for the conduit to go through.

6. Punch out the 1/2 inch knockout out of the back of the backbox, put the male adapter in the backbox and thread the conduit nut (conduit nut goes inside the box and the smooth socket of the male adapter is on the back of the back box) on to secure the male adapter to the backbox. Repeat for all three boxes.

7. Next place the back box in the chamber with the male adapter centered over the 1-1/8 inch hole and push tightly against the chamber wall. Make sure the box is plumb/level then secure with sheet metal screws in the provided mounting holes. Repeat with all three back boxes.

*NOTE: *When using sheet metal screws to secure the back boxes it is a good idea to mark the mounting holes with pencil, remove the box and drill a 1/16 inch pilot holes. Then replace the box then fasten with the screws. Two screws per box is sufficient.







8. Now on the outside of the chamber push the 1/2 inch conduit through the side wall and into the socket of the male adapter in the back box. Make a pencil mark on the conduit flush with the exterior of the curing chamber  wall then pull the conduit back out. Measure from the end of the conduit to the pencil mark. Cut 3 pieces to this length then insert all 3 pieces into the back boxes. This little section of conduit will act like a sleeve through the chamber wall.

9. Cut the extension cord into three sections (I like to go with extra so 7+ foot) piece to be trimmed to suit later.

10. Strip back the rubber outside sheathing on one end of the cord to expose the 3 wires contained within. Then strip back the insulation on the individual white, black and green wires.

11. Wire the duplex outlets White wire to silver screw, black wire to brass screw and green wire to green screw. Repeat for all three duplex outlets.

12. After the duplex outlets are wired pull the wiring through the backbox until the outlet is seated in the back box. Secure the outlet to the backbox with factory supplied screws on the outlet then install the cover plate. Repeat with all three outlets.







*Now with power boxes installed time to move to the outside of the chamber.
*
13. Gather the 3 PVC 90's and cut 3 piece of 1/2 inch conduit approximately 8 inches

14. Now thread the tail of the wiring through the 90 and push the 90 over the wall sleeve in step 8. Repeat with all three wires.







15. Now thread the wire through the 8 inch pieces of conduit and push into the top side of the 1/2 inch 90.

16. Verify the 1/2 inch risers are plumb then about an inch down from the top secure with the 1/2 inch conduit strap. Once secure seal the gap between the wall of the riser and the wiring with silicone. If you don't seal then gap in the summer hot humid air will settle in this gap then condense and water will run in the chamber through the electrical box.







17. Wire on the male plugs to the three cords that are extension's from the interior electrical boxes. These plugs will get plugged into the controller 120v female outlets.

18. Next onto locating the Inkbird controllers on the exterior of the chamber. I like to put them with the digital display at or near eye level. Once you have them where you want them at the top of each controller is a tab with a hole in it  that you use a screw to hang the controller on.







*NOTE:* If you are not absolutely sure of the controller placement you can use some double sided tape to temporarily mount the controllers. Then once you are satisfied with the location then use a screw to fasten them to the chamber wall.

19. Out of the bottom of the controllers are the 120v "function" outlets that will power the interior outlets. Pull these plug ends down to straighten out the wire and secure them the the outside of the chamber with double sided tape or there are also slots in the back that you can install small screws int he chamber wall then slip the plugs over to secure.

20. Next step is to drill 2 additional small diameter holes in the side of the chamber. One is for the humidity sensor the other is the temperature sensor. Seal around these holes as well ideally with something removable like a heavy duty tape or pliable putty to keep air out.

*NOTE: *You will have to measure the temperature sensor and humidity sensors to determine wheat size holes to drill. Mine were 1/2 inch for the humidity seanor and 1/4 inch for the temperature sensor.

21. Slide the sensors through the holes and into the interior of the chamber. Secure the humidity sensor about 1 inch down from the ceiling of the chamber with double sided tape. The Temperature sensor is also installed up high and not in the direct path of the condenser fan. Also make sure the temp sensor metal bulb is not touching anything just hanging freely.

22. Now its time to start plugging equipment in. The controllers each have a duplex plug with each plug perfuming a different task.

Temperature controller plugs are marked:

Heat - This is where the heater plug in
Cool - This is where the refrigerator plugs in
Humidity controller plugs are marked:

Work 1 - This is where the dehumidifier plugs in
Work 2 - This is where the humidifier plugs in
23. Place the humidifier, dehumidifier and heater into the chamber on the floor and plug them into the the individual outlet that works best for their orientation. Verify the heater, humidifier and dehumidifier are switched/toggled to the "On" position. Then on the conduit risers outside the chamber and cover plates inside the chamber write in sharpie what equipment is plugged into that outlet. See picture in step 16 for reference.







24. Now plug your "extension cords" coming from the interior of the chamber to the corresponding controller plug. Then plug the refrigerator into the "cool" plug the remaining three (3) plugs, plug into the outlets as outlined in step 22.

25. Fill the humidifier with water

26. Turn the refrigerator to the coolest setting.

27. Plug the Inkbird controllers to the 120v wall outlet and the controllers should light up. Now it's time to program the controllers and get the chamber up, running and controlling cooling, heating, humidifying and dehumidifying.

I run my chamber at 57 degrees and 80% relative humidity with a 2 point dead band.

*NOTE:* Dead band is an range plus or minus of set point. If you set the chamber at 57 degrees with no dead band when the temp rises to 58 degrees the cooling will run until it reaches the 57 degree AKA setpoint. But it will also overshoot and cool past 57 degrees to 56. Now that you are below setpoint the heat will come on to combat the over cooling. Then just like the cooling when the 57 degree set point is reached the heater shuts off but will overshoot to 58 degrees and the cooling kicks back on. Its a vicious cycle that will have the heat and cooling fighting to maintain a finite setpoint. To combat this if you add in few degrees of dead band now when the chamber is set at 57 degrees but the cooling will not kick on until the chamber reaches 60 degrees. So now at 60 degrees the cooling kicks on and at 57 degrees it shuts off and can over shoot to 54 degrees before the heat will kick on. Dead band simply allows newly introduced conditioning time to settle.Your home heating or cooling had dead band built into it from the factory.


This is how my Inkbird controllers are programmed:

*Temperature controller*

Temp set point (TS) = 57 degrees
Heating differential value (HD) = 2 degrees (dead band)
Cooling differential value (CD) = 2 degrees (dead band)
Alarm high (AH) = 62 degrees
Alarm low (AL) = 50 degrees
Compressor delay (PT) = 2 minutes
Temp calibration (CA) = 0 degrees
Display temp Fahrenheit or Celsius (CF) = F

*Humidity Controller*

Humidity set point (HS) 80%
Humidification differential value (HD) 2.0% (dead band)
Dehumidification value (DD) = 2.0 % (dead band)
Alarm high (AH) = 87.0 %
Alarm low (AL) = 50.0 %
Compressor delay = 0 minutes
Humidity calibration (CA) = 0 %


The alarm set points can be adjusted for tighter tolerance but then you get nuisance beeps every time you open the door. The alarms on either of controllers are audible only and will not operate or override the equipment.

Now that you have verified all the equipment is plug into the respective outlet all the equipment is turned in the "on" position, humidifier filled with water and the controllers programmed the chamber is now ready for the test phase.

Load some thermal mass in the chamber (6 packs,  a case of water or a pot of water will work) close the door and watch the controllers enabling and disabling the different equipment to maintain setpoint. Do this for at least 24 hours or better yet for a couple of day to verify everything is operating as intended.

Once you are happy with the chamber operations now is the time to tidy up the wiring and/or permanently fasten the controllers. If the extension cords from the D/A chamber equipment outlets is too long simply remove the male plug end trim the wire to the desired length and refit the plug end. Then use the 1/4 inch nylon cable clamps to secure the wiring to the side of the D/A chamber.

*NOTE:* *Anytime you are working on the electricals unplug everything from the wall outlets so there is no threat of electrical shock.
*
*As one last side note:* If you choose to you can easily revert the chamber back to a it previous life. Simply unplug and remove the heater, humidifier and dehumidifier from the interior of the chamber. Then reprogram the temperature controller to the desired temp. The nicety is if you are not curing year round you can reporose the appliance to be useful year round. 
*
Congratulations! You have just built a Drying/Curing chamber that will hold extremely tight tolerance and give you the ability to produce/create some very high end product. *

*Enjoy,

Holly2015
*


----------



## daveomak




----------



## HalfSmoked

Sounds like you have a plan. Waiting to see the finish and some cured meat.

Warren


----------



## indaswamp

In in for the ride....


----------



## daveomak

I've got a dorm fridge...  I think the "radiator" coils are in the sides of the refer body...   I'm thinking I'm gonna use a non-contact infra red thermometer to determine the placement of the coils...   Any other suggestions...  
I'm guessing your larger fridge has the coils somewhere that is easily identifiable....

I like the arrangement of all the controls...


----------



## cpanderson

I'm looking at Amazon right now and see an ITC-308 and an IHC-200 combo pack.  Is it possible that you have the model numbers transposed?  Not trying to be a smarta$$, just checking if I am looking at the correct items, and will help others if they get confused also.


----------



## cpanderson

Holly2015 said:


> I'm glad you caught and point that out. Its been corrected
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Holly


No problem... I'm currently ordering up a few of these parts, and doing research on a few others before buying... I think the longest time will be spent waiting to buy the right fridge or freezer, as the price/condition of items on sites like offerup are touch and go, so I really want to get a good deal but not buy a dud.  I'm thinking a stand alone freezer will do fine, although if I come across a glass door beverage cooler like in your build, I will be tempted.  Do you have any thoughts on the performance between the two?


----------



## cpanderson

Holly2015 said:


> Where are you located? If close I'll consider selling outright or trade you my beverage cooler for a upright freezer.


Southern California... the land of fruits and nuts... a tad bit far from PA.


----------



## cpanderson

So I picked this big boy up today.  The lady was getting divorced and moving from a house to an apartment and needed it gone this weekend.  She had it listed for $250 but I got it for $80 dollars.  I'll spend the week cleaning and sanitizing everything and hopefully start the build out this weekend.  Will create my own thread so as to not hijack your's.  Your explanations are pretty straightforward, but may have a question or two at some point.  This should be fun!  Frigidaire Upright Freezer, 20.2 Cu. Ft. of space.


----------



## pc farmer

Awesome


----------



## daveomak

Nice score...


----------



## cpanderson

So since you are OK with me continuing in this thread, I will go ahead and run with it.  Right now I am contemplating the penetrations of the freezer side to run wires through for the electricity and humidity/temp sensors.  I'm probably going to try to use rubber grommets to the size of the conduits for elec.  It will also be easy to use a grommet for the temp sensor (Inkbird ITC-308).  I'm having a hard time envisioning what I would like to do with the (Inkbird IHC-200) though.  It is 1" in max width but thin in depth.  I opened the controller and there is a pin connector I can disconnect and slide through a grommet and reconnect, but that would mean I would have to open the controller every time I want to remove the sensor from the freezer.  How often do you guys remove the sensor from your freezer?  I would hate to be handling the circuit board too much and lose a solder.  I guess the wheels in my head are spinning right now and I don't want to cut anything yet until I think it through, but was wondering what others have done.


----------



## cpanderson

I am also contemplating cutting the cord and adding a pin connector outside of the freezer mid cord so that I can disconnect without touching the circuit board.


----------



## cpanderson

Well it looks like my efforts will be set back a bit... as I was assembling the fridge today, I was putting some sheet metal screws to hold the wires in place and it started hissing... seems like I hit a freon line... I looked over the manual and documents and it never showed anything in the side of the fridge... I guess now I am back to square one unless I learn how to fix freon lines...


----------



## pc farmer

cpanderson said:


> Well it looks like my efforts will be set back a bit... as I was assembling the fridge today, I was putting some sheet metal screws to hold the wires in place and it started hissing... seems like I hit a freon line... I looked over the manual and documents and it never showed anything in the side of the fridge... I guess now I am back to square one unless I learn how to fix freon lines...



And refill the freon.


----------



## cpanderson

It uses R134A, which I can get at the autoparts store... but purging the line might be a problem


----------



## pc farmer

cpanderson said:


> It uses R134A, which I can get at the autoparts store... but purging the line might be a problem



Ok.   I thought most used R22.  Well back in the day anyway.


----------



## cpanderson

I cut the side open... damnit, I had screws a 1/2" above and below the line, but the last one just nicked the side... I guess I will have to do some research and see if there are compression or swage fittings that I can try... worst thing that happens is that it doesn't work and I still have to take it to the landfill


----------



## pc farmer

Thats why I run my cords through the door opening


----------



## cpanderson

After further evaluation, the line I hit is carbon steel and not copper... either way, I have a flaring tool so I'm going to cut out the punctured section and put in flare fittings to bridge the gap.  Our local auto zone has free rental vacuum pump and gauge setup that you just put a deposit down on to borrow.  Still thinking about getting the valves put on and replacing the dryer while i'm at it... I've brazed before but don't have any nitrogen on hand, and the internet is full of different information about how critical that is.  Wish I still had my Tig welder... being carbon steel I could have fixed that hole up real quick... this is going to be either an interesting build or a lesson learned :D


----------



## indaswamp

Watching.....

Hope you fix it.


----------



## cpanderson

truth be told, it would probably be cheaper to just pay the dump fee and buy another used one... but I guess I'm stubborn...  which probably means this won't end well :D


----------



## indaswamp

LOL!


----------



## cpanderson

Current status... I ordered a pair of refrigeration schrader valves to install... once installed, will rent the vacuum and pull a vacuum to see if everything is sealing... fingers crossed...


----------



## daveomak

Good job to repair it...


----------



## indaswamp

daveomak said:


> Good job to repair it...


X2!


----------



## cpanderson

I spent 12 years in a job shop fixing things I had no business fixing... can't stop now :)   truth be told, the refrigerant will probably cost more that the $50 freezer on offerup down the street... but once I get started with a project, it's my baby... have to see it through


----------



## indaswamp

LOL! Life skills!


----------



## cpanderson

My welding is tits... forming flare threads is easy.. but don't have a lot of experience sweating/soldering/brazing (pick what you want to call it)... so that will be where I muck everything up


----------



## cpanderson

So an update on the disaster.  Not knowing much about refrigeration, I did not realize that the lack of a condenser on the back of my fridge meant that my freezer is what is referred to as a "Hot Wall Condenser" freezer.  The tubes zig zag back an forth in both sides of the freezer, and possibly the top although I am not certain about that.  What this means is that I punctured the high pressure side of the system.  I still should be ok with my fix, as the high pressure side's working pressure is rated at 320 psi, and the copper/flare fittings are rated above 1000 psi.  I will also note that after checking, my stud finder does an accurate job of locating the pipes through the side of the freezer by testing it where I know where they are located at now that I have opened up the side.  I will put in a caveat and word of caution for anyone that uses that advice, I would recommend testing your stud finder first, and then opening up a small area to locate the line and be sure it is reading the lines.  Another word of caution, the hot wall condenser lines are located directly on the other side of the outside wall of the freezer, so go slow and use snips instead of a cutting wheel.  I don't want to be held responsible for bad advice.  I just know that it is working for me.  I will be gone over the weekend, but I should have all the parts and pieces to recharge the freezer next week.  Fingers crossed.  Oh, and Holly, I am taking your advice and using some Nylog blue HVAC thread sealant on the fittings.  I have a friend that isn't local that does HVAC for a living for commercial/industrial applications, and he has been helping me via calls and pictures sent.  I don't think I would be confident continuing without his input.  Hopefully my next post is full of good news and photos.


----------



## cpanderson

Quick update:

I vacuumed the line and desiccated, then weighed in the proper amount of refrigerant.  I have been running it overnight at 50 degrees F with a dead band of 3 degrees and it seems to be holding steady.  I went ahead and added a 2.5 gallon water container to help regulate the temperature.  As you can see in the picture, the cycle time stretched out after adding the water and allowing it time to come to temp.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





At the moment, the cycle time seems to be about 25-30 minutes.






I will continue to monitor for probably a week before putting anything in it, as I don't want to risk spoiling meat.


----------



## actech

Can I add something here.  On any newer refrigeration equipment please drill holes in the great outdoors. There any many highly flammable refrigerants in use now. Dumping the charge indoors could be a big problem. Anything but 134a should be researched before cabinet alterations take place.


----------



## Atl1530

This is great!! how can you verify there is no wiring, drain lines or refrigeration piping in the wall you plan to run your wiring through? The refrigeration piping would be the hardest or is there a way to tell?


----------



## cpanderson

I was able to verify the location of condensing tubes after the hitting one with a screw by using a stud finder... but really the only way of knowing for sure is finding the schematics of the fridge you are using and probably calling them to verify... otherwise it can be a crapshoot


----------



## Atl1530

I guess the safest way is to go through the top. Not as elegant but safer.


----------



## dowser

Thank you so much for posting your trials and errors.  I was all set this morning to start drilling holes and converting the freezer, then I read about the lines in the side walls.  I managed to get everything run in just by passing the wires through the gasket on the hinge side of the door.  So nice to learn from others who walk the path before us!


----------



## 4EvrDude

This was a fabulous post. I can hardly wait to get started. I have one question though as a newbie. Every recipe I have seen requires an initial fermentation phase at a particular temperature and relative humidity. How is this accomplished when your curing chamber is full of product that you’ve already started? Is it best to have a separate chamber for this as well? Thanks!!!


----------



## 4EvrDude

Thanks Holly. My neighbor Mark and I will be starting our conversion of a relatively new commercial refrigerator that my daughter used at the medical clinic where she worked to store vaccines. 

I am grateful for your article and will forward it to Mark who is a retired commercial electrician. I’m charged with getting the equipment and Mark will get the parts and do the work needed for integration.

May we call on you for subsequent advice??? 

Thanks,


----------



## 4EvrDude

Thanks‍!!!


----------



## 4EvrDude

Hi again Holly, I am confused about circulating air in the drying/aging chamber. some say open the door periodically. Others say buy a computer fan and a dryer vent for input/output. And still others buy a regulator for the fan, and some use a deflector in combination. And then there are those who also talk about calculating calculating fan speed.

My wife is Italian and says of my new hobby. I’m sure my ancestors are smiling down watching this process. She said the same when I started making my own sausage. She felt differently then after we made Brooklyn style Italian Sausage like she remembered. So delicious and easy to make.

Thanks for any help you can provide.


----------



## daveomak

This is an indepth read on the topics discussed..

 Sausage types etc.. 


Fermented Sausage
Cultures
Equipment
Safety Hurdles
Standards
Traditional


----------



## 4EvrDude

Holly2015 said:


> Generally the fridge is all you need especially in the summer when the fridge runs a lot. My setup is in the garage so in the dead of winter it may not cycle the refrigeration on for days on end so I run a 10cfm fan high in the chamber pointed away from the meats that is plugged into the humidifier circuit. So when the humidifier runs the fan runs. This help distribute and mix the humidity into the air. I also open the door periodically to introduce some new fresh air because my chamber is sealed pretty tight and want to replace some of the stagnant air every day or three. Just open/close. If you ran cords through the door seal or did not seal up all the penetrations fresh air will leak in naturally and you would not have to open the door for air transfers.
> 
> In short if you chamber is in a place where the mechanical cooling will run at least a couple times per day to don't necessarily need an additional low CFM fan as the fan in the fridge is enough to keep thing stirred up. If like my setup there are times when the fridge will not run for days on end a separate low CFM fan is a good idea to help keep things mixed up.


Great! Our environment is a lot like yours and our unit is up and running thanks to your advice.Now we are looking for a good Salumi recipe that us newbies can try.


----------



## Jesse B Goode

VE


Holly2015 said:


> Update 1/9/19:
> 
> In posting and talking with other folks there is some confusion on what we commonly call a "curing chamber" when it actually a drying/aging chamber.
> 
> Curing is the 1st step in the process followed by the drying and aging process.
> 
> I have gone though this thread and changed "curing chamber to drying/aging chamber or D/A chamber.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope this thread inspires folks to build their own drying/aging chamber or at least this thread is that little push for other's who were the fence about building a drying/aging chamber.
> 
> The whole idea behind a drying/aging chamber is having the ability to mechanically replicate a naturally occuring environment. Not many people live in environment that is naturally perfect for curing/aging meats. Even those who are most likely these conditions are seasonal and not year long. So if curing/ageing meats or cheeses is something you want to do and you do not have the right natural conditions its time to build a D/A chamber. In a chamber you need to control 2 things. Temperature and humidity. To do this you need to be able to
> 
> Cool
> Heat
> Humidify
> Dehumidify
> Means to control the 1st four (4) bullet points
> 
> *Appliance you'll need to convert into a curing/aging chamber:*
> 
> Refrigerator, beverage cooler, freezer or wine cooler (This is the cooling and chamber body)
> 
> *Note: *If using a upright freezer the type with cooling running through the shelves/racks will not work. It must be an open style. Also wine coolers are typically too small.
> 
> 
> Then you will need the following all available off of Amazon. Prices are as of 11/14/18:
> 
> Inkdird IHC-200 = $34.99 (this will control the humidifier and dehumidifier the chamber)
> 
> View attachment 380421
> 
> 
> Inkbird ITC-308 = $39.99 (This will control the cooling and heating in the chamber)
> 
> View attachment 380420
> 
> 
> Crane "Drop" 1 gallon humidifier = $39.99 (This will add moisture when needed)
> 
> View attachment 380422
> 
> 
> Eva0Dry-1100 dehumidifier = $37.45 (This will remove moisture when needed)
> 
> View attachment 380423
> 
> 
> Honeywell HCE100B ceramic desktop heater = @21.18 (This will add heat when needed)
> 
> View attachment 380424
> 
> 
> *Note: *There are other humidifiers, dehumidifiers and heaters that will work. You must make sure that they have manual on/off switches. Push button electronic lo/med/hi or digital switches will not work. The equipment must always be mechanically in the "on" position or always "enabled" to run. The Inkbird controller will take care of turning the equipment on/off
> 
> Now that you have the chamber body , controls and equipment you will need a way to get the power wires from inside the chamber to the outside. This can be accomplished several way. I chose to add three (3) single gang surface mount 120v outlets to the interior of the chamber and then extend the wires through the chamber wall to the exterior.
> 
> Note: If mounting electrical boxes to the interior do not be tempted to by a 3 or 4 gang box. Since some of the equipment has a big plug on it you will not be able to plug stuff in side by side. Using single gang boxes spaced an inch or so apart overcomes this.
> 
> *Electrical hardware you'll need:   *
> 
> *3 - single gang surface mount back box*
> *3 - 120v duplex outlet*
> *3 - duplex cover plate*
> *4 - female extension cord plug ends* (make sure you get the ones shown below. If you get the traditional round one they are to big to plug in side by side. Home Depot and Lowe's both have the plug ends needed)
> *3 - 1/2" PVC 90's*
> *3 - 1/2" PVC male adapters*
> *3 - 1/2" conduit nuts*
> *2 packs of 1/4" cable clamps (optional)*
> *10' - 1/2 PVC conduit*
> *21' - sacrificial extension cord*
> *1 small box of sheet metal screws (if using cable clamps)*
> 
> View attachment 444317
> 
> 
> View attachment 444318
> 
> 
> View attachment 444319
> 
> 
> View attachment 444320
> 
> 
> View attachment 444321
> 
> 
> View attachment 444322
> 
> 
> View attachment 444323
> 
> 
> View attachment 444324
> 
> 
> View attachment 444325
> 
> 
> *Now onto the interior layout of the electrical boxes.*
> 
> 1. Verify the chamber is unplugged.
> 
> 2. Determine what wall you want the electrical boxes on and verify there is no wiring, drain lines or refrigeration piping in this wall.
> 
> 3. Next draw three (3) vertical pencil lines from the floor of the chamber up about 8 inches. Then left to right space the lines 3 to 4 inches apart.
> 
> 4. Next come up from the bottom of the chamber 6 inches and make a level line across all three vertical lines. This will be the center of the electrical boxes and where you will drill the holes for the conduit to exit the chamber.
> 
> View attachment 444326
> 
> 
> 5. Where the three lines intersect drill a 1-1/8 inch hole through the wall of the chamber. This for the conduit to go through.
> 
> 6. Punch out the 1/2 inch knockout out of the back of the backbox, put the male adapter in the backbox and thread the conduit nut (conduit nut goes inside the box and the smooth socket of the male adapter is on the back of the back box) on to secure the male adapter to the backbox. Repeat for all three boxes.
> 
> 7. Next place the back box in the chamber with the male adapter centered over the 1-1/8 inch hole and push tightly against the chamber wall. Make sure the box is plumb/level then secure with sheet metal screws in the provided mounting holes. Repeat with all three back boxes.
> 
> *NOTE: *When using sheet metal screws to secure the back boxes it is a good idea to mark the mounting holes with pencil, remove the box and drill a 1/16 inch pilot holes. Then replace the box then fasten with the screws. Two screws per box is sufficient.
> 
> View attachment 444327
> 
> 
> 8. Now on the outside of the chamber push the 1/2 inch conduit through the side wall and into the socket of the male adapter in the back box. Make a pencil mark on the conduit flush with the exterior of the curing chamber  wall then pull the conduit back out. Measure from the end of the conduit to the pencil mark. Cut 3 pieces to this length then insert all 3 pieces into the back boxes. This little section of conduit will act like a sleeve through the chamber wall.
> 
> 9. Cut the extension cord into three sections (I like to go with extra so 7+ foot) piece to be trimmed to suit later.
> 
> 10. Strip back the rubber outside sheathing on one end of the cord to expose the 3 wires contained within. Then strip back the insulation on the individual white, black and green wires.
> 
> 11. Wire the duplex outlets White wire to silver screw, black wire to brass screw and green wire to green screw. Repeat for all three duplex outlets.
> 
> 12. After the duplex outlets are wired pull the wiring through the backbox until the outlet is seated in the back box. Secure the outlet to the backbox with factory supplied screws on the outlet then install the cover plate. Repeat with all three outlets.
> 
> View attachment 444328
> 
> 
> *Now with power boxes installed time to move to the outside of the chamber.*
> 
> 13. Gather the 3 PVC 90's and cut 3 piece of 1/2 inch conduit approximately 8 inches
> 
> 14. Now thread the tail of the wiring through the 90 and push the 90 over the wall sleeve in step 8. Repeat with all three wires.
> 
> View attachment 444329
> 
> 
> 15. Now thread the wire through the 8 inch pieces of conduit and push into the top side of the 1/2 inch 90.
> 
> 16. Verify the 1/2 inch risers are plumb then about an inch down from the top secure with the 1/2 inch conduit strap. Once secure seal the gap between the wall of the riser and the wiring with silicone. If you don't seal then gap in the summer hot humid air will settle in this gap then condense and water will run in the chamber through the electrical box.
> 
> View attachment 444330
> 
> 
> 17. Wire on the male plugs to the three cords that are extension's from the interior electrical boxes. These plugs will get plugged into the controller 120v female outlets.
> 
> 18. Next onto locating the Inkbird controllers on the exterior of the chamber. I like to put them with the digital display at or near eye level. Once you have them where you want them at the top of each controller is a tab with a hole in it  that you use a screw to hang the controller on.
> 
> View attachment 444331
> 
> 
> *NOTE:* If you are not absolutely sure of the controller placement you can use some double sided tape to temporarily mount the controllers. Then once you are satisfied with the location then use a screw to fasten them to the chamber wall.
> 
> 19. Out of the bottom of the controllers are the 120v "function" outlets that will power the interior outlets. Pull these plug ends down to straighten out the wire and secure them the the outside of the chamber with double sided tape or there are also slots in the back that you can install small screws int he chamber wall then slip the plugs over to secure.
> 
> 20. Next step is to drill 2 additional small diameter holes in the side of the chamber. One is for the humidity sensor the other is the temperature sensor. Seal around these holes as well ideally with something removable like a heavy duty tape or pliable putty to keep air out.
> 
> *NOTE: *You will have to measure the temperature sensor and humidity sensors to determine wheat size holes to drill. Mine were 1/2 inch for the humidity seanor and 1/4 inch for the temperature sensor.
> 
> 21. Slide the sensors through the holes and into the interior of the chamber. Secure the humidity sensor about 1 inch down from the ceiling of the chamber with double sided tape. The Temperature sensor is also installed up high and not in the direct path of the condenser fan. Also make sure the temp sensor metal bulb is not touching anything just hanging freely.
> 
> 22. Now its time to start plugging equipment in. The controllers each have a duplex plug with each plug perfuming a different task.
> 
> Temperature controller plugs are marked:
> 
> Heat - This is where the heater plug in
> Cool - This is where the refrigerator plugs in
> Humidity controller plugs are marked:
> 
> Work 1 - This is where the dehumidifier plugs in
> Work 2 - This is where the humidifier plugs in
> 23. Place the humidifier, dehumidifier and heater into the chamber on the floor and plug them into the the individual outlet that works best for their orientation. Verify the heater, humidifier and dehumidifier are switched/toggled to the "On" position. Then on the conduit risers outside the chamber and cover plates inside the chamber write in sharpie what equipment is plugged into that outlet. See picture in step 16 for reference.
> 
> View attachment 444332
> 
> 
> 24. Now plug your "extension cords" coming from the interior of the chamber to the corresponding controller plug. Then plug the refrigerator into the "cool" plug the remaining three (3) plugs, plug into the outlets as outlined in step 22.
> 
> 25. Fill the humidifier with water
> 
> 26. Turn the refrigerator to the coolest setting.
> 
> 27. Plug the Inkbird controllers to the 120v wall outlet and the controllers should light up. Now it's time to program the controllers and get the chamber up, running and controlling cooling, heating, humidifying and dehumidifying.
> 
> I run my chamber at 57 degrees and 80% relative humidity with a 2 point dead band.
> 
> *NOTE:* Dead band is an range plus or minus of set point. If you set the chamber at 57 degrees with no dead band when the temp rises to 58 degrees the cooling will run until it reaches the 57 degree AKA setpoint. But it will also overshoot and cool past 57 degrees to 56. Now that you are below setpoint the heat will come on to combat the over cooling. Then just like the cooling when the 57 degree set point is reached the heater shuts off but will overshoot to 58 degrees and the cooling kicks back on. Its a vicious cycle that will have the heat and cooling fighting to maintain a finite setpoint. To combat this if you add in few degrees of dead band now when the chamber is set at 57 degrees but the cooling will not kick on until the chamber reaches 60 degrees. So now at 60 degrees the cooling kicks on and at 57 degrees it shuts off and can over shoot to 54 degrees before the heat will kick on. Dead band simply allows newly introduced conditioning time to settle.Your home heating or cooling had dead band built into it from the factory.
> 
> 
> This is how my Inkbird controllers are programmed:
> 
> *Temperature controller*
> 
> Temp set point (TS) = 57 degrees
> Heating differential value (HD) = 2 degrees (dead band)
> Cooling differential value (CD) = 2 degrees (dead band)
> Alarm high (AH) = 62 degrees
> Alarm low (AL) = 50 degrees
> Compressor delay (PT) = 2 minutes
> Temp calibration (CA) = 0 degrees
> Display temp Fahrenheit or Celsius (CF) = F
> 
> *Humidity Controller*
> 
> Humidity set point (HS) 80%
> Humidification differential value (HD) 2.0% (dead band)
> Dehumidification value (DD) = 2.0 % (dead band)
> Alarm high (AH) = 87.0 %
> Alarm low (AL) = 50.0 %
> Compressor delay = 0 minutes
> Humidity calibration (CA) = 0 %
> 
> 
> The alarm set points can be adjusted for tighter tolerance but then you get nuisance beeps every time you open the door. The alarms on either of controllers are audible only and will not operate or override the equipment.
> 
> Now that you have verified all the equipment is plug into the respective outlet all the equipment is turned in the "on" position, humidifier filled with water and the controllers programmed the chamber is now ready for the test phase.
> 
> Load some thermal mass in the chamber (6 packs,  a case of water or a pot of water will work) close the door and watch the controllers enabling and disabling the different equipment to maintain setpoint. Do this for at least 24 hours or better yet for a couple of day to verify everything is operating as intended.
> 
> Once you are happy with the chamber operations now is the time to tidy up the wiring and/or permanently fasten the controllers. If the extension cords from the D/A chamber equipment outlets is too long simply remove the male plug end trim the wire to the desired length and refit the plug end. Then use the 1/4 inch nylon cable clamps to secure the wiring to the side of the D/A chamber.
> 
> *NOTE:* *Anytime you are working on the electricals unplug everything from the wall outlets so there is no threat of electrical shock.*
> 
> *As one last side note:* If you choose to you can easily revert the chamber back to a it previous life. Simply unplug and remove the heater, humidifier and dehumidifier from the interior of the chamber. Then reprogram the temperature controller to the desired temp. The nicety is if you are not curing year round you can reporose the appliance to be useful year round.
> 
> *Congratulations! You have just built a Drying/Curing chamber that will hold extremely tight tolerance and give you the ability to produce/create some very high end product.
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Holly2015*


VERY 
 good info.... thanks


----------

