Cold storage - need your opinion (advice)
 

Afternoon all..

So I have been working on a little project the last few days to get ready for winter... Setting up a bulk water tank with a pump in it so we don't have to drag and drain hoses every couple days to water the chickens. Just flick a switch and fill up the water bucket in the coup every couple of days. I was just gonna throw some old blankets over the tank to reduce heat loss and my boy told me they have 2" 4x8 styro panels at the lumber yard that are broken that they are selling for 5 bucks each. Figured 15 bucks was a pretty cheap fix so I built a box out of old plywood and lined it with 2" styro to keep the heat in the tank, and the cold out. I might also save a couple bucks on electricity for the tank heater. The wife and I were putting the lid together, and there is a space all around the top of the tank...

So here is the point to this post... the water in the tank will be at +/- 40* all winter. The 130 gallon tank should keep the air inside the box very close to that. You think I could store potatoes, carrots, beets, etc in the extra space on top of the tank? Tank is round, insulated box is square. There is about a 12" triangle of space for storage. Attached photo shows what I am talking about. Paper bag has potatoes in it. Lowest temp last year was -38*.

You think this will work??

any heat source?
your water will freeze eventually.

Was going to ask the same thing than saw that he mentioned a tank heater.

Nice set up!!
I dont know. Since potatoes store best at 40-50 degrees it would be a good spot for them. However, dispite the insulation, I think on warmer days, when the tank is colder than the surrounding air you may still wind up with condensation forming on the tank.
After the effort of drying potatos (potatoes) and onions properly for storing over the winter, you may wind up with enough moisture to make em go bad faster.

same thought- condensation from water in tank.

think physics- anything you want at a constant - it has to move.

small air pump from an aquarium keeps water from freezing, small motor heat/40 watt light amount keeps condensation at bay for the six feet around the pump.
[insulation alone is okay but condensation around it will freeze as there is no air movement inside.]

so one or the other, move the water to keep condensation minimal or move the air. also note that TWO air spaces prevent thermal transference.
if something is going in the ground or a tarp enclosure over a frame; (with your winds, that won't last a day....[coffee])

two feet of gravel (air space)/ insulation/ framing/ air space to working area.

hope that helps....but yeah, as is the dry veggies would rot. why not keep in sand the way the old timers use too..

missed the heater part.
If the heater is regulated to ~40F, then I think you'll be ok as long as its colder and wyoming is usually pretty dry.
On warmer days, open the lid and get the air moving.
You have essentially built a big styrofoam ice chest.
Its not so much about keeping things cold, its about slowing the movement of heat.

I was kinda worried about condensation when I built it, thinking mold inside it, so there is an 6" hole in the lid (place to run hose on the pump, and electric for pump and heater, not in the original picture). There will be evaporation for sure, but I am not sure if the convection inside the 'cooler' as FO described it, which is pretty cool, will be enough to get rid of the moisture. I guess I will just have to see.

Ma, we do currently store them in sand, but down in the crawl space and I was trying to make things a bit easier to get to. I saw that space next to the tank, and thought about storing taters in there. Not really sure why...

I suppose if I can get some more of the insulation panels, I could build an upright cooler with a temp sensor and a 75w light bulb to store things in. Heck, it could even have a hinged door, and go right on the back deck next to the old transmissions, and bathtub flower garden!!! Ba dum dum...

Here is a pic with the top on, and the lid off. I drilled the hole in the lid with a hole saw for a can light.

-- On edit--

We average about 20% humidity or less, especially in the winter. We do live on the river so occasionally if the wind is calm, we can get a heavy crystal frost on everything, but for the most part the air is VERY dry. In the summer, the humidity is high in the AM, but everything dries out by about 11 AM.


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Heater in the tank won't do anything for the lines. They would need to be drained after each use. If you get some of that foil insulation blanket from H.Dep. or Lowes, and wrap the tank itself tightly, you shouldn't get anycondensation. Or, get some spray foam and spray it directly onto the tank. It's the rapid temp change where the air hits the surface of the tank that will cause the condensation, so that's what needs to be insulated to slow the process.

yeah, forgot about that spray foam...
we are so smart here, why didn't we invest in apple computers?....lol


nice looking work Jeff! or with the transmissions on the porch- Jethro...
kidding (wink)

Hmmmm... More food for thought.

But wait... doesn't the condensation gather on the cold side, not the hot side? Thinking pop can here... A warm glass of grand marnier out at the hot tub at -10* outside does not gather any moisture on it.

The hose you see in the pic is filling the tank, that goes away. they drink about 2 gallons a day so assuming they may drink a little more in winter as they wont get as much water from foliage, should only have to fill the bulk tank about every 30 days, just to keep it full.

As far as the pump line out of the tank, it runs up to the ceiling through the wall and then down to the water bucket with the poultry nipples in it. No check on the pump, so when the switch is turned off, the hose drains. Once I fill the tank, all my beauty will have to do is flip a switch to fill up water, no more carrying buckets. Trust me on this one, we are very schooled in running hoses in freezing weather.

We use steel and plastic stock tanks all the time round here, they have the same heaters in them and they never have condensation on them, even on the calm mornings. Hardly any dew either. They also don't have the moisture kinda trapped around them, but on really dewey mornings (like this morning), the deck has moisture on it the stock tanks are bone dry on the outside.