Today, we are going to check out how do you make small cold storage? Like cold storage, the cold storage vaults or vegetable storage preserve food naturally. If you have a basement and your house is a few decades old, you may have storage intended for this natural, passive cooling, which allows you not to overload the fridge, or need to buy an appliance. which will consume energy.
Cold storage is normally used from fall to spring, as temperatures must be maintained between 2 to 10˚C, approximately, depending on the food being stored. Many can also be kept for a very long time in cool places, away from light. To find out which foods keep best, and how to store them, consult the Web, which is full of information on this subject.
On our side, we inform you on how to build cold storage, ventilate and insulate this storage, or, how condemn it. Let’s learn how do you make small cold storage?
How to make cold storage?
It is possible to install new cold storage in the basement if it is not insulated. We opt for a corner, which allows us to have 2 walls in contact with the outside, so naturally cold.
For ventilation, you can condemn an existing window, for example with plywood, then install two dryer vents with mesh, at least 40 cm from each other. If you do not have a window in the chosen space, you will have to drill the concrete (it is possible to rent a hammer drill to drill the holes – allow 1/2 in. more than the diameter of the ventilation ducts). To facilitate ventilation, leave the hot air vent as is, and lay a PVC dryer pipe to direct the cold air to the floor.
The important thing will be to properly isolate the cold storage from the rest of the house, effectively insulating and sealing it, as one would do for basement walls. Similarly, the door giving access to this storage must be insulated and fitted with weatherstripping.
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Air vents in the cold storage:
Some fruits and vegetables emit gas. These ethylene gases cause the acceleration of the ripening process of certain fruits and vegetables: for example, the banana placed near an avocado will help the latter to ripen.
In cold storage, it is therefore important to provide ventilation to evacuate these gases. Any functional cold storage requires these exhaust columns: two vents (like those used for clothes dryers) connected to the outside must be present. One let in cold air, and the other lets out hot air and the gases produced by the vegetables. To channel the cold air to the floor, it is possible to install a PVC dryer pipe, which will go down to the floor.
Insulate the existing cold storage:
Cold storages work, precisely because they are cold! The important thing is therefore to isolate it from the living spaces of the house. To avoid heat transfer, but also humidity.
If the cold storage ceiling overlooks storage in the house, it will need to be insulated.
If there is no habitable storage above, the junctions and walls glued to the habitable section of the house will have to be insulated. Be careful to cut the thermal bridges (especially at the level of the joists and the junctions), with for example sprayed urethane. The walls will need to be insulated like any basement wall, per our recommendations. Similarly, the door giving access to this storage must be insulated and equipped with weatherstripping.
Although it is not necessary to insulate cold storage, it is possible that it freezes, and that it must be isolated. If the storage is concrete, it is better to leave the concrete exposed in the cold storage and attempt the insulation outside. The concrete block that forms the cold storage likely has a good part exposed above ground.
The buried part should not drop to -5 C. It is, therefore, necessary to insulate the exposed parts and put a skirt all around the exposed walls to prevent the ground from freezing, for at least 2 feet wide.
If you insulate from the inside, opt for inorganic materials, which will not be sensitive to humidity, and which will not retain humidity in the storage. Avoid vapor barriers (unless you’re 100% sure they won’t trap moisture in your structures), and remember, don’t block your air vents.
To modify the use of the cold storage in the dwelling:
If you want to modify the cold storage, you have two choices.
Completely block off the storage, block off the door, and insulate and seal the whole thing. Simpler, that’s what we recommend.
If you want to use this part, it will have to be an inclusive part of the envelope. It will therefore be necessary to insulate, seal, drain everything (even the ceiling), and avoid any thermal bridge between the storage and the house. To avoid any problems, these works must be carried out perfectly.
This blog is also worth reading for you:– How much does it cost to open a cold storage?
Yogeshdahiya.com:
We hope with the help of this guide, you have learned how do you make small cold storage. For more information, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Yogeshdahiya.com.
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