DIY Thermoelectric Coolidor?

[cwant]

Hey guys, only my second post here, so go easy on me, lol. Let me start with a little back story, then I will tell you what I'm trying to accomplish. I went to smoke a cigar the other day out of my 120 count desktop humi, and as I was removing the band from around the foot, I noticed a few specs of white fuzz on the wrapper, and a slightly larger spot on the foot of the cigar. Just based on it's fuzzy nature, I'm 99% certain it was mold, and not any sort of bloom/plume. This is my first encounter with mold in my humidor, and it freaked me out. I pulled all the rest of my cigars out and thoroughly inspected them all, and inspected the inside of my humidor. Fortunately, it looks like the mold was isolated on only that one cigar, and was contained within the cello. I bought that particular cigar from a local b&m about 3 weeks ago. I'm hoping that the mold was already present, and I just didn't notice it when I bought it. The RH in my humi hangs around 65-67%, but my temps in the house get up to around 76-77 degrees on hot days. For the last week or so, the house has been around 70 degrees, because we had a couple minor cold fronts come through. That sort of temperature can be expected inconsistently for only 2-3 months out of the year, otherwise the house sits at mid-high 70s during the day.

Since I'm already in the process a deodorizing a 48qt cooler to use as a coolidor (I know, I should go bigger), I started thinking about making it a fully conditioned space. I started researching peltier thermoelectric cooling modules, and found a finished unit for sale on Amazon for $25. It has a single TEC-12706 peltier unit, and comes already assembled with heatsinks and fans. I'm strongly considering getting something like this to install in my cooler, along with a themostat controller that can be had for under $10. I can wire it all into a cigarette lighter DC plug, and get a cheap AC to DC adapter to power it. I'm thinking simple here, as in just cutting a hole large enough for the cold side heatsink and fan to stick inside. I'll have to figure out some way to mount it to the cooler, probably glue, as the hot exhaust side will be hanging on the outside. Probably go with some weather strip foam and duct tape just to seal it all up well. Since the cooler is a small enclosed and insulated space, I figure a small single peltier set-up should be able to do a decent job cooling the interior, especially since we are only talking about cooling around 10 degrees from ambient temps. The setup, not including the cooler and heartfelt beads I already have, should be around $50.

Does any have experience with DIY peltier units, and know if a single 12706 unit would pack enough punch to do what I want it to do? I've looked at the Newair humidors, and they are nice for sure, but I don't want to spend that kind of money right now. Any thoughts?

 

[mpomario]

I have no input except to say this could be groundbreaking if it works. Were you think about putting the unit in the lid, side?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aaron72]

If you're a tinkerer, it might be worth the time investment/reward, but it might be easier to just find a wine cooler on Craigslist which can usually be had fairly cheaply and it requires little to no setup. Obviously the volume of storage comes into play, so you'll have to determine if the project becomes more valuable if you are applying it to a large cooler.

 

[Boudie]

In my experience peltier units still provide a cold surface for humidity to condense, causing water to puddle in the humidor/coolidor. Make sure you can absorb or discard this condensation without it wetting your smokes. In warm weather when the peltier is running full time this can become a significant problem. If you are only dealing with ambient temperatures of 74-76 for two or three months a year you can probably control it but in my situation when I am dealing with 80 degrees for 8 months a year it becomes a real pain. Also remember the heat exhaust fins get very hot so you may need additional fans to cool them.

Good luck, I'll be following the thread!!

 

[mpomario]

I would turn the cooler on it’s end and use the lid like a door. You could put the cooling unit on the bottom of the cooler. However, I do agree that it could end up cheaper to just buy a cc100 or cc300. But if you could get it together for around $100 it would be worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cwant]

I would turn the cooler on it’s end and use the lid like a door. You could put the cooling unit on the bottom of the cooler. However, I do agree that it could end up cheaper to just buy a cc100 or cc300. But if you could get it together for around $100 it would be worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My original thought was to put it on the end, below the handle, and leave cooler in it’s intended chest orientation. Idea being that the fan on the cooling unit would blow down entire length of cooler, providing best circulation, and maintain stackabilty by keeping lid clear.

 

[cwant]

In my experience peltier units still provide a cold surface for humidity to condense, causing water to puddle in the humidor/coolidor. Make sure you can absorb or discard this condensation without it wetting your smokes. In warm weather when the peltier is running full time this can become a significant problem. If you are only dealing with ambient temperatures of 74-76 for two or three months a year you can probably control it but in my situation when I am dealing with 80 degrees for 8 months a year it becomes a real pain. Also remember the heat exhaust fins get very hot so you may need additional fans to cool them.

Good luck, I'll be following the thread!!

Condensation is something I hadn’t considered too hard when I posted this. I’ve since looked at a lot of pictures of legit wine coolers, and the molded plastic groove leading to a drain that empties to a drip tray is something that looks like it will be a pain to replicate. Whatever system I would devise to deal with it would probable take up some valuable storage space. Looking at a lot of pics of wineador conversions has also made me think hard about just going all out and getting a legit one. Might be able to pick up one on the cheap pretty soon here after thanksgiving, I’ll be keeping an eye on the sale ads.

 

[Bondo 440]

To be perfectly honest, I got my wineador at a yard sale and, as expected, ( and priced accordingly) the boards powering / regulating the thermoelectric setup were shot.
I repaired this with a spare AC/DC adapter and a $15 eBlay programmable thermostadt switch. Fast forward 5 months and I find myself just leaving it unpowered, and using cat litter in a sock and Bodeva.

I guess my point is, for your Cooler tub trick, really, there are already quite economical "drop in" solutions. Which, I imagine, is why the industry does not invest in such devices. And I wouldn't want to cut a hole in a cooler for the same reason I wouldn't cut a hole in a humidor. Your success rate is better when your upgrade plan does not begin with the introduction of compromise.

Hey take it with a grain of salt, but when I started out and outgrew my glasstop / desktop humidor, I saw the coolerdor option go by ... but waited and found a winedor to tinker with.
So, if nothing else, at least in this case I can say the advice I give others, I've taken myself. But it's your ship, you sail it. Sounds like it might be cool to watch.

 

[NMPokerDealer]

Letgo. An online garage sale. Best deals on wine coolers to convert to wineador. Thank me later.

 

[Bondo 440]

Letgo. An online garage sale. Best deals on wine coolers to convert to wineador. Thank me later.

HOT DAMN ! 30 minutes away !

 

[Glassman]

HOT DAMN ! 30 minutes away !

That would be a compressor unit though, wouldn't it?

 

[Bondo 440]

That would be a compressor unit though, wouldn't it?

Yeah. I'd gut it, and line it. Probably doesn't cool anyway. Since that's no store in the picture, I'd probably be at least third owner.

 

[cwant]

I could dig it. I would try to leave the backlit sign in the front functional though. Would be a good conversation piece when you have company...by the way, check out my monsterdor

 

[cwant]

It’s going on 1 year since I first had the idea to install a peltier cooling unit in a cooler to make a thermoelectric coolidor. I think it has a lot of potential for a lot more space at a fraction of the cost of a wine fridge.

I’ve been thinking about it more recently, and decided to move forward testing the concept. I’ll be installing the cooling unit in the side of a cooler with a temp controller, testing for functionality, and attempting to address any potential condensation issues that may arise. I’ll be documenting the materials I acquire, and the progress I make in this thread, to serve as a guide to others on how to, or how not to do it.

I intend to work on this little by little, as it suits my mood. I’m somewhat notorious for starting lots of projects, and taking my sweet time about finishing any of them, so bear with me.

First up is the star of the show, the cooling unit itself. I purchased this as a complete unit on Amazon for $25. You can easily build one yourself for cheaper. It’s just a peltier plate, some heat sinks, computer fans, a little thermal paste, screws, and this one has a piece of foam insulating around the edge of the plate. The peltier plate in this unit is a TEC1-12706, there are larger ones available. Notice the hot side heatsink and fan are much larger than the cool side. This is need to efficiently exhaust the heat produced.



Then there is the cooler that will be housing the unit. This is a 48qt igloo island breeze. These are cheap, and are available at the local Walmart for around $16. I happen to already have several of these. This particular one currently has some home brew bottle conditioning in it. I’ll be relocating those as soon as I find a place for them. I really need to start kegging already. A draft system and keezer is another ongoing project I haven’t finished yet.



That’s all for now, stay tuned.

 

[kit_luce]

My .02, if you were to stand it on end, with the drain hole down, and put some sort of rack or standoff in the bottom you have a place for the condensation to "safely" build up, and you also have a built in drain right there to get rid of it. Plus you will be isolating what is probably the smallest surface area of all the side if you were to lose space to putting in some sort of rack to allow room for that condensation.

 

[Pennywise827]

I F'N LOVE THIS.

Tagged for progress. Don't disapoint me like I disappoint my wife when it comes to...well....anything.

 

[kit_luce]

Yall are trying to cool your sticks, I'm trying to think about how I can do a humidor in an indiana garage and keep them from freezing lol

 

[cwant]

My .02, if you were to stand it on end, with the drain hole down, and put some sort of rack or standoff in the bottom you have a place for the condensation to "safely" build up, and you also have a built in drain right there to get rid of it. Plus you will be isolating what is probably the smallest surface area of all the side if you were to lose space to putting in some sort of rack to allow room for that condensation.

That’s something I’m considering. This particular cooler doesnt have a drain built in.

 

[Pennywise827]

Yall are trying to cool your sticks, I'm trying to think about how I can do a humidor in an indiana garage and keep them from freezing lol

Sheeeiit Im from KC. It will be below freezing here this week by Saturday and 92 at least 1 more time before Thanksgiving!

The point is to maintain temps (for my purposes) and in turn equalize humidity.

 

[cwant]

Yall are trying to cool your sticks, I'm trying to think about how I can do a humidor in an indiana garage and keep them from freezing lol

This concept would support heating as well. The peltier plates have a cold and a hot side. It can simply be installed the other way around for a heated coolidor. Also, 2 units can be installed, one for heating and one for cooling, with a dual mode temp controller that switched between them.