Temp/Humidity of my Dry Cure Cabinet (Mikeradio)

[mikeradio]

I am using a dual stage temp controller, it is set up with C1 at 50 with a diff of 5 degrees and H1 set at 50 with a diff of 5 degrees, so the heater will not turn on until the temp reaches 45 degrees and the compressor turns on at 55 degrees.  So the heater is not turning on, my garage stays just above freezing in the winter so I figured I would need to add heat for most of the winter.  I will check the wattage of the dehumidifier and also unplug it and run the log overnight set a 1 min intervals.  I will post a bunch of pics and the data log tommorrow.

Mike

[mjdeez]

For my setup, i'm planning on having different wattages depending on different ambient temperatures.  I would unplug the heater or lower the wattage drastically if the ambient temp does not get below 45*F.

Edit: To elaborate a bit, the reason I'm suggesting lowering the gain on the heat (unplugging if ambient temp is warm enough, lowering wattage if temperatures are still dipping down below 45) is because I'm thinking that increasing the time between cooling cycles will result in fewer downward humidity spikes per unit of time. Then the average humidity should be near the top.

-Mike

[mikeradio]

Here are the new plots with the dehumidifier unplugged,  I see that the compressor did cycle less
so the heat from the dehumidifier must have been raising the temp inside the cooler.  It cycled 21 times
and 15 times with it unplugged.  I see the humidity level is still too high I would like to see it around
80 to 85 %, I will adjust the level on the controller and log it again tonight.  The data logger really
gives you a good picture of what is happening inside the cabinet.

[century]

This is some good information.
I have plans in the future to convert a chest freezer into a dry cure cabinet.
It is a small freezer, so I was wondering, is the humidifier key or can you use humidification beads (like in a humidor) to regulate the humidity.

If I get a temp controller to cycle the freezer on (for the summer months), will the beads rebound the humidity fast enough?
I worked relatively well when I used the freezer as a humidor but generally I kept the humidity level around 65%.

[mjdeez]

Here are the new plots with the dehumidifier unplugged,  I see that the compressor did cycle less
so the heat from the dehumidifier must have been raising the temp inside the cooler.  It cycled 21 times
and 15 times with it unplugged.  I see the humidity level is still too high I would like to see it around
80 to 85 %, I will adjust the level on the controller and log it again tonight.  The data logger really
gives you a good picture of what is happening inside the cabinet.

I would still suggest unplugging the heater, further reducing how often the fridge turns on. What you will end up with is a humidity curve that is mostly on the high end, so at that point just dial down your humidity setting by 10%.  You'll see a downward spike in humidity every now and then but it will recover within 15 minutes and stay at the top until the fridge kicks in again.

This is kind of a short term solution. When it gets hot in your garage your fridge will turn on more often, increasing the humidity cycle frequency.

[mikeradio]

The temp in the red line never goes below 50 so the controller will not turn the heater on.  Maybe the green line
which is the dew point is causing some confusion.  The humidity drops when the compressor runs and then returns.
I am going to lower the humidity setting by 10% and log and again.  It looks like the compressor is running once every 50 mins


Mike

[mjdeez]

The temp in the red line never goes below 50 so the controller will not turn the heater on.  Maybe the green line
which is the dew point is causing some confusion.  The humidity drops when the compressor runs and then returns.
I am going to lower the humidity setting by 10% and log and again.  It looks like the compressor is running once every 50 mins


Mike

No that was my fault. I didn't read your first note above carefully.

-Mike

[NePaSmoKer]

I found the Johnson control A419 to out perform the CAP Air I & II



And the Dayton 1UHG3 to be very good.

[mikeradio]

Heres the plot with the humidity set at 60%  I am still getting a large dip in humidity
when the compressor runs, it did lower the top humidity from 95 to 90 so the average
humidity of the 743 readings worked out to be 84.3%  So I think I am happy with these
results, chesse and cured meats are not that fussy with humidity.  What do you guys think???

[SGJ Smoker]

Mikeradio,

Your unit looks great!! I was wondering if you had a couple of holes cut out one at the top and one at the bottom like Expat did if it would help stabilize things even more ??? Food for thought.  I am just starting to gather all my info now on parts and plan on starting to put my unit together in a couple of months.

[mjdeez]

So I think I am happy with these
results, chesse and cured meats are not that fussy with humidity.  What do you guys think???

My guess is you're probably fine. As Expat mentioned in NePas' thread, it doesn't need to be that close. I think what you have now is significantly better than it was.

My only concern that I have for you setup at this point is when it starts getting warmer in your garage, your compressor will kick on more and increase the frequency of humidity cycles.