And finished minus trim and shelves inside of the cold room
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_w1_9lMbNbxo/TP...0/IMG_4485.JPG

Having let it run for a week or two now I've found that the temperature inside the cold room tends to constantly be 5 degrees warmer then outside with a minimum of 4 degrees. The basement temperature fluctuates along between 17 and 21 C the outside temp has gone from -12 to +5 and the temps inside the cold room are from 4.1 to 9.4. Keep in mind that it's mostly empty space and the temp sensor is 1.5 feet from the roof. I mostly use the fan just for quick 10-20 minute cool downs after I open the door to get something. I find the door being open for 30 seconds or so is enough to bring the temps up a degree or two. but being just the air heated the fan quickly cools it back down in there.

Overall I'm happy with the project and can't wait to see how long the potatoes and carrots in there last. Feb/march and it's a complete success. In the mean time the beer/pop/juice is just fine to drink every time I've grabbed one.

All that remains is to figure out shelving and I'm going to add two more temp sensors that will connect back to the arduino for data logging. One will be near the roof roughly where the current one is and the other will be a couple feet off the ground. It feels much colder at that height.


Yesterday I did some IR measurements of the now finished wall. Outside it was 3C, inside air temp was 20.3 , the wall was 19.7, On the other side of the room 8 feet away the wall still in it's original state was 17.4C on the paneling. The bare concrete below it was 14.3. Insulating that wall was a lot of work but it's made a big difference and I'll be slowly continuing the process around the entire basement.

Sweet! For shelving, I'd try to use something like wire shelving to allow air to circulate more freely after they are stocked.

Plus, I'm sure the rest of the basement is more comfortable as well. Your work looks great! :thumbup:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_w1_9lMbNbxo/TP...0/IMG_4485.JPG

What do you call the red tape you used to tape the edges of your vapor barrier? I tried to find it the other day at the store and couldn't.

Tuck Tape.

I see a few places online refer to it as sheathing tape. All of the first few google hits on Tuck tape are Canadian so maybe american's use something different?

Thanks, I'll give it another shot.

Lowe's here in the states has it. Its made by Pella (the window people) and it comes in different widths.
Frank

what do you guys normally use to tape the seems in poly? This stuff is everywhere up here.

For comparison - the California Cooler - Resurrecting the California Cooler. Same concept, different size and climate.

It's quite interesting to see how this "old tech" is being rediscovered and brought back.

Tim

FYI - another article about root cellars - The New Agtivist: Chris Chaisson wants to root around in your cellar | Grist

They use masonry board and way more insulation then I did. If you've got the money and the space I'd totally go that way. Mine swings too far in temperature to keep me totally happy. It's good but could always be better.