Inexpensive/beginner/DIY sous vide setup

[paulpegg]

The motor I have is 4 years old and still pumping. I bought two and still have the spare waiting to be used.

 

Give me the specs on yours and I will check it out.

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[lordratner]

I'm interested in the foam less to prevent condensation than to prevent energy waste.

You can always go with insulation. I didn't use a cooler, but you can see how I insulated it here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.690227346953.2114079.25200349&type=1&l=9c405694dd

 

I wanted to be able to remove it if I decided to make modifications. My first sous vide bath was very... haphazard, and when things broke, it pretty much ruined the whole thing. It not matter at all for you though, since the Anova contains all the parts and the cooler is just a simple tub.

 

 

The motor I have is 4 years old and still pumping. I bought two and still have the spare waiting to be used.

 

Give me the specs on yours and I will check it out.

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

 

I use the same pump. I think it was originally meant for solar energy setups. It's a champ, and very quiet which I like. It doesn't move as much water as the Anova (and other retail circulators) seems to, but I've tested the water movement in the tub and heat distribution and I couldn't find any dead spots. 

Edited April 21, 2014 by lordratner (log)

[paulraphael]

Word to the wise about spray foam: call the manufacturer's tech support before buying, to make sure it will work in a sealed environment. I have a mess on my hands with some CRC minimally expanding foam. It will not cure without exposure to plenty of air. This caveat was not at all clear on the labelling ... I had to get a chemist in tech support on the phone to find out.

 

She advised throwing the whole thing out (fears that uncured foam could somehow ooze and come in contact with food. I've drilled a bunch of air holes around the side to see if I can get it to fully cure. We'll see.

[dcarch]

I don't feel foam insulating a beer cooler is at all that worthwhile. A double-walled cooler is not loosing a lot of heat. All the heat lost goes to heat your house in the winter anyway. 

 

Feel the cooler case, it's barely warm. Evaporation, OTOH, carries away a lot of BTUs, about a 1000 BTU/lb.

 

dcarch

[paulpegg]

I don't feel foam insulating a beer cooler is at all that worthwhile. A double-walled cooler is not loosing a lot of heat. All the heat lost goes to heat your house in the winter anyway. 

 

Feel the cooler case, it's barely warm. Evaporation, OTOH, carries away a lot of BTUs, about a 1000 BTU/lb.

 

dcarch

I agree wholeheartedly. You are wasting your time and money messing around with the cooler body. For the cut lid just stuff some bubble wrap in the cutouts after you have the water up to temperature and the food in the box if you are worried about evaporation and heat loss. As I said before, I only do this for cooks longer than 24 hours.

[paulraphael]

Fool's erand update: after a long time and plenty of toxic chemical exposure, this unnecessary (but pretty cool, if I may say so) monster is ready for some food.

 

I think I'll enjoy using it, but must recommend against anyone doing it the same way. There's likely not enough to be gained (as some of you have suggested). And spray foam is nasty stuff.

 

Here's the deal: spray foam requires exposure to air in order to foam up and cure. Once cured, it's relatively inert and stable polyurethane. But if you spray it into an enclosed piece of plastic, like a cooler lid, it will seal up its own hole, starving itself of air, and will remain liquid. This liquid is made largely of isocyanates, which you don't want in your lungs, on your skin, or anywhere near your sous-vide short ribs. Bad news if it ever finds a way out.

 

I politely declined the advice of the chemist at the help desk (Get. That. Thing. Out. Of. Your. House.) and salvaged the lid by drilling many ventilation holes, and keeping them clear until all the liquid foamed up and cured. After an extra week, for good measure, I sanded the thing smooth, covered the circulator cutout with epoxy, and sealed the vent holes with silicone. Both the epoxy and the silicone are impervious to water and to the temperatures of any wet cooking method.

 

It wouldn't be a terrible idea to use spray foam just to seal around the circulator cutout, to keep water out of the lid and to slightly improve your feng-shui. For this I'd recommend Dow Corning's Big Gap Filler. I first tried a low volume foam, which was not up to the task. you don't want low volume; you want low pressure. The Dow product will fill the 1+ inch of the lid and will cure better. If you just seal this small area, you could probably vent it with just a couple more holes and be done with the project quickly. Work outside, and leave the lid outside until it's fully cured.

 

Helpfuly, nothing sticks very tenaciously to the HDPE of the cooler, so it's easy to clean off any spilled gunk.

 

I also cut a piece of my reflectix to fit, to reduce evaporative losses even more, and in case there's a need to cook with the lid off for convenience.

 

Note the loop of cord in the reflectix. This makes it easier to pull out of the way, especially if the bath is on the hot side (veggies, etc.)

[Smithy]

Thanks for that update, Paul.  It can be embarrassing to admit mistakes in public, but you've probably saved someone else from a similar mistake with worse results.

[paulraphael]

By "admit mistakes" I assume you mean "brag about awesome adventures."