FAQ

Yes! We have a ton of independent data to suggest that using a °CoolBot with a window air conditioner or a ductless mini-split air conditioner is more efficient than a conventional refrigerator compressor.

We’ve had hundreds of customers give us feedback about their lower electricity bills versus the conventional refrigerator compressor they used to have.

Additionally, NYSERDA, (the NY State Energy Research and Development Authority) contracted for an independent analysis to measure the efficiency of a °CoolBot-driven system versus a standard cooler.

This Report from NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) study confirms that the °CoolBot works great and does not stress out the air conditioner or push it into unacceptable cycle times (which is another question that we get asked a lot). NYSERDA found that under certain parameters a °CoolBot-driven system can be up to 40% more efficient than a conventional refrigerator.

Although the °CoolBot-driven system is typically oversized versus a conventional cooler from a BTU perspective, it saves so much energy as an air conditioner typically uses only one 300 watt fan, while a conventional refrigerator compressor uses 3, 4 or 5 fans, depending on the size. One major benefit to a one-fan system is that certain flowers and crops (e.g. delicate flowers or baby lettuce) will stay fresher for longer due to the reduced air movement in the cooler. The trade-off is that our recovery times back to the desired temperature can be slower than a conventional compressor if the door is left open and the cool air is allowed to escape.

The °CoolBot is not just a thermostat! The °CoolBot is a device which uses multiple sensors and a programmed micro-controller, which when attached to a standard off-the-shelf air conditioner, functionally replicates a more expensive conventional walk-in cooling system.

The °CoolBot does include a digital thermostat so you can set it to run at whatever temperature you want (between 32°F – 65°F / 0°C – 18°C ). However the minimum recommended temperature is 34°F to avoid freezing up the A/C.

°CoolBots can be set down to a target temperature of 32°F (0°C), however we recommend setting it no lower than 34°F (1.1°C) to prevent the A/C from freezing up. Most customers use their °CoolBots in the 38°F – 40°F (3.3°- 4.4°C) range, which is great for most veggies, meats, and prepared foods (most fridges are set at 38°F (3.3°C)

We designed the °CoolBot to work in a cool, dark and moist environment. Prolonged exposure to the sun can impair the °CoolBot’s buttons, and mounting the °CoolBot’s wires through the wall could damage them.

If you want to know the temperature of the cooler from the outside we strongly suggest either an indoor-outdoor thermometer or upgrading to the °CoolBot Pro to monitor and get notifications via the Wi-Fi module.

You do need a separate °CoolBot for each air conditioner, as each A/C they freeze up at different rates.

Sure! There are a few options:

1. Buy an extender from any electronics store; just be sure the plug fits exactly (2.5mm mono)
2. You can splice in a little more “stranded wire” using very light gauge wire and wire nuts. 24 gauge wire is probably fine for just 3 feet, or you can use a heavier gauge wire for longer extensions.*

*It will void the warranty on the sensor cable that you cut, but we don’t void the warranty on the °CoolBot. If the splice doesn’t work, head to our Shop to purchase a new sensor.

Yes, we do ship °CoolBots internationally.

When we first started the Company in 2006, we were really active about connecting people. Since then, we have over 50,000 installations in every state, so there is a chance that someone near you  is using a °CoolBot right now. Unfortunately, we don’t share customers’ names and businesses information anymore for privacy and management reasons. However, we do have a ton of customer testimonials and blogs sharing their stories.

You can see testimonials for your specific use case on the following pages:

• Agriculture
• Bars
• Brewing
• Dairy
• Floral
• Hunting & Meat
• Mortuary
• Restaurants
• Wine Cellar

We also have links to online and print articles about the °CoolBot on our Press page.

Finally, we’re actively recommended by multiple land grant colleges (such as UC Davis, Cornell Small Farms Program, and University of Vermont) and the USAID program in coolers large and small. In fact, quite a few universities as well as NASA’s SATOP program have contributed plans and support to °CoolBot, including some financial cost-share programs for small farmers who want to buy °CoolBots to save money. See our Research page for more information.

Yes! We have customers using solar power to run their systems. The systems can be expensive due to the inverters and batteries.

Another option is to use a back-up generator for situations where the grid is unreliable.

For folks who are using solar power, the keys to success are using a mini-split A/C (for energy efficiency) and keeping the cooler as small and well insulated as possible.

We’re happy to help with any specific information for any one who wants to do it.

It would be great if the °CoolBot could work with analog, knob style A/C units, but unfortunately they don’t work. The °CoolBot heater can’t overcome the mass of the metal capillary tube sensors that are present in A/C’s with knobs. The digital ones use low mass thermistors which are easy for our heater to work with.

Portable air conditioners and rooftop (RV style) units do not have the cooling power needed to efficiently use the °CoolBot, we have had hundreds of customers unsuccessfully try using them. They usually have too much temperature fluctuation and/or can’t hold temperature.

We have a sizing and brand recommendation chart available on our Air Conditioner Selection Guide, but to figure this out for sure, it depends on a lot of factors including cooler insulation, ambient temperatures, the ground temperature where you live, if you are storing anything which produces heat, and if the cooler is indoors or out in the sunshine.

Fill in our Cooler Construction Advice Form and we will get back to you with the best size for your cooler.

Surprisingly it will not!

A °CoolBot-driven A/C in a walk-in cooler will cycle less than it will in a residential setting.

In your tightly insulated walk-in cooler, the A/C compressor will cycle on far less than a residential setting. Most of our customers with well-insulated cold rooms report that the A/C compressor runs in average 15% – 35% of the time compared to 80% – 90% in a residential setting during hot summers.

We do not recommend using the Energy Saver mode. If you do, there are pros and cons to consider:

Pros of running Energy Saver Mode:

• Saves a little Electricity
• The fan turns off when the compressor turns off, but the fan will still periodically cycle on to circulate air in the room

Cons of running Energy Saver Mode:

• The room recovers from door openings more slowly
• If the fins freeze up, it is probably too warm outside to run in Energy Saver, so you would need to switch back to the Cool mode
• It cools down field-hot produce more slowly (especially for higher quantities of produce). if you load up a lot of produce, you should switch out of Energy Saver and reset your heater settings back to “d1”

If you do decide to run the AC in Energy Saver, you need to change the HEATER Delay setting up to “d3” from the default of “d1”.

To do that, do the following:

1. Tap the RIGHT arrow to go into “heater” mode (the light under “heater” will be on, and “F” will be in the display if you are in the US, “C” if you are elsewhere)
2. Tap the CHECK MARK button 3 times (or until you see “d1” blinking in the display)
3. Tap the right arrow twice to change to “d3”
4. Press the Check mark once to lock in the new setting. The display reverts back to normal in 20 seconds.

Yes! The temperature will drop down faster, recover from door openings quicker, and be able to get colder than 36F. Additionally, you may actually save money in the long run even though you spent more for a larger air conditioner up front.

For example, our recommendation for an 8x8x8 room is 12,000 BTU’s:

• If you bumped up one or two levels you’d be at 15,000 BTU’s or 18,000 BTU’s. In both cases, you get more surface area to transfer cold, so you can run in Energy Saver mode most of the time (it’s best to run in standard mode an hour before and after loading up and if it’s extremely hot outside). That could save you $15/month, which over a few years will have paid for the extra cost of the bigger air conditioner. A 15,000 BTU A/C is good, and a 18,000 BTU A/C is even better.
• If you wanted to go up three levels to 24,000 BTU’s, you wouldn’t save more money in electricity, but you could drop the temperature even faster and could go even colder. If you do want to upsize to 24,000 BTUs, be sure to fill out our Cooler Construction Advice Form and we can make sure you’re not oversizing the A/C unit.

Also, 18,000 BTU and 24,000 BTU air conditioners both run on 220 volts. That means you have less amps running on each leg of your power cord and your compressor will run more smoothly.

Yes! We have customers successfully using multi-zone mini split systems with the °CoolBot.

You need to be sure the outdoor compressor is able to accommodate the BTU needs for all zones. For example, if your walk in cooler needed an 18,000 BTU unit, and there were 3 other units that handled 8,000 BTU each, then you would need an outdoor compressor that was able to handle 42,000 BTUs. Each zone operates independently from the others, so you can maintain different temperatures in each zone.

Don’t bother getting an A/C with the highest SEER or EER. Regarding mini splits, just get an A/C with 13 SEERS and you will be set.

Yes! We have over 1,000 mobile applications running °CoolBots including trucks, vans, box trucks, slide-in units in the back of pick-up trucks, boats and trailers. We do not recommend using an RV roof mount A/C unit as they don’t work well with the °CoolBot. See our video and guide for building a Trailer Cooler for more info.

Yes! We have thousands of hunters and many small commercial meat processing facilities using °CoolBots to keep their meat cool.

For more information on coolers for hunters and meat processors, check out our page: Hunting & Meat.

Yes! Thousands of florists use the °CoolBot to keep their flowers cool, and we’re recommended by the American Society of Cut Flower Growers. See our Floral page for more information and best practices!

There aren’t any NSF certified air conditioners, so no restaurants with an air conditioner in their commercial kitchens have them NSF certified.

We are running in thousands of inspected commercial kitchens and inspected meat processing operations with no problem. Many people also build their own coolers and use FRP (fiberglass reinforced panels) on the inside. There are NSF certified walk-in cooler panels. You can check with your local department to find out if that’s necessary.

One inspector was concerned that the °CoolBot was not NSF certified. Our controller is legally classified as a thermostat, and there are no NSF certified thermostats. It is of course okay to have a thermostat in a kitchen (even smart programmable thermostats). One compromise could be to have a NSF certified thermometer to track the temperature.

The best thing to do is ask your local inspector ahead of time. We have 50,000+ units out there, thousands of which are in commercial kitchens. We would be happy to speak with a local inspector who is concerned or questioning the idea.

Yes! The °CoolBot is a great option for people wanting to keep their wine cellar cool.

50°F – 60°F (10°-15.6°C) is no problem for the °CoolBot. With consistent temperature and humidity between about 50% – 80%, we can keep your wine in the perfect conditions.

See the Wine Cellar page for more information and best practices!

Yes! The °CoolBot / Air Conditioner combination has no trouble running in high humidity conditions – inside or outside the cooler.

We have customers in the bayous of Louisiana, the jungles of South America, India, equatorial Africa and even down in Papua New Guinea, all running with no problem in near 100% humidity outside their coolers.

The humidity level with a °CoolBot and air conditioner usually ends up in the 80% – 90% range. If the cooler is empty or nearly empty, it will be slightly drier than if it is more full.

Even in a dry climate like Arizona, coolers usually end up in that 80% – 90% humidity level. Outside it might be 25% relative humidity, but when you open the door and that hot/dry air comes rushing into the room, it very quickly cools down to 50°F – 60°F (10°-15.6°C) degrees. Therefore, that exact same air that outside measured at a relative humidity of 25% will now measure at a relative humidity of 80% – 90% inside the cooler. Colder air can hold much less moisture, so the humidity levels go way up. Physics is great!

If you need more humidity, you’ll have to use a humidifier, and there is no conflict with running a humidifier and a °CoolBot. Simple and cheap vapor humidifiers can even come with humidistats to measure ambient humidity.

If you need lower humidity, you’ll have to use a dehumidifier – which means you’ll have to account for the extra heat that the dehumidifier puts out (which just means upsizing the air conditioner a little).

Yes, it will definitely work with higher humidity.

Florists, flower growers,and cheese-makers who want higher humidity in their coolers seem especially happy with the °CoolBot. A °CoolBot-driven A/C moves much less air than a standard refrigerator compressor, and flowers dry out less and last longer. We have some additional humidity tips on our Dairy and Floral use-case pages as well.

You can also pick up a commercial humidifier to add to your cooler setup.

Yes! The °CoolBot maintains the perfect relative humidity for vegetables and fruits. There is a misconception that air conditioners constantly dry out the air, but most coolers reach a steady state humidity range of 80% – 90%.

If you want higher humidity levels, you can add a vapor humidifier with a humidistat into the cooler. It will not affect the function of the °CoolBot or air conditioner.

For food safety and to minimize disease pressure in your produce, we think it’s better to think about humidity control on a “micro-climate” level. We recommend that you use proper storage containers: for example, use mostly closed crates for things that need higher humidity (baby lettuce) and more open crates for things that need lower humidity. For berries, use clamshell boxes.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to store your produce for the optimal humidity levels: On the Huguenot Street Farm, Ron and Kate mostly used open sided/open topped crates, but then used plastic to line crates or lay over the top of open topped crates, and that worked fine.

Yes, but you might need extra dehumidification. The °CoolBot is used in many seed storage facilities all over the world, and they all want to keep the combined humidity and temperature in Fahrenheit under a total value of “100”.

To achieve this, there are a few options:

1. Try different temperature settings: You may find that storing at 42°F (5.6°C) gives you a steady-state of 50% relative humidity, so that’s a total of “92”; but, if you drop the temperature down to 35°F (1.7°C), you end up with a relative humidity of 70% (putting you at “105”). Try different temperatures and see where you end up. Our experience has been the right number for most people who don’t want to use any external dehumidification controls is going to be somewhere between 40°F – 50°F (4.4°-10°C).
2. Keep the room sealed tight: Make sure all gaps and cracks in the cooler are caulked or spray foamed to prevent warm air from entering the cooler. Make sure the gasket around the door keeps a tight seal, and replace the gasket if it is cracked. Warm air carries a lot of moisture that raises the humidity level in the room once it cools down, and even small cracks are constantly bringing in a flood of moisture.
3. Minimize door openings: If you have a commercial seed storage facility with a lot of traffic, add PVC door flaps to reduce warm air entry.
4. Use a mechanical dehumidifier: It needs to be one that says it works in basements. Be sure your air conditioner is large enough to compensate for extra heat produced by the motor in the dehumidifier. 
5. Use chemical desiccants:
   1. Calcium Chloride. This has been the solution for a few people in developing countries where electricity is unreliable. While the quantity of CaCl2 affects the amount of humidity that is removed, the CaCl2 is able to remove twice its weight in moisture and can bring rooms down to 30% relative humidity. We have also heard that it can be dried and re-used.
   2. We find that Sodium Chloride doesn’t work well. Its steady state keeps a relative humidity of 72% at best, so it’s not great for seed storage.

For whichever method you choose, be sure to leave space around the product for adequate air circulation!