Storing crabs in the Walk-in box

[MONSTER699]

I purchased a new walk-in this year and having a [Sam Hill] of a time keeping crabs alive. The temp is set around 46 and rises up to 51 before the compressor comes back on. I drapped a piece of burlap over the baskets (wet with tap water) and still lost 2 dozen out of 2 bushel. The air from the evaporator blows out the sides and not directly on the baskets. Is it the rise in temp ? Too cold ? Or too dry? I had a soda storage cooler that only held 6 bushel before and never had a problem..... I must be doing something wrong ..... ANSWERS?

[Mr. Ray III]

46 is way to cold.  Set the temp at 52.

[MONSTER699]

 52 is the magic # ? I'm afraid my box will short cycle if I set it that high.... What kind of refrigerant does your box use? My box uses R22.. What about moisture content?

[reds]

52 is the magic # ? I'm afraid my box will short cycle if I set it that high.... What kind of refrigerant does your box use? My box uses R22.. What about moisture content?

52 to 55 is a must, if you want to keep them a live.

The evaporator should drain back into the box to keep the crabs moist.

There are controls on the market to keep the temp in this range.

[Jetboat crabber]

52 to 55 is a must, if you want to keep them a live.

The evaporator should drain back into the box to keep the crabs moist.

There are controls on the market to keep the temp in this range.

Check here for temp control.  I use it to keep an old chest freezer in the 40-50 degree range to lager my beer correctly while it is fermenting.  Works like a charm. They also have an analog one that is cheaper that may work for you. 
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-equipment/fermenting-equipment/fermentation-temperature-control/johnson-controls-a419-digital-temp-controller.html

[MONSTER699]

52 to 55 is a must, if you want to keep them a live.

The evaporator should drain back into the box to keep the crabs moist.

There are controls on the market to keep the temp in this range.

What do you mean when you say drain back into the box? I the condensate water wasn't pumped out it would flood my box inside. So your saying to let the water sit in the drain pan? I believe it would cause mold and bacteria if I let it sit? Do they make a spray tree or something of the sort to keep it moist? Is the burlap a must of does some other material work better?
Thanks, ED

[genecrabman]

Keeping the crabs out in the sun before they go into the cooler could be part of the problem...High heat and high humidity is tuff on them..

[reds]

What do you mean when you say drain back into the box? I the condensate water wasn't pumped out it would flood my box inside. So your saying to let the water sit in the drain pan? I believe it would cause mold and bacteria if I let it sit? Do they make a spray tree or something of the sort to keep it moist? Is the burlap a must of does some other material work better?
Thanks, ED

Let me put it this way. You need to keep the inside of the box moist. Walk in boxes (Refrigerators), by design, take moisture out. This will dry the crabs out.

I know there are a couple of threads on here about walk in boxes and keeping crabs. Do a search.

[Crabbyd]

My drain tube drains into the walk-in into a 5 gallon bucket to keep the moisture in the box.  Depending on the weather, about once a week, I dump the bucket and the cycle starts over again.  I agree with Gene, get them out of the sun asap to keep the dead loss down.  Also, I have found different rivers and areas of rivers makes a huge difference in dead loss.

[baycrabber1]

i keep mine at 46 degrees with no problems

[overdrive]

My box runs 52 to 54. small crabs will last a max of 4 to 5 days now my big crabs i like to only have them a day or a day and a half max

[cedar999]

52 is the magic # ? I'm afraid my box will short cycle if I set it that high

I'm not sure if I missed something here, but I believe your unit will be set to cycle over a certain range in degrees, which will remain constant (number of degrees between switching "on" and "off") no matter where you set the desired temp. This differential is called the "deadband."  If you get yourself a decent controller you can set the deadband to however many degrees you think is the right compromise between maintaining your temp and going easy on the compressor.  Your unit may already have this capability, worth looking into.

One of my other interests is coffee roasting, and I use these controllers to control resistance-based heating elements in DIY coffee roasters and commercial espresso machines.  I usually set the deadband to virtually zero as it doesn't matter how fast a heating element cycles in these applications, or more precisely, usually the faster the better. I also use Solid State Relays (SSRs) to control the power because they can take this sort of fast-cycle abuse much longer and better than the (ancient) mechanical relays that are still very common, can, and which are probably in your box.  But regardless, for a refrigeration compressor maybe 5 degrees of deadband would be closer to ideal? Exact number would depend on how fast the box warms up when the compressor is off, and the duty cycle of the compressor, but these things can be figured out easily enough.

I have a number of industrial temp controllers and thermocouples, and maybe an acceptable SSR lying around (all ebay scores).  If you are handy, can do some basic wiring, and don't mind hacking your walk in a bit you can set up your box to behave exactly how you want it to -- holding desired temperature within an appropriate deadband. If interested let me know I probably have some things I could send you for the cost of shipping.

My brother, an EE, did this for his lagering fridge, so I know it works!

-Paul