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Protect Your Meat!!!

BackSpasm

BackSpasm

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2019
Messages
1,672
Location
Tennessee
Hey guys,

For those that came here looking for athletic cup recommendations, this is not the thread for you.


However, if you have a deep freezer full of wild game like I do, it might be for you. We are taking an extended vacation this summer and my freezer recently shorted out and melted the compressor relay. I got it fixed, but now I don't really trust the freezer anymore and I am worried about losing my hard-earned and self-processed game and other misc food stuffs. I needed a way to cheaply monitor my freezer while we are gone and to be alerted if something goes wrong quickly so I can intervene if there is an issue. There are lots of monitoring systems out there that are 100$-200$ dollars, which is more than the entire freezer is worth. Alternatively, lots of the cheaper monitors are Bluetooth only, meaning you are notified if you are around the house, but not if no-one is home. Here is what I found and installed after some searching that allows me to continuously and constantly monitor my freezer's internal temperature and receive email and app notifications for free if the temperature ventures outside of my own determined "acceptable range." Not only that, but it also lets you track hourly or daily temps on a graph to check if you are trending in the wrong direction. You need to get the internet hub portion if you plan on using it remotely, but I am very impressed with the functions and testing I have done, and for about $50-60 all-in, my worries about all the fruits of my labor have pretty much evaporated. I checked and it also works great as a live-reading rectal thermometer.

YoLink Weatherproof Temperature Sensor, YoLink Hub Required

YoLink Hub - Central Controller Only for YoLink Devices, 1/4 Mile World's Longest Range Smart Hub LoRa Enabled Smart Home Automation Hub Smart Home Security Monitoring Gateway
 
lol good post! I would buy this but I have 4 freezers running atm. Plus I have 3 kids always getting sick. That’s just too many units.
 
Boob milk is big $$$$. Just saying. Dont let the cow go dry. You can buy a lot of saddle goodies if you can keep convincing momma to store it.
 
Well this conversation got weird.

For real tho pressure canning is something meat hunters should get into. I got into it years ago when my chest freezer crapped out and I had to do something with the 2 does I had in it. Wound up loosing more meat than I care to remember, but saved enough to soften that blow. I also can beans and (smoked) turkey stock. It's a lot of work, but so is scouting and butchering and pretty much every part of hunting that isn't breaking that perfect shot.
 
Also, if you have a home security system you might be able to integrate a sensor to monitor your freezers. My Simplisafe doesn't have the right kind of sensor for this, but other companies might.
 
I did the same thing after I had a freezer crap out on me losing a 1/4 cow. I use acurite in a similar way. I also heat my home with a wood stove and I monitor the temps in different rooms and also the freezer. I have alarms set that if my freezer gets below a certain temp, it will email and text me. That way, even if I am gone for a week or so, I might be able to have a family member come over and check it out. I can also access the graphs and current temps from my phone.
 
Iron_llama said:
Also, if you have a home security system you might be able to integrate a sensor to monitor your freezers. My Simplisafe doesn't have the right kind of sensor for this, but other companies might.
Click to expand...
Yea I was in the same boat with simplisafe
 
Thanks for sharing this. I thought I'd build something to use a Raspberry Pi or something (I'm a nerd, I do that) but the "$35 computer" is more like $200 these days.
 
I have a smart home using www.hubitat.com $100 sale every holiday
I threw a temperature sensor $20 inside my freezer and it notifies me if either the temperature is out of range OR if the temperature hasn't been reported in longer than a few hours. I also have a contact sensor on the freezer just in case someone doesn't close it - it notifies me if the freezer is open for more than 5 minutes.

No monthly fees. Just need an internet connection if you want alerts when you are not home.

I know it's more expensive than your original thought but it opens a whole world of home automation if you are also interested in that.
 
Fortuitous timing on this thread. I just filled my freezer with a whole beef. It's a long story but the short version is my dad lives 1/2 mile from a butcher. A local farmer was dropping off two steers and they somehow trampled the farmer and got loose. They ran off into the 2500 acres behind my dad's house. The farmer eventually gave up and told me dad if he found them he could have them. A week later they showed back up and my dad shot both. Best part was they both fell on the farm road that led to the butcher. They brought their tractor back to pick them up. Two free beef with almost no work.
 

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Maverick1 said:
How long would it take to can two elk, a bear, and two deer?
Click to expand...
It depends on a lot of factors - is the meat already cut, how big is your canner, how many canners do you have, do you have any helpers, etc. Setup and prep - read that "cleaning and sanitizing everything" takes some time. Packing the jars is pretty straightforward. Raw pack meat in quart jars - figure 1.75# of meat per quart jar - takes 90 minutes to processes. With 2-3 canners you can have a production line going. My small canner does 7 quarts, my big one does 16. Optimistically, you're looking at a solid weekend project, realistically a long weekend, maybe two.

The cool thing is you can add other ingredients - do some straight meat, smoke some up before packing it, add beans and tomatoes for chili con carne, pack the meat with onions and jalapenos or pepperoncini for loose meat sandwiches or tacos, season with ranch or Italian seasonings (less pepper) etc.

You can get a canner and wide-mouth quart jars at Hardware Hank or Fleet Farm or what have you. Download the USDA guide from https://www.healthycanning.com/wp-c...plete-Guide-to-Home-Canning-2015-revision.pdf and read it. All-in you're looking at $100-$125 so far. Figure out how many quart jars your canner will hold and thaw that much meat out. Prep, packing, processing, cool-down and cleanup, you're looking at 3-4+ hours for a solo run, which will familiarize you with the process and prep you for more ambitious canning projects.

Good luck!
 
Back to the original post by @BackSpasm ....

All fine and good implementing a freezer monitoring system, but for you to get notification would require that your internet connection is up.....and in the event of a power outage that might not be the case, unless you have some pretty decent UPSs in your house or an automatic switchover to a generator.

I lost a freezer full of deer and moose when the big ice storm killed the whole NorthEast power grid for 5+ days many years ago. Bought a big generator after that. But it's not automatic, so if I was away for an extended period that wouldn't help me. I plan to install a fixed/propane generator that will fire up and switch over automatically one day...but it's many $$$ so I haven't done it yet. Ain't been travelling any since the pandemic lockdown so not a big deal.

I do have a monitoring system running in my house that I custom built/programmed. My smart thermostat uses a Rasberry Pi with a touch screen. I have another Pi which acts as a central gateway and a bunch of battery powered sensors around the house based on Arduino micro-processors that send temp/humidity/pressure/water level data to the gateway. Even have a sensor inside my cigar humidor that tells me when the humidity packs are drying out and need to be recharged!

Been meaning to create a couple more remote temp sensor modules for my freezers to tie into that system, but just haven't had the time.
 
tarafrost said:
Back to the original post by @BackSpasm ....

All fine and good implementing a freezer monitoring system, but for you to get notification would require that your internet connection is up.....and in the event of a power outage that might not be the case, unless you have some pretty decent UPSs in your house or an automatic switchover to a generator.

I lost a freezer full of deer and moose when the big ice storm killed the whole NorthEast power grid for 5+ days many years ago. Bought a big generator after that. But it's not automatic, so if I was away for an extended period that wouldn't help me. I plan to install a fixed/propane generator that will fire up and switch over automatically one day...but it's many $$$ so I haven't done it yet. Ain't been travelling any since the pandemic lockdown so not a big deal.

I do have a monitoring system running in my house that I custom built/programmed. My smart thermostat uses a Rasberry Pi with a touch screen. I have another Pi which acts as a central gateway and a bunch of battery powered sensors around the house based on Arduino micro-processors that send temp/humidity/pressure/water level data to the gateway. Even have a sensor inside my cigar humidor that tells me when the humidity packs are drying out and need to be recharged!

Been meaning to create a couple more remote temp sensor modules for my freezers to tie into that system, but just haven't had the time.
Click to expand...

Agreed but, if your power goes out you know your freezer isn't working. I am more concerned about the freezer that stops working and I don't know.

I also saw that the same company offers several sensors, including a water sensor that will connect with the hub. I am considering getting this set up not only for the freezers but, also adding a water sensor to the 75 gallon aquarium my 12 yr old son just saved up and bought. It might save me from coming home to a soaked floor.
 
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