Converting a Wet Chest to a Dry Chest ???

[SIGNGUY]

I was thinking this morning what would it take to convert a Wet Chest cooler like a Westy WE-6 or similiar to a Dry Chest?  First thought is just swapping out the condenser unit with something that you can blow air through? but am I missing anything else??

I run across alot of wet chest units and pass on them, because of the fact they are wet chests... but if I could convert them easiliy to a dry chest, I think I could have more luck selling them...

Thoughts, opionions?

also anyone know where I could buy Condensing units that would work?

[tkaz]

I had the same thoughts a few years back with a Westy Standard that I got, I swear someone has done this before but I can't find the thread on it.  I would think that using the existing wiring from the agitator motor and putting that on a fan unit would work. 

[MoonDawg]

       Yes, I had a sheetmetal shop make a shroud to surround the coils and used a "pancake fanmotor" like used in computers to blow the air over them. It cooled just fine.....but I still ended up just giving that beast away at my cost! 

[bcharlton]

Love the idea of a conversion.  Keep us posted on your progress with pictures.

Nobody wants standing water in the man caves so wet coolers are not very practical.

BC

[Pat Pixley]

 Well Right now I working on a Westinghouse WD14D that is a dry chest   it has the coolest  cooling system set up that I have seen in a while  and it would work
with some sheet metel work. If I was to do what your thinking of doing this would be it , Right now JohnieG is doing the compressor for it so when he is done with that I will
post some pictures and show you .


 then I did this to my 7Up Slider ( See attached)

[SIGNGUY]

Glen, good idea.. i was hoping to find a way to use the existing cooling coils and such, as I dont' want to have to deal with a 2 part cooling unit like in a slider where it has to be dissassembled and then reasembled and charged... just too much moving around for me with a big heavy cooler back and forth from my shop to the painter to then reassembled and then back to the refrigeration guy and back to my shop and then shipped..

at least with the Wet chest like the wE 6 and such the cooling unit goes up and over the back and side and then down in, and you don't have to dismantle it which is a huge plus!

I have several people asking me to restore there wet chests but they dont' realize that they require cold water to cool the bottles and then they decide not to restore them... but if I had this option, It could be another option..

and after doing a few WD 10, coolers I am finding they are not that time consuming to restore, so if someone wants the one they own, restored, I would have this option...

[collecture]

Wouldn't you need some sort of grate on the bottom elevating the bottles so the air could circulate.
Don't the WD's have this?

[SIGNGUY]

Yes,
I was looking and found a conversion that was done, I think by Alan Huffman where he used the existing tub, but made a piece out of galvanized sheet metal that housed the Evaporator coils, incorporated a fan to circulate the air and also left about an inch of room underneath it with vents on the other side to allow for air flow.. Pretty good idea.. and may play upon that.. images at ..http://gallery.antiquevending.com/we6reddry.htm

[globalcompressors]

I build a drop in conversion...

[SIGNGUY]

I build a drop in conversion...

Cool, Good to know Eric!