How To Build A Cold Room for Washing Bubble Hash
Cannabis enthusiast and student of the art of solventless extraction
A cold environment is essential for washing hash. Loose resin is nearly impossible to work with in warm temperatures, as it becomes a greasy mess that’s difficult to sieve through mesh wash bags. Creating a dedicated cold room for working with hash is the best option for serious extractors. Cold rooms should house all the equipment you need to wash hash, in a clean and well-organized space. With modified air conditioning and proper insulation, you can maintain cool temperatures even on hot days.
Converting an existing room in your home into a cold room is probably the most cost-effective option. But, if you have the budget, a stand-alone cold room in the back yard will give you the ultimate flexibility in design and buildout.
Pre fabricated sheds such as the Tuff Shed brand are a good choice, and you can have these compact structures delivered directly to your site. This will act as the shell of your cold room, giving you the flexibility to customize the inside to generate and maintain cool temperatures.
Equipment To Keep in Your Cold Room
The common setup that most solventless extractors have in their cold rooms includes:
- Modified air conditioner
- Insulated walls and ceiling
- Water chiller
- Drainage reservoir
- Washing machines
- Rosin press
- Freeze dryer
- Stainless steel tables
- LED lights (great for visibility and low heat output)
Read more about designing your space and integrating the equipment in How To Build The Ultimate Bubble Hash Washing Room.
Temperature Requirements
The colder the better, but it’s hard to spend the day working in frigid conditions! So what’s the right temperature to create in your cold room?
45 degrees Fahrenheit is a great temperature to aim for in your cold room. These temps keep all your water and equipment nice and chilled. Cool temperatures also allow trichomes heads to maintain their protective encasement, holding the resin inside while the mixing, sieving, and collecting processes occur.
Warmer temps make it easier for trichome heads to rupture and smear resin, leading to messy conditions and reduced yields. Anything warmer than 55 degrees is outside of the ideal range for washing hash, so it’s a stretch to consider anything warmer than 55 degrees as a “cold room”.
Insulating Your Cold Room
Make sure to run the electricity first, adding several outlets (more than you think you’ll need) at waist level. Add at least two outlets to the ceiling for your LED lights. If you’re starting with an unfinished shed, it’s easy to add insulation to the walls and ceiling. After adding insulation to the walls, finish the interior with plywood to trap the insulation inside the walls. Then, line the plywood with cold board, the outermost layer of insulation.
Cold board refers to the final layer of insulation to add inside your cold room. Cold board is a type of radiant heat shield with a foam core that is great for locking cold air inside while blocking heat from seeping in from the outside. You can purchase these insulation panels in large rigid sheets, or in rolls that can be cut to fit your walls and ceiling. Staple or nail this cold board to the plywood, completely covering the entire inside of the cold room.
If you’re converting an existing room in your home, then the walls and ceilings are probably already insulated. But adding cold board is still recommended.
CoolBot for The Air Conditioner
Residential air conditioners, including the kind that fit into a window, have built-in settings that automatically turn off the compressor once the room temperature reaches a certain level. Most air conditioners are set to not go below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, this doesn’t allow us to achieve the 40-degree temperatures we’re looking for inside our cold room.
Enter the CoolBot. CoolBot is a small device that overrides an air conditioner’s settings and allows the compressor to continue running even into the 30 and 40-degree temperature ranges. CoolBot’s allow you to turn a regular air conditioner into the perfect source for constant supply of cold air.
Conclusion
Cool temperatures in the 40 degree range provide the perfect environment for washing hash. Building a cold room complete with an air conditioner (outfitted with a CoolBot) and proper insulation allows extractos to produce high quality hash on a consistent schedule, regardless of the weather conditions outside.
Being thoughtful with the design and construction of your cold room will give you a great advantage over other hash makers who don’t have a dedicated space to practice their craft.
Remember that cleanliness and organization are as critical to the success of a cold room as the temperature.
Have you ever built a cold room for washing hash? Let us know in the comments!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a cold room?
A cold room is a specially designed space that's equipped to generate and hold cold temperatures for washing hash.
Can you use a regular air conditioning unit inside a cold room for washing hash?
Yes, with a CoolBot installed with the window air conditioning unit, coupled with cold board as insulation.
What is a CoolBot?
CoolBot is a small device that overrides an air conditioner’s settings and allows the compressor to continue running even into the 30 and 40-degree temperature ranges.
How cold should your cold room be for washing bubble hash?
45 degrees Fahrenheit is a great temperature to aim for in your cold room.
How do you start building a cold room for washing hash?
You can convert a small room in your home into a cold room, or you can start with a separate structure. A Tuff Shed or similar pre-built unit makes a good starting point for a cold room.
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