# WTF is this contraption my neighbor has in their front yard? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382 "2025-09-25T15:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/21 "2025-09-25T17:30:48Z")
Keeping it in the house and out of the sun would work better, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/22 "2025-09-25T17:37:00Z")
Unless a spouse or housemate objects to the smell of fermenting yeast. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/23 "2025-09-25T17:47:13Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Unless a spouse or housemate objects to the smell of fermenting yeast. Another good reason for me to do a smell test! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/24 "2025-09-25T17:57:46Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > The A/C is being powered by an extension cord running out of the house. - The A/C is being powered by an extension cord running out of the house. That could be risky. Resistance increases over distance. I had a friend in college who ran what looked like a sturdy extension cord about 15 feet to an AC, and it began to melt from the heat. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/25 "2025-09-25T18:00:21Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > That could be risky. No argument from me! The whole set-up is janky. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/26 "2025-09-25T18:04:28Z")
I read a documentary that said penguins thrive best in iceboxes, or if there should be a large group, in basements. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/27 "2025-09-25T18:11:57Z")
The odor of decomposition can be controlled by a cooler environment. I think it would be wise not to inquire. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/28 "2025-09-25T18:16:51Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I read a documentary that said penguins thrive best in iceboxes, or if there should be a large group, in basements. Or [in sewers.](https://youtu.be/S3GXANHKhig?si=tUXD8jv7ZogQ9gAP) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/29 "2025-09-25T18:20:37Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I read a documentary I watched that book! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/30 "2025-09-25T18:32:49Z")
And if that doesn’t work out, ship them off to the north pole. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/31 "2025-09-25T18:36:08Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I read a documentary that said penguins thrive best in iceboxes, or if there should be a large group, in basements. I’m old enough to get the reference. I even read the original report it was based on. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/32 "2025-09-25T21:42:25Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Maybe I should sneak up and smell it 😉 Now _this_ would be weird! > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Unless a spouse or housemate objects to the smell of fermenting yeast. Grounds for divorce. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/33 "2025-09-25T21:48:28Z")
It’s a cold delivery box. It’s kinda large for medicine delivery. So it’s probably for frozen food products. You give your delivery company a key. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/34 "2025-09-25T22:30:28Z")
You don’t use an air conditioner for frozen or refrigerated foods, you use a refrigeration unit. The unit in the picture probably has a minimum temperature setting of 62F - fine if you don’t want your vegetables to wilt in the summer heat, but not sufficient for milk and ice cream. Meat curing…maybe? Those tubes look like little water lines – pump water into the white one, drain from the black – but I can’t think what would need water and no light. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/35 "2025-09-25T22:55:30Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > You don’t use an air conditioner for frozen or refrigerated foods, you use a refrigeration unit. The unit in the picture probably has a minimum temperature setting of 62F - fine if you don’t want your vegetables to wilt in the summer heat, but not sufficient for milk and ice cream. My thoughts exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/36 "2025-09-25T23:03:11Z")
So..it’s home made. Guy is trying, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/37 "2025-09-26T00:54:30Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The odor of decomposition can be controlled by a cooler environment. > > I think it would be wise not to inquire. There have been cold cases like this. > **[Death affirmed for killer who kept body in freezer](https://www.ocregister.com/2011/07/08/death-affirmed-for-killer-who-kept-body-in-freezer/)** > > The California Supreme Court has affirmed the death penalty given to a Laguna Hills man who was convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering a 23-year-old Newport Beach woman in 1991,… ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/38 "2025-09-26T03:08:07Z")
It’s a DIY fermentation chamber. See other creative examples that use a cheap wall-unit A/C: > **[Fermentation Chamber built with window A/C unit](https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/fermentation-chamber-built-with-window-a-c-unit.247792/)** > > So, I live in AZ, and it is warming up. I keep the ambient temperature of my house 85 during the day, and 80 at night (big house, and I am cheap). This is not good for beer brewing, and using the ol "tub with ice + fermenter" method, still doesn't... ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/39 "2025-09-26T13:08:48Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Not that this is impossible, but brewing requires a fairly steady temperature - ideally moderate to low. Lagers require a fridge, but ales, stout etc will give a decent result at room temp. But it really helps the “room temp” to be fairly low, so the beer gains flavour. Fast fermentation tends to be bland. Not only that, but it’s probably a lot cheaper and easier to get a small chest fridge and a temperature controller that is in-line with the electrical plug, if you want to lager your beer, or even just maintain better temps. Not that taking the most baroque approach to a problem isn’t a time-honored homebrewing tradition, but I’m still not convinced. Is that deck box even big enough to fit a 5 gallon carboy and an airlock? Doesn’t look like it to me. Also… lagering takes considerably cooler temps than most AC thermostats allow. Typically it’s fermentation at about 50-52, then an extended period in the mid-low 30s F. He’d still have to jury-rig something to get a window unit to cool like that, if it’s even possible. That’s also true for frozen food, etc… just like @TroutMan points out. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382/40 "2025-09-26T13:34:13Z")
UPDATE: My wife was driving down the street yesterday, and two women (presumably the owners) were out there with the box unlocked and the lid open. She said they appeared to be cleaning inside. As she was driving by, she said she could see what looked like pink styrofoam insulation inside the box. Take this sighting for what it’s worth (i.e. a drive by), but assuming she’s right, that lends some credence to @Bear_Nenno’s suggestion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382.md?page=3)