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Icebox tips


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Minimising air space is the key. A few blocks of polystyrene of differing sizes is good. Alternatively,as my wife was prone to do, fill void spaces with rolls of toilet paper. Has the additional benefit of adding to your comfort on a hot day when nature calls.

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An interesting fact on polystyrene, relevant to keeping fridges cold. 

It has a very low heat capacity, i.e. it takes very little energy to heat it up or cool it down (low joules per kg of polystyrene per deg of temp change)

Steel is the opposite, in that it requires a lot of energy to heat a kg up by a degree.

 

This can be counter intuitive for people because it is used for insulation. 

The short story is if you fill your ice box with it, it will adsorb very little 'cold energy' in cooling down to the icebox temp, and displaces all the air, which conducts heat by mixing and convection.

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We make a single 150mm deep ice berg in the bottom of the large iceytek chilly bin by putting the whole thing in the freezer.

A mini glacier like that usually lasts us 4 days solid form in the bottom of the drinks bin.

Drinks and loose ice go on top and drain the slouch off daily,

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I fill 2-3 empty milk bottles with water, freeze them at home then put them in boat’s freezer (which never actually freezes). These ice bricks help bring the temperature down and provide some thermal inertia within the compartment. Also place a foam sheet over the contents and eutectic plate to insulate them from the air gap above.

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I fill 2-3 empty milk bottles with water, freeze them at home then put them in boat’s freezer (which never actually freezes). These ice bricks help bring the temperature down and provide some thermal inertia within the compartment. Also place a foam sheet over the contents and eutectic plate to insulate them from the air gap above.

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So the chillybin a total disappointment, but will try salt ice. Looking at gasmate 3 way 35L for $500 ; or gasmate 2 way 40L $600. Apparently bit of an issue with gas burning down below being fatal, and would need to be level for the gas. What are the thoughts on the electric model? (dont understand the sudden desire for cooling) So any thoughts please? (Poor old pensioner and also not much space)

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the 3 way fridges are really only 2 way - 240v or Gas.

running the small 30litre one i had on Mercenary on 12volt made luke warm beer and drew about 5 amps.

If you are thinking of using battery / 12v then go a proper compressor 12volt fridge / waeco unit not an LPG / Thermotropic unit?

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Waeco well worth the price,I have cfx 40 and ran on temp zone 4 for 5 days away camping at thames and 120amh deep cycle battery lasted just with no charge.(need to invest in a panel)forget about the crappy old warehouse chilly bins,find an iceytek bin,near freeze or hard chill items before use.Salt ice!!

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Dometic 68l bin completely surrounded by woolly R2.4 insulation and filled with 3l bottles of frozen water on top of food etc and air gaps filled with a wet bath towel and polystyrene. Food keeps cold and water stays frozen at least 5 days

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