ice thread

[Skipper]

My experience is exactly the opposite. The water, based on physics, will melt more ice than if you drain the water.

But we're not concerned about how fast the ice melts, as much as we are concerned about how long the cooler stays cold.
The water you drain is coooold. It doesn't matter what state it's in, solid or liquid. It's the same as removing cold ice.
That drained cold water is then replaced by air.
Hundreds of times of experience. --I could have paid for refrigeration by now ) --
Tried the drain version, box got warm much faster.
Of course, only ice in the cooler might keep the food colder, but for a much shorter amount of time, and we are talking longevity here.

 

[Skipper]

Found Igloo notes re draining water. Question 11, paragraph 3:
https://www.igloocoolers.com/faq/

 

[Benny17441]

We take yearly a 10-12 day trip on our trailerable Starwind 223. We rely on two portable coolers to keep our perishables and drinks cool. There is no way that we can do more than two days on ice so we look for and schedule provisioning stops for fresh perishables and ice along the way. That is my suggestion, look for adequate places and schedule stops to replenish provisions and ice. Have done all the tricks to extend ice usage and none will work like replenishing in a timely manner.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

The water you drain is coooold. It doesn't matter what state it's in, solid or liquid. It's the same as removing cold ice.

What the physics are saying is "keep the mass of the cold object as large as possible" to stay cold as long as possible.

If you can hang on to waste water (melted ice) at approx. 32 deg. F (fresh off the block) so much the better. You have to absorb more heat in order to increase the temperature of the contents of the cooler. The rate of heat absorption is a function of the insulation value of the cooler.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I don't know where you sail (below the rapids (Ottawa River) or above (Lac Deschenes)), but if the latter, Nepean Sailing Club has blocks of ice right at the dock. You don't have to be a member to visit.

 

[fred1diver]

I trailer sail, so it all depends on my mood, I go at both locations

 

[Daveinet]

We have had good luck with freezing bottled water. Larger blocks of ice. When it melts, the water does not get on your food. Not only that, but we tend to consume the bottles as they melt. Water bottles are a nice size, because they can stand up, and allow you to put food in between them, keeping the food in more intimate contact with the ice for things like meat, which spoil faster.

 

[thinwater]

I usually use both, the cubes to fill the empty holes and some blocks for the rest.

anyone use these before?
SOGEMAN ICEBOX BLANKET.

I like to keep the ice chest at the foot of a berth, like a step. During the day we pile all of the blankets on the top, and we fold another underneath. On my last boat we actually put it in a sleeping bag. That adds a lot.

Dry ice is colder than water ice, but the BTU/pound to evaporate is only a tiny bit more than the melting energy of ice when considered on a volume basis (it is less dense).

Yup, freeze everything you can, and then add blankets top and bottom. And you can get ice practically anywhere.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

LOL- since I NEVER keep food in a cooler, I only am concerned with drinks. So, for me, not that big as deal. Did three months in Bahamas with zero ice. No biggie

Learned to drink rum with water

 

[Skipper]

Learned to drink rum with water

Yuck!
Try powdered lemonade. Various flavors.
Or canned/bagged fruit juice.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Learned to drink rum with water

Commonly known as grog!

 

[Tom G P-21]

But we're not concerned about how fast the ice melts, as much as we are concerned about how long the cooler stays cold.
The water you drain is coooold. It doesn't matter what state it's in, solid or liquid. It's the same as removing cold ice.
That drained cold water is then replaced by air.
Hundreds of times of experience. --I could have paid for refrigeration by now ) --
Tried the drain version, box got warm much faster.
Of course, only ice in the cooler might keep the food colder, but for a much shorter amount of time, and we are talking longevity here.

What you have to take into consideration is insulation over thermal mass. Air is a better insulator than water. When your cooler is full of water it conducts the heat from the walls better than air that melts the remaining ice faster. {That is the reason Igloo recommends draining the water from the cooler to keep the ice insulated by air. edit, this statement is incorrect, Igloo recommends leaving the water in}

 

[Ron20324]

[QUOTE=".... Air is a better insulator than water. When your cooler is full of water it conducts the heat from the walls better than air that melts the remaining ice faster. That is the reason Igloo recommends draining the water from the cooler to keep the ice insulated by air.[/QUOTE]

Maybe correct to a point. However, when the cooler (or fridge) is opened, warm room air will enter. The effect is increased in front-loaders or home fridges. Water will remain cold, but the air will warm and melt ice that much faster. That's the same reason you should keep at least empty containers in a fridge or freezer.

 

[Skipper]

That is the reason Igloo recommends draining the water from the cooler to keep the ice insulated by air.

Sorry but that is exactly opposite of what Igloo says. That's why I posted this:
Found Igloo notes re draining water. Question 11, paragraph 3:
https://www.igloocoolers.com/faq/

 

[Johann]

What you have to take into consideration is insulation over thermal mass. Air is a better insulator than water. When your cooler is full of water it conducts the heat from the walls better than air that melts the remaining ice faster. That is the reason Igloo recommends draining the water from the cooler to keep the ice insulated by air.

From the Igloo FAQ link provided above: "As ice begins to melt, if feasible, leave the water inside your cooler (feasibility varies with contents of cooler) - the cold water keeps the ice chilled longer than the air that replaces it when you remove the water."

 

[Tom G P-21]

Noted, I stand corrected and updated my original post.

 

[Skipper]

I just happen to be off this week and am on the boat. With ice
So I may as well experiment and offer icebox geek (me) info.
Here's a pic taken a few minutes ago - 10:15am. 7 lbs of ice put in the dry and plugged icebox at 5:50pm yesterday. Ice and melt water mix currently still at 30 degrees F.
65 degrees overnight temp. 80 during the mid day.
When the water gets to 50 F, I'll drain and refill with 7 more pounds without replacing the plug.
Will update post in a couple days.
If I'm wrong, and the box stays cold longer without water, then it will be proven here.
If I'm wrong, it won't be the first time.
Or the second.
Edit 7/22 - had to go home yesterday. Experiment is a bust. Water was at 65 when I got back to the boat at noon today.
Also, I forgot the wife is coming with food and drinks today. Had to fill with 14lbs and plug.

 

[Ron20324]

Skipper, you overlook opening the cooler to take things out, which will introduce warm/hot air. My advice in #33 is what Igloo recommends in #35.

 

[Daveinet]

I would contend that in the short term, draining the water will maintain the cooler at a colder temperature, but over the long term, that colder temp will last for a shorter period of time. Air does not store cold. It is easy to change the air temperature. It takes more effort to change the temperature of water. So, water in what ever form will store cold longer than air will. However if you are trying to keep the temp below freezing, then continuing to remove everything that is above freezing will help. However, you will run out of ice faster. If you are trying to keep everything below 40 degrees, then it is likely the water is still below 40, and your should not remove it, as it is storing the cold.