Ice Box Conversion
- Thread starter frmreilly
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The key, no matter ice box or fridge, is as much insulation as you can. A well insulated ice box thats full with frozen bottles of water will last many days and give you lots of cold drinking water all the time. The more full you keep it the longer it lasts.
Cracked Jugs
Be carefull of the frozen water jugs. I've had many that were not filled up all the way crack open and leak all over the place.
Be carefull of the frozen water jugs. I've had many that were not filled up all the way crack open and leak all over the place.
Joe, there is alot to be said for the choice of
jug. The semi-opaque milk jugs are prone to break when filled and frozen. The clear jugs and soda bottles are a different type of plastic and in five years I haven't had any break. Not to say that tomorrow it won't be different.
jug. The semi-opaque milk jugs are prone to break when filled and frozen. The clear jugs and soda bottles are a different type of plastic and in five years I haven't had any break. Not to say that tomorrow it won't be different.
drink cranberry juice 
I have found large gallon+ heavy plastic jugs with large tops are good for freezing. They are at the store with cranberry juice in them. There may be other juices also available. I buy the juice for the jug. Also, use them to store water for morning coffee.
I have found large gallon+ heavy plastic jugs with large tops are good for freezing. They are at the store with cranberry juice in them. There may be other juices also available. I buy the juice for the jug. Also, use them to store water for morning coffee.
Wait a sec...
Water expands when it freezes...ice occupies 10% more space than water. So a water jug that's completely full would be MORE likely to crack open as it freezes than one that has room left in it for the ice to expand.
Water expands when it freezes...ice occupies 10% more space than water. So a water jug that's completely full would be MORE likely to crack open as it freezes than one that has room left in it for the ice to expand.
Quite true, Peggy . If the jug were rigid and
had no expansion room. But there are ridges, a flat bottom and some elasticity in the plastic. I usually leave about 2 inches of air in the bottle. The cap will fail before the container. If the container is not round, but has flat sides that also allows room for expansion. A one gallon steel paint can filled with water and left on the ground in the winter time freezes from the top down and will bulge the bottom and sometimes push the bottom of the can free from the cylindrical sides. Edit to add: A glass jug will always break if frozen when full.
had no expansion room. But there are ridges, a flat bottom and some elasticity in the plastic. I usually leave about 2 inches of air in the bottle. The cap will fail before the container. If the container is not round, but has flat sides that also allows room for expansion. A one gallon steel paint can filled with water and left on the ground in the winter time freezes from the top down and will bulge the bottom and sometimes push the bottom of the can free from the cylindrical sides. Edit to add: A glass jug will always break if frozen when full.
reused milk jugs work great.
i have been doing this for years. however as it been mentioned ,don't fill them to the top. I leave about 2 to 3" from the top when filling them to freeze. Should be noted that their only good for one use. I never had one split using this method. s/v Que Pasa?
i have been doing this for years. however as it been mentioned ,don't fill them to the top. I leave about 2 to 3" from the top when filling them to freeze. Should be noted that their only good for one use. I never had one split using this method. s/v Que Pasa?
frgoboat .com
Frigoboat sells all the components necessary for a refrigeration system. Their website also explains how to design a refrigeration system and what size components you will need.
Frigoboat sells all the components necessary for a refrigeration system. Their website also explains how to design a refrigeration system and what size components you will need.
Water cooled or air cooled??
My compressor is crammed into a cockpit locker that has poor ventilation and engine heat... I am thinking about rigging some sort of water heat exchanger. My most basic idea is to run copper tubing side by side with the hot tubing from the compressor and run water from the lake through the tubing. A small pump rigged to a through hull to move the water. The other idea is to pull cooler air from the bilge and use ductwork to get the warm air out through an exisitng cowl vent. Wonder which would be more efficent and use less amps??? I am leaning towards the water.
My compressor is crammed into a cockpit locker that has poor ventilation and engine heat... I am thinking about rigging some sort of water heat exchanger. My most basic idea is to run copper tubing side by side with the hot tubing from the compressor and run water from the lake through the tubing. A small pump rigged to a through hull to move the water. The other idea is to pull cooler air from the bilge and use ductwork to get the warm air out through an exisitng cowl vent. Wonder which would be more efficent and use less amps??? I am leaning towards the water.
Dry Ice
I dont know if you have a Walmart on Staten Island or not, but if you do, Walmart sells dry ice for about $1 per lb. 2 bags of ice and 2 lbs of dry ice keep things frozen in our cooler for right at 6 days. The dry Ice bag will tell you how to lay out the ice cubes and the dry ice for the most efficiency.
I dont know if you have a Walmart on Staten Island or not, but if you do, Walmart sells dry ice for about $1 per lb. 2 bags of ice and 2 lbs of dry ice keep things frozen in our cooler for right at 6 days. The dry Ice bag will tell you how to lay out the ice cubes and the dry ice for the most efficiency.
In all of this I think the most important
consideration is having thick enough insulation to keep the ice from melting. My ice box is top loading about 8 cubic feet in side and has 4 inch insulation. It keeps cold for a week in the summer time on forty to fifty pounds of jug ice.
consideration is having thick enough insulation to keep the ice from melting. My ice box is top loading about 8 cubic feet in side and has 4 inch insulation. It keeps cold for a week in the summer time on forty to fifty pounds of jug ice.
William
I installed a norcold conversion in my boat last winter and I love it..nor more lugging ice to the boat. it will actually keep ice cream frozen. I did add a lot of insulation around the ice box and added a seal to the lid. we have had a few days that hit the upper 90's and it was still nice and cold in there.
I installed a norcold conversion in my boat last winter and I love it..nor more lugging ice to the boat. it will actually keep ice cream frozen. I did add a lot of insulation around the ice box and added a seal to the lid. we have had a few days that hit the upper 90's and it was still nice and cold in there.
No block ice in Staten Island?
"no one sells block ice any longer" That's wierd. My boat yard sells blocks and cubes. Very high quality blocks for $2.00. I throw 4 of them in th bottom before a trip, turn on hte 'fridge (Cold Machine) and two weeks later I still have some block ice in the bottom. However, the Cold Machine uses 4.5 Amps at about 50% duty cycle.
"no one sells block ice any longer" That's wierd. My boat yard sells blocks and cubes. Very high quality blocks for $2.00. I throw 4 of them in th bottom before a trip, turn on hte 'fridge (Cold Machine) and two weeks later I still have some block ice in the bottom. However, the Cold Machine uses 4.5 Amps at about 50% duty cycle.
mental block
I'm with FM, I haven't seen block ice for sale anywhere on the planet in the last 20 years. But what's the big problem with the bag ice you can buy at any gas station? For what it's worth, ice water with cubes floating in it cools down beverages faster than anything (except blasting them with a CO2 fire extinguisher, according to the guys at Mythbusters). And it's already chopped up for using in your margaritas... I have a well-insulated ice box under my nav station but with the new generation of super-insulated portable coolers I decided things would be much easier to park a cooler on the end of a settee where everyone could get at it and store the charts and books under the nav station. Ice lasts a long time in these if you use enough and can let stuff sit in the icy water.
I'm with FM, I haven't seen block ice for sale anywhere on the planet in the last 20 years. But what's the big problem with the bag ice you can buy at any gas station? For what it's worth, ice water with cubes floating in it cools down beverages faster than anything (except blasting them with a CO2 fire extinguisher, according to the guys at Mythbusters). And it's already chopped up for using in your margaritas... I have a well-insulated ice box under my nav station but with the new generation of super-insulated portable coolers I decided things would be much easier to park a cooler on the end of a settee where everyone could get at it and store the charts and books under the nav station. Ice lasts a long time in these if you use enough and can let stuff sit in the icy water.
William , Norcold ?
Which Norcold conversion did you purchase/install ? what size is your refer , where did you purchase ? I lile the flexability of the 120v/12v either or choice .
Which Norcold conversion did you purchase/install ? what size is your refer , where did you purchase ? I lile the flexability of the 120v/12v either or choice .
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