Cooler mods: Has anyone done the foam mod?

[NatersXJ6]

I’m probably okay with continuing to not categorize “chuck” as “steak” although we can probably have a grand old technical debate about that one too.

 

[67cj5]

Dendy Jarret never did come back and reply or send me a PM So I am still NONE the Wiser as to what I said and none of my posts have been edited, So thats another thread bought to it's Knees

I sent "Man" a message but he never replied either.

So it's all been a waste of time,

 

[s.e.charles]

should i use synthetic or dino oil in my cooler?

 

[roving1]

Politicize every thread over and over with near impunity and maybe you get a tap on the wrist, or nothing.

But use a PG -13 naughty word and it's serious business. LOL

 

[67cj5]

Politicize every thread over and over with near impunity and maybe you get a tap on the wrist, or nothing.

But use a PG -13 naughty word and it's serious business. LOL

LOL, well I didn't do either so that lets me off the hook,

 

[Grouseman]

I am going to try silver lined bubble wrap on the inside and maybe on the outside of the cooler. I have high expectations for this.

 

[67cj5]

I am going to try silver lined bubble wrap on the inside and maybe on the outside of the cooler. I have high expectations for this.

That will help, The ARB covers are silver lined so it must work,

 

[Grassland]

I saw a guy on YouTube take a plain old Coleman coole, and get a Rubbermaid tote or similar, and using foam blocks and spray foam, basically put the cooler in the Rubbermaid.
He called it a ghetto yeti, aka the Ghetti.
I don't remember what kind of performance gains he ended up with.
But at the end of the day, more insulation means slower heat transfer.
Gets to the point where something is so bulky it's inconvenient.

 

[pith helmet]

A few years ago I took an old regular cooler and lined it with a 1/2” closed cell sleeping pad. Glued it in with liquid nails. It helped some but ultimately was a failed experiment.

 

[67cj5]

I saw a guy on YouTube take a plain old Coleman coole, and get a Rubbermaid tote or similar, and using foam blocks and spray foam, basically put the cooler in the Rubbermaid.
He called it a ghetto yeti, aka the Ghetti.
I don't remember what kind of performance gains he ended up with.
But at the end of the day, more insulation means slower heat transfer.
Gets to the point where something is so bulky it's inconvenient.

Yeah I saw those series of Video's trouble is now you can buy a fridge for around the same price as those high end coolers which makes the fridge choice a lot easier to make,

 

[s.e.charles]

has this thread come full 180 degrees circle yet? i skipped the middle 3 pages.

 

[rruff]

don't buy ice cubes, buy a block.
Blocks, less surface area melt much slower.

It melts slower because it provides less cooling... your stuff will be warmer.

I agree with most on here that coolers are not the way to go if you'll be using them a lot. Either go without refrigeration of any kind (I did it for years) or get a real refrigerator.

 

[ITTOG]

It melts slower because it provides less cooling... your stuff will be warmer.

I agree with most on here that coolers are not the way to go if you'll be using them a lot. Either go without refrigeration of any kind (I did it for years) or get a real refrigerator.

You clearly understand what is going on but you mistyped a little by saying the block provides less cooling. Ice is ice regardles of shape and the cooling rate does not change. The surface area changes so think of it as thermal units per square feet. The difference is surface area. So lets say ice gives you 20 BTU's of cooling per square feet. For a given volume, you will have a much higher surface area for ice than a block. Thus, due to the higher surface area you will get more thermal units of cooling.

 

[rruff]

You clearly understand what is going on but you mistyped a little by saying the block provides less cooling. Ice is ice regardles of shape and the cooling rate does not change.

The amount of cooling *energy* is the same if the weight of the ice is the same. The *rate* however is the thing that is different. The 20lb block lasts longer than 20lbs of cubes because it melts (absorbs heat) at a slower rate... so your cooler contents will be warmer.

 

[Grassland]

At the end of the day, cheap coolers conduct a fair amount of energy through the walls of the cooler. Most of the cheapies are hollow plastic and the air gap is the insulator.
A better cooler has thicker insulation, and having a layer like a blanket over that further slows conduction and convection losses.

Want a fridge to draw less power? Have better insulation, or more of it is the cheapest method. Have a design with minimal to no thermal bridging.

Back to OP, who somehow couldn't afford a few bucks for a better cooler but who could still afford to eat steak for breakfast 7 days a week and buy ice routinely, realized he needed a fridge and somehow had the budget for that, was trying the "what he had on hand" method of increasing insulation aka the blanket and tape. Glad he never tried the spray foam and container method.