Cool boxes

PabloPicasso

PabloPicasso

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Are those passive cool boxes that you put ice packs in any good? Is there a difference between the makes, are some more insulated than others? If so, which are recommended?
 
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This is the kind of thing that would be useful for PBO to do one of its tests on.
The Waeco one that Russell has posted about certainly looks good, but it's impossible to know which is the "Best Buy" on the market without doing comparative tests.
 
I have a built in insulated locker and I freeze a 4 pint milk carton,put it in the locker and it keeps it cold for two days,longer if you dont keep opening it up.
 
Hugh Foulis said:
I made a 'box' out of some expanded polystyrene that came as packaging, and gaffer tape. Stood the coolbox in this and after 3 days the ice-packs were still semi frozen so would last for a long weekend when camping. Cost about 8p.
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All well and good, but would it stand being thrown around from place to place in a small boat, used as a table and occasional stool?
 
for day sailing we use a cool bag and ice (freezer) blocks. For longer trips..like today, we are about to go down to boat for the summer 2 week cruise!), we use cheap Halfords chiller boxes using those cheap electric heat exchangers (can't for the life of me remember what they're called.... piezzo something? God I hate getting old: it's my birthday too:() Anyway, very effective as long as they are only on when the engine or shore power is on, as they are eleccy hungry, but will keep food chilled over a hot w/e no bother, so you can have nights at anchor too.....
 
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Laurie said:
for day sailing we use a cool bag and ice (freezer) blocks. For longer trips..like today, we are about to go down to boat for the summer 2 week cruise!), we use cheap Halfords chiller boxes using those cheap electric heat exchangers (can't for the life of me remember what they're called.... piezzo something? God I hate getting old: it's my birthday too:() Anyway, very effective as long as they are only on when the engine or shore power is on, as they are eleccy hungry, but will keep food chilled over a hot w/e no bother, so you have have nights at anchor too.....
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PELTIER effect is the name you are trying to remember I expect... Named after some French physicist. Very good but as you say a bit heavy on the electric. I think mine draws 4 amps continuously.

There are small conventional fridges that use a lot less averaged over a period of time.

However the question was about insulated boxes not powered devices.

My best was a cardboard carton lined with 4" of polystyrene. OK when on a campsite where you can get freezer packs refrozen daily otherwise of limited use. Very small capacity too!
 
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I use an Aldi Peltier Electric Coolbox made I believe By Waeco about £40 I recall, maybe less. as others have said power hungry, it has the advantage over many that it has a mains plug and 12V plug in the lid so can be run off either without a power adaptor.

The advantage for me of this one was that the bottom is an insulated plastic box as per passive coolbox's all the electrical gubins being in the removable top so can be used with ice or freezer blocks. Run at night on deck some form of ventilated cover needed to keep rain off it cools down nicely. I had to modify the handles to stop them falling off.

Mostly we don't have access to power on the boat so use it passively with freezer blocks or more effectively bags of ice or as other have said frozen bottles of water. We do run it off the car whilst on the way to the boat, not sure whether that helps it stay cooler or not.

I would not say it is the best insulated box around. Maybe look at Coleman or Igloo.

The Waeco Cool Ice refered to in #2 looks pretty good to me for a purely passive one, most of the cheap domestic ones don't have much in the way of insulation IMHO.
 
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VicS said:
PELTIER effect is the name you are trying to remember I expect... Named after some French physicist. Very good but as you say a bit heavy on the electric. I think mine draws 4 amps continuously.

PELTIER!!! Dammit...that's the word!

There are small conventional fridges that use a lot less averaged over a period of time. TRUE

However the question was about insulated boxes not powered devices.

My best was a cardboard carton lined with 4" of polystyrene. OK when on a campsite where you can get freezer packs refrozen daily otherwise of limited use. Very small capacity too!
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Sounds good too..
 
30 odd years ago, I used to buy a plastic pack with chemicals at one end and a liquid (possibly water) at the other.
A clamping strip in the middle was removed to allow the two to be mixed and cool.(Endothermic reaction ?)

Very useful if away from a power source for some time.
Are they still available?

Paul
 
Just bought an aldi 12/240 volt box this year, even when we had temps of 24 and 25 degrees last month it still kept the beer cold. Very happy so far. As said it does draw about 4 amps so I have to be careful how long it's on for.
 
Best passive cold box I have ever owned was bought from Halfords branded AMOCO back in the 70s. It was a tall format about 14in square and 28in high, had superb insulation and a really well fitting lid. Sadly it was stolen by some scumbag at a Los Angeles campsite, together with all its contents. It's always puzzling why an exceptionally good product disappears from the market, never to be seen again.

(Coincidentally, today daughter gave me a Peltier beer-can cooler. Draws around 1.5A at 12v and does a remarkably good job of cooling a single can:D)
 
paul.norton said:
30 odd years ago, I used to buy a plastic pack with chemicals at one end and a liquid (possibly water) at the other.
A clamping strip in the middle was removed to allow the two to be mixed and cool.(Endothermic reaction ?)

Very useful if away from a power source for some time.
Are they still available?

Paul
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Hmmm that looks interesting. What chemicals were used. Or could be used safely on a small boat? This needs a new thread all it's own
 
We have a passive box that came with the boat - there is a purpose made locker (part of the original fit out by the first owner, I guess) to house it, but it can just be unclipped, lifted out and taken home. I'm sure it's far from the best insulated available, but it is useful and effective for us.

We make the most of it by having it as cold and full of cold things as possible before setting off. We try to cool it before we fill it - by putting outside with the lid off for the night if it's cool, or putting some freezer blocks in temporarily (e.g. overnight), for instance. We then remove the temporary ice-packs before loading. We have as much as possible of the food and milk frozen, Just the first day's food and milk, plus anything not suitable for freezing, cold from the fridge. If there's spare room we'll put in some 'fresh' freezer blocks. That usually keeps everything adequately cool for a few days (by which time most of it is eaten).

On longer trips, especially when it's warm, we then revert to making/keeping things cool by evaporation (like your grandmother probably did!) - they are stood in a bucket (or the cool box with lid off) in the cockpit, a few inches of water are put in the bottom of the container, and a wet tea towel draped over the contents and dangling in the water.
 
I have an Igloo marine cooler. It is described as a five day cooler. This June, I put in 3 bags of supermarket ice cubes in it, on top of lots of beer, milk, cheese etc, all at ambient, and there was still ice in it after 6 days.
 
For ice blocks I have 2 litre plastic containers (Syrup bottles acquired from local pharmacist) filled with a saturated salt solution, well not quite saturated as they wouldn't freeze in my deep freeze. Can last for days. Salt was dishwasher salt.
 
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