Fridge/freezer insulation

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rigpigpaul

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Hi All, I plan to replace my worktops in the galley so I will be able to gain access to my fridge/freezer carcass which is a top loader. I plan on removing it and replacing the insulation. I have done some 'reading up' and the biggest enemy seems to be condensation. What type of insulation is best but not exorbitant and is it worth the effort fibre glassing the insulation to the outsiade of the box.
thanks RPP
 
You could do worse than follow Calders advice and use 'Blue Board' insulation, which is non absorbent. Probably fix using Sikaflex or sim. Blue Board is available from SIG & probably other suppliers.
 
Sorry for stealing your thread but I've been looking at converting my cool box to a fridge. It has minimal insulation but a bag of ice will last for a day.

I'm living aboard and don't tend to go far without shore power, could I just plumb the fridge evaporator and compressor into the existing cool box? It is a single grp moulding and i wouldnt want to modify it if at all possible.

Has anyone used a system on a minimally insulated cool box? Will it just be wet all the time? Who makes the cheapest cooling kits, I'm on a limited budget.

Again sorry for Fred (drift).
 
causeway said:
Sorry for stealing your thread but I've been looking at converting my cool box to a fridge. It has minimal insulation but a bag of ice will last for a day.

I'm living aboard and don't tend to go far without shore power, could I just plumb the fridge evaporator and compressor into the existing cool box? It is a single grp moulding and i wouldnt want to modify it if at all possible.

Has anyone used a system on a minimally insulated cool box? Will it just be wet all the time? Who makes the cheapest cooling kits, I'm on a limited budget.

Again sorry for Fred (drift).
Click to expand...

Not particularly successful if you need 1 ice-bag a day. When my compressor needed a new transformer unit, 1 bag lasted 3 days and my power use (in Greece) is about 28 AH /24 in current temperatures of 33C.
The unit is an ASU-Isotherm with holding plate for <60 litres.
 
causeway said:
Sorry for stealing your thread but I've been looking at converting my cool box to a fridge. It has minimal insulation but a bag of ice will last for a day.
Click to expand...

I suggest you start by improving the insulation. Putting a refrigerator unit into a badly insulated box is a recipe for endless voltage problems, running the engine to keep the fridge working, etc. You don't need to spend a fortune on doing it, for example a sheet of Kingspan and an aerosol of building foam will make a huge improvement. Maybe then your ice will last for three days and you won't need a refrigerator.
 
Hmmm, access is limited so insulation would have to go on the inside. It's an L shape so further room would be used up on extra corners.

The whole Kitchen area is one moulded piece of GRP, its a bit ofa nightmare really.

I live aboard so ideally i would prefer fridge to lugging ice. I don't go far from power most of the time.
 
causeway said:
Hmmm, access is limited so insulation would have to go on the inside. It's an L shape so further room would be used up on extra corners.

The whole Kitchen area is one moulded piece of GRP, its a bit ofa nightmare really.

I live aboard so ideally i would prefer fridge to lugging ice. I don't go far from power most of the time.
Click to expand...

As Vyv suggests, PU foam is better than nothing and will get into awkward corners. It does need a fairly high humidity to foam successfully, and can get waterlogged (when it's pretty useless).
 
Hmmm, still doesn't sort my problem that the cool box is narrow and L shaped.

If I use foam I'll have very little use able space left for food.

I can't really insulate the outside as the whole galley is one piece of GRP furniture.

Ok , if we disregard high electricity usage, will I be plagued with other problems if I just for the compressor and plate without insulation?
 
causeway said:
I can't really insulate the outside as the whole galley is one piece of GRP furniture.
Click to expand...

I thought that's how most of them were, certainly mine is. I stuck polystyrene around the outside using PU foam as an adhesive. If you cannot do that, can you make 'shuttering' with some sheet material and spray foam inside it? Even wrapping it in aluminised polythene bubble insulation would be better than nothing.

I think that condensation on the outside of an un-insulated coolbox might be a significant problem.
 
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The way the thing is moulded, I can only access the bottom of one half of the 'L' and one side. I don't think shuttering will be an option, but thanks for the idea, I'll investigate that one further.

Condensation on the outside I can't deal with, the inside would be OK as it has a drain.

This is a fair old pain and I might have to look into another option, possibly making a box where I currently keep tools-under the saloon seat, which isn't ideal. a 12v cool box is an option but I'll have to stow it every time I move and it takes up valuable real estate.
 
causeway said:
Hmmm, still doesn't sort my problem that the cool box is narrow and L shaped.

If I use foam I'll have very little use able space left for food.

I can't really insulate the outside as the whole galley is one piece of GRP furniture.

Ok , if we disregard high electricity usage, will I be plagued with other problems if I just for the compressor and plate without insulation?
Click to expand...

Your's is exactly the same as I faced. Forget about lining - your moulding is, I assume, double walled - I just drilled two holes into the void and filled that with the PU foam. One hole for inlet (fairly low) and one for the outlet (high) just push the foam in until it comes out of the outlet hole. Mine has worked for 20 years.
I fear you'll be bitterly disappointed if you don't put in some improvement in insulation.
 
I built a new top loading fridge for my boat last winter. I used kingspan foil faced wall boarding as the insulation material. I insulated the fridge tub to a minimum of 100mm all around. The rigid insulation was fixed in place with expandeding builders foam around the tub. I had the tub made to measure in stainless steel to suit the odd shape I had available. I moulded a grp hinged lid, also insulated in the same way, with a top in formica/ply to match the new work surface. The fridge is 85 litre capacity and works very well and is energy efficient due to the high level of thermal insulation. 0ne 50mm foil faced board and one 25mm board from Wickes was enough insulation to do the whole job.
in my experience from previous poor insulated fridge you need 100mm insulation or your fridge will be use lots of power. I appreciate that this may mean you have a small fridge. On my last boat we located the fridge under a bunk because we couldnt find anywhere else large enough.
 
My box is single skinned, unfortunately. I suppose I could have a tub made up to fit the space and then pu foam it.

The bunk idea seems most practical but dammit I'm using that space already!

I could swap it around and put the tools in the cool box...
 
I'm not sure if betting on the stock exchange is going to help...

...If I did well I could buy a better equipped boat, I suppose.
 
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