Insulate Ice box on Apache 37

[mgiguere]

After watching the ice melt too quickly the last couple days on Crishelle, our S&S sloop, we want to improve the insulation in the Ice Box. We don't want to install any complicated electrical refrigeration, but wondered what any of you thought of the best materials and techniques to use. Crishelle has a starboard galley with the ice box located away from the engine.

Thanks

Moe

[4arch]

How good is the access to all five sides of the exterior of the icebox? If you have good access, you can simply glue some rigid board insulation (the pink, blue, or foil faced beige stuff - NOT the white stuff) to all five sides. 2" minimum, the more the merrier up to 6" with the most on the bottom. If you don't have access, you could add similar insulation to the inside of the box if you can spare the room. You could also line the interior of the box with Reflectix insulation which is a product that looks like bubble wrap made out of foil. It gives you R 3.7 in 1/3 of an inch. Make sure you add insulation to the box lid as well and that it seals well. Also make sure if you have a drain hole to put a plug in it.

[sailingdog]

Another way is to pour a two-part urethane foam in the space surrounding the box.

Whatever you do, make sure the insulation is sealed against moisture intrusion, as water will reduce its effectiveness greatly.

[chef2sail]

I agree with sail dog. before putting a new Super cold machine last year to replace the original equipment, I worked on the ice box first and sealed off the space around it filling it with the two part urethane foam I got at Lowes,

We saw a real improvement as our compressor cycled only about 15 minutes of every hour in the heat of the summer as it kept temp better. Our daily amp hour usage dropped from 75 in a 24 hour period to almost 40

Dave.

[Pub911]

Yes to all above. The 'beige' foil lined stuff is from DOW. It's fiberglass reinforced and can be orded in varying thicknesses. And it's cheap as hell. Like $10 for all you'll need or close to that.

If you end up going inside the box with additional insulation, I found Fiberglass Reinforced Board (FRB) was easy to work with and suitable. It's the stuff you see in pre-fab showers and also available in sheets for Lowes or similar.


Good luck.