LONG TERM USE OF ICE CHESTS

[Texjbird]

   NOTE TO SELF   "YOU ARE NO LONGER A SPRING CHICKEN"  THEREFORE YOU SHOULD NEVER,  NEVER,  EVER AGAIN PICK UP A LARGE ICE CHEST, WITH 20lbs OF ICE IN IT, UP OFF THE GROUND BY YOURSELF AND UP INTO A VAN WITH A 2IN LIFT ON IT<<<   IF YOU DO YOUR NECK WILL THEN HURT UP INTO YOUR JAWS<<<

EVEN THO MY FRIG IS COOLING SOMEWHAT I HAVE BEEN ICING DOWN MY INSULINS FOR ABOUT 4 DAYS.

THE LAST TIME I HAD ONLY A ICE CHEST FOR REFRIGERATION WAS 1979.  I WAS CAMPING IN A 19ft T.T. & THEN I KEPT THE ICE CHEST SITTING IN THE BATHTUB COVERED WITH HEAVY BLANKETS.  I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE INSULIN AND NOT SO MUCH THE FOOD.

IT REALLY HURT LAST TUESDAY NIGHT WHEN I DID A COMPLETE PURGE ON MY FRIG.  I KNOW I THREW AWAY AT LEAST $100 IF NOT MORE OF FOOD AND CONDIMENTS.  I HAD JUST STOCKED UP ON FRESH FRUIT AND VEGGIES.

LUCKILY THERE IS A PLACE HERE WHERE FOR $1.75 I CAN GET 16lbs OF FRESHLY BAGGED ICE.  OR 20lbs DROPPED FROM A CHUTE INTO MY ICE CHEST.  I WENT FOR THE 20lbs DROPPED INTO DOUBLED CLEAN TRASH BAGS UNTIL I COULD GET HOME AND REBAG/PLACE IT INTO CONTAINERS.

SO I'M THINKING 2 GALLON FREEZER BAGS OF ICE WITH THE FOOD PACKED ON/ AROUND THEM IN THE BIG ICE CHEST.  THEN ICE IN CONTAINERS WITH A LAYER OF FOAM PLATES AS INSULATION BETWEEN THE ICE AND INSULIN.

SINCE THE FRIG IS SEMI WORKING I'LL PLACE SOME INSULIN WITH ICE IN IT.  THEN ALSO PUT SOME INSULIN IN A ICE CHEST TOO.

I'D APPRCIATE ANY ADVICE OR INPUT FROM ANY OF YOU.

JEWELLANN

PS  WHEN I WENT TO GET THE BIG ICE CHEST THE SPRING OR WHATEVER MECHANISM THAT ROLLS UP THE OVERHEAD DOORS ON MY 10X20 STORAGE UNIT FAILED WHEN I HAD IT RAISED ABOUT 5FT.  I WAS ABLE TO BACK AWAY WHEN I DROPPED IT. 

 THEN I RAISED IT ABOUT 4ft  & JAMMED A PIECE OF WOOD UNDER EACH SIDE OF THE DOOR + PLUS BOTH A FOLDING METAL CHAIR AND A WOODEN ONE FOR SUPPORT WHILE I QUICKLY {WELL IT WAS MY  VERSION OF "QUICKLY"} WENT IN AND CAPTURED MY NEW TO ME RUBBERMADE  ICE CHEST.  

IT HAS WHEELS, 3 HANDLES. A SPLIT LID THAT WILL HOLD 2 GLASSES/CANS IN EACH LID, AND I CAN SIT ON IT. 
  IT MIGHT BE ONE OF BEST $10 I'VE SPENT LATELY.

[travelaround]

Yesterday I pulled my large 50-gallon Coleman ice chest out of the pantry where it was stored since 2015. Cleaned it. Noticed there's a plug at the bottom. Might be a good idea but I just had a new floor installed in the van (beautiful new wood floor) and don't want water to leak onto it. Not sure what to do now... But put the ice chest in the van anyway to store food in. Might go get a new better ice chest with a better, more secure looking plug. I'd like to put something like an oil draining tray under it. Finding the right size is the issue there. Maybe put the ice into a plastic bag so it won't drain onto my floor accidentally. The Coleman ice chest plug looks cheap and unreliable. All this just because I want cold water to drink! It is summer and where I'm going it is known to be hot at times (most of the times) during the summer.

[Blacktank]

if your talking about your house fridge then check craigslist,a lot of fridges and dorm fridges for cheap

[Snikwahjm]

You are right, compartmentalize the cooler. Ice. Stuff you want colder. Stuff you just want out of heat. I use a smaller cooler inside the big cooler for things I want to keep pretty cold. The bag coolers do best inside a big cooler. I keep a spare fold up cooler over the fridge and it runs more efficiently.

[sternwake]

Back in the days when i used a cooler and block ice, i would use a small bathroom sized wastebasket that fit on one side of the cooler to keep items dry. To keep the wastebasket from floating when the ice melted, I used some pan head screws with some adhesive sealant through the plastic and a bungee across the top.

When Ice longevity was important I actually made an rectangular insulated box out of insulation sheeting, for around the cooler itself, held together with bamboo skewers and duct tape. The voids were filled with sawdust. I was able to get nearly 10 days from a single block of ice Deep in Baja in August. Extra foamboard insulation was used to compartmentalize the cooler too so every ime the lid was opened , less cold air was replaced with warm ambient air.

[Texjbird]

BLACK TANK IT IS THE FRIG IN MY APT. AND BELONGS TO THE COMPLEX.

TO GET IT CHECKED I NEED TO REPORT IT, THEN WAIT FOR WHENEVER SOMEONE STARTS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR TO CHECK IT OUT.  THEN IF IT NEEDS REPAIRS STAY HOME WAITING FOR ANOTHER KNOCK.  IF IT NEEDS REPLACING I STILL HAVE TO BE HERE FOR THAT TOO.

I DO NOT LIKE PEOPLE IN MY HOME WHEN I'M NOT HERE, EVER.  WHEN MY SON WAS YOUNG SOMEONE ENTERED MY HOME AND ROBBED ME WHILE I WAS AT WORK AT NIGHT.  IT WAS 6 WEEKS BEFORE I COULD SLEEP IN MY HOME AGAIN.  WE SLEPT IN MY VAN EITHER AT THE LAKE OR IN MY DRIVEWAY.  I REALLY, REALLY DON'T LIKE UNINVITED/UNWANTED PEOPLE IN MY HOME AT ALL.

CALLING AND LETTING ME KNOW WHEN SOMEONE WILL WANT IN IS TOO MUCH TROUBLE.  RIGHT NOW I WILL DEAL WITH ICE CHEST AND MY SMALL COUNTER TOP CUBE FRIG.

I'M PRACTICING NO FRIG VAN LIFE

JEWELLANN

[Texjbird]

THE ICE CHEST IS DOING GREAT.

IN ONE END THERE IS A RECTANGULAR WHITE PLASTIC BUCKET THAT I BOUGHT FOR $1 AT THE WAL MART BAKERY DEPT.  I HAVE A LOT OF THESE BUCKETS IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.  

THE BUCKET IS LINED WITH A CLEAR PLASTIC "RECYCLING" TRASH BAG,  ICE IN FREEZER BAGS IS LAYERED IN WITH ROMAIN LETTUCE, TOMATOS, SQUASH AND SOMETHING ELSE THAT I DON'T REMEMBER.  ALL THE VEGGIES ARE ALSO IN PLASTIC BAGS.  THIS WAY THE VEGGIES DON'T GET SOAKED WITH WATER AND TO EMPTY THE MELTED ICE I JUST PULL OUT THE VEGGIES AND DUMP THE WATER.

  THE OTHER END OF THE CHEST HAS A CLEAR TRASH BAG AND FREZER BAGS OF ICE LAYERED WITH 1/2 GAL. OF TEA, 1 DOZEN EGGS, A JAR OF MAYO, BOTTLE OF SALAD DRESSING, & 2  8oz CONTAINERS OF GUACAMOLE.  

USING THE TRASH BAGS AS LINERS WILL KEEP THE WATER FROM THE ICE CONTAINED SO I WILL NOT NEED TO EMPTY THE CHEST AND ALSO NOT NEED TO LIFT IT AGAIN UNTIL I MOVE IT.  IT WAS A PITA TO GET IT INTO MY BEDROOM BECAUSE  THERE ARE PLACES IN MY APT THAT I HAD TO LIFT/CARRY IT UP AT SHOULDER LEVEL BECAUSE IT WAS TOO WIDE TO WHEEL IT THROUGH.

I HAVE 2 MORE ICE CHESTS THAT ARE LARGER HOWEVER THIS ONE COVERS THE BASICS AND FITS RIGHT INSIDE MY BEDROOM DOORWAY.  MY BEDROOM HAS A AC UNIT MOUNTED HIGH IN THE WALL JUST ACROSS FROM THE DOOR.     

MY BEDROOM IS THE COOLEST ROOM IN THE APT.  I LIKE TO SLEEP WHEN IT'S COLD AND HAVE PLENTY OF COVERS.  I THINK I SLEPT BETTER IN SD THAN I EVER DID IN TX.

JEWELLANN

[Blacktank]

i'm ass u me ing that the insulin is kinda important,GET A CHEAP DORM FRIDGE

[Texjbird]

BT,   YUP  INSULINS ARE #1 PRIORITY..  I'VE TAKEN SOME TO A FRIENDS HOME IN ANOTHER TOWN..  I HAVE A WAIST HIGH DORM FRIG THERE FOR HIS INSULINS AND BEER.  NOW IT'S JUST HIS INSULINS AND SOME OF MINE.

I ALREADY HAVE A COUNTER TOP DORM  FRIG THAT I HAVEN'T USED FOR A FEW YEARS HERE AT MY APT.  I PLUGGED IT IN A FEW DAYS AGO.  THE CONTROLS ON IT ARE TOUCHY AND THE LITTLE FREEZER IN IT IS NOT INSULATED.  SO I CAN'T USE THE TOP SHELF OR THE DOOR RACK CLOSEST TO IT WITH ANYTHING THAT FREEZING WILL HARM.

I'VE PLUGGED IT IN AND I  AM MONITORING THE SHELF TEMPS AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING THE DAY.  I WILL NEED TO TURN IT AROUND ON THE TABLE IT SITS ON FOR EASIER ACCESS TO THE DOOR.  FOR NOW I HAVE SOME OF EACH TYPE OF INSULIN ICED DOWN AND IN A SOFT SIDE COOLER IN MY BIG FRIDGE.  THE BIG FRIDGE SEEMS TO BE WORKING MOSTLY.   I CONSTANLY CHECK IT FOR COLDNESS AND HOW LONG IT TAKES THE ICE IN THE LITTLE COOLER IN IT TO MELT

I WILL TRY AND FIND A SOURCE FOR BLOCK ICE TOMORROW.

TJB

[Scott7022]

Never use dry ice. Yes there is a story there. One day.