Last year I bought a new compressor refrigerator for the Casa to eliminate the need for ice. It was a popular Asian brand named SetPower and had a 53 qt capacity, a good size for one person that fit perfectly in the Casa. But it never functioned as advertised and calling the company did no good at all in terms of rectifying the problem. They had some tests they wanted me to run and then send photo evidence of the readouts. I thought it was bullshit and just wanted a fridge that worked and didn't want to do a photo essay. So I tried to make it work using all of my improvisational skills but I could never make it happen. A couple of weeks ago I tried one more time on a trip to Montana setting off with the readout at 37 degrees but when I got to Montana the temp had dropped into the 20's and ruined some produce. Then resetting to about 40 degrees it shut off completely and spoiled some meat. That was the last straw and the SetPower won't be used to refrigerate again. Freeze maybe but not refrigerate.
I have returned to my old Coleman Xtreme 70 qt cooler that has been massaged a bit. The entire outside has been covered with Reflectix including the top. The lid has those ridiculous cup holder indents which compromise the cooling effectiveness by providing about 4 places with no insulation for heat to penetrate. I filled each of those with styrofoam before adding the Reflectix and then did the entire inside including the bottom of the lid with Reflectix also. The key to the success of the liner on the inside is that no water or moisture can loosen the tape. To that end I bought a Snapware 40 cup container with a snap on lid that holds 19 pounds of water/ice and keeps everything dry inside. I did the math and discovered that the 70 qt cooler with the Snapware container and 19 pounds of ice still has over a 50 quart capacity-almost identical to the electric fridge but more usable.
So how did it work? Last Sunday, a week ago today, I put the ice container in the cooler to pre chill it and added the food before leaving Monday morning. Checking it this morning, almost 8 days later, the remaining ice block in the container still weighed 11.6 pounds! Most of the ice is still there and the inside temp is hovering around 37 degrees-exactly what I wanted the electric fridge to do but it wouldn't. Granted, it hasn't been 90 degree weather but the truck has been exposed to sunlight every day and has gotten as hot as 86 degrees inside on the recording thermometer.
The secret ingredient: Moving air is the enemy of ice so to help the ice survive I cover the contents with a big down pillow. This prevents any air movement inside and the pillow never gets wet because there is no water for it to soak up. This setup offers exceptional performance, it requires less than $100 total and the skills you acquired in kindergarten using blunt nosed scissors and colored paper. A fraction of the weight and cost of the bear proof coolers but if you aren't camping among the bears, so what?
I have returned to my old Coleman Xtreme 70 qt cooler that has been massaged a bit. The entire outside has been covered with Reflectix including the top. The lid has those ridiculous cup holder indents which compromise the cooling effectiveness by providing about 4 places with no insulation for heat to penetrate. I filled each of those with styrofoam before adding the Reflectix and then did the entire inside including the bottom of the lid with Reflectix also. The key to the success of the liner on the inside is that no water or moisture can loosen the tape. To that end I bought a Snapware 40 cup container with a snap on lid that holds 19 pounds of water/ice and keeps everything dry inside. I did the math and discovered that the 70 qt cooler with the Snapware container and 19 pounds of ice still has over a 50 quart capacity-almost identical to the electric fridge but more usable.
So how did it work? Last Sunday, a week ago today, I put the ice container in the cooler to pre chill it and added the food before leaving Monday morning. Checking it this morning, almost 8 days later, the remaining ice block in the container still weighed 11.6 pounds! Most of the ice is still there and the inside temp is hovering around 37 degrees-exactly what I wanted the electric fridge to do but it wouldn't. Granted, it hasn't been 90 degree weather but the truck has been exposed to sunlight every day and has gotten as hot as 86 degrees inside on the recording thermometer.
The secret ingredient: Moving air is the enemy of ice so to help the ice survive I cover the contents with a big down pillow. This prevents any air movement inside and the pillow never gets wet because there is no water for it to soak up. This setup offers exceptional performance, it requires less than $100 total and the skills you acquired in kindergarten using blunt nosed scissors and colored paper. A fraction of the weight and cost of the bear proof coolers but if you aren't camping among the bears, so what?
