ICE Question

Block Ice has lower surface area in relation to it's weight so will melt slower and provide cool for longer then the equivalent weight of cubes.

Cubes expose greater surface area so theoretically would cool quicker and possibly cooler but for a shorter period. Better for cooling tinnies because it packs around em better so bigger surface area exposed to the tinny??

Extract from the Evakool website.

Ice quality is extremely important in the life of ice in your icebox. Well "cured" ice, which has been kept at low temperatures in a freezer, should always be used.
Block ice lasts longer than broken/crushed ice.
You can create your own block ice by freezing tap water in plastic bottles.
This frozen water becomes a valuable source of ice cold fresh drinking water.
Always ensure the bung is correctly screwed back on after draining water from your icebox.
The recommended ratio of ice to product in an EvaKool icebox is approximately 1/3 ice to 2/3 product by volume.
Dry Ice can be used to increase the life of regular ice.
The larger quantity of ice , the longer it will last.

"The recommended ratio of ice to product in an EvaKool icebox is approximately 1/3 ice to 2/3 product by volume. "
I have an 85 ltr evakool so 1/3 of 85 lts is approx 28 lts or approx 9 x 3ltr milk bottles with frozen water . Doesnt leave much room but it works .

Thanks for the replies.

Seems its better to use it on its own then, will give it a go this weekend with just the blocks.

Rgds

G'day Ron.
'So will block ice perform better on its own?'
No mate: add Bundy.
(Someone just had to do it). Cheers.

Hi Ron.
I've found that when I go on a longish trip with the ex-army esky that I use, if I put a block of ice in the bottom, pack all the drinks/foodstuffs etc.. then fill it with crushed ice, the crushed ice melts initially, then refreezes around the block ice.

I've been able to keep food/drinks cold for up to a week using this method.

Obviously the less you open the lid the better.

Regards
Jeff.

Hi ron
In my eva kool if i am away for 3-4 days i will put a block and then the drinks and then a couple of bags on top. This will usually see me out. And keep the esky out of the sun which also helps to maintain the ice

Tim

Another trick thing my better half showed me is to put portioned out meat in a tupperware container and freeze the lot in the deep freeze.... Put this container in the bottom of the fridge and it acts as the ice....Meat stays appart from the fridge contents, and unopened, meet stays frozen a long time (maybe 3 days)
Add cubed ice around the bottles, and your in for a nice time :)
Andrew

Once again thanks guys.

I used to always put ice on top but found it re froze and locked in my stubbies etc.

So I will try blocks alone this weekend. I have nice 1ltr size containers that are square and tough, so will try just the blocks.

Might chuck the engel on the slide.......just incase........couldnt have hot beer now could I?

Hi there Ron, I have the 90L evekool + the 50L waeco, for the hiigh country starting this saturday am using the waeco for freezing and the evekool for everything else that needs to be kept cold. Was up scrub a few weeks ago on average 35c days evekool was kept in camper out of sun and the block ice lasted 6 days, probably would have got another day or 2 out of it. I have 3 of those foam eskys bit bigger than the 6 pack ones you buy, I line them with pastic fill with water then put in deep freeze 2 weeks prior to going, (pays to have a little tucker box freezer just for that and keep them in there ready to go at any time). I then quickly run some hot water just over the top of them it will works its way down between the sides of the plastic and esky, turn up side down and ice and plastic slides out then tad more hot water (from the tap) around plastic and plastic pulls away and ice is ready to stick in evekool. 3 of these line the bottom of the 90L perfectly. Now you have not wasted the eskys and can be refilled and start the process again.If you dont line with plastic you will never pull the foam away from the ice and will be left with bits of foam stuck to the ice and end up blocking the drain plug as well. Dont put the lids on the foam eskys when freezing.Regards Steve M

Some people snort it, others smoke it..... but I definitely wouldn't take it as a block or cube.

Ron,

The reality is, block ice is almost impossible to obtain away from the "Big Smoke" so most people would tend to use "crushed".

On our last trip, I started off with a slab of block ice in the bottom, but the drinks really need the "embrace" of ice all around them, so I always add a bag or two of crushed ice.

The quality of both block ice and crushed ice varies considerably from place to place. Even commercially available block ice may only be at -5 deg and so will not last as long as "home made" deep frozen block ice that can be as low as -15 deg.

Then there is crushed ice and crushed ice. Some chit is nothing more than frozen "cubes" that are hollow in the middle and will not last more than a day if you are lucky.

If you a travelling more than a few days, you are more than likely "stuck" with whatever you can buy from roadhouses, or pubs, or tackle shops along the way, but if you start off with good deep frozen ice from your home freezer, you are at least covered for the first few days.

Finally, the quality of the ice "box" insulation properties will play an important part as well.

My spouse always "plays it safe" and keeps a few "roadies" of Jim Bean & cola in the Engel where she can get at them more easy than the Evakool Icebox.
[I wonder if that is saying anything about my driving skills:-))]

Again Thanks for all replies,

I have some 1ltr containers which are a great size for bricks in freezer and have been there a while, so intend to try them this weekend with no cubes on top.

Its the cubes I'm trying to get away from, as its a P I A finding places that have some, and also having to buy it. (i have paid $6 a bag before!)

On a longer trip my engel is a freezer, and I planned to swap the bottles around on a daily basis, as then they wont be totally defrosted so should refreeze quicker n easier, and 'top' up the tropical box with them, which will be my fridge.

These containers are about 5" square and bout 2" thick, so could easy swap 2 daily in engel without eating into too much freezer space.

Rgds

Ron

Hi Ron,
Block ice is the go as far as lasting goes. Stick a block in the esky the night before with no other stuff to cool the esky. Next day pour off any water, add more block ice if required then add all the beer etc that is already chilled or frozen if possible. Keep the esky out of the sun. Will be as cold as. If you want colder (and the esky is rated) use dry ice. I only add crushed ice if something is not chilled ie if you are putting in warm beer or I need it to last the maximum time. It is all heat exchange. It flows from hotter items to cooler items. The more surface area the faster it works, so it will cool your warm beer fast. The more mass each piece has the longer it lasts. The more total mass of ice the more cooling it can provide. The water will tend to stay near the ice temperature untill the ice has melted, it then warms quickly. What the water does do is increase the transfer rate so it looks like it makes the ice melt faster. This is ok but if you keep adding warm beer you exhaust the ice quickly.

Steve

For fishing I freeze 2 x 10L buckets of water (the 96c buckets that you buy from Woolies or Coles). Just make sure you dont buy the green coloured ones - for some reason they become very brittle after 1 or 2 uses. I get about 5 uses out of the yellow buckets before they become brittle (works out to under 20c per 10L of ice). I put them in the esky whole and add enough salt water to just cover the fish - lasts a couple of days like this no worries...

I tend to use a mixture - all home made and well cured. I reakon my crushed ice is second to none - it will usually freeze the beer. I freese in 3 l ice cream containers, for both blocks and the crushed. The crushing is done in a canvas tool bag, can be done in a pillow case or similar but the canvas lasts a long time. Put the block n the bag - go to the footpath and do an AFL umpires centre bounce! If you get the block to land nie and square, you end up with snow in the bag that is - 20, and packs around the food and beer very well. Will tend to re-freeze which can be a problem, but I generally do this on the long range esky, and have a smaller esky for the first day of fishing/travelling.

Cheers Andrew

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh I thought this was going to be a post on how to set up your own meth ampetamines lab at home.....