Time for a fridge post :) Chescold problem?

I recently bought a Chescold RC1180 fridge/freezer (the blue one) and am very pleased with it, I now have freezer capability in the bush for the first time - excellent for longer stays in out-the-way prospecting places.

It works very well and in our recent Melbourne hot spell in an ambient temperature of 40C the freezer dropped to a minimum of -12C and would probably do a little better on gas, I suspect. Once the ambient fell below about the 33C the freezer started to climb back up to it's, apparent, maximum of -18C. The fridge and freezer were filled with drinks and milk bottles of water to simulate a normal bush load. The net tells me frozen meat much not be allowed to rise above -10C.

Problem:
This is a combined fridge and freezer with the main cooling pipes in the freezer section and a removable (I think hollow) plastic divider between the fridge/freezer. If I have the thermostat wound up high to produce good cooling in the freezer the fridge tends to get too cold - I suppose there will be a balance point somewhere but with the cooling lag of an evaporative fridge it would be very hard to find and would change with ambient.

I'm wondering about drilling a hole in the divider (it's about 25mm thick) and filling it with expanding foam or, maybe, just water? to provide better insulation between the two compartments?

Any suggestions?

Mike Harding

mike_harding@fastmail.fm