Lining Fridge / Freezer Interior

[SvenG]

We need to add some insulation to the interior of the ice box before we turn it into a fridge-freezer. We'll probably just use the 2" blue insulation sheets unless someone wants to convince us otherwise.

The main question I have is how to finish off the new interior surface so it will be easy to clean and also watertight. How would I attach the new interior surfaces to the new insulation and what would I use to glue (?) the new interior panels to each other ?

Thanks,



-Sven

[s/v Jedi]

We used plywood covered with fiberglass & epoxy. Use epoxy to put it all together.

Click on the photo below to jump to the complete album.
ciao!
Nick.

[Has Royer]

Hi Sven, Rebuilt an ice box/ref/freezer on boat #1. Used 4 layers of rigid 1" urethane, R7 per inch. Will now be adding 3" of rigid insulation to interior of ref/freezer on boat #2. Use 1" to overlap all corners and joints. Use the craft type liquid nails for joint mastic. Craft type will not melt urethane. Finish interior with Formica or similar glued to best covered plywood. You can use 1/4" or 3/8" depending if you are fixing shelving etc. to it. Use epoxy to fasten Formica to plywood since comtact cement will not hold in the temp. Use 5200 for joint gluing and sealing. Has Royer

[Greg S]

Hi Sven,

I added blue Styrofoam two the inside of ours and finished it off with white stick on floor tiles. It made for a very nice looking finish and cleans up with ease. We are going on four years with it and it still looks as good as the day it was installed.

The tiles are VERY easy to cut and fit, even on the curves surfaces. I used a mildew resistant silicone caulk to "glue" the styrofoam to the walls of the ice box and let it completely set up before applying the tile squares. Use enough to ensure there are no voids. Once the tile squares are applied use the same silicone to seal the edges, again, you do not want to have any voids or cracks in the surface for food, germs, etc. to get into.

Greg

[pressuredrop]

some ideas/pictures here
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ilt-31930.html

[daddle]

Blue foam is the correct stuff. Foam-cored PVC sheet is an excellent and easy to install interior. Seal with white 3M 5200.

[Paul L]

I used ABS plastic from Home Depot. It is easy to cut and can be sealed with Latex caulk. Not as strong as fiberglass panels but much easier to fit in an odd sized box. Also used expanding foam to fill the gaps between the foam boards.

[Mark Johnson]

You could adhere to the inside of your box, all around, 1" thick "Vacupanels" (with beads of caulk), Then spray foam the voids... followed by either glassed ply, or G-10 sheet, also bonded in gently with beads of caulk. (Just no hard spots that could puncture a panel.) Then epoxy fillet the corners, do the lid, etc.

A 1" thick vacuum panel = 5" of the best foam. Our fridge is now = to 7", and at only 2 cubic feet inside... REALLY efficient!

Mark

[CarinaPDX]

A note of caution: there is good reason to think the Vacupanels do not live up to their promise. See this: VacuPanel Test Report

Rigid foam sheets are available in good R-values and easy to install. I used 4 layers of 1" foam with overlapping corners (the seam zig-zags between layers) and just sealed it with silicone sealant as I went along.

At the very bottom, under the 4 layers of foam sheets, I used some poured foam to fill a small void. It was convenient for this purpose but has a much lower R-value than the sheeting.

It was perhaps a bit excessive, but I made my liner out of fiberglass. It was a small project to assemble a pattern out of scrap plywood, faired, sealed, and waxed. Then just gel coat and build up a few layers of glass. Finally, tear out the pattern. The result is a strong, attractive, seamless, easy-to-clean liner with no plywood to rot. Worked for me.

[Mark Johnson]

Well that was depressing... I doubt that the results are valid to a degree however, as I suspect a bias. I agree that they are very vulnerable. This is why we nestled ours, all around, ever so gently in foam and caulk, and THEN glassed the outside of the box's foam layer... and epoxy ply covered the inside layer of foam. Our box is SO sealed that IF a panel leaked, it would pull a vacuum in the walls and foam around the panel. (At least a lesser partial vacuum)

Even in the tropics... our fridge, (under regular use, with multiple openings per day) averages between 20 and 35 ah per day now, even after 11 years! It is, as far as we can tell, performing as well as day one!

Perhaps we've been lucky? Mark

[SvenG]

Wow, we're not the only ones not watching the superbowl !

Many thanks for all the excellent suggestions. They should give me a great start.



-Sven

[four winds]

21 - 3 Packers, one minute to halftime.

Christina Aguilara messed up the anthem pretty good.


Opps, Steelers just scored. 21-10 Packers, almost halftime.

I'm on the boat, grilling all by myself.