ice box with refrigeration upgrade

[wolfenzee]

In rebuilding my galley I would like to install an ice box to replace the cooler in the main cabin (inside space 12"x12"x12"). Block ice will be able to be loaded from a deck hatch ending up behind all the food and draining into the same sump my galley sink will use,(idea taken from the Pearson Triton that used to load ice from a hatch in the cockpit). This will make loading ice a lot less of a chore/mess. The one reoccurring thing I have heard about building an ice box is "there is no such thing as too much insulation". With my limitations it is a bit of a compromise, the space I have available for the food area is 27"x27"x27, example: 6" of insulation gives me a fairly spacious 15"x15"x15" cube for food storage, with additional space for block ice. How much and what is best for insulation is best. I would also like to set it up for a refrigeration upgrade in case I ever choose to move out of the 19th century.

[Ex-Calif]

Wolfenzee - I moved your post to the refit section. Seems to be a lot more activity regarding refers here. Hope someone can answer your question!

[wolfenzee]

Thanks I am doing a complete refit of below decks, with the greatest emphasis on the galley.

[Gashmore]

There is a point of diminishing returns on insulation thickness. With a temperature difference inside to out of 50 F 6" of insulation will reduce heat loss only 25% more than 4". From 6" to 8" it is only a 12% improvement. After that it really makes little difference. The common stopping point is 4" for a refrigerator and 6" for a freezer.

Of the commonly available insulation Polyisocyanurate has the highest R value. It comes in 5/8" and 3/4" thickness at your local big box home improvement store. Just stack up what you need to get the thickness you decide on. It is hygroscopic so it is important that it be completely sealed. I used the foil covered iso and taped the edges with metalized duct tape. (Henkel UL181B-FX)

[wolfenzee]

Thanks that is what I have been hearing, I am planning on 5" of insulation with a sheet of that mylar coated bubble wrap on the inside and outside of the insulation and I willg to stagger the joints at the corners to cut down on possible air flow.

[Gashmore]

Scratch the bubble wrap. The space will be better used for more polyiso or blueboard. The metalized bubble wrap helps some with radiant heat loads but below in the galley the conduction is the major part of the total load. Place the polyiso with the shiny side facing the outside of the box and it will handle the radiant heat and do a much better job with the conductive load.