Making a D.I.Y chilly bin with extruded polystyrene (XPS)

[poot_traveller]

I have a small chilly bin and it is insulated around the sides but the top cover is not insulated.  I want to give it maximum insulation and I was thinking about doubling up with two sheets of extruded polystyrene (XPS) and putting that around the sides. 
Also, rather than put expanding foam into the top cover like everyone on YouTube is doing, I was going to use doubled up extruded polystyrene (XPS) inside the chilly bin and pressing it down over the top of the items I wish to chill because I only plan to use the bottom half of the chilly bin.

What do you guys think, two doubled up sheets of extruded polystyrene (XPS) is a good idea for insulating a chilly bin?

 

[maki2]

Thick insulation plus no gaps for air movement. It is no different than a refrigerator which has a gasket seal to help keep the heat in the room from moving into the cold box. Setting foam on top of food won't give you an adequate seal to reduce the movement of heat towards cold.

 

[poot_traveller]

I'll make a air tight box out of XPS.

The XPS won't be sitting loosely on top of the food, as such, but it will be pushed down into the chilly bin (which narrows slightly from top to bottom) until it gets "stuck", and by doing this it will hopefully create a air tight fitting. I'll have to attach a rope handle or something so I can remove the XPS lid.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am curious what is a Chilly Bin? to keep Chili's in? or a chiller like a refrigerator? highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

I think it is an ice chest from the description of what he has.

 

[poot_traveller]

I am curious what is a Chilly Bin? to keep Chili's in? or a chiller like a refrigerator? highdesertranger

Chilly bins are supposed to be coolers (like refrigerators) but since most chilly bins in NZ are made in China, the bins don't keep anything cool, so a D.I.Y insulation job is required on the bins. You're basically buying an expensive plastic box then making it into a cooler (chilly bin).

This is the chilly bin here: https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/pinnacle-chilly-bin-25l/R2472655.html

 

[B and C]

That is what we call an ice chest. Put ice in it along with what you want to keep cool. The ice melts slowly.

 

[poot_traveller]

That is what we call an ice chest. Put ice in it along with what you want to keep cool. The ice melts slowly.

I thought Americans called chilly bins...coolers.

I had my first experience with melted ice in the chilly bin, it turns the bin into a small swimming pool in about 12 hours. I'll need some small plastic containers to keep the ice in.

 

[B and C]

Coolers is another term used here. You can put your foodstuff in bins and let them float. Pour of the excess water before it gets too deep. Or put the ice in a sealed container. There will be condensation to deal with in either case.

 

[maki2]

correct "ice chest" has just about gone out of use in terms of the name that is most common for the product, that is the name now used by the stores and manufacturers. in the USA. But there are still lots of people alive who grew up calling them "ice chest" so it will be a number of decades more before that term goes completely out of use and becomes an archaic term.

 

[poot_traveller]

Coolers is another term used here. You can put your foodstuff in bins and let them float. Pour of the excess water before it gets too deep. Or put the ice in a sealed container. There will be condensation to deal with in either case.

I'm only trying to keep fish fillets cold for up to 36 hours. I don't need to keep any other foods cold. There really ain't many good options for refrigeration while living out of a van unless one has enough solar to power a fridge.

 

[Tom_M]

I spent four months in New Zealand in 2009 and camped in my tent virtually the whole time. That was the first time I heard the term "chilly bin". I purchased a cheap self inflating air mattress that was totally useless. I quickly upgraded to a much better one and used the old one to wrap around my "chilly bin" for added insulation. It worked quite well for that.

 

[Trebor English]

This is a link to a Bob Wells video about my ice chest from the 2016 RTR.  It is a large plastic bin and a small plastic bin with insulation between.  I skimped on the top insulation making the bottom and sides thick.  The sleeping bag tossed over the top works but a few more layers of foam insulation would work too.

 

[poot_traveller]

I spent four months in New Zealand in 2009 and camped in my tent virtually the whole time. That was the first time I heard the term "chilly bin". I purchased a cheap self inflating air mattress that was totally useless. I quickly upgraded to a much better one and used the old one to wrap around my "chilly bin" for added insulation. It worked quite well for that.

Yeah I've tried air mattresses and these are good for nothing, and I can't even imagine using one of these for chilly bin insulation.

 

[poot_traveller]

This is a link to a Bob Wells video about my ice chest from the 2016 RTR.  It is a large plastic bin and a small plastic bin with insulation between.  I skimped on the top insulation making the bottom and sides thick.  The sleeping bag tossed over the top works but a few more layers of foam insulation would work too.

Thanks for the video Trebor (and Bob). It provides some good ideas that I can include in my D.I.Y chilly bin build.

 

[1shemp]

Good luck.

 

[poot_traveller]

Thanks

 

[poot_traveller]

Cancel using extruded polystyrene (XPS). According to the product site, it only has an R value of 1.1 at 30mm thick, which is the thickness of the boards. Basically it has almost no R value.

https://www.knaufinsulation.co.nz/products/climafoam-extruded-polystrene-xps

Can't even call extruded polystyrene true insulation with that R value.

 

[ianganderton]

I think your product is not true insulating XPS, rather a building board made with a denser XPS

The info I have is XPS has an R value of 4.7 per inch


https://progressivefoam.com/eps-vs-xps-vs-gps/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[poot_traveller]

A building board made with denser XPS?? I thought there is only one type of XPS.

I used this stuff to insulate my van floor thinking it was real XPS. I wasted time and money but I won't be making the same mistake with a chilly bin. After all the confusing about insulation and it's R value, I've decided to just buy the best chilly bin I can find and save myself some stress. I'm still not convinced about the quality of chilly bins on the market but I feel I have no choice but to buy one at this point.