DIY Igloo Cooler Modification Using Spray Foam - PART 2 - UPDATE
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- -- UPDATE --
I want to take a moment to blanket answer a lot of questions and comments I've been receiving regarding this project. Before I do that, I want to thank everybody who had constructive feedback and tips. This project was spur of the moment with items I had on hand. I really had no idea what I was doing, and there indeed wasn't any scientific experimentation (meaning there weren't any before and after measurements).
1. The cooler exceeded my expectations. While keeping the cooler in a car (outside heat up to 93* f.) on a camping trip, I only had to add ice to it every few days. This beat the previous year where I had the same cooler, in the same car in the same heat where I had to add ice every day. So from my perspective, it was a success. The cost savings of buying ice by Yosemite National Park quickly offset the cost of the foam and Sugru.
2. Things I would do differently. I would drill six holes on the top of the lid and fill with Loctite closed cell foam. I would seal the holes with rubber stops vs. moldable plastic. Seeing the want for a more experiment based project, I would do before and after tests. The length of the video; I get it, 12 minutes is long for a DIY video. If you're watching RUclips on VHS, I'm sorry, my next video will be shorter.
3. I'm not a professional videographer and/or speaker... I mumble, I say "Ummm" a lot, and I have a tendency to ramble. Noted.
4. The intent of this video to inform and help you get your own creative juices flowing if you thought about doing something similar. If you thought for a second "good idea" or "I would do it this way" then this video was successful.
Thanks for watching.
--- Orignal Description --
DIY Igloo Cooler Modification Using Spray Foam. After watching a few videos comparing the innards of Yeti coolers to Coleman and Igloo coolers, I decided to make my cooler more efficient. Aside from the cooler walls being thicker on the Yeti coolers, the lid of Colemans and the Igloos are empty (they don't have foam).
In this video, I attempt to inject spray foam into the lid of my Igloo cooler to make it more efficient. I used three cans of Great Stuff Gaps and Cracks foam and four packages of Sugru moldable glue.
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A couple of things, water is a very bad idea because it reacts badly with the foam and will actually cause voids. Also, the foam heats up and will cause vapor that will expand what you are foaming but will contract in on itself when cooling pulling the plastic in with it, so don't use water. Another thing is that air rises. You don't need that many large fill holes but you do need 1/8" vent holes in areas that are higher than your fill hole and areas that are farther away from your fill holes. As long as foam is gradually coming out of your fill holes there is no reason to keep spraying in foam and chancing warpage due to overfill. When you foamed your lid upside down (which is fine) you didn't put in vents around the lip that goes into the cooler when right side up, so if you shine a light through the plastic in those areas you will see voids. I worked at a factory for 7yrs foaming keg coolers, bouys, pontoons and a lot of other things.
Excellent video, will heed your advice. Thanks for sharing, looks great.
someone always has to complain, but i think you had a great idea and did a great job.
hopechannelcat THANK YOU!!!!
I plan on doing this for a cooler that I use as a water oven for sous vide cooking. I need to hold several gallons of water at 130°F to 160°F for anywhere from an hour to a couple of days, using a pump, a heating element and a temperature sensor to keep the water at the right temp. This mod will drastically reduce the energy needed to maintain the desired temp. Great work!
Sugru comes in white, too. Drilling more holes probably prevented it warping and/or splitting. Your cooler looks much better than the one I did.
Ha I used all my white to fix some iPhone cables.
b8con damn iphone cables. They suck, even oem ones.
If you spray that phone into a confined space you have to drill extra holes for it to vent
I agree with Bob Wakefield, the warping is kept to a minimum because of the extra holes. When this foam expands, it expands, no stopping the process. No expansion holes means foam expanding with no place to release to. The extra holes keep the foam level in check within each section. As well, who cares about what anyone thinks of the inside of the lid. Problems I see with drilling holes on the outside top of the lid,, water setting on a horizontal surface. Seeping into foam holes. Once that happens,, especially if it freezes, it is all done. Good job, leave your technique the way you have it, under the lid.
Thanks Lee
I fully agree with the extra holes I used to install expanding foam into cavity walls of cold stores a owner wanted me to put more into a wall than I wanted to as the only escape for the foam was the top of the brick wall when I was getting coffee he injected it himself I heard the sound of it expanding and cracking the brick wall regards Mike
Hi, thanks for the video.
Also, you stated that your ice needs went from 'every day' to 'every other day' as a positive gain. When the defining base is measured in 1- day units, going from 1 day to 2 days is doubling the original value, or a 100% increase and is 200% of the original value.
A 50% gain would be every 1.5 days.
Hope that makes sense.
Forgive me, I am retired, live alone, bored and its 0400.
Edited for clarity.
Was thinking the same thing as soon as he said that.
I did this and it does help cut down on the ice consumption.
I used food grade silicone to seal the holes.
If I were to do it again I’d try minimal expanding foam.
It works who really cares about the inside lid since you only plan to use closed containers.
Nice video, too!
Done the spray foam mod to a small Igloo cooler. Going to test it tomorrow. Should be good.
Thanks for sharing!
Great job. I am trying it with my last couple remaining cheap coolers. Will also add a gasket around the lid.
Excellent job! Thank you for the update. I watched both videos. I have vintage cooler I use all the time but they have no insulation in the lid like new ones. I’m going to give this a try. thank you for the video.
Nice update. Got an old crappy cooler I’m going to try this with. Got my creative juices going.
Solid trick. Making this a must for my cooler. Can't believe I never considered this myself, and funny how it improves the cooling that much. 50%, dang.
I would use the Locktite, it works well, waterproof and sand-able. Also I would have gone from the side of the lid, the tubes are long and put it in all the way and pull out slow. Only need 4 holes to install the foam, however you will need a couple of holes for expansion/pressure relief.
Great video...
Great job - I was thinking of using this exact method to restore the functionality of a rare cold weather canteen - looks like it works - I like the expansion of the foam - great stuff for real
You beat me to it! I had been thinking about trying this also, not big on spending $400.00 on a cooler. Great job and thanks for sharing!
Screw Yeti! Buy an Rtic cooler for half the price and even get better performance.
I agree YETI is over rated, didn't they also go to the far left dark side ?
Watch out I did it to two coolers with low expansion foam and both split later on. Not worth it.
mike whitehurst most poor think like you
Who cares about the underside of the lid? Never seen 99% of the time anyway. It worked and that's all that matters.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps the significant other cared, or he might not be talking about doing it another way.
Bob Wakefield he's only talking about doing differently because a bunch of haters gave him shit about it.
Its because the spray foam contaminates the food and the water and food contaminates the foam causing bacteria and mold to grow in the lid.
@@b8con, have you thought about a rubber seal around the lid lip. RTV sealant or GE2 silicone.
A few years ago I did a similar job on my cooler lid. I used the same spray foam but drilled one hole on each end of the lid and one hole on each side of the lid. I sprayed the foam in one end until it began expanding out of the other holes. After giving the foam a chance to set up I put a strong light behind the lid and found that I had huge voids throughout the lid. I'm guessing only 30 or 40% of the lid had foam in it. My experiment was a total failure. I was considering buying some 2" foam board and building a cooler to surround my cooler to see how that works. However, my wife received a Yeti cooler as a door prize so I don't feel the need to experiment anymore.
A lesson from experience. That spray foam is extremely sticky and will stick to you, your clothes, and just about anything else you don't want it to stick to. It is best to spray it and leave it at least 24 hours to fully set up, before you try to clean it from your lid. Also, as stated in the video, there are better products to use that will do a much better job.
Add gasket seal and bungee cords to keep a tight seal. You'll have a better and cheaper yettie by the way that's yettie secret air tight seal. They use basically same foam insulation.
Also see these tricks I found doing a search on DIY gaskets for coolers (it’s more of a how to keep your cooler cool longer but for what it’s worth...): www.cabelas.com/category/Camp-Cabelas-Cooler-Tricks/729578880.uts
I think the sugru was fine. I love the stuff. You should've used the white sugru maybe? (It comes in dozens of colors). But that's esthetic choice and not about how this hack works which you've proven it does. Bravo!!
Saw some bad info out there saying that open cell foam is better than closed... that's simply not true
There are two main types of spray foam: open-cell spray foam, which has a density of about 1⁄2 lb. per cu. ft.; and closed-cell spray foam, which has a density of about 2 lb. per cu. ft. The higher the density of the foam, the greater the R-value per inch.
Got the next two lines from the various cans I have on hand
open cell foam R-VALUE:R-3.5 to R-3.6 per in.
closed cell foam R-VALUE: R-6.5 per in.
Closed-cell spray foam is the most expensive residential insulation. When installed well, however, it performs better than any other insulation. It is an excellent air barrier, is impervious to moisture, and is an effective vapor retarder. Because of its density and gluelike tenacity, it also adds structural strength
Unlike closed-cell foam, however, open-cell foam absorbs and holds water, has a lower R-value per inch, and is vapor permeable. The permeable nature of open-cell foam can be a virtue or a drawback, depending on the application.
that is mega informative.....
Can you tell me what brand close foam should I buy
i'm sure it kept items cooler longer but how much longer. if it did well, i might consider getting a cheaper cooler and doing the mod. thanks for taking the time to do this video.
This is a really great concept. Why these mfrs stop short of filling their lids is beyond me. I've been working on this with 2 small coolers. Probably should have started with one, but rather than waste product of an open can I did both. The problem that I am encountering is that the foam wants to expand out the holes and cure outside sealing the lid and leaving the foam inside uncured not expanded. This is using the Loctite foam. My latest attempt I misted some water into the lid after seeing that it likes a mist to apparently help expand and cure. Waiting for cure now.
Cut a piece of flex seal tape or spray a dab of flex seal & put over the hole.
Cold air sinks... modifying the lid is minimal as long as it has a snug fit. The real gain is the insulate the sides AND bottom more. Yeti's are almost all thick styrofoam. You could almost buy a sheet of 2 inch foam at HD and make your own cooler.
Stop worrying about what other people think, just satisfy yourself.
Tried the loctite foam, 2 cans in doing a 5 gallon igloo water cooler and a 30 quart cooler with a split double lid and 2 cans of loctite have yet to fill them both. Going back to the $4. 00 can of foam.
Thanks for posting the update. I was curious, I know you mentioned that it seemed to work 50% better. Any chance you considered doing a control test? Maybe timing how long it takes to melt a bag of ice before and after the upgrade? I’ve thought of doing this to my own coolers and it’s nice to see others have had the same idea! Great job! 👍
Twice as long is 100% better, or 200% total. 2/1. No big deal, it's just the math. :)
Thanks for the update
Hey, I'm curious if you could possibly put some water in the lid instead and freeze it? I don't mean full obviously because it would blow out, but do you think that would work?
Doing mine rn, I will also be using a flashlight to see any voids that need to be filled. I will fill voids after a day of curing.
So why won't Igloo just get on the stick, insulate their lids, charge an extra twenty bucks, and market their coolers as an extremely affordable Yeti alternative?
Great idea . Who cares if you can see the holes .It is results and not looks . Great videos .I travel a lot and I see coolers on the side of the road all the time . For me to lose a cheap cooler is instead of a high priced cooler is good for the hip pocket .Thanks
I am agreed. I find so many empty spray foam cans on the side of the road, I pick them up to fill my pockets as it's good for the hips. I now travel more with my cooler.thank you
I don't understand why the manufacturers don't insulate the lids on the cheap coolers. What could it cost?
Awesome follow-up!
i just got a 120 quarter Coleman xtream 6. I'm gonna do this with open cell spray foam and run some test before and after
The lid insulated
Good looking cooler
I suggest not drilling holes on the outside. If you leave the cooler outdoors for any length of time water could infiltrate. Unless you seal the holes absolutely for sure and you know there will be no water infiltration
Thanks for showing this. Im going to country thunder and did this to my cooler while making note of what you would have done different. Mine will be put to the test for 5 days in the Arizona heat. The ice chest I used usually only hold ice for a day. So we shall see.
(I did the holes on top of the lid, 4 holes and used pam spray, so it came right off once it dried) question. I saw comments as time went on the lid split due to the foam continuing to expand. Did that happen to yours??
Thanks
@ C C - I'd like to know too.
I stumbled across your first cooler mod video, and I love stuff like this!! you got a like and subscribe!
Try powdering the “overspray”, mold into sticks and glue/fit into the empty lid grooves, adding more insulating factor.
Hey if you'll put a couple pounds dry ice in there and then the rest regular ice it will hold ice for several days
Doing mine rn. Hurricane season is here so lets see what happens
You need to add a gasket to seal around where the lid meets the cooler when closed.
Just some window weather strip works great.. apply it to the lid not the cooler portion .
Thanks for sharing!✊
You did just fine what you did I saw nothing wrong with what you did Hairworks it's your cooler people can bugger off good job in thank you for the information
Just found your channel clear weather strip adhesive aka gorilla snot works ( automotive term) its expensive tho so black or yellow are the main choice
Damn. you sound just like Kevin Costner , is that you Kevin ?
Great idea and a cool video. Thanks.
Cool idea - pun intended! 👍
Loctite closed cell foam is MORE DENSE and a BAD CHOICE. *Less* dense foam is a better insulator. That's why Styrofoam is a good insulator . . . it weighs almost nothing. The best insulation is a vacuum.
Just did a quick look-up. The Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks has an R Value of 2, the Loctite Tite Foam has an R value of 4.49
Interesting - The stated R-Value of GREAT STUFF Gaps and Cracks is 3.7 per inch and 4.3 maximum R-Value and 4.49 for Loctite Tite Foam. Not enough difference to make a noticeable difference. I use Reflectix as an extra lid to reflect all the heat away from the outside surface of the lid and make it big enough to cover the sides as well. Test it and see if it makes even more of a difference. It seems to double the life of the ice in my estimations but I never did a side by side test. I need two identical ice chests. Maybe I'll try it on cheep ones.
I thought the sugru was a good way to go. I just would have used white sugru to make it a little less noticable
Why not push retainers for the wholes?
Can we see a ICE test?
Nice work! Where's my cooler & drill??
Looks good. Maybe ill try it
Does any one know why manufacturer's only put insulation in the bottom and sides and never on the lids of these ice boxes
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Dude , that's FANTFREAKINTASTIC!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 So many picky peeps lol !!😉 SMH
I like your project...BUT...It would have been nice to see some data. Try it again and put 20lbs of ice in the cooler and time a complete ice melt without and with your insulation foam to see how much improvement results from insulating the lid.
smartest question I read
Good job. Saved yourself $400
Or just use white auto body plugs to seal the holes.
Good job!
i saw the first.....had to the the second video. i will never see a cooler the same
do not use closed cell foam it will expand and warp and destroy the lid!
Great to know.
Your right. I used low expansion great stuff on two coolers. Both were fine the first couple days. I put them up in storage and came back over a month later and both lids were split. I’m not sure why the signs weren’t more immediate and took so long but I definitely won’t do it again. Luckily one of the coolers I used it on wouldn’t hold ice for shit anyway. It only left a minor crack in my other so I’ll just seal it but grow the other crap cooler away.
Wow
Use a piece of reflectix
Your modifications have totally destroyed this cooler and made it completely useless and dangerous. Having said that, may I buy it from you???
didn't help mine one bit.
Those Yeti Coolers are way overpriced for what you get, this is a prime example. A person would think that the dog on lid would have foam in it, and not be filled with air from the factory. That is as weak as Piss Willy water as my Grandpa would say.
DAP, non-expanding spray foam
It's a cooler, who gives a shit what it looks like??! What is this weird trend where freaking coolers are some sort of male fashion accessory?
Cant hear for shit