DIY Igloo Cooler Modification Using Spray Foam
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2018
- -- 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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Now make a silicone seal for it. Clean the cooler side very well to remove any oil. Apply Vaseline to the lid seal surface. Now run a beed of silicone around the edge of the seal surface on the cooler. Close the lid. Let it set for 24hr. The silicone won't stick to the Vaseline. When you open it. You know have an air tight cooler.
To anyone planning on trying this, a good idea is to get the low pressure foam for windows and doors, (usually with a purple lid) it is designed to not expand as hard, so it does not bend door and window frames, do using it for this makes less of a chance of it bulging/warping the cooler.
Great job, I only offer two things: 1. Spray the top with non-stick cooking spray before you inject expanding foam, it will release the overspray without any residue. 2. Use silicone to plug holes, it's non-toxic. What I did was use a nail to create a divot at each hole after it cured. It gave the silicone an interior anchor point. I'll probably show this in a vid when I do my next mod but just thought this info was too helpful to delay. Great Job!!
I want to see your method video
I would suggest instead of using nonstick cooking spray actually use silicone spray that way it does not degrade / go rancid overtime like food-based products would… just my two cents.
(at somewhere around 6:00) If you take them all off when they are still wet in the middle and more comes out - that's good. Take them all off and let the stuff expand out of the holes some more so it's less dense in the lid. The denser the foam the less insulation it provides. With almost 500 comments I'm sure someone has already said this. I might even squeeze the lid a little to get some more out.
Very true. Surprised this doesn't have a thousand likes.
Awesome to finally see a video on this! I've been wanting to do this to my $20 Coleman. It was very helpful to see how the foam reacted and vented through the other holes. Thank you sir!
Thank you for doing this video! Your update video was awesome. Really appreciate you taking the time and resources to help other people like myself do the same to my cooler. I know all the dog's and don't know. Thanks again my man.
Great video. Using your idea I drilled three holes on the side of the lid instead (along the hinge area). I cleaned up the foam marks with mineral oil and used silicone to patch the holes since it will not react with the food or temperatures.
Thanks for sharing. Dreamers become achievers so keep it up. Yes try for some before and after tests but seat of the pants is a good indicator as well. Less ice in same time equals success. To each their own. I bought a spare cooler at a yard sale for $3 and I'm going to try this mod. I'm in San Fernando Valley known to get hot in the summer so this will certainly help.
Great job! I’m going to try this with one of my cheap Coleman coolers. Like you said. It’s not going to be any worse.
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this project. You saved me from buying an expensive cooler.
I'm definitely going to do two of my coolers like you did top and bottom. Again thank you. Rick in Stockton CA.
False. Air is a better insulator. Coleman & Igloo use special foam. Different than canned
Air is the best insulator because it takes longer to transfer heat between sealed envelopes of air as each envelope must heat up to affect the envelope next to it. Those ribs probably transfer more heat than the pockets of air that were filled with foam. Btw, it's the air bubbles in the foam that gives it its insulating properties.
@@geosynchronous4386 ah yes. Because air is fluid. I meant space.
I guess they fill double pane windows with nitrogen because the glass would get deformed if they pulled a vacuum 🤔
Try laying a blanket over your cooler , when camping. This helps, add 2 frozen containers of frozen salt water, will keep regular ice to last longer.
Um, wow. speechless. Never considered closing the "GAP" in the lid. Only makes sense. Thank you!
Thanks for the idea and the update. As far as ur critics, it's a homemade DIY video. Keep up the great work, brother.
The critics get very old, I agree great job!
Lessons Learned from my own "expanding foam in hollow cooler lid" project:
a. Choose wisely between Gaps & Cracks, and Big Gap Filler versions of Great Stuff or Loktite (Loktite is denser, with a higher R-rating). I used Loktite Gaps & Cracks, and
b. Choose wisely how many venting holes you drill. In my experience, putting two holes on each side made filling easier, but a lot seemed to just seep out as well.
c. Especially in dry environments, and because of the enclosed space being filled up, using a spray bottle to mist the inside of the cavity first might help in ensuring uniform curing. Some comments on other sites suggest that the interior/center may end up staying more liquid/uncured, while the region closer to the holes cure normally (exposure to air and humidity). The expanding foam reportedly reacts best/at all with humidity/water, and does not fare well in very dry environments.
d. Let the lid cure for about a week, then do a squeeze test to see if there are any hollow/unfilled areas. The difference between the filled and hollow areas will be very obvious. I found that near some of the holes, the foam had just oozed out, and left a hollow behind, almost as if the stuff was pushed out by gasses, and settling into the hollows before solidifying. The foam left behind a shallow plug, and the squeeze test showed that a hollow/unfilled area was left behind. This was likely caused by lack of humidity, as I did not mist the inside first, only once I filled in the hollows. Misting the uncured and hollow areas seemed to have worked in curing the foam faster, which slowed its escape from the holes.
e. Use Reflectix taped to the inside of the lid, and inside the cooler box, and use Polar Bear PVC ice tubes instead of ice (esp with the Reflectix inside the box).
f. Add a thin strip of weather stripping to the lid groove to block out any air escaping.
g. If the lid keep popping open due to the weather stripping, add a couple bungee cords to lock down the lid.
You're brave using the gaps and cracks, thats a higher expansion foam than say the doors and window stuff. I would have been concerned about it warping the shape of the lid. Glad it worked for you and you made follow up clips of the process of the foam curing. The foam is really easy to cut with a knife so you don't have to worry about tearing it up.
i bet the yeti bottle opener on there alone makes it hold ice longer
Cool timelapse of the foam balls growing!
I have the exact cooler. I love your idea. Thanks. I think I'm going to try drilling less holes, and drilling them in a diameter that I can put plastic plug back in. And maybe try using less great stuff. I'm also going to drill on the outside of the cooler itself. And use low expanding foam. . Thanks for the video.
just use fricking silicon caulk!
I am building a wooden cooler chest using a cheap cooler that was in the shop. I will do this drilling from the top. Afterwards I will finish the wooden lid and it will cover the holes. Thanks for the video.
That's great.
Looks like you could have gotten by with fewer holes, but you know you've got full coverage.
To save time and have a nicer look, maybe find some rubber plug caps before starting a similar project and then drill your holes to match the size of the caps.
I modified my igloo just about how you did. The only difference was that I used a foam that didn't expand nearly as much as Great Stuff (forget the brand...blue can). Plus I foamed one side and let it expand and dry before I foamed the other side. I don't know if it would've mattered but I was afraid of over expansion---but if you have enough holes I suppose it'd find its way out like in your video. I didn't want to spring for a $400 Yetti. Modifications! STICK IT TO THE MAN!!
I did this to my igloo lid. Worked great. Wear gloves and get the mildew resistant type of foam. Read the types of foam at the hardware store to get the mildew resistant type. Let the foam dry and pull the extra off when it’s dry (24 hours). Then seal with a silicone or mold free/resistance sealant. Works awesome and keeps the ice a lot longer.
Thank You so much for this gives us all hope we can buy the perfect Size for our needs and just upgrade it. I think I might look for some plastic tabs that I could just push in the holes before I decide what size to drill the holes I’ll go over to Home Depot and see what they have and then that would be a nice clean finish it’s just something I’m thinking about
Question: What if you put the holes on top (outside) of the lid, that way you don't risk the foam contact with whatever contents you might put in the cooler? In order words, the excess foams goes outside instead of inside.
That's a good question too bad nobody answered it
I assume that doing it inside is partly aesthetic, and to still keep the "table top" or cup holder features unblemished
now just butter those muffins and you're in business.
I enjoyed your video. It was very helpful. Thank you!
It almost seems like maybe less holes would have been better. Less to escape, but man this is a great idea! Thank you!
I am so doing this. But using the blue can (lower expansion) stuff. Thanks. I once cut a piece of rigid foam insulation to fit inside of a cooler to fill dead air space. Worked pretty well, but I like this idea.
Right on, let me know how it works out.
(I think) the blue can/low expansion foam is open cell, meaning it will absorb water. Be careful there.
Joel Curtin Good info. Didn’t know that. Thanks.
I found that styrofoam beads were easier to use than expanding foam. The vent can be a larger hole covered with mesh, and the beads can be blown in with a shopvac. Once filled, the supply and vent can be covered with duct tape.
WOW. I had a lot of condensation on the lid of my $25 igloo and did the same thing before seeing your video. Also quit using crushed ICE and started buying blocks that melt slower. If you had cut off those "blobs" it will cure faster. Also did all sides of the cooler. Cheaper than a YETI. I've used that foam from filling in gaps on my VW bus to using it for mortar filler on a house foundation. It's paintable but messy. Wear throwaway gloves.
😎
The greatest most bestest idea I've ever seen. I'm doing this.
While insulating the lid will certainly help. But only a small amount. The main part that needs more insulation is the bottom and lower sides. The reason the lids aren't insulated is that cold goes down.
Do you think Flex tape would work for sealing the holes where you filled in the “great stuff gaps and cracks”?
Great idea! I'm going to do this to our cooler :) Note to the people...wear gloves! This stuff is impossible to get off your hands and it sticks to everything!
So, foaming the lid of coolers is becoming widely known trick, just be aware that it's called expanding for a reason and use about a third as much. It will st on the interior faster, as well.
To keep it from sticking from the cooler, smear a film of Vaseline on the inside of the lid. No sticky mess to scrape off.
Finally, don't waste your Sugru! Get a tube of whit silicone and just top off the holes and let it set. You're not smearing your food on the inside of the cooler lid then eating raw. If you did, the amount of contact would still be absolutely harmless from those little blobs of silicone. Good vid.
5200 would be great made by 3M to seal them holes.
I did this same thing with my Igloo cooler except that I drilled all of my holes on the outside instead of inside the lid. That way if anything off-gassed it wouldn't affect the contents.
yricyric perfect! I was thinking the exact same thing...
yricyric totally what I was thinking... what did you seal the wholes with?
I just covered the holes with aluminum refrigeration tape (the type of tape used for A/C duct installation).
You probably wouldn't really need to cover the holes as you're dealing with a closed cell polymer foam as it's basically air tight , but if you wanted to I'd suggest a two part epoxy putty (plumbers putty, kneadatite, greenstuff etc.)
I'm def going to give this a try.
I'd use the two deeper channels to hold capped pvc sticks filled with the contents from gel ice packs.
Just hold them in place with some velcro.
Then you can freeze the pvc tubes,and just stick them in place.
And the end result is ? Did it work 1/2 as good as the Yeti ?
I wanted to see if the lid fit back on the cooler. I have used this stuff before and often it just keeps expanding for some time.
I got an old POS cooler that still holding strong and was wondering about if I could do this with my lid. But I also wanted do something different like spraying the whole thing with rubber paint, for slip resistance and possibly a tiny bit more insulation.
I’ve seen many things people argue about on RUclips comments but a guy who filled his cooler with foam has got to be the silliest of all arguments.
This is great!!!! I love the idea and the update.
How did the cooler work ? What are your thoughts on doing the same thing to the bottom ?
Thanks for the video! I've been testing out my new cooler, and I was just wondering if this would make the ice last longer.
Does that work better than white calk or white Silicone sealer for kitchen and Bath so it would not mold
I wonder if you should spray the inside of the lid with cooking spray to keep the foam from sticking to it???
How do get water out of the lid ? I've let my lid sit in the sun and still can't get the water out ? I've shuck the lid and just a little bit of water comes out .
Rubber plugs work good, also tape the spots you want to drill and you wont have to scrape once you break off the bubbles. Just peel the tape off put in ruber plugs
excellent video thank you for posting
I've got a cooler just like that and I'm gonna try this!
Good idea, if you do another you may want to try the minimal expanding type in the blue can it's for around windows and doors it is also more dense.
Yeah I will give that a try next time.
Great idea. I am doing this in the morning.
I would like to see a comparison video with the same coolers. One modified and one not to see how significant of a difference this makes. Thinking of doing it. Makes sense to me.
There are a few videos 1 i watched the modded cooler didn't last as long as the factory one. Another video i watched the modded cooler did better. Its a crap shoot. I got a new cooler but i still have my old coleman and im gonna do this metal hinges and latches
How did you take off the igloo lid? Was it damaged? It looks like the part that connects the lid to the cooler is very short? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
I used white door/windows silicone sealant/caulking to seal the holes. It blended in perfectly.
The holes don't really need to be sealed, other than for cosmetic reasons.
@@johnbrewer7221, it was definitely cosmetic, since the cooler lid is bright white and foam was yellow.
Put blue tape on 1st, drill through holes, less cleanup.
Looks like a good deal.... thanks for sharing....
Those extra holes helped the foam to expand and leach out. It probably helped from the lid from bowing out.
I thought it was a great video. Keep up the good work, and have fun camping.
And how did it work out for you?
What about the sides of the cooler? Generally cool air sinks so except for leaving one out in the sun I'd think the bottom and sides should be the more viral areas for insulation. Are they already insulated in a cheap cooler?
I for one like all of the holes you drilled. In my opinion you gave the excess foam a place to expand to and not deform the lid too much. I will be doing this to a couple of old coolers I have at the house. When I go glamping I like to "Drink Ice" that has nothing else in the chest. I don't think I will need to keep buying ice when I am out there "roughin' it"
I enjoyed this video. I will do this to my 5 day colmen any thing helps in Arizona heat.
How did it work? Did you notice an improvement with ice retention?
My brother in law tried that and when the foam expanded it warped the lid and it wouldnt seal so his didnt work.
Follow up video, please. I wanna know how this worked
Is there any chance of the foam deforming the lid so it will not fit back on the cooler correctly ? That is my fear.
Holy shit I watched this whole video and you don't even tell us how well it works. You didn't need to take 12 min to say drill some holes... fill with spray foam...let dry. Thanks dude.
Great job, I'm so glad that you stopped trying to clean that up when it was wet. I was starting to shake my head. My one suggestion would be unless that cooler has baffles I feel like all you need is 2 holes. One to put it in and one to allow air to be pushed out. I think all the holes is overkill. Otherwise well done. It works great.
Wrong
@b8con “ food for thought “ I also do a fair amount of hiking/camping and also do spray foam insulation for a living in commercial and residential applications so I have easy access to 2 pound closed cell foam. I built my own cooler out of plywood and 1x3 timber, fiberglassed the inside and then added pneumatic wheels to it for easy moving. Without exaggeration it more than doubled the hold time of ice compared to my Coleman extreme coolers I take on the boat fishing! Obviously it weights a lot more but you can modify it to also work as a gear cart
One hole is all you needed! Clean up looks fun! The amount of time and energy, and materials waisted make the cost of a YETI the same basically. And it will last 5x times as long.
John Fultz as a professional designer I bill $200 hr for my time. Waiting a couple days and cleaning all this shit up, plugging holes, etc. is not worth my free time when I can walk in dicks buy a nice cooler and be at the beach while you’re waiting for glue to dry on your new ghetto cooler.
Clear or white silicone would work aswell sealing those holes, wonder how much weight was added after spraying foam .
Now when all your buddies sit on your cooler it won't crush the lid good job:)
My 200 lbs 15 year old sat on it tonight and it was rock solid.
I got some caps for the holes & some plastic cement or silicone sealant from the hardware store, couldnt find sugru.
Great idea .Thanks
Smart idea, great video.
Good Idea! Easy enough to follow!
An how well did it keep cool.
Have you tried this method with the main body of the cooler?
I did this on a couple of coolers back in the early 2000s,the only problem was the first cooler I did I didn't put enough hole so the side pushed out. That was commerical home spray foam. Still worked. Second one I put more bleeder holes to relieve pressure. I used superglue and cut milk jug in little circles put or holes.
Any problem with distortion?
I would recommend using the great stuff window and door formulation. It is an open cell foam formulation that doesn't put as much pressure on the side walls. Also, the urethane foam cures with water so if you put a few ounces in the lid and shake it around good before you spray in the foam it will make denser bubbles and cure faster.
I'm not sure that would work as well. Closed cell foam has a higher R value than open cell. The purpose of the cooler is to keep heat out. The lower R value in some situations may increase the heat conductivity in comparison to just air. I'm not sure of the r value of each specific product but IN SOME SITUATIONS open cell foam is superior to closed cell foam because it moves heat better. I don't know what the R values are of these different products but it could make a big difference and it could also have a negative impact. Do your homework if you choose to not use closed cell foam.
I have the same cooler. How did it work out?
you should do a test with a bag of ice in this and an unmodified one to see just how much improvement there is
Well done Sir. Well Done
great modification.
Do you think that many holes were needed? That stuff seems to swell up pretty big..
Yep. I just did this lastnight to my work cooler. Started off with 8 holes, filled up the lid, and grabbed a bright flashlight to see any bare spots through the plastic. Drilled 2 more holes and to hit the empty spaces. Then used screw caps to cover all the holes. Also, wiping down the lid beforehand with silicone spray lubricant helped make cleanup faster and super easy.
Two questions,will the carcinogens in the foam cause cancer and will be beer be colder?
The foam uses water to cure. I put 2 drum liners into a co-worker's locker, misted the inside of the drum liners with water and then used 4 cans of spray foam to turn his locker into a solid mass of foam but not damage his stuff or the locker with the foam. Overnight it fully set up and it took him half a day to get the foam out, again, no damage from the foam.
He tried to get me back but didn't use water in the drum liners and I was able to pull the drum liner full of mostly uncured and un-expanded foam out of my locker in about 10min.
Mist in water as the urathane foams require it as a catalyst
how much extra did you spend on that
Plenty of opinions so far. I am not a specialist, and have found many coolers to be a pocket of air inside a hollow plastic container. Air is an insulator, though minimally efficiency. The yellow ( RED CAN ) foam expands more and fills the interior cavity as well as stiffens the shell better than the semi-expanding - more flexible foam (BLUE CAN ). Filling the top and bottom should have the best result. Only drill holes on the inside, so rain will not penetrate and standing water will not seep inside. I would spray a lubricant like WD-40 on the shell before injecting foam into the holes. I also would drill very small holes in the corners of each "pocket " for trapped air to escape. Let the cooler sit for at least 24 hours before removing any excess squeeze-out. The foam takes much longer to cure when not exposed to air. That is why it does not cure inside the can once it is first utilized. Attempting to wipe off wet / uncured foam will be MESSY. DON'T DO IT. Leave it till fully cured and it will pop off the sprayed surface easily. Plugging the holes with caulk or silicon is only decorative. Just don't drill any holes below a potential WATER LINE inside the tub portion. Wish all of you success and cold results ! J K
Should do a test before and after modification
The foam will take many days to cure and keep oozing out so wait on glue for the holes
How did it work?
Is there a 'before and after' test?
What is that suguru stuff?? Never heard of it. Where do they sell it?
It is like a moldable plastic/glue. It's soft like a putty and sets up in about 30 minutes. It's fully cured withing 24. Search for ”Sugru Mouldable Glue - Original Formula - Black” on Amazon.com. That's where I get mine.
It actually is some good stuff I don't use it for everything but it does work good when you need to mold it around something and it won't drip, sag or run off.
What about the sides & bottom?
how did it turn out?
curious why igloo doesnt insulate the lids themselves. is it just because of cost?
Cost is part of it, but with a lid cavity as thin as it is in this case, filling it with foam - even high quality R7 per inch foam - doesn't help much compared to just having an air gap. The R-value of the stuff he used is only about R 3.5 per inch thickness.
Dap makes a low expansion foam that might work better for you. I would have made bigger holes like say 3/8 inch. But it is a good idea no doubt I myself use moving blankets on mine that I get from Harbor Freight. Just lay under and over the coolers with them.
I’ll keep that in mind for my next one.
Some places have a press they put the parts in 1 inlet hole for foam that would be about 1/4 inch by the hinge area..then 2 small holes the size of pencil lead in the corners 2 in each corner..just on the outside of seal rim..after 1hr in press clean excess..plug back hole by the hinge with other crap cooler plug...its on the bottom..older one lol..for the 2 small holes in front dont plug those you will want those left open they wont be seen..there on the bottomside outside the seem..no contact with food on any holes n can breath..duplicate the press so lid dont distort..place a bag of sand on the cooler lid as foam expands..if you get the lid cold and keep it cold thru the process it wont warp..c clamps n 2x6 could also make a clamp but cooler you keep it the better..enjoy but you owe me a beer lol