Ice Retention Tips

TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILLCO COOLER COLD FOR LONGER

All Chillco Ice box coolers have superior ice holding abilities.

The larger the ice box, the longer the ice retention.

The smaller the ice box, the shorter the ice retention.

There are many factors that determine how long an ice box will stay cold for and by following these easy steps, will ensure your ice stays cold in your Chillco Cooler for as long as possible.

  1. Quick storage of ice - Bags of ice must be immediately moved from the freezer to the ice box. Long delays between moving the ice into the ice box will already begin melting the ice. (Even if it's 5-10 mins). This 5-10 mins of ice melt could be equivalent to 1-2 days + of lost ice retention. Just remember that it's an insulated ice box and not a fridge.
  2. Pre-Chill the Ice Box - It's a good idea to pre-chill the ice box before putting your items into it. This involves putting a few bags of ice in it and leaving it there for up to 8 hours prior to use. That way, by the time you put your items into the ice box, the ice box is already chilled and your ice will last a lot longer. People with industrial freezers are recommended to put their esky cooler in the freezer the night before use.
  3. The amount of times the lid of the ice box is open and closed - Obviously more frequent lid openings will release more of the trapped cold air inside the box. Each time the lid is opened, the temperature drops rapidly and then it takes another few hours to go back to the temperature it was prior to the lid opening. The aim is to open the lid and get your goods out as quick as possible without letting too much cold air escape.
  4. The ambient temperature - (outside air temperature) - If it's 5 degrees outside or 45 degrees, this will also affect the ice rating. Try to avoid placing the ice box in direct sunlight or if unavoidable, cover the ice box with a reflective sheet or a wet white towel.
  5. Normal party ice or Chillco dry gel ice packs? - Chillco Dry Gel Ice packs will allow you to achieve maximum ice retention without any wet ice forming at the bottom of the ice box. Chillco Dry Gel Ice Packs can be frozen down to -190 degrees Celsius but in most people's case it will only freeze down to -18 degrees which is the coldest temperature you can get your domestic freezer down to. Normal block ice will freeze to -1 degree Celsius and Dry Ice Packs down to -18. You can clearly see which is the better ice you should be using if you want longer ice retention. We recommend using our dry ice packs at a minimum ratio of 1 ice pack per 10L of ice box capacity. If you are keeping sandwiches at the bottom of your ice box and using normal wet ice, be prepared for your sandwiches to go soggy. To prevent this from happening, we recommend using Chillco's Dry Ice Packs to prevent melted ice pools forming at the bottom of the cooler and save your sandwiches and other produce.
  6. Drainage of melted ice - Melted Ice turns into a liquid which in turn speeds up the process of melting the ice. If you keep draining melted ice, this will prolong the ice retention as well. Draining the melted ice 2-3 times a day is recommended. If you are only storing drinks in your ice box and only need the ice to last a day or two, then don't worry about draining the melted ice because the melted ice will be enough to keep your drinks nice and cold.
  7. Ice has melted - Even once the ice has fully melted, you will still find that the ice box is still colder than the outside ambient temperature and this alone can last a day or two. If you still have melted ice water left at the bottom and you are only storing drinks in your cooler, this melted ice water will keep your drinks cold for another day.

If you know of any other special ice retention tips that we have left out here, please email them to us at chillco@live.com.au and we may include them on this page for everyone to see.

Enjoy your new Chillco Cooler!