Anyone making ice in a 12v freezer with basic dual battery setup?

Chris21700

Observer
I'm trying to perfect this science of making ice cubes while parked in camp at night as efficiently as possible, using as little energy as I can get away with. Wondering what trays you might have found that work best for freezing cubes the fastest, what temp you set your freezer at, and about how long the process of freezing water takes you typically. I know there are a lot of variables to this equation, just trying to get some general ideas. Thanks!!
 

alanymarce

Well-known member
Hmm - would it not make more sense to make the ice cubes while travelling, in which case you don't even need two batteries.

I realise that if you "base camp" for several days without starting the engine this suggestion is valueless.
 

Chris21700

Observer
Yes, except I've found that trying to make ice in a vehicle bouncing around off pavement to be difficult. And also yes, the whole staying parked for several days thing. I do have a 120w solar panel to recharge during the day.
 

jadmt

ignore button user
I found that if I buy a bag of ice cubes and put in my arb50 I have ice cubes for as long as I want and the ARB rarely kicks on..
 

Chris21700

Observer
I found that if I buy a bag of ice cubes and put in my arb50 I have ice cubes for as long as I want and the ARB rarely kicks on..

Yeah, and that's what I have been doing. Just thought it might free up a little more room in the freezer having a couple of ice cube trays vs. a whole bag of ice.
 

ChasingOurTrunks

Well-known member
For efficient ice, it's all about how fast you can freeze it. Three variables - the water, the ice container, and the fridge itself.

The fridge is a significant variable - how well insulated it is, how cool it gets, how often you are opening the freezer compartment, etc. will all have an impact on how long stuff takes to freeze for a given energy allotment. In general though, a highly insulated fridge that is kept closed while freezing is your best bet. In terms of temperature, we've not noticed a significant energy draw difference on our freezer when it's -15, -10, or even -5; the biggest difference in energy draw is the external temperature. In other words -- if it's 5 degrees outside, it doesn't seem to matter if we set the freezer to -15 or -5; it cycles roughly the same amount of times and uses roughly the same amount of energy. When it's 30 degrees outside, it cycles a lot more in general, but also a bit more for the colder temps though that seems less significant than ambient temp. In short: Get a good, well insulated fridge.

The ice container is the second variable. For speed, ditch the plastic and go with stainless steel. It will insulate far less and transfer more "cold" to the water. Keep in mind though this also means your ice will disappear a lot faster if you forget the tray on the picnic table.

And finally, for water temperature (and this is the curveball of all this) -- hot water will freeze faster than cold. It's called the Mpemba effect and while there are a lot of competing theories on how it works (or if it works at all in some circles), there's a fair bit of evidence to suggest that hot water will freeze faster than cold water, as counter-intuitive as that seems.

If are moving every day, the approach Alan suggests is a good one, using fully sealed ice trays to avoid spilling while the water freezes:

 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
I make ice fairly reliably in the little freezer cubby of my Dometic fridge using the factory ice trays. (I have a 2nd one from my old Truckfridge - same part.) The factory trays are pretty good for this because they're (a) small and (b) VERY thermally conductive, so it doesn't take much to get those little ice cubes to freeze.

It doesn't make enough ice to keep the "catch of the day", but the Mrs. Gin and Tonic and my Scotch are always cold!
 

2.ooohhh

Active member
if I want ice cubes for cocktails and such i've found my small yeti/rtic style drink cooler with a block of dry ice then a small bag of ice keeps them frozen for several days far easier than trying to make them on the spot while camping. i will turn the fridge down to keep ice cream frozen but that's easier than trying to freeze water constantly in my 50 qt fridge at least.
 

Chris21700

Observer
Thanks very much for all of the replies. Couple of things I never knew existed, the freezer bags and stainless steel trays. Both might be a good option for me. Probably will try the stainless trays first, since they are reusable. Again, thanks all!!
 

TwinStick

Explorer
When we first got our ARB Classics, I tried one out as a freezer. The day was 90° & the evening was around 75°. I had a bunch of 32 oz water bottles about 65% full. I had a drinks only cooler and rotated them every day. Didn't want the kids in & out of fridge all day long. Trying to preserve the latch. Worked like a champ, froze them solid and was reading 0°F in the morning. I had electric at the campsite so no issues there. But I have since found that running even a small fan to help the stock fan makes a world of difference. It cycles less often and doesn't run as long. Especially if it's really hot out. I have not tried doing that on just batteries though.
 

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