Chalk cooler/fridge

[Proper Job]

Back in the mid 60’s when my folks got their first boat (with a cabin) we had a very simple method of keeping food ‘cool’.

 

It was effectively a large block of chalk that had an insulated door and inner compartment (in which you put your butter, milk etc). All you did was keep it wet by topping up a ‘puddle’ in the top of the block of chalk with water.

 

It cooled by the natural evaporative effect of the wet chalk. The hotter the external temp, the more water evaporated and the internal temp of the compartment stayed fairly constant.

 

I’m sure it was called and Oso-cool or something similar to that.

 

I’ve tried googling but got nowhere (you can imaging what ‘O so cool’ brings up, and ‘chalk fridge’ finds some very interesting sites about fridge magnet collectors)

 

Has anyone got one, can you still get them?

 

I’m sure for most of my limited food requirements it would be OK and I could moth ball the fridge except when needed for stocking up (when visitors arrive).

[Timleech]

Back in the mid 60’s when my folks got their first boat (with a cabin) we had a very simple method of keeping food ‘cool’.

 

It was effectively a large block of chalk that had an insulated door and inner compartment (in which you put your butter, milk etc). All you did was keep it wet by topping up a ‘puddle’ in the top of the block of chalk with water.

 

It cooled by the natural evaporative effect of the wet chalk. The hotter the external temp, the more water evaporated and the internal temp of the compartment stayed fairly constant.

 

I’m sure it was called and Oso-cool or something similar to that.

 

I’ve tried googling but got nowhere (you can imaging what ‘O so cool’ brings up, and ‘chalk fridge’ finds some very interesting sites about fridge magnet collectors)

 

Has anyone got one, can you still get them?

 

I’m sure for most of my limited food requirements it would be OK and I could moth ball the fridge except when needed for stocking up (when visitors arrive).

 

I've used one in the past, they did have some effect but don't expect miracles, especially in very hot weather.

 

My parents used to keep milk bottles in a bucket of water with a teatowel draped over the top, the teatowel would soak up water some of which would evaporate, the same general principle.

 

A bit of breeze always helps that sort of cooling.

I haven't seen one for years.

 

Tim

[carlt]

The Coolgardie Safe uses the same principle:

 

clicky

 

And a bit of Googling rells you how to make a simple one:

 

Clicky

Edited October 7, 2008 by carlt

[David Schweizer]

When I was a child many households had Ceramic Milk Coolers which worked in the same way, They were made of the same marterial as Clay Flower pots and were milk bottle shaped. The milk was placed on a stone shelf in the larder, the coolers were soaked in cold water and placed over the milk bottle. From recollection they seemed to work quite well.

[jelunga]

Here is a link to a web site that makes and sells these units in small batches :-http://www.easicool.com/easicool.php

 

Hope this helps.

 

K

Edited October 7, 2008 by jelunga

[carlt]

Here is a link to a web site that makes and sells these units in small batches :-http://www.easicool.com/easicool.php

 

Hope this helps.

 

K

Turned into a link:

http://www.easicool.com/easicool.php

 

These look really good. There's one for sale s/h, here:

 

clicky

[John Orentas]

Before fridges were universally fitted in narrowboats people would produce all kinds of innovative cool boxes using an area of exposed bottom plate of the boat.. An insulated small cupboard without a bottom panel can be installed in the area below the front deck, given that the base-plate of your boat is constantly at the temperature of the canal water the system can be quite effective.. Never done it myself though.

[alan_fincher]

Original item was this.....

 

 

Referred to here.....

 

http://www.allthingsconsidered.co.uk/image.../06/osokool.jpg

 

They were close to useless on a hot boat, (as, in my view, were the soaked earthenware covers for milk bottles, and butter).

 

I don't know if a modern equivalent would work any better, but otherwise I'd just label them as a useless piece of history.

 

Alan

[Proper Job]

Original item was this.....

 

 

Referred to here.....

 

http://www.allthingsconsidered.co.uk/image.../06/osokool.jpg

 

They were close to useless on a hot boat, (as, in my view, were the soaked earthenware covers for milk bottles, and butter).

 

I don't know if a modern equivalent would work any better, but otherwise I'd just label them as a useless piece of history.

 

Alan

That's the one. Exactly as I remember it

 

Ours was stored in an open cockpit, not in the cabin.

 

I spoke to mum about it and she said it was very good as long as you didn't have to higher expectations from it. Milk would last a few days - not a week etc. Anything was better than luke warm UHT on your cornflakes.

 

All I would want to do is put a bit of butter, milk and cheese in it. The main advantage (as I see it) is that it doesn't drain my batteries in trying to run an 80% empty fridge for 90% of the time.

 

Has anyone any experience of the 'easicool'?

[larkshall]

out of curiosity, anyone come across kerosene fridges?. I last saw them in Africa, put used to be seen in scotland too

[Timleech]

out of curiosity, anyone come across kerosene fridges?. I last saw them in Africa, put used to be seen in scotland too

 

They were available 25/30 years ago from one (Swiss?) maker, could it have been Sibir?, I have an idea that Tim Higton at WFB was an agent for them. They even did paraffin freezers.

 

Tim

 

Edit - here you are:-

 

http://www.sibir.com/products/domestic--ho...dge-s210ke.aspx

 

Tim

Edited October 7, 2008 by Timleech

[Justme]

Search for evaporative fridges. You can get them from camping type shops.

 

Justme

[Alastair]

out of curiosity, anyone come across kerosene fridges?. I last saw them in Africa, put used to be seen in scotland too

I looked into these.

 

ironically, they are now expensive items designed for storing medical stuff in Africa.

[carlt]

I looked into these.

 

ironically, they are now expensive items designed for storing medical stuff in Africa.

I seem to recall Greenpeace campaigning to get them all replaced with solar fridges, owing to them being extremely bad for the world.