Using a 100 Plus Year Old Ice Box: Our Families Story of Life Without an Electric Refrigerator

What a great ice box, very nice.

Where do you get all the frozen replacement water bottles? Thx

I loved your small one a lot but this one is amazing! You do have a true Mr Amazing with all that he can do with his hands. I am really happy ya'll are finally going to be able to move up north!!

How often do you have to change the ice bottles?

You must have a freezer where you freeze the water bottles for the icebox or ????????? And how long before you have to do a switch out of those bottles?

That is neat, I want the little old one! LOL Loved the video.

But how do you freeze them if you don't have a freezer? Thank u

Just read new comments to find out you have a freezer. Thanks.

I absolutely love your big icebox!! I've never seen one like it. I have wanted a small one for years and years. Just after first seeing you post your older video showing your small one, we were able to purchase one almost like yours. It's a little bigger though. I am able to keep our goat milk that is in 1/2 gallon jars in the bottom left compartment. People think I'm crazy not having an electric refrigerator but I LOVE my icebox!! We tried different bottles for the frozen water and we found using one gallon plastic jugs work the best in our ice box. Our shelves are original and look just like yours in your big icebox. You are right, one can't keep too many leftovers, we have to eat up the food in a few days. We have a freezer too so it's easy to make ice. Your older video convinced me we could do this. We've had our icebox now for a couple years. God blessed us in how we were able to buy it, the best deal ever. And it's in perfect condition, just beautiful. But, your new box is absolutely gorgeous.....you did beautiful work! God is so good! Will you be keeping your small one too?

Wow, what a wonderful find, I've not seen one this large before! My husband is in the process of making an ice box, super insulated for our kitchen. If we could find something this large we'd buy it, beautiful

You could use plastic milk crates so that you don't have to carry all of them in ur arms and they might fit in there so it's easy to change them out

egg and butter preservation?
how do you preserve your eggs and butter?
ive always wanted to know....

Lea, What music is this that you are using? I LOVE it! My son plays hammer dulcimer and we would love for him to learn this piece. You're doing a super great job! So glad to see you are making more videos. I have been badly sick for many months and just saw your videos. I hope all is well on the homestead for you and your family.

I just love the instrumentals. The first and last instrumental, I would love to know the name of it. Thanks

well done thank you GBYAY

That thing is huge. Must have been in a restaurant.

Wow netver seen a big ice box like that would love to have a big one like it am going off grid...

They are beautiful.

I am thinking about small one for one person small one room cabin

Beautiful ice box’s, the large one is just wonderful!💚☘️

Ok - this ice box is just a dream! And that was a very unique milk dispenser - milk dispensed with a smile ;-) . Are you still planning on building an inground refrigerator? Thank you :-) !

nice ice box

I totally restored several home sized ice boxed. One was a late Coolerator which has the air flow over the bottom of the ice rather than melting from the top. It was designed to compete with early electric units. It dated from around 1940. It would run on a fill up of ice for 5 days. I tired the ice blocks that are plastic in one of them. Real ice preformed much better being about 5 or more degrees colder than having a plastic covered ones. It would cool to about 38 in the food compartment. If the freezer I had to make the ice blocks hadn't given out I would still be using it.

Love love love your videos I do have a question though when you were talking to one of the other people you'd said you were going to put an end to the ground refrigerator can you explain that more to me we are in the process of going off grid we have an icebox but we're not sure how to keep the bottles frozen when it's hot thank you so much have a blessed day

This is a beautiful Icebox! You are so lucky to have found this one! Thank you for sharing this video! It's a beautiful find!

How do you freeze your bottles in the first place to keep the fridge cold? I understand in the freezing winters the outdoor temp will freeze them, so I'm asking more about during the other seasons. Thanks! I'm working towards homesteading & am just trying to learn all I can.

I'm just curious how/where you freeze the water bottles to put in the non-electric ice box?

Fill five gallon buckets with water, let them freeze in winter. Use the ice buckets to insulate your freezer.

I hate my refrigerator. It’s 2 years old and I can talk for 20 minutes about how badly I feel I was screwed when I bought it. I plan on making an icebox unless I can find one for a good price.

cant hear u

Yes I understand the unpleasant sound of a refrigerator. We lost all power for a week due to a hurricane and loved the true sound of silence. You can hear insects and birds even when you are in the house.

my father told me useful info about all that stuff from him growing up on a missouri farm. cold winter storage to keep produce at least was digging a hole in the ground, BELOW frost level, then build a structure inside the hole to keep animals from burrowing to your food. make a wood or metal cover. place your goods inside of it. if the freezer breaks down at our house, i think we will use it for storage similar to an ice chest. outhouse built directly onto a residence, the poop never goot built up cuz oldtimers put LIME on it and that ate it up. 5 gallons of horse poop introduced into your septic tank also makes beneficial bacteria and helps to eat up human waste. its nice when a family can work together and care for a home.

When you were using the frozen bottles to keep it cool where was the melted water coming from?

I'm just using the fridge we had for my ice box.

Does this not have a freezer?

That’s awesome... would love one myself !

I travelled in Morrocco many years ago, and stayed in an old hotel in a town called Tarraoudant which was owned by an elderly French lady. It had mostly vintage furnishings. The bar had a refrigerator exactly like this. I expected Bogart to come in any minute. Best wishes.

I knew one of the many beneficiaries of the Seegar Refrigeration Corporation in St. Paul, MN. Seegar was bought out by Whirlpool many, many moons ago.

Cayenne pepper in their feed and they will lay till one puts them in the stew pot.....

Theoretically you don't have to keep eggs in an ice box because if you go to almost any country in Europe, eggs are sold at room temperature.

The outside wood on your big icebox looks 😘🤌

Thank you for this video! I'm buying a huge old craftsman house with an ice box, and I really want to use it!