Looking to get a SHTF system set up.... Please help, I know nothing about this stuff

[HarastiHomestead]

Hello, all, I am looking to get a small and affordable solar set up that will be able to run my fridge and deep freezer, possibly furnace and possibly some radio equipment. BUT mostly just the fridge and freezer. The fridge is a GE, the sticker says it is a 115vac, the freezer is a 15.3 cubic feet chest freezer. I can't find any other info on it. I need to know how many solar panels I will need, what size charge controller, How many batteries, and what type (can I buy motorcycle batteries, lawn mower batteries??) and what kind of inverter.
Thank for the help and info ahead of time.

[sensij]

Hello, all, I am looking to get a small and affordable solar set up that will be able to run my fridge and deep freezer, possibly furnace and possibly some radio equipment. BUT mostly just the fridge and freezer. The fridge is a GE, the sticker says it is a 115vac, the freezer is a 15.3 cubic feet chest freezer. I can't find any other info on it. I need to know how many solar panels I will need, what size charge controller, How many batteries, and what type (can I buy motorcycle batteries, lawn mower batteries??) and what kind of inverter.
Thank for the help and info ahead of time.

Buy a Kill-a-Watt, and see how much energy they each use daily. The $20 will be well spent if it helps you size your system correctly.

[Mike90250]

The big PROBLEM with a SHTF setup, is the batteries.

The batteries start degrading from the factory, and in 10 years, you can expect them to be shot, regardless of their care.

[jony101]

Solar power will be large and expensive to run a fullsize fridge and fullsize freezer at the same time full time, more like a roof full of panels and a garage full of large batteries.

With solar you need to make compromises to get it to work for you. A upright fridge with its thin insulation is inefficient. Your chest freezer with its thick insulation is very efficient in keeping the cold in. something people have done is convert there chest freezers into fridges by using freezer to fridge thermostats, this type of fridges will run with very minimal power produce by solar.

You can run something like that with about 500 watts of solar panels, maybe 30 amp mppt controller and 200ah of batteries. And have power to spare. But you would only be able to run one fridge no freezer.

The alternative is to buy 2, 12 volt fridges use one as a freezer and another as a fridge. Space inside these fridges is limited but they would be able to run on the same solar system as above.

It can be done, I use to have one of the 12 volt fridges (set to 40 degrees) and ran it 24/7 for months at a time on a 120 watt panel and 75 ah battery but that is below the bare minimum, I needed very good sunshine every day.

unlike other people here, I always encourage everyone to use solar because it does work as long as you have the large panels. I have no illusions that the power company will always be operating, just because it always has before. You need to have a backup. The problems with generators you will eventually run out of fuel and very quickly. Batteries are cheap right now compared to when shtf, good luck finding batteries then or gas for the generator.

[russ]

Anyone chasing the WTSHTF scenarios needs a lot more than solar panels - starting with common sense and brains!

[SunEagle]

Anyone chasing the WTSHTF scenarios needs a lot more than solar panels - starting with common sense and brains!

If the OP is worried about food spoiling during an extended outage I would suggest investing in shelf stable food stock and not worry about perishables because you won't find any if the SHTF..

Then what ever electricity you need to generate for food storage will only be enough to keep the beer cold.

[bcroe]

Hello, all, I am looking to get a small and affordable solar set up that will be able to run my fridge and deep freezer, possibly furnace and possibly some radio equipment. BUT mostly just the fridge and freezer. The fridge is a GE, the sticker says it is a 115vac, the freezer is a 15.3 cubic feet chest freezer. I can't find any other info on it. I need to know how many solar panels I will need, what size charge controller, How many batteries, and what type (can I buy motorcycle batteries, lawn mower batteries??) and what kind of inverter.
Thank for the help and info ahead of time.

The first thing I did to conserve electricity, was to dump my old freezer and fridge, and
buy the most energy efficient combination fridge-freezer on the market (a decade ago).
it uses 1 KWH a day. Emergency backup, get a generator to keep the fridge & furnace
capable; solar is all wrong for this function.

Permanent outage, there won't be energy or frozen food available. In a few years the
batteries for an off grid solar will die. Check out how people lived in the 1800s.

Bruce Roe

[SunEagle]

The first thing I did to conserve electricity, was to dump my old freezer and fridge, and
buy the most energy efficient combination fridge-freezer on the market (a decade ago).
it uses 1 KWH a day. Emergency backup, get a generator to keep the fridge & furnace
capable; solar is all wrong for this function.

Permanent outage, there won't be energy or frozen food available. In a few years the
batteries for an off grid solar will die. Check out how people lived in the 1800s.

Bruce Roe

They use to smoke their food to preserve it or live in deep caves where it was cooler.

But he still might want electricity to charge his cell phone or serf the internet.... oh wait will they still work?

[russ]

They use to smoke their food to preserve it or live in deep caves where it was cooler.

But he still might want electricity to charge his cell phone or serf the internet.... oh wait will they still work?

And the ipod

[thastinger]

OP, look into turning a small chest freezer into a freezer. All you need is this http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Contro...ure+controller
the freezer is unmodified. I did this in my off grid building and it works great and only uses .5Kwh/day
Just remember that every watt you can save is a watt worth of capacity you don't need to build.
Once you have the killawatt meter post back with your consumption levels and we can help you figure out a system.

[DanS26]

It's OK to be prepared, even encouraged, but it's not OK to be too prepared because then you are considered a nut case.

Everyone's definition of being prepared is different.

[SunEagle]

It's OK to be prepared, even encouraged, but it's not OK to be too prepared because then you are considered a nut case.

Everyone's definition of being prepared is different.

I agree. I have made preparations for the lack of drinkable water and power after a hurricane. I have done similar preparedness when I lived up North and had to deal with 0 degree temperatures and snow.

IMO worrying about not having power to keep my freezer working during a real long term power outage is just focusing on the wrong priority.

[russ]

IMO worrying about not having power to keep my freezer working during a real long term power outage is just focusing on the wrong priority.

Plus impractical - a total waste of money.