Solar Refrigerator

[john p]

A chest freezer converted to a fridge would use about 190whr a day. There is no way it would use anything like the figure Sunking has given as example..
I did one years ago and while it was very good at using very little power from a battery /inverter it just drove us mad at how inconvienient it was to use. There is just no way to pack the same amount of item in it as what you can with a upright fridge AND get at them reasonably easy.
I dont now remember the exact power consumption per day but it not have been aqbove 250whr.It was about 15cft if I remember correctly. Whirlpool brand.

[russ]

A freezer style fridge should get down close to those numbers - some energy star uprights get below 1 kWh/day.

Mine are roughly 900 watt hours and 960 watt hours per day and they are large.

I expect a smaller and well insulated freezer converted would be low.

[Sunking]

Using a very inexpensive thermal switch from ebay, I've converted a chest freezer to a fridge that uses 160-190w a day (these are real figures...not the 100w a day figure most articles tout).

No it is not real, you do not understand electricity. You do not know the difference between watts and watt hours.

I think you fridge burns 190 watts but it does so for several hours of the day. So if the compressor is on 6 hours your fridge uses 190 watts x 6 hours = 1140 watt hours. That is quite a bit of power.

[Mike90250]

Using a very inexpensive thermal switch from ebay, I've converted a chest freezer to a fridge that uses 160-190w a day (these are real figures...not the 100w a day figure most articles tout). It is a very effecient way to do a fridge on solar for a camp or even a household if you don't mind it being a chest style instead of a side by side.

160-190w a day That's not a real figure. That's an instatainous power reading from a moment in time. When the compressor is OFF, the fridge draws 0 watts. How long it's ON, would result in a reading of WATT HOURS. The Kill-a-Watt meters, and others like it, will read out total KWh and total Hours. Then you can figure out how much power it uses in a day.

[bidaw]

Using a very inexpensive thermal switch from ebay, I've converted a chest freezer to a fridge that uses 160-190w a day (these are real figures...not the 100w a day figure most articles tout). It is a very effecient way to do a fridge on solar for a camp or even a household if you don't mind it being a chest style instead of a side by side.

[ometofu]

that's so awesome!!!

i would very much like to have a solar freezer one of these days...

[Independent Patriot]

Thanks for your input. However, 1) we are not concerned with insurrection, 2) we live so far in the boonies and so far from the road that lighting would not make a "target", and 3) if we did have lighting (which my posts never even suggested) visibility can easily by avoided by restricting it to a sealed room (cardboard, duct tape etc.) if necessary. Your response simply did not address the question at hand, and assumed far too much. But thank you for taking an interest.

Russ is spot on.

If a solar flare of significance did occur and delivered the WORST CASE results many fear.......then TS will HTF and insurrection will be an issue to be dealt with.

In that case.......you should be concerned about being a target. Being "so far from the road"...lol! No offense, but IF TS does HTF then you'd have to live on another planet to be safe from the possibility of someone taking what you have.

Of course this hypothetical scenario could have sooooo many different variations and depending on those variations it's hard to say what would happen. However, IF TSHTF for an extended period of time (more than a few months) then you better believe you will be found and you will be a target unless you have the means to defend you and yours.

IF TSHTF, things will go from bad to worse in short order. There will be a mass exodus of people from larger technologically dependent metropolitan areas. Mainly because food and water demands will be impossible to sustain the massive populations.........massive populations of people who dont have skills of self sufficiency and self reliance.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest then you may have a better chance. The population per sq mile is considerably less dense in that area of the U.S.

If you're serious about preparation then you need to have a balanced and realistic plan.

Start with the basics needed to sustain life:

Water
Food
Shelter
Protection (please dont under estimate this one, without it you could loose all of the above)

If you're not serious about preparation.......or at least not the level or preparedness I'm talking about.......then I apologize and ignore my crazy talk.

[SteveC]

Our home runs completely on solar [PV] and has for over 25 yr., so yes, it is done easily. I despise the thought of using a gasoline or diesel generator, so we don't. We have a 'fridge and a freezer, no problem. They happen to be 12 v. models and extremely efficient, but some of the newest models of other types [regular 'fridges] are quite efficient and can do fine on solar, even running 120 v.

One thing to consider for your four-day storage is that even on "cloudy" days, we are collecting some electrical power from our panels. Not nearly as much as on bright, sunny days, of course, but some. Naturally, the darker the clouds, the less you get. So often, on cloudy days, we are still providing a fair amount of our electricity from the panels, not all of it, but enough that our batteries don't suffer unduly.

Meaning, you can figure some of that into the sizing of your battery bank/pv array.

[russ]

Like I said before - there are other concerns that I am more worried about that a person can do something about.

If one reads the some sites or watches the right shows there is a possibility of a 'cosmic blast' from a star that exploded a few hundred million years back as well.

Another is what happens if the earth's poles suddenly reverse as they have done a few times in the past?

Not going to worry about those either.

To each his own!

[Mike90250]

Solar flares (the really big ones) will fry the large transformers at main power plants and induce high voltages and currents in long wires. There was an instance of Rail Road track melting from the induced current .

[BillV]

As a PS to Russ

Thanks for your input. However, 1) we are not concerned with insurrection, 2) we live so far in the boonies and so far from the road that lighting would not make a "target", and 3) if we did have lighting (which my posts never even suggested) visibility can easily by avoided by restricting it to a sealed room (cardboard, duct tape etc.) if necessary. Your response simply did not address the question at hand, and assumed far too much. But thank you for taking an interest.

[BillV]

Solar Flare

Some may not consider flares a threat but it has happened before and NASA says it is guaranteed to happen again, and probably in the next 12 years. The last big one in the 1860's did little damage because there was no grid. But a SMALL one just 13 years ago wiped out the grid throughout eastern Canada. Bury your head in the sand at your own peril. If another big one hits, as NASA expects, the grid could be down from 5 months to nearly 10 years. No electricity means almost nothing will work, and no communications. Thanks anyway, folks - I'll find a non-solar solution.

[Mike90250]

Thermoelectric Cooling (Peltier Element) only gives about a 40f differential from the hot to cold side. And it's about 10x worse power than a compressor fridge.

So we really need some accurate figures for your fridge, to calculate the battery and solar requirements.

Additionally, when the SHTF, there may not be that much worth cooling after a few weeks.

And most mini-fridges are WORSE energy hogs than the 18cf fridge/freezer I have, that is energy star rated.

[russ]

Sorry - No one can not help for the survivalist type scenarios.

With many things to worry about in the world that is down around number 1000 for me.

Solar flares are not of a concern - you are really talking about civil insurrection - in which case an open display of lighting, panels and all will make a wonderful target.

Russ

[BillV]

No can do (propane)

If you read my thread you would uinderstand the purpose is to be prepared in the event of no electricity OR fuel for a substantial period of time - such as a solar flare knocking out the grid for months. No power, no propane deliveries. No gas pumping. Not much of anything. But still would like to keep food from spoiling.