Those of you off grid or solar... what do you use for a fridge?

[Freya]

Any brand in particular?

A rope and bucket down the well?

[longshadowfarms]

We're off grid, but just moved here this fall so we're making do with what was here already. It is a Roper. Nothing fancy. Our system handles it ok, but I can't run much else (other than a few lights) when it is running. We're hoping to catch up with the people who lived here previously. We understand they did a lot of research before they bought a fridge. We'll probably look for the most efficient model we can find within reason, balancing system upgrade costs vs fridge costs. I look forward to seeing other responses! We were looking at propane fridge but with the cost of one PLUS the cost of propane, I think we've pretty much dismissed that option. BTW, we're not on solar. Our elec comes off a spring fed pelton wheel.

[Nevada]

I use a 10 cf Magic Chef brand electric fridge I got at Home Depot for $350, bit it looks like they're $399 now.

http://www.homedepot.com/Magic-Chef/...atalogId=10053

You'll need about 200 watts of solar panels, maybe 2 to 3 deep cycle batteries, and 400 watts of inverter to operate it (it draws about 120 watts when it runs, but the start-up surge is about 3 times that).

I suppose that a propane fridge is more appropriate for off-grid use, but they are pricey. Since I fabricate my own solar panels I came out ahead with a low-draw electric model. It's basically trading the cost of solar panels for the increased cost of a propane fridge.

Good luck!

[roachhill]

I scavenged a Dometic 3 way power fridge out of an old motorhome it's small and not really a long term solution but at $0 it was priced right. If money is a problem RV scavenging is a good option for basic supplies. It just takes some searching.

[roachhill]

Also no offence to Nevada but in Co. you would need at least twice the solar panels for the same output and more batteries to deal with cloudy periods. The sun just isn't that reliable outside the desert. If you run down the batteries and the lights go out it's no big deal but when your food spoils, well that really sucks. Of course if you have a cold well that's a surprisingly effective fridge.

[Nevada]

Originally Posted by roachhill

Also no offence to Nevada but in Co. you would need at least twice the solar panels for the same output and more batteries to deal with cloudy periods. The sun just isn't that reliable outside the desert. If you run down the batteries and the lights go out it's no big deal but when your food spoils, well that really sucks. Of course if you have a cold well that's a surprisingly effective fridge.

That's why I recommend 200 watts of solar panels and 3 deep-cycle batteries for a 120 watt fridge. You need to give yourself a little safety pad for cloudy days, although you might be surprised at how much power the panels generate on a cloudy day with a foot of snow on them.

[Forerunner]

Propane fridge by "Servel" today. Springhouse tomorrow.

[WisJim]

We replaced our propane Servel back in the 1980s with a Sunfrost when they started making them. We figured that we saved many times the cost of the Sunfrost and a few more PV panels by all the propane saved, and when we did it the PV panels cost much more than today, and the Sunfrost was about the same price, I think. Today many commonly available energy star refrigerators are efficient enough to run from PVs with batteries and inverter, as Nevada mentions. If you get enough sun to make a shadow, and you can put your PVs in direct all day sun, they will work.

[Wisconsin Ann]

We have a propane/AC fridge from a trailer/mobile home. Fairly big (we're only 2 people) and can use the inverter (which will be charged by both solar and the generator which runs on waste oil). Summer it will see the most use. Fall/Spring I tend to use the porch as a fridge. (The farm also will have a dug-in-the-hillside cooler (55degrees, year round). Winter is easy. The trick is to keep things from freezing too hard

[Cleancut]

I read of an Ausi who was of the grid that converted a chest freezer to a fridge by changing the thermostat. Premise is that when you open it, the cold stays inside. Was very efficient as I remember.

[sgl42]

from the alternative energy subforum:
Low power usage freezer->fridge conversion

that thread contains a post by solargary with a link to:
Build DC powered refrigerator or freezer!

--sgl

[Freya]

Ok in really "simple" terms........ what would be the major pros/cons of propane -vs- solar?


Which costs more in the long run?

[Freya]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Propane fridge by "Servel" today. Springhouse tomorrow.

If you do the springhouse I hope you will post about it. I am very interested in that too.

[Freya]

Ok I guess I should say I am looking at several MO properties... some are just raw land and some have "cabins" with no utilities of any kind.


I have plenty of experience living out of a cooler for months on end, but wanted to go over ways to have a fridge of some sort that does not entail constantly hauling ice or freezing it. lol



I already know I will need to bring in solar, but wanted to know if just getting a fridge for that would be better or trying for a propane one?

[Forest Breath]

We are off the grid and non electric. Fortunately, I have a nice Spring near the house. I keep my fresh milk, butter and other things needing to keep cold in the spring. I use a milk crate in the water for things in airtight containers. I place items in ziplock freezer bags as well. We have a lot of priorities and the Springhouse was not one in the beginning. It is on our list for next Spring though.

I learned a trick from the Amish down the road. I love mayonnaise and would eat it all the time if I could get away with it. When we went non electric, I had to practically stop using it, because it turned bad before the jar could be used. The Amish use Salad Dressing instead of mayonnaise. They keep it in a cool dark place (cellar, basement, cool pantry, root cellar, etc.). It lasts for a long time and remains good. I have a jar that I have kept for a month now and it has not turned bad on me.

Without the Spring, we just made do without anything. On extremely hot days, we would sometimes stick a bag of ice in a cooler for cold drinks. We were fortunate to be able to freeze the ice in gallon jugs at my daughter's home so we did not have to buy any.

I am ever so grateful for our Spring now!

[Forerunner]

Originally Posted by Freya

Ok in really "simple" terms........ what would be the major pros/cons of propane -vs- solar?


Which costs more in the long run?

We're pretty happy with the Servel propane.
Initial cost of the unit was around 900.
It has been ten years now, trouble free.
We did the math and it seemed to run cheaper than conventional rural electric, and I doubt anybody will ever sell me on the specialized and expensive technology of solar power for anything else but growing lush vegetation.

Maybe we'll do the spring house this year.....
Maybe the greenhouse, too.
Both are just going to require digging, the spring house a little more ingenuity. Sometimes I plan these things best when the shovel is already in my hand.

[packerfan]

Scavenged a propane fridge out of old 5th wheel camper, been working good for 5 yrs now.Price was right $0.00, uses small amount of propane.

[Freya]

Thank you all for your replies!

[Freya]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

We're pretty happy with the Servel propane.
Initial cost of the unit was around 900.
It has been ten years now, trouble free.
We did the math and it seemed to run cheaper than conventional rural electric, and I doubt anybody will ever sell me on the specialized and expensive technology of solar power for anything else but growing lush vegetation.

Maybe we'll do the spring house this year.....
Maybe the greenhouse, too.
Both are just going to require digging, the spring house a little more ingenuity. Sometimes I plan these things best when the shovel is already in my hand.

How much propane does it take to run?


Do you use a freezer at all? Is that even possible with propane? Forgive my ignorance, I have not seen one in action (well other than a tiny trailer/rv type one, and I was young and did not really think about it)... off to search the internet now.

[Freya]

Ok I see Blizzard makes 10-22 cu.ft. freezers.



The Servel and Crystal Cold Refrigerators look nice.



Are they hard to hook up?