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

Ok has anyone ever used a ConServ Refrigerator with their solar?

I am going through all the links on oasismontana.com.

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You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.

This winter, I'll have to put a twenty pound bottle on the system and see how long it lasts.

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“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Barry Goldwater.
III

We're using a Kenmore EnergyStar rated 15 cu. ft. upright refrigerator. We power the frig, computers, satellite internet, lights, small appliances, etc. with 6 125 watt panels. During sunny to partly sunny days we do ok on power for ourselves and the business. On cloudy days we're running the generator for a few hours each day to keep the batteries at reasonable power levels.

Before the frig we ran with 5 panels and could go for 7 cloudy days before having to consider running the generator. Luckily we don't get that many cloudy days here. Probably only run the generator for backup power 10 - 15 days a year max.

My advice is to go with EnergyStar appliances when possible, compare energy consumption figures, and go with the smallest size you can live with. Generally speaking (but not always), smaller means less energy. Again, check and compare energy consumption rates.

We've used propane refrigerators some and have found them to perform poorly when it's warm in the summer. They are also very expensive compared to 120V AC refrigerators. Our neighbor bought a 10 cu. ft. propane frig for about $1200. We spent about $400 on our 15 cu. ft. Kenmore.

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Patrick Harris
http://ByExample.com

I think in the long run a solar setup would save money over propane but that's only if you can afford to put in enough solar to run a fridge. I'm planning on running my free scavenged propane fridge until I have enough panels to make the change. That will take care of the short and long term. Keep in mind the solar advice you get from people in the desert does not hold true in places with clouds and real winter. It takes a lot more panels and batteries (therefore money) for people in more temperate climates. For instance in my location I only get 2.5 solar hrs in the winter so for any 100 watt panel you get an average of 250 watts for the day, in AZ they get something like 5 solar hrs in winter so they will get twice the power. The numbers are closer in summer. It takes a bit of research and math to assess the power potential of a given location.

Hi, I'm new here and thought this was as good a place as any to jump in. We have a more or less normal suburban home and a cabin in the mountains and off grid. The cabin is a more or less permanent residence mid-May through August. The rest of the year we use it 3 day weekends, except for Dec through April when we have to snow shoe in so then it's every couple weeks.

We have a Servel propane refrigerator in the cabin. It works great and we like the freezer size on it over some of the other propane brands. We use an fresh air inlet and a burner exhaust vent.

I would like to use an electric fridge off the solar, but my calculations indicated too many panels and batteries would be needed to ensure uninterrupted use if it gets rainy or a few days. My reason for preferring the electric over propane is that propane is something I have to haul in in portable tanks. 100 pound tanks are not easily portable even though they fall in that classification.

We cook on propane and have a propane wall heater for those times we don't want to start a fire in the wood burner. Propane also heats our water via an RV water heater.

When I built the house I designed in a large pantry that is below grade and has two exterior walls. I insulated it from the rest of the house. Store bought milk will keep for about a week in there. We also have a spring house that a had planned to use refrigeration but the pantry works so well no one is willing to walk the 150Yds to it.

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