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rockies
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# Posted: 21 Jul 2015 08:43pm
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http://solarhomestead.com/how-to-choose-a-refrigerator/
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jul 2015 08:57pm
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Good read. Thanks rockies. 
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rockies
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jul 2015 09:07pm
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Another article.
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago102.html
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Bret
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 11:23am - Edited by: Bret
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Good info. Watch out  on the second article published in 2006. Too much happening since then. I've been going back and forth whether to go all dc or buy an inverter and use the less expensive ac appliances, fans etc.
I have three 195watt 24volt panels to put up and am also waiting on whether to go lithium battery or not. Sometime this year the solar will happen. Just waiting to get all my questions answered.
Love this site for the discussions and quality of info. Here's a picture of the place in the rolling farm land outside of Louisville, KY
Bret
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old greybeard
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 12:55pm
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I spend about 100 days a year at camp. With a 250 gal propane tank running a stove, wall heater and a dometic propane fridge I use about 100-150 gallons a year of propane. The stove and fridge hardly use any propane, most is used during by the wall heater when it is not cold enough to use wood.
I can't see any advantage to a more complex compressor fridge using solar over propane, if you have a large tank and dependable propane delivery.
If I had to haul my own propane it would be a different story, maybe. But I'd cut heating with propane out before I would the fridge.
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creeky
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 01:04pm - Edited by: creeky
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i like that the article on solar homestead follows our discussions here by about 6 months. mtndon and I were discussing this in late 2012.
Bret. Go AC. get a lithium battery. purely on the convenience and money saving aspect.
anyhoo. I don't know if anybody else has seen the specs "b" has released on the latest lifepo4 "yttrium" edition. but they're now saying 3500 at 80% discharge. 7000 at 50% discharge and something ludicrous like 17000 at 20% dod.
so if you only use your batteries for the summer or for 3 seasons. your lithium battery will last 20 or more years. that's crazy talk.
and with 600 watts solar chargin' lithium being equal to about 900 on lead acid. you can run easily run a medium size electric fridge (10 to 16 sq ft) without a charger for 3 seasons. along with the lights, pumps, microwave, blender etc.
we have entered the golden age of solar my friends. ( )
ps-bret. nice cabin set up. that looks amazing.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 02:05pm
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greybeard. yer older propane fridge costs you nothing. your tank costs you nothing. but for someone starting they have to buy both those things.
your propane fridge should use 1.25 lbs a day. or 2 gallons a week. so 100 days / 7 = 30 gallons x $3 a gallon or 90 bucks a year. so times 10 years you spent 900 bucks.
pretty cheap. but my solar system runs my fridge for free. times 10 years it's still free.
plus its got a cool blue led light inside. and is 10 cu ft. and freezes stuff whether I want it to or not (my middle shelf is a bit too cold, perfect for leftovers tho).
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old greybeard
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 02:35pm
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Actually LPG around here is cheap, and getting cheaper due to fracking. I pay from 1.80 to 2.25 a gallon recently. So say $75 a year, pretty cheap.The fridge is expensive, but the electric ones cost more. And it is 8 cf with a very cold freezer. And silent, no moving parts. I'd be curious how long the electric compressors last. Replacing on in those 10 years would eat up the savings. Not much to break other than a thermocouple or thermostat on a propane fridge, some have run for over 50 years without a issue. Plus in those 10 years you will be replacing batteries and panels lose output on a solar system. But I will agree in theory the electric may be cheaper to run, especially in a more southern location. Up here the winter days are short, snow kills my output of my panels if I am not here to clean them.
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LastOutlaw
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 04:53pm - Edited by: LastOutlaw
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I am not full time in my cabin but have been very happy with my chest freezer conversion.
the electric usage is very low and it runs fine 24/7 on my battery bank.
Oh yeah...I have about $125.00 in it.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 05:24pm
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Iv'e got a Norcold N410UR 4.5 cubic foot gas frig.It runs on 120 volt A/C,12 volt D/C or Propane but to run on propane it needs a small amount of 12 volt dc juice for the control panel.It's been running for 5 years flawlessly.It has a small freezer compartment and surprisingly,I can pack a lot of food and drink into it.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 22 Jul 2015 05:32pm - Edited by: creeky
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greybeard. I'm further north than you are for sure. i sweep my panels.
my current electric fridge was $400 tax and shipping in. if I go online a new propane fridge is 1100 and up. taxes and shipping yet to go. and I'd still need a tank.
but for sure. I mean I'm full time. so if i run a propane fridge it's on every day. With propane costs in Canada my fridge pays for itself every year. as of today. my fridge has saved me a bit over 1,000 bucks in propane costs. So yes, it's paid for itself and kept over 500 in my pocket. tho saying that. we were paying around 4 bucks a gallon and it's down to about 3.20 i think. so some of my savings may be inflated.
course. a solar system runs a lot more than the fridge. In fact I started with a propane fridge because i didn't think I could run an electric fridge on my wee 1kw system.
imagine how happy I was when I discovered I could.
and those chest conversions like Last Outlaw has done. For part time that would make a lithium battery pack a good choice too. (aww. come on. I knowz ya waz waitin' for it).
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davestreck
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2015 04:58pm - Edited by: davestreck
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How critical is it to use a pure sine inverter when running a compact refrigerator? I don't mean a modern, high-tech computer controlled fridge, but rather something like this, which is non self-defrosting and appears to have a simple thermostat control. Would my cheapo-Chinese 800W inverter really destroy it, or are we talking simply a loss of efficiency?
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2015 06:36pm
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Life of any motor is shortened by use of a MSW inverter. How much shorter is the question there is no real answer to that I have seen. MSW makes a motor run hotter with the resulting drop in efficiency. Heat is the enemy. Some motors handle it better than others.
So if you worry about it a lot, for peace of mind replace the MSW inverter.
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davestreck
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2015 08:41pm - Edited by: davestreck
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Quoting: MtnDon So if you worry about it a lot, for peace of mind replace the MSW inverter.
Thanks for the response.
Well, the fridge cost $160 on sale. We'll be using it around 2-3 weeks per year. A PSW inverter will run us another $175 minimum. And money is tight.
To hell with it, lets see how long that motor lasts on a crappy Chinese non-sinewave. If it blows up it blows up.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2015 09:01pm
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Quoting: davestreck using it around 2-3 weeks per year
You'll probably never come close to killing it with that use pattern....
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