My 2 cents: Eliminate mini-fridge. Purchase a slightly larger chest freezer. Place a couple of 1 gallon water jugs into freezer. When they are frozen, move them to a yeti (or similar) high quality cooler for refrigerator type items (and meds). Rotate another couple of gallon water jugs into the freezer perhaps once or twice per day. If the freezer is taking advantage of solar, then put jugs into the freezer in the morning. Also, if you have a basement, keep the freezer and cooler in the basement to gain a bit of additional efficiency where it's cooler.
I just purchased an mid average Frigidaire refrigerator/ freezer and it's efficiency is fantastic. It will run off a 300 watt inverter. When the defrost timer overloads the inverter during defrost cycle just rotate the timer to bypass the defrost cycle then reset your inverter.
Two wireless thermometers low and high up in the freezer along with a tiny battery powered fan can turn the freezer into a much larger fridge if you adjust the thermostat right.
@@phlatulance annndddd that is all commensurate with hydration and calorie energy , it is the base foundation of life.... but yea sure you can die of exposure heat and cold, i been in it -35 to 140 heat index... allllll dependent on food and water levels in body , if your full tank you can bear it .... thirst will only take a few days depending on activity level
I love that you show options that don’t require solar. I live on the third floor in a tiny apartment with no outdoor space. I’ve been trying to figure out what I’d do if the power was out for a week. I can’t have a gas generator and solar isn’t an option but I’d love it if you could do this video and dumb it down a bit. I don’t know what an inverter is and the watts and usage is confusing to understand. Ac vs dc? And it looks like you’re using cables on the car with some type of an outlet plug thing? I was never taught any of this and I’m trying to watch videos and learn but a lot of this language is foreign to me making me more confused. I need a power outage for dummies who live in an apartment please!
Thanks, and yeah, it can get confusing. Have a look at this video I did in the past. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HmqH6TGUpwQ.htmlsi=3qc7C-Xmw-MBVymS
You might try finding a church your comfortable with were you can meet others women who might have husband's that are knowledgeable in these areas - for the most part this generation grew up living off he grid - Very few understand anything about living off grid today - Up till WW2 50% lived in the rural U.S. today it's about 13% - most that live in the country know very little about electricity - they also have power sent to them from the grid - Up till WW2 most had there own light plant that charged battery's that supplied a house in country the electricity they used - Today just like city people the power comes from the grid out in the in rural areas - so even country people know very little about making there own power for a home -
I’ve had the same setup for years! I live in Miami and experienced Andrew, Katrina, Wilma and Irma. I currently own two sportsman generators and have four lifepo4 batteries. My chest freezer (36 wh) and 3.2 fridge (41 wh) can run for weeks on my setup. I can cook on my instapot and induction hot plate and keep my 5000 btu air conditioner going in the worst heat. Planning is the key!!!
@@texasprepperprojects I have propane also! You cannot use propane in the house! Also, after a major storm, you can have thousands of gallons/ ccf of gas in the ground but you may not be able to get a gallon out without power. Additionally you are going to stand in line with hundreds trying to do the same thing. Once that supply is gone who knows when that will be replaced. I’ve seen videos where people had a 300 gallon tank of propane and a Generac generator use it up in 48 hours. (Something about a tank only allows a percentage used due to pressure requirements)
@@alpensler5844 my point is, that instead of using a battery or generator to make electricity to make heat, just skip the middle step and heat directly. I have a dual fuel butane/propane stove and a propane heater. It's all silent and more efficient!
As a former Floridaian, first, I suggest not stocking up as much on meats and perishables when hurricane season approaches, that will solve most of the loss. They don't exactly sneak up on us like tornadoes, so I'd have coolers for what remains and buy plenty of ice when it's headed your way.
The most important thing to remember about refrigerators and freezers if you want to save energy, is to limit the number of times you open the doors and reduce the amount of time they are open.
You're half right. Your use of a small chest is spot on, you're use of a small dorm refrigerator is wrong. Buy a second small chest freezer and hook up a Inkbird ITC308 Freezer Thermostat sold on Amazon $36. A small refrigerator loses most of it's cold air when opened, a chest unit doesn't. Convert a chest freezer to a refrigerator takes less energy.
A great idea and workaround. One thing to consider.... A chest freezer only needs to run 4 to 6 hours a day to maintain frozen items as long as it isn't opened during the off intervals. Raising the temp in a chest freezer for refrigeration usage in a bind? You'll have to keep it running 24/7. For me? If forced to make a choice? I'll keep my freezers going and dump the regrigerators to save energy resources. I already shut down 1 frige and 1 freezer to relegate as backups in case a primary goes on the fritz. Trust me, that happens! And it always seems to happen at the worst possible times, and when you least need or expect it. Lol Have backups for BOTH! They don't make appliances like they used to... Remember, 2 is 1 and 1 is none! You need backups!
In my hay dayz I picked up a broken free chest freezer, pulled the racks out and had one big hole, I bought a keg of beer placed it inside the freezer with a 100 pounds of ice, I took a hole saw and drilled a 2inch hole in the side up high, then run the tap out the side and put a small table under the tap to fill your cups, I cut a big 4inch hole in the top or door if you will and put a fat Styrofoam plug in it so I could periodically take out and pump the keg, I had a 2 day party and had cold beer the whole time, just saying for party goers, lol.😅
I am so thankful your channel came up on my feed! I Have a small solar 'system', but no idea how to use it. I've had it 3 years and haven't been able to figure it out. I'm a single old woman, but I have to be shown how to do these things. You at least have given me hope.
I've done the same thing you did except on a bigger scale. I run 2 deep freezers and an ac unit in my shed, which is well insulated. It's nice to see other people with off grid type setups. It's a good thing
As a Florida hurricane survivor in the days before air conditioning I remember these power outage tips well. 1. Keep a small cup with one or two ice cubes in the freezer. If they have melted you know your food is compromised. 2. Eat from the refrigerator first. Then barbeque from the freezer. 3. If you can't eat it all keep your cooked food cool by placing in watertight containers in a creek or other water body. Keep your body there to cool off, too! 4. Rely more on shelf stable one-ingredient foods and less on the freezer for preps. I grew up in a prepper family. We did not need to run to the store before a hurricane. We focused on sustainable prepping, like it's 1776. Generators and appliances will give out eventually. So now we have an earth sheltered home, a large cellar, solar panels, and a wood powered generator in the Ozarks. We got tired of power outages and mobbed grocery stores.
Great advice, but a better #1 that I’ve used for years is to freeze water in a small container, then put a coin on top. If you find the coin at the bottom of the container, you’ll know that the ice has melted, and food may be compromised, even if the water has refrozen.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called 'GDPU,' narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on RU-vid, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word.
Good info, after huricane Maria we spent 45 days without power and interrupted afterwards. Bought an Iceco 45 and with a 12V battery and solar panels we can run it for 24 hrs. Lessons learned after the storm.
For anyone wondering about small appliances: Our cabin is off-grid, solar only. Purchased a HiSense 4.4 cuft refrig/freezer (aka large sized 'dorm fridge'). Amazing how far Energy Star guidelines have come. This refrigerator is off when we're not there since I always take our 2kw Anker home with me. When we return, everything is ambient temperature and it takes only two hours before the refrig goes from say, 60-80 degrees till it starts making ice. Uses about 55watts (less than ¾ amp) when it is cycling on. Hardly notice any additional battery drain on the solar generator.
Great point! Because of this risk (or vulnerability), everyone should really watch the award-winning documentary, GDPU Narrated by Dennis Quaid, which is now available free on RU-vid . Additionally, on our website, we provide a mechanism to write emails & make phone calls to your specific legislators, regulators and board members of your public utility to ensure we get action taken to protect our great country. Please help us spread the word.
I installed a $30 Generator Inlet to the outside wall of my Kitchen then ran 1 foot of Wire thru the wall to a 20 amp double outlet inside the kitchen to make a dedicated Generator Outlet (NOT connected to house wiring) so my 2300/1800 watt quiet Inverter Generator can run Fridge, Chest Freezer, Internet, TV & Pellet Stove all at once,... Not a "whole house" set up but all the important stuff will run & this was pretty cheap to do & pretty cheap to run :)
Good video. We us a goal zero portable power station with a 1000 watt inverter, 100ah seal lead acid battery amd.mppt charge controller inside. We link a 2nd 100ah lead acid battery to it. Our 25 cu ft side by side frig/frzr uses 1.7 kw per day. We currently charge our set up w a 100 watt foldable solar panel. We plan to buy 1-2 more of these solar panel to keep the batteries fully charged while in use. So we agree with what you presented in your video :)
Get a 300ah 12v LiFeP04 battery, 20 or 40 amp LiFeP04 charger, and 2000w inverter. Be sure the battery is the 200 amp version. Later you can rig it up to solar.
In Texas, I survived 7 days without power. This time, I was prepared with some solar and efficient lights and devices. However, I also survived a month without power during Ike several years ago without any power, barely no water and red cross food. For me, this time, was more of a luxury with solar and gas to cook. I do not like gasoline generators.
After Beryl, I went to 7 days without power. My fridge run almost every day, except one that rained all day, but it did not defrosted because it was kept closed most of the time. Next day the sun came out and the Bluetti 3k refilled. I got 1k of solar panels, I also have two smaller units to run lights, and 12V fans and devices. Just in case, I also have a 12v fridge, but I did not needed this time. I keep water and other emergency items just in case. Good advice given!
I strongly recommend buying frozen dry ice (C°2) packs and keep many of these in your deep feezer. ❄These are much colder than water ice. If the electrical power gets shut off, the dry ice packs will keep your feezer cold for more than 4 days. I also recommend putting a dry ice pack in a good quality mylar bag with meats inside and keep these in the deep freezer also. This keeps the meats frozen for a much longer amount of time !
When my refrigerator/freezer died, I tried to find a place to get dry ice. I couldn’t find any place…looking online was useless, as it recommended trying grocery stores. I didn’t find any.
@unitedstatesirie7431. Anyone care to discuss safety issues of using dry ice??? Golfer, Payne Stewart, in a plane that eventually crashed when it ran out of fuel as they had dry ice on the plane & it depletes oxygen & they all died before plane crashed.
During the pandemic I was going 56 hours without sleep from stress and anxiety. I quit my job when hallucinating while driving.( I got my job back when vacs became available)
Glad I found this. Just suffered through Hurricane Beryl and had no power for nearly 6 days. Got a gas generator online on day 2 and saved most of our food. We'll implement some of your options for the next time...and there will be a next time.
I actually ran a mini fridge for 48 hrs non stop with a 12v 100 ah lifepo4 battery. I assumed after 48 hrs that the battery was low. I put it on the charger and it showed a 60% charge. Impressive to me .
I run one of my standard size refrigerator freezer plus a compact refrigerator off of my Ecoflow Delta pro leaving 30% charge in the morning at which time my solar charges it back to 100%. I use a feature called reserve energy so when it drops below 15% it also charges from AC.
Hi, I came across this video and am glad I did. You provided some great info . I have several 12 volt fridge / freezer cooler combo’s. They pull about 45 watts when the compressor kicks on. I use solar generators to power them for the most part. Then I hook up a lifepo4 battery to the solar generator to extend the run time. Again, great video. Have a good one.
I am looking a purchasing a Lifepo4 and solar panels. 200 watt. What is your experience with it and how long will the batteries last on the Lifepo is not used.
We did buy a small fridge from Walmart and a separate solar battery to run it. To keep my daughters insulin cold. We also bought food specific for her. We are trying our best and have to rest on that. Learning along the way
Great info on video AND viewer comments. The freezer is most important IMO for health and safety .. in addition to meds needing refrigeration, ice packs & frozen wet washcloths can be lifesaving in summer heat, especially for those who use A/C below 79 F. People can overheat, dehydrate, or even pass out from heat .. having access to ice and cold compresses can be better than food in a grid down in summer situation. PS: I would add ice cubextrays to the list for ease. Also, freeze water in old 16/20 oz soda bottles, or 32 oz creamer bottles to use in a cooler .. any cooler. Intersperse these smaller frozen bottles between foods in cooler, rather than a space hog gallon jug. COOLER TIP .. use ANY FAVRIC to fill air gap in top of cooler .. we use bath towels or kitchen dish towels, as needed, then close lid ... AND ENCLOSE cooler in a blanket, thick towels, or even pillows for added insulation, especially if it is hot (in a car or summer/no a.c ) Yes, they sell insulated cases, but a wool or quilted moving blanket, or old thick towels works just as well, for a fraction of the cost (or free)
I nean you could go the route of an old fashioned ice box like you said freeze some types of things and put it down in like a chest or an ice cooler. Cool enough consistently for a while if you have a small freezer running so that you can refreeze those bottles then it will work better and the reason why you wouldn't put your refrigerator with stuff in your freezer it's fairly obvious.
Using a soring.. An d yes my moms family did that and her family were farmers and they used a spring to keep their milk their eggs and butter and things like that preserved and in the winter time they just had like a pie safe that they would put outside because it would be freezing all the time they just put a lot of food outside.
Thank you for explaining the technique you use. I think having separate appliances for freezing and refrigeration is a great way to be prepared for “Grid Down”. I will be implementing that strategy by adding pieces over time. Thumbs up to you for providing this great alternative way to save food during an emergency. 👍
With a chest freezer you don't have to leave it plugged in you can let it charge for three or four hours and leave it unplugged for 8 hours stretch out how much power you're using out of your solar generators. You'll thank me later
I bought a 56 Quart Euhomy freezer/fridge cooler. It has the option to charge via wall socket, cigarette lighter, or solar panels. I got it to hold all of my burger in tubes from a 1/4 beef purchase. It works on Eco Mode once everything is frozen and can go for a couple of days, maybe 3. Plus, if you don't need the freezer you can set it as a fridge. Bouge and Bodega have separate compartment/doors in some of their coolers like this. The best thing about this is if you have to get out of town you have food for days and it is multi-use, not just stationary. It is a little more money, but worth the piece of mind for me. One last thing: In the event of a hurricane or fire/smoke, etc. you will most likely be able to charge batteries via solar in a couple of days and if you have a back-up battery you have several days to do that or get out of town.
Grid down power: a small car battery bank with 2 inverters, a dual fuel generator, 3 solar (generators), 23KW solar panel array with a way to trick it to run during grid down, and an electric car with a 24KW battery and a 12v 150a battery charger. I can (and have already used) the electric car as a battery bank, charging it during the day and using it to power inverters. I also have a high efficiency tall dorm refrigerator for long term grid down. And a chest freezer. And I've started pressure canning food.
Great video and like your logical thinking. I own several of the EF Delta 2/Delta 2M units plus several 220w bifacial panels to keep things going during an outage. Due to going thru several emergencies, I now subscribe to the "Hybrid" protocol using both solar panels and propane generators to recharge the units as I need them. While over-paneling the EF units yields excellent recharge times, the propane generator provides additional recharge capacity when the sun is not out. I strongly advise for folks to evaluate their refrigerator and study the energy usage using a watt meter. I ended up buying a new fridge since the old one required about 60% more energy. Thanks for the video.
I definitely agree with you since, going through the.Big blackout of 2002 in New York, which I had a portable version that gave the advantage, however, since I know a bit more now, be careful telling people it doesn't matter if you have a true sine wave inverter or not, it does matter, you'd be surprised the components you'll ruin not using one, including refrigeration units, trust me I know!
Thanks for the tip on mounting the inverter on a board. We have the same setup with the freezer and mini fridge to migrate the more critical foods over to keep at a steady temperature. Great minds think alike. 😂
Need one of those portable RV fridges that opens up from the top. Direct feed 12 V more efficient and when you open the top lid all the cold air doesn’t fall out. I love mine.
My grandfather started working on generators in about 1900 - I'm a third generation generator mechanic - I did my yrs in the offshore and remote mountain oilfields - I'm not green on power production - were I live at is rural - I've rode out 19 hurricanes and 4 ice storms - The REA power can be knocked out for several months at times - In my case it really doesn't matter wether the grid powers my home or I do - Many look to solar - solar is grate when it low humidity with no clouds in the sky - Were I live in 2022 from February till July every day was overcast - those around me that lived deep in the woods that swore by solar to power a few 1 watt led lights and a small radio were back to burning candles - What he might do with 2 solar panels of power - might take me 16 solar panels to get that same power - Today were I'm at in the south it was 0% chance of rain - but there were clouds off and on and the humidity was high - Solar panels at noon will generate 45 to 50% of there rated out put for up to two hours - humidity defuses the UV light off the sun - the UV light excites the solar panels into generating power - on a 14 HR good day of sun if you get 20% of the rated 14 HR out put you did well down here for that day - but for many days you will only see 1 to 2% output or 0% output - I would say to buy a 100 watt 12 volt flexible Top Solar panel off Amazon - get the connectors and a 12 volt tungsten 50 watt and 100 watt light bulb - set the panel and first hook up a 100 watt bulb - if your in a humid area it'll light dim at noon day - If the 50 watt bulb light bright then your panel is good for 50 watts max - Top 100 watt flexible solar panels on Amazon are about 50 to $60 - It's far cheaper to use grid power these days - Those top flexible panels don't take up any space at all - its better to just get the panels and put them up till needed - I've used flexible panels for about 40 yrs now when needed -
This is for those that live in warm to hot regions - Freezers are designed to work well in sheds and garages were it's 120° F - Most home appliances as fridges are designed to run in homes that use AC during summer - There designed to operate in temperatures of 80° or lower - so if the power is out and your not using AC in the house and it's 90° even a small fridges compressor will run 100% of the time - also it will only keep the contents at 50 to 60° when it's hot in a house - A far better option is to get a car fridge - most can be set from minus 4° F to 68° F - also they can run on 12 to 24 volts DC or 120 volt standard house hold power - You can get a small 300 watt pure sign wave inverter to run it several hundred feet from a battery bank - I've used those types of fridges for 50 yrs they work very well - Amazon has 100s of different units most are made by the same company and marketed under different names - a 28 litter fridge is 1 SQ ft - small house fridges as he demonstrated are generally 3 SQ ft - When it hot as it is in the deep South with out AC regular fridges built after 1970 don't work well in the heat - but car fridges do work well in hot areas & are electrically efficient -
Peltier fridges/coolers are absolutely worthless!!!-they only get about 20°F below the external ambient temperature. Always get a true compressor based fridge/cooler such as the BougeRV brand.
Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the age of the refrigerator. I have both a 12 Volt compressor type refer and a late model (~1 year old) mains powered fridge. The 12 Volt box uses 10 Amps of current. That's 120 Watts. The mains powered box draws 88 Watts when its running. (verified with a kill-a-watt type of energy meter) And, as at least one other commenter pointed out, the 12 Volt compressor type is _expensive._ A 10 cu ft box costs ~1500 bucks.
I looked into getting a mini fridge a few years ago and realized that a full size fridge used about the same amount of electricity while offering a lot more capacity at 369 vs 329 kwh per year, comparing a $500 18 cubic foot fridge to a 4.4 cubic foot $200 mini fridge. For 4 times the capacity with about the same energy use and no need to move things over to a different fridge while deciding what items to let spoil, the full size fridge made more sense to me. Of course a chest freezer set to a refrigerator temperature would likely use even less power as others mentioned. I started out using a dewalt inverter that powers my fridge and standalone freezer using dewalt batteries for a few hours since I already had plenty of their flexvolt batteries. I have since gotten an inverter generator that plugs into an inlet on my circuit panel to run most everything on either gas or propane relatively quietly though you could start out using extension cords. I have wireless Acurite thermometers in my fridge and freezer so I can monitor the max/min temp without opening the fridge and it alarms if it gets too warm. This can be helpful if not using the generator 24/7 and I'm wanting to alternate between using batteries, having everything off, and then turning the generator back on as things warm up so I can run the fridge again, recharge batteries, and then go back to battery power.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You brought up some great points. If you’re interested in this topic, we encourage you to check out our award-winning documentary called 'GDPU,' narrated by Dennis Quaid. It’s free on RU-vid, and it goes into a lot of detail on these issues. Here’s the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1kErOyJ0u-8.html. Plus, they’ve got a website where you can take action by contacting legislators and public utilities.
After a couple of weeks you’ll have eaten what’s in the fridge and not be able to replace it. You’ll need the mini to keep food you’ve prepared from canned or hydrated stuff. Leftovers. I purchased a small solar system. Anker solix c1000 with 200 watts solar panels. Less than $1000. One benefit of this system is it is very easy to use. It’s also a good balance I also have a similar system to his as a backup. This was an accurate description of how to put it together. Remember, though, you may not be able to find gas so gas generators aren’t much of an option particularly for long term.
three 100w panels is a sweet spot for a basic hobbyist solar set-up. Along with that, I have three group 31 deep cell batteries that can power my garage fridge "almost" 24/7. Also have two ecoflow 1100kw solar generators which can be fully charged in less than 2 hours. Finally, i have the same predator 3500 generator as well. Always keep and circulate about 30gallons of gas on hand at all times.
At my off grid cabin I use an iceco vl65 fridge freezer it’s 12vdc or 120vac I use my solar generator or my cabins solar system it’s got a 1500 watt inverter too this iceco is so awesome you can pick what side you want for a fridge or freezer or both one or the other it’s a heavy duty unit too it’s even got a insulated sleeve that covers the whole thing too it runs for three to four days on either power source I also have a gas generator for cloudy days
Excellent video. Very fitting to cover some of the basics. Great idea to use our mini fridges and small chest freezer instead of both big fridges/freezers. This video has me really wanting to get into the solar arena. I need to learn more about the components that I’ll need.
Get a 300ah LiFeP04 (200 amp version) and 20 amp LiFeP04 charger and 2000w pure sine wave inverter first. Add a 250 amp fuse on the positive battery post.
I have a generator we used for a week after a tornado. Since everyone else in the neighborhood was using generators it wasn't noticeable. Blankets over the freezer also work.
FREEZE GALLON JUGS OF WATER: One tip I heard that I would like to share is to freeze gallon jugs of water after leaving some room for the ice to expand once the water freezes.
What about a table top ice maker? To keep the freezer chest cold? Keep adding ice like a cooler? The small appliance would use less power than keeping the chest freezer running on a generator?
Get a full size inverter refrigerator/freezer. I tested my garage refrigerator when it was about 80 degrees outside and it used 657 watt hours over a 24 hour period with a max of 200 when the defrost cycle was on. I also tried it on a timer with 1 hour on / 3 hours off and it dropped to 455 watt hours. I then ran it off a EcoFlow River Max Plus (720 watt hours) and it ran for 18.5 hours continuous. Since the EcoFlow can take 200 watts solar or charge from 0-100 in 1.5 hours, I think this about the best option for me. Run and charge on two 100 watt panels during the day and run off the EcoFlow at night. I can also run my generator 1-2 hours per day if there is no sun and easily charge up the battery for a pint or two each day.
This is exactly what I do. I bought the Delta 2 when it came out with a 160watt panel and a 2000watt generator. I run a 5cuft freezer and I laid a (free) dorm fridge/freezer on its back and use frozen water jugs in it to cool it. With it on its back, it acts like a chest and retains the cold when I open it. I also have an amazing AC/DC heat/cooler. My freezer is on a timer with 1hr on 2hr off. I have not run out of power once. I've been off grid for 14yrs now.
Years ago I bought the original Jackery 1000, and I just got a Bluetti AC180. I also had a 4 circuit transfer switch installed. With this setup I can use the Bluetti while charging from solar and have the Jackery on standy, swapping out as needed. With decent sun, I think I could run my full size fridge and keep my devices charged for at least a few days. I have a gas stove, so I would still be able to cook. I also have a Honda eu220i, in case the sun fails me. The only thing that has me concerned is summer outages. I have a 5000btu window ac, but my little Honda could probably run it on low cool for only 5-6 hours on a gallon of gas, so I’ll need to keep a few gallons on hand.
My freezer, coffee maker, and toaster all run on a small home solar setup. Just 500 watts solar epever charge controller 2 lifepo4 320amp batteries. Small cheap and powerful. I even have room to connect more loads if needed. But I'm still upgrading the system. Need 2 more batteries and 1500 watts more solar. Then all will be good for 15 years at least. Thanks for your video
Good basic info. My 10.7cf residential fridge uses about .94 kwh/day, and I have over 5,000 watts of solar and 23.5 kwh of batteries to run it. I live completely off-grid in a motorhome, so I am living now like I would in a survival scenario. Fuel will be scarce in a survival scenario. I recently replaced the propane fridge in my RV as propane is not renewable like sunshine is. The general recommendation to power a typical residential fridge off the sun is at least 200ah of 12v LiFePo-4 batteries (2.5 kwh) and 400 watts of solar, as sometimes the sky is cloudy. I'm a hurricane Katrina survivor. At the time, I was living in a stick and brick home near New Orleans before I had an RV. We had to evacuate and returned to Louisiana from Florida on gas fumes in our little 4 cyl. car, because gas wasn't available as we traveled across 3 states. No gas stations were open, as they had no electricity to pump the gas that was in their tanks. Luckily my house only suffered minimal damage, but we were without electricity for 6 weeks. I didn't have gas to run my generator, so I lost what was in my fridge and had to cook the thawed contents of my freezer using charcoal, as we were without natural gas for more than 2 months. My gas-powered motorhome has a large fuel tank, which I keep mostly full, but I'd rather use that valuable limited resource for bugging out rather than to run my onboard generator to keep our fridge, air conditioning and heat on (from a high-efficiency mini split heat pump that I can run 24/7 off batteries and sun.) We also keep our 100lb onboard propane tank full, and in reserve, using a portable 20lb tank for our daily needs of cooking and showering. As you know, it's often advantageous to be able to leave an affected area for multiple reasons - safety and resources among them. So being able to bug out with your home and resources is a huge advantage. If we don't need to leave the area, the 60-80 gallons in our MH's fuel tank will go a long way in our 30mpg car we tow behind it to replenish resources like water, food and fuel. Be sure to have cash on hand too, because when the banks are destroyed (ours was literally underwater after Katrina) you won't be able to access it for critical needs if all you have is worthless plastic.
Another option is to take the veggies that you can such as green onions and celery in jars of water so they stay fresh without refrigeration because they are growing and reproducing
I live In Florida and emergency preparedness is a must for us due to hurricanes. Each hurricane season we assess our needs and will add things we need. We have an electric cooler that will run using one of our solar batteries. It worked perfect for me and my husband when we had a power outage for a couple of days during a hurricane. Our next investment will be a mini fridge. I just purchased a cooling fan/ac unit. I have come to realize during a hurricane if we have an outage I would rather have power then running water.
I have a small fridge like you 60watt and 2 same size freezers also 60 watt each. And 2 powerstations of 1200 watt each that work with 200 watt solar. If one powerstation is almost empty I switch it to the other powerstation. And so on! Love these small fridges and freezers! Ideal for an emergency situation!
I’ve got an iceco 65 qt refrigerator and freezer that runs off of ac or dc power I got a propane big fridge and freezer too at my office grid cabin at home I’m just like you but I’ve gotta solar generator and a gas generator too and one at my cabin they are a life saver guys !!
I’ve heard of people who live on solar… they unplug the fridge when they are gone all day (probably not so much in a heatwave) … they say the fridge stays cold enough since they aren’t opening it. I don’t think they have one of those super insulated fridges you see in the New Mexico earthships home… but, an extra well insulated fridge would be good, if you can find one. I plan to do that myself, but I will add frozen bottles in the fridge portion when I do this. I have solar, but need to beef things up. Others have talked about having a chest freezer and a good cooler like a yeti … and you just run the freezer and keep adding frozen bottles that you rotate.
Thank you for this,other channels are being compensated for pushing beyond expensive systems that is so out of reach for a regular or like me poor individuals.
A big block of ice or two at the bottom of your chest freezer keeps everything cold, if you keep the lid closed. You don't have to buy anything. On day one of an outage, switch to freeze dried or foods that don't require you to open your freezer, letting the cold air out.
Two points: 1. Assuming you know the difference (?) you need to be very specific with your electrical units or you will confuse the heck out of newbies. Not a good look. Kilowatts (kW) are not the same as kilowatt-hours (kWH). When talking about consumption (from battery or mains), you need to be aware of the MAXIMUM power draw of the appliance AND the actual usage over a 24 hour period. The maximum power draw (in W or kW) determines the size of your battery and inverter. Rule of thumb, a motorised appliance (like a compressor) that draw 1kW will need a supply capable of supplying 1.5kW for peak draw at startup. Many inverters will blow a fuse with the slightest over-draw in current, to avoid damage. The total consumption over TIME is measured in kWH. A 100W lamp will draw 1kWH over 10 hours of continuous use (0.1x10=1) whereas a 1kW cooker will consume 1kWH in just 1 hour (1x1=1). The discharge capacity of your battery[ies] will need to exceed the consumption of your fridge/freezer to avoid damage or cutoff when it reaches maximum safe discharge. Again, I go for a factor of 1.5 as a minimum: If the total consumption of the freezer measured over 24h is 800WH, that is 0.8kWH, which a single 200AH battery will be able to supply easily without damage (200x12=2.4kWH)... But if your freezer consumes 1.6kWH over 24H, that's now 2/3 of the battery's nominal capacity - which is too close to be reliably sustainable - due to losses, inefficiencies and deterioration curve over time. 2nd point: Camping fridge/freezers - surprised you didn't mention them. I live off-grid and while I have both 12 and 240V systems running, both my chest fridge and drawer freezer run directly off the 12V system 24/7. That is so that even if my inverter packs it in while I am not home, I never ever lose refrigeration. Worst case scenario I may have to top the house batteries up from the generator, when solar output isn't meeting consumption during winter. Point being, camping fridge/freezers are extremely power-efficient (in kWH over a given period). The main thing to look for is a state-of-the-art compressor like Danfoss - which will go without maintenance if treated well.
Dorm style refrigerators are usually poorly insulated and draw about the same power as a full size. Turn ice maker off, as that is a big draw than you can do without. A wireless thermometer is a must to monitor temperature without opening the door. Run your inverter for 15 minutes,then turn off until temperature goes up out of range. Usually 90-120 minutes. Inverters draw power even when no load is applied, so turn off when not needed. Have 12 volt lights and fans as they will draw much less than an inverter.
Some power supplies have inverters - like EcoFlow. Thank you for the reminder about a mini fridge/freezer - like the combo models. Do the smaller power supplies need to have an inverter if you plug in a radio or computer? Can you do a review on small portal washers?
I'm also with you. I couldn't do 3rd class tech anything in my youth, not much better now. I do have solar w/batteries (HATE OUR POWER CO) expect I could still run most of my kitchen in daylight hours.
i live in the phillipines. most people in the provinces here dont even have refrigeration. you can adjust your diet to live without refrigeration, though there are many products here that dont need fridging, unsure they will be widely available where you are, but its another option, just adjust what you eat.
I live in the deep south U.S in a rural area - Home domestic fridges work ok up till about 80° F - While the power or grid is down and the I don't air condition the kitchen - A regular frost free fridges or a mine fridge will not keep thing at 34° - at 95° a fridge only keeps things at 50 to 55° and runs 24/7 - It's better to use a car fridge when off grid over a home fridge - most freezer work ok when it 90 to 105 degrees - Up till 1960 there was no grid power were live - rural homes had a farm light plant - it consisted of a 32 volt DC generator to charge 16 two volt cells - Rural homes operated on 32 volts DC instead of 125 volts AC like city homes - All the appliances were 32 volts DC - that's lights, fans, fridges, freezers, water pumps, radios, hot plate stoves - The house battery's were charged all day once a week on Friday - then the house power was provided by the battery's for the next 6 days - The house generator and house battery's lasted about 40 yrs to 60 yrs - You can look up farm light plants on the net they were in common use from 1890 till around 1960 in rural America - Today living off grid is a novelty - when I was a kid it was often the norm in rural homes -
If you have plenty of space in the basement then you can get an extra large chest freezer and put lots of ice in the bottom and you can add lots of insulation to the outside so it takes longer to heat up and takes less energy to keep cool if you have some way of generating power.
The best option is a 3 way fridge that runs on Propane, 12v DC or 110v AC...Im actually looking for one that ships to my area, I have wind and solar, so i run my big fridge, but i want a fridge for my prepper shed, a small 3 way fridge will do the trick. My prepper shed has a small 12v set up that runs everything in my shed, including pumping for off grid rain water.
Excellent video! Got me thinking. I have about 10,500Wh effective in battery storage, with 1600w of solar panels, and two small generators, 1500w running, and 2800w running. I live in TN so we can go days and even a few weeks in the summer with very little sunshine. That is where the generators come in. In the winter, I actually can get more solar power stored due to no leaves on tress, cold air which makes the panels more efficient. But generators are still needed. Heat is from propane catalytic heaters. I have an upright freezer in the garage. Problem is the heat and cold in the garage. So far they have both operated normally during freezing and 90 degree weather. Chest freezer makes a whole lot of sense. I have been wanting a 12v fridge for a while now...hmm.
I live in the deep south rural. US - When i was a kid REA had not raised poles and strung AC grid wires in this area till the 60s - Most did have a 6 vilt farm house battery to run a radio, lights and a fan - some had a few of those batterys - they were the size of 6 camper batterys or so - farm house lead acid batterys lasted 40 yrs or more - They had a 150 watt 2 cycle generator that they charged the house batterys with all day every friday also during the summer they charged all day monday - They had absorption refrigorators and freezers that ran on kerosene or alcohol - down here it was common for farmers to make alcohol fuel for engines to run on and.for the fridge fuel and for the cook stove in summer - Many also had the 32 volt DC farm light plant - the counter part of AC appliances sold in citys were 32 volt DC appliances sold in rural America - With the 32 volt Dc system there were electric friges and freezer that could be bought - pure sign.wave motor generators that step up voltage to 110 AC to run flouresent lights in barns or a TV- a 32 volt house had 16 large cells in series - they had a 850 watt generator and charged all day every friday in winter and Mondays also in summer - House fans and ceiling fans were our air conditioner lol -even. When it was 105° we slept during the day with ceiling fans blowing on us - we took 4 hr naps on hot days - When REA sent power this way no one wanted it for a long time - farmers generated there own power for nothing or up to 4 cents a kw Rea wanted $500 that would be paid over 10 yrs - a monthly service charge and. 35 cents a kw for there holy AC power - For yrs most just lived off grid in my parts - its easy to live off grid - You can search out farm light plants on the net there were 1000s of diffrent companies that made from 1880 or so -
I have a 12v DC camping (I guess that you call them RV) 50lt chest fridge freezer and a couple of ice bricks in my main freezer to give it a kick start. It can be run off my SG or if we have warning, it can be chilled down with a mains power brick (240v AC to 12v DC)
A few years ago I got what I think you call a camping fridge,it can be used as a fridge or freezer it's 52 liters got it on eBay for $300 which was $100 cheaper than Amazon and it can run on ac or dc
I don't have any plans as to how I'm going to keep food cold, except to follow what you do and try to copy it. I need help in this area that's why I've subscribed to your channel.
I’m actually putting a whole house off grid system and getting a transfer switch connected to my breaker panel so I don’t have to run wires through the house
Good job. It's so much nicer not having to run extension cords. I started out getting a $600 120 volt 4k Firman generator at Costco that could run my internet, LED lights, fridge, standalone freezer, and a window AC via a 30 amp inlet to my main panel. Last year it ran for 28 hours straight on propane without issue before the power came back on. Then I got a 10kw Genmax trifuel inverter generator that let me power everything including my 3 ton heat pump with a soft start and now the Firman is a backup.
@@NurseAcrobat Nice. I also have a small portable power station as a back up... I don't know if I want to get a gasoline power back up... since I'm in California... gas is so expensive and shelf life is not that long... sure I can get fuel stabilizer.
@@4g63attack I wish natural gas was available at my address. I end up mostly using propane since it never goes bad, but it is about the same price as automotive gas. Since my house is all electric I don't have a big propane tank so far, just a couple portable 100lb tanks on wheels and two 20lb bbq tanks. If my house were more amenable to solar I'd be looking into solar and battery backup.
I saw this on a van lifer channel. He took a 12volt car freezer solar powered an kept reusable Ice Bricks in it, he had 8 bricks. 4 bricks went into a Large cooler he insulationed with reflectics an swapped out bricks every other day ,an kept his cooler Cold without ice. The little freezer took barely any energy to run compared to what your talking about. Cheaper n Larger Fridge.
Aloha. Thanks for the great information. I live in Hawaii. Due to geopolitical upheaval I am constantly worried about shipping outages amongst other things. Survival for water food and energy is on my mind. Especially since we are deploying our ppl to the South China Sea. Hawaii is excellent for solar But, we also have a great deal of wind. Do you think you can review the smaller home turbines and how they might be coupled to solar system/generator if possible. From what I can see the turbines are a fraction of the solar cost so I’d like to be able to double down on energy harvesting. Mahalo and Enjoy your channel
I try to keep my ford lightning charged to 90% most of tge time and normal charging comes from my 13 kw solar system. That gives me about 118,000 watts of power so using my on board 7200W generator I can run pretty much everything in my home including my deep well pump. My average daily kwh useage is about 11-12 kwh/day so that's approximately 10 days of which I'm sure to get enough solar energy to replenish my trucks energy.
I keep a lot of jars and lids on hand so I can can my food instead of letting it spoil. My kitchen stove doesn't even have a power cord so I'm set there.
