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Refrigeration & Appliances!
One
of the first things to consider when contemplating an off-grid
lifestyle is how it affects your use of large household appliances,
which are often the big energy users in your home. For a more
thorough overview of this subject, see my Off-Grid page.
Generally, appliances that use electricity to make heat can
be
used only sparingly or not at all, depending on the capacity of your
off-grid system. Microwaves, hair dryers, toasters are often
okay
because they are used for only a few minutes at a time. Heavy
power users such as electric space heaters, electric water heaters,
electric clothes dryers and
electric cooking ranges are well beyond the capability of all but the
largest systems. Surprisingly, window and ceiling fans tend
to
use more energy than you would imagine. That's because they
typically operate over an extended period of time, often after the sun
is down. It's not uncommon for people to deplete their
batteries
by leaving fans running all night. Contact me if you need
energy
efficient fans- I have several sizes and styles available.
The aforementioned large electric appliances
must be replaced with propane, natural gas, or wood-fired counterparts.
Refrigeration is another big energy user. Typical
refrigerators and freezers as found in the average appliance store are
very inefficient by alternative-energy standards, regardless of their
"energy star" rating. These refrigerators are designed for a
competitive market where "features" and price are the big selling
points. They are designed for a market where electricity is
cheap
and unlimited, meaning grid power.
When you are disconnected
from the grid, electricity becomes a finite thing. Your
system's
daily production capacity becomes your "energy budget", and you must
live within your means or pay the high price of fossil-fuel
electricity, meaning that you need to make up the deficit with a
gasoline/diesel/propane generator.
Refrigeration is a major issue because everyone wants the
luxury of refrigeration, and your
refrigerator and freezer can not fail.
That means that you must always have sufficient energy in
reserve
to power your refrigeration appliances under all conditions.
This
becomes a major consideration in system design. You are
probably
beginning to realize that energy efficiency of your refrigeration
appliances is very important because they operate 'round the clock,
every day. In fact, high energy efficiency is
money in your pocket, because it makes the best use of every watt your
system delivers, leaving more energy in reserve for the other things
you need to power.
Off-grid refrigeration takes two basic forms:
propane-based refrigerators that use no electricity, or
highly-efficient AC or DC units that use only a fraction of the energy
of their conventional counterparts. Propane units have a
smaller
initial cost, but have a lower reliability rate, and a higher long term
cost because they burn propane 24 hours a day. Still, they
may be
the best choice in some situations such as remote cabins that are
occupied only occasionally, or when starting out with a very small
solar system. High efficiency electric units are very quiet,
reliable, and generally have better cooling capacity. They
are
less expensive in the long run.
Sun Frost
is the top-of-the-line in upright refrigerators and  freezers.
Highly-efficient compressors and thick insulation are used on
every model. Although they look "different" than conventional
refrigerators,
they are attractive and well built, both inside and out.
Strong,
tempered glass shelves are combined with a smooth, sturdy interior
surface that is easy to clean. This is the refrigerator used
in
my home for the past 9 years.
Click HERE for Sun
Frost models, specifications, and general information.
Prices
for Sun Frost do not include freight. An additional crate fee
(usually $80) is added by the manufacturer. Sun Frost units
are
usually built to order, lead times vary- usually 4 to 8 weeks.
Specify
door hinge on left or right. Specify voltage
for DC units: 12V or 24V.
Specify finish:
white laminate is standard, alternate laminate choice adds $175, oak
veneer adds $175, stainless steel front panel adds $650.
5911130, F10-AC
FREEZER, 120V, .....$1920.90
5911030, F10-DC
FREEZER, 12V/24V ..... $2000.00
5901130, R10-AC
REFRIGERATOR, 120V .....$1815.00
5901030, R10-DC
REFRIGERATOR, 12V/24V ..... $1895.00
5910930, F19-AC
FREEZER, 120V ..... $3218.00
5911930, F19-DC
FREEZER, 12V/24V ..... $3390.00
5901830, R19-AC
REFRIGERATOR, 120V ..... $2910.00
5901930, R19-DC
REFRIGERATOR, 12V/24V ..... $2959.00
5910430, R4-AC
REFRIGERATOR, 120V ..... $1605.00
5900430, R4-DC
REFRIGERATOR, 12V/24V ..... $1685.00
5901230, RF12-AC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 120V ..... $2279.00
5912129, RF12-DC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 12V/24V ..... $2359.00
5900169, RF16-AC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 120V ..... $3017.00
5901630, RF16-DC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 12V/24V ..... $3215.00
5920930, RF19-AC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 120V ..... $3165.00
5921930, RF19-DC
REFRIGERATOR FREEZER, 12V/24V ..... $3360.00
Dometic
(Servel) refrigerator/freezers operate on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas,
or propane).
Instead of the usual compressor-refrigerant
system,
a flame heats an ammonia solution in a sealed system of pipes to create
a rather complicated convection flow. This vaporization and
condens ation
removes heat from the inside of the refrigerator and releases it on the
outside. The major difference from a "normal" refrigerator is
that this is all done with the heat of a flame, without any moving
parts. This is the same system used in most RV refrigeration
devices. The process can also be accomplished with the
built-in
electric heating element, but this is VERY inefficient and impractical
for off-grid use. Many of these units will operate flawlessly
for
decades without a problem, but I have encountered several instances of
failure. Often these
failures can be corrected rather easily, sometimes it requires
rebuilding of the system. If you're having problems with a
propane refrigerator, contact me for some free advice.
Ammonia-based
refrigeration is a time-proven concept that works and is very common in
industrial applications. In my experience, these units have
less
"cooling power" than electric units. That is, it takes longer
to
cool things down when you add a lot of warm items. The whole
situation is vastly improved by the addition of a small fan inside the
refrigerator to move the air around. These fans can be found
at
RV supply stores (battery operated), or you can do-it-yourself with a
small muffin fan (I did this with excellent results). Contact
me
if you need help installing a fan.
5904019, DOMETIC
RGE400 (Bisque) ..... $1369.60
5904009, DOMETIC
RGE400 (White) ..... $1369.60
Crystal
Cold propane refrigerators and
freezers have increased
cooling capacity and therefore work better in hot climates compared
with other brands. Works on the same ammonia-absorption
principle
as other propane refrigerators. Add $50 for use with natural
gas
instead of propane. Thermostat control. Available
in white
or bisque, textured surface. Interior light runs on "D"
batteries. Push button flame igniter. High altitude
orifice
required above 9500'. All models ship truck freight- call for
shipping quote.
CC15
REFRIGERATOR/ FREEZER, freezer 4.2 cu/ft,
refrigerator 10 cu/ft, uses 0.29 gallons propane/day ..... $2000.00
CC18
REFRIGERATOR/ FREEZER, freezer 4.2 cu/ft, refrigerator 13
cu/ft, uses 0.35 gallons propane/day ..... $2150.00
(add $140 for black w/stainless door)
CC10
BLIZZARD FREEZER, 10 cu/ft freezer only, uses 0.31 gallons
propane/day ..... $2000.00
SunDanzer
makes a line of high efficiency chest-type freezers and refrigerators.
Top-opening chest units are more efficient than front-opening
freezers.  When
you open a front door, the cold air rapidly "falls out" of the cabinet,
to be replaced with warmer air. Every time it is opened, a
significant amount of the cold is lost. Since cold air
"sinks", a
top-opening chest retains much more of the cold when opened.
The
trade-off is that it is more difficult to find what you are looking for
in a chest freezer filled with items piled on one another.
You
decide what works best in your situation. I have been using
one
of these freezers for about 12 years, built when the company was under
a different name. It works flawlessly and accumulates very
little
frost. These are DC powered units, so no inverter is
required,
further increasing efficiency. These can be custom ordered to
work on 120 volt AC power as an option for an additional $150.
Specify
12 volt or 24 volt DC, or 120 volt AC!
 Click
here for SunDanzer SPECIFICATIONS and MANUAL.
5921175, DCF165,
5.8 CU/FT. FREEZER ..... $930
5921215, DCF225,
8.0 CU/FT. FREEZER ..... $1025
5921195, DCR165,
5.8 CU/FT. REFRIGERATOR ..... $930
5921235, DCR225,
8.0 CU/FT. REFRIGERATOR ..... $1025
120 volt AC option ............................................ add $150
Novakool
makes dozens of models of small DC-powered electric
refrigerators that are built primarily for the RV industry, but can
work quite well for off-grid homes and cabins. These units
are
designed to be built-in to a wall, or perhaps a wooden cabinet that you
design. They use highly efficient and reliable Danfoss
compressors just like Sun Frost and other manufacturers.
Aside
from the door, the rest of the cabinet is galvanized metal and is
intended to be concealed. Insulation is just okay (R4500
models
uses 480 watt-hours/ day), but it is easy to glue additional layers of
rigid foam insulation to the concealed portion of the cabinet and cut power consumption in half!
Runs on 12 volts or 24 volts.
R4500 4.3
cu/ft REFRIGERATOR
w/small freezer box & ice trays) ..... $885
(other models available from $650 - $1600, look
HERE for info & specs)
Premier
Peerless
gas ranges are well suited to off-grid use. Not just any gas
range will do. Many of the gas stoves that you will find in a
typical appliance store use an electric
element for starting the oven burner and this element operates continuously
while the oven is on, at a rate of up to 400 watts. This is
not
only wasteful, but unnecessary. Also, some stoves employ sensitive electronics for oven
control that may not work properly with a modified sinewave
inverter. I offer the stainless
Premier Pro series ranges that are attractive and durable, as well as a
couple of models in white finish. These models have sealed
burners, which keeps food from getting under the cooktop.
They
have electronic ignition, but both top burners and oven can be
match-lit if no AC power is available, and the oven functions without
continuous electricity use. Premier is the gas stove in use
at my
home (I also cook on a wood stove).
Click HERE for
models and descriptions.
5924317, PEERLESS P24S310BP,
24" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5902417, PEERLESS P24S320BP,
24" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5902427, PEERLESS P24S330BP,
24" STAINLESS ..... $1238.55
5903407, PEERLESS P24S340BP,
24" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5903107, PEERLESS P30S310BP,
30" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5973037, PEERLESS P30S320BP,
30" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5903307, PEERLESS P30S330BP,
30" STAINLESS ..... $1238.55
5913407, PEERLESS P30S340BP,
30" STAINLESS ..... $1030.40
5934007, PEERLESS SMK340W,
30" BLACK/WHITE ..... $616.40
5904000, PEERLESS SMK2400,
30" WHITE/WHITE ..... $627.90
5936137, PEERLESS P362318BP,
36" STAINLESS ..... $1607.70
5903287, PEERLESS P36S328BP,
36" STAINLESS ..... $1673.25
5903387, PEERLESS P36S338BP,
36" STAINLESS ..... $1818.15
Open burner models:
5901387, PEERLESS P36S138BP,
36" STAINLESS ..... $1642.20
5973617, PEERLESS P36S148BP,
36" STAINLESS ..... $1291.45
Staber
clothes washers are well known in the renewable energy world for
innovative design and efficiency. By common standards, Staber
is
a strange animal. It employs a rotating drum in a similar
manner
to modern front-loading washers, but it loads from the top.
The best way to understand this is to view the Staber
literature
(see link). Staber also has the distinction of honoring their
warranty even if you have an off grid power system. Most of
the
major brands will void the warranty if not grid-connected.
See
more washer information HERE.
5923049,
STABER HXW2304,
WHITE ..... $1299
Need to
move some air?
I have various sizes and styles of fans available, as well as
high-efficiency DC-power evaporative air coolers ranging from about
$800 to $1200. Please contact me and I'll set you up with the
right fan for your needs.
If you want something more elaborate for air conditioning, check out
this website: coolerado.com
This site is © Copyright Voodoo Solar LLC
2009,
All Rights Reserved.
Website
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 TO PLACE AN ORDER:
1-208-610-0325
8am-6pm Pacific Time
or
EMAIL
(click):
Don@Voodoosolar.com
Want
to talk about Alternative Energy?
Phone:
1-208-610-0325
8am-6pm
Pacific
or
EMAIL
(click):
Don@Voodoosolar.com
I'll
be happy to return your call promptly!
prices
are subject to change and do not include shipping charges
Peerless
Stoves:
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