BajaNomad - Solar freindly inexpensive refrigeration

Solar freindly inexpensive refrigeration

larryC - 8-12-2010 at 02:35 PM

I have never had much luck with gas refrigerators, especially in the summer. They seem to stay about 40 degrees colder than ambient, but when ambient is 95 to 100 a 55 to 60 degree beer is just not cold enough. I was using a small dometic freezer as my beer cooler and it worked great. Set at its warmest setting it would easily stay at 35 to 40 degrees even on the hottest days. Unfortunatly all good things come to an end, and my 25 year old freezer finally cooled it s last beer. I looked for another one but they are scarce, and expensive. I remembered reading somewhere about someone that had used a small elec chest freezer and turned that into a refer using an external thermostat switch. What I found is that this is fairly common practice with the home brewing crowd.
What worked for me was to buy a used 5cf chest freezer that I found on Craig's list for $75. Then I bought a Johnson controls A 419 thermostat for $68 delivered and a $10 extension cord from home depot. You don't make any alterations to the freezer, so if you buy a new one you are not voiding the warranty. The thermostat control is wired so that it plugs into a 120v outlet and the freezer plugs into the thermostat. Then you set the temp on the thermostat to the temp that you want the freezer/refer to be at. Drop the thermostat probe into the freezer, and plug it into the wall outlet and you are done. The beauty of this thing is that it uses less than 300 watts in 24 hours (that's after the initial cool down period) I find that mine runs about 5 to 6 minutes every hour. I have the temp set to turn the freezer on at 42 degrees and off at 37 degrees. I got the thermostat here:
http://www.pexsupply.com/Johnson-Controls-A419ABC-1C-Single-...
So for around $150 I got a solar freindly beer/extra food refer. Life is now better. For me it works great YMMV.
Larry

[Edited on 8-12-2010 by larryC]

BajaNomad - 8-12-2010 at 03:43 PM

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=26910#pid2606...

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=42125

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=42113#pid4601...

geomike - 8-12-2010 at 08:40 PM

Well D###M that is clever!
OK brain remember this one for the future.
I mean it brain...or you'll get another bath in Gin.

Santiago - 8-12-2010 at 09:59 PM

LC: I am so doing this unless you have room in yours for my beer.

larryC - 8-13-2010 at 08:49 AM

Bajanomad
You mean I am not the first to do this? just kidding, when I was Googling for info none of those threads came up, but it was obvious that I was not the first.
Santiago, Soulpatch,
I am taking it down there next week to see how it does in the heat, and I will hook up my Killawatt meter so I can tell you exactly how much power it uses. So far I have it here in San Diego and the heat is non existant, one of the coldest summers I can remember. I will be at my place in early October and it will be available for a test beer then.

irenemm - 8-13-2010 at 07:39 PM

Larry
will have #3 ready for you
drive careful see you then
Irene

Debra - 8-14-2010 at 03:04 AM

Santiago, what Soulpatch said, ME TOO, ME TOO!

Santiago - 8-28-2010 at 04:17 PM

Larry: have you put this together yet and if so, how's it working?

Santiago - 8-28-2010 at 08:44 PM

I got your 'Looky' right here!

hookemup - 8-29-2010 at 11:49 AM

Being off the grid here in Cabo Pulmo we have a pal that took it a step further .He added a timer so it turns off at night .Works great unless of course you happen to drink in your sleep.

larryC - 8-30-2010 at 05:28 PM

Santiago
Just got back from Bahia today. It is HOT down there. During the day it was hi 90's and in my garage (where the freezer is) it was 104. I hooked everything up and put in a case of warm beer, a case warm of sodas, and about a half a case of warm bottled water. In the first 24 hours the freezer used .630kw according to my Killawatt meter. The second 24 hours it consumed .452 kw. I don't think that is too bad considering the ambient temps. In camparison, my 18cf sears refer (in the house) used 2.98kw in a 24 hour period and it was already cooled down. I suspect that in the cooler months the consumption of the freezer will reduce by at least half. My sears refer drops to .95kw a day in the cooler months. Anyway, all in all I am happy with it, and it was alot cheaper than a propane unit.
hookemup
I tried it with a timer, I had it turn on at 8am and off at 8pm, but it still used .6kw, so I am guessing that having to re-cool down after a 12 hour off time is what used the extra power.
You are in Pulmo? My parents had a place there from '78 to '95 right next to Doug and Sally Kittridge. Are they still there? My dads place was just to the north of Dougs and just to the south of Marty Pasos's place, which is probably just an over grown lot by now. Great memories from there, lots of good diving out at the bajo, and fun fishing from shore right in front of the ramada in the afternoons for the Toros. Good times.
Larry

irenemm - 8-30-2010 at 09:13 PM

Hi Larry
Glad you got home safely
was good to see you this trip.
Irene

Santiago - 8-30-2010 at 09:20 PM

Is the unit's thermostat still hooked up? I assume it would not matter as it would always be 'on' and the external control would turn the compressor on/off above the set point of the freezer's unit. Right? This means that you can also use it as a freezer just by plugging the freezer in the outlet. Do I have this right? I'm getting 5 cubic foot freezers in the $75 range on Craig's List up my way.

larryC - 8-31-2010 at 08:27 AM

Irene
Thanks, I had a great (as usual) meal and a quiet night at your place. I got up early and headed to border, only 4 cars in front of me, and no secondary. I was home before noon.

Santiago
Yes, you have it correct, no alterations to the freezer what so ever, so if you need it to be a freezer just plug it into an A/C outlet.

Pompano - 8-31-2010 at 09:31 AM

I have used a regular Whirlpool electric fridge (15cft) soley run by my solar system for the last 10 years or so.

I believe the fridge only costs about $250 USD at Electra or Whirlpool in La Paz.

Added insulation box and top venting helps, but it has always run flawlessly... and makes ice right quick!

[Edited on 8-31-2010 by Pompano]

Mexicorn - 8-31-2010 at 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano
I have used a regular Whirlpool electric fridge (15cft) soley run by my solar system for the last 10 years or so.

I believe the fridge only costs about $250 USD at Electra or Whirlpool in La Paz.

Added insulation box and top venting helps, but it has always run flawlessly... and makes ice right quick!

[Edited on 8-31-2010 by Pompano]

Where can I get one of these in northern Baja?

larryC - 8-31-2010 at 10:32 PM

Quote:

So does my sears, but how much power does your Whirlpool use in a day? I suspect in the summer months it uses more than 450 watts.

Pompano - 9-1-2010 at 04:47 AM

Mexicorn...wish I could tell you with certainty, but I hardly ever shop in northern Baja. I would imagine any major appliance store would offer Whirlpool. Electra? The membership discount stores?

Quote:

Originally posted by larryC

Quote:

So does my sears, but how much power does your Whirlpool use in a day? I suspect in the summer months it uses more than 450 watts.

I can't put a number on the the wattage used for the summer, but don't recall any problems affecting my solar power system. The insulation box and venting feature increases efficiency and conserves power.

Note: I wish I could find the dang photos I took of the fridge and box, but of course I can't find them right now. I must have titled them with some other heading then 'fridge' :rolleyes:

The best I can do for now is this one ...the fridge is extreme left...stainless steel front.

Keeps the beers icy cold.

Bob and Susan - 9-1-2010 at 05:00 AM

beer and chocolate...WOW!!!

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano

Pompano - 9-1-2010 at 05:12 AM

Chocolate and beer?

Chocolate and beer are incredible together.

You may be surprised how well these beverages complement filled chocolates, bringing out the best flavors in each.

And isn't bringing out the best in each other what romance is all about?

[Edited on 9-1-2010 by Pompano]

wessongroup - 9-1-2010 at 07:30 AM

Really like your refer plus a pool table, you are my hero ... and thanks.. have never tried chocolates with beer... for sure going to give that one a try...

larryC - 9-1-2010 at 08:20 AM

Pompano
I bow to the power, you are swave and deboner. Who wooda thunk of beer and choclate.
Larry

willardguy - 9-1-2010 at 08:58 AM

hey larry if you want to make your chest freezer fridge even more effecient pull the sheet metal off the sides, free the coils from the foam then add 3 or 4 more inches of insulation.now cover the foam with FRP then re-attach the coils on the outside of the box. I did this on both chest freezers (fridge and freezer).

oladulce - 9-1-2010 at 09:09 AM

Thanks for posting about your project Larry.

I might be one of the few females who doesn't suffer from crazy chocolate cravings. But lemme tell you, it doesn't get much better than

an icy cold cerveza, M&M's, and Monterrey Jack cheese!

wessongroup - 9-1-2010 at 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oladulce
Thanks for posting about your project Larry.

I might be one of the few females who doesn't suffer from crazy chocolate cravings. But lemme tell you, it doesn't get much better than

an icy cold cerveza, M&M's, and Monterrey Jack cheese!

Hell, that sounds good too... you guys are great...

[Edited on 9-1-2010 by wessongroup]

larryC - 10-21-2010 at 08:04 AM

Just an update, now that the weather has cooled down into the 70's, I did a recheck of the power usage of my freezer conversion and in one 24 hour period it used 210 watts and kept the beer and sodas at 41 degrees. Just right. So far I am happy with the way it performs.
Larry

BajaGringo - 10-21-2010 at 10:25 AM

That is so cool Larry.

We moved our electric fridge out to the pantry area awhile back where it has a 15' ceiling and a high window for ventilation. That simple move helped the coils transfer heat much better, cutting the power usage down by about 10% this summer.

Doug/Vamonos - 2-5-2011 at 11:51 AM

This is way cool. I received my A419 a couple days ago and wired it up yesterday. Can't wait to get down there and try it out. We always bring lots of produce and lettuce because my wife likes her salads and they were filling up our camper fridge, which has a hard time keeping up during the summer. This should work nicely.

[Edited on 2-5-2011 by Doug/Vamonos]

BajaGringo - 2-5-2011 at 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug/Vamonos
This is way cool. I received my A419 a couple days ago and wired it up yesterday. Can't wait to get down there and try it out. We always bring lots of produce and lettuce because my wife likes her salads and they were filling up our camper fridge, which has a hard time keeping up during the summer. This should work nicely.

I look forward to your report on how it turns out. We are building my daughter´s place down here and since it will only be for part time / vacation use we are looking at some options that will help to keep her off-grid needs to a minimum for now...

Doug/Vamonos - 2-6-2011 at 08:39 PM

I'm sure it will work fine. I use my chest freezer for keeping ice and running it 24/7 was taxing my batteries, so I started cycling it off at night. It wasn't always cold enough for the ice but it would be fine for a fridge.

larryC - 2-10-2011 at 09:13 AM

Doug
I find that this time of year down here, my fridge/freezer uses right at 200 watts in 24 hours. I would be interested in hearing what yours uses.
Larry