My old Servel has finally expired.
Anyone know where to find used propane refers in SoCal?
Don't need anything fancy, just something that works.
Direct response to baja43@aol.com is OK
Thanks,
CraigTerry28 - 6-10-2013 at 09:31 AM
While they do not have Servels, they do have reconditioned propane fridges from RV's.
I've bought several from them and taken several to them for repairs from Baja.baja43 - 6-10-2013 at 05:59 PM
Thank you Terry and Mula.
I have a line on a guy with rebuilts up in Ontario, CA and will f/u with Byrn, too.larryC - 6-11-2013 at 07:09 AM
If you have a little power available, 120v solar or grid, then you might consider converting an electric freezer to a refer. Mine uses less power than
a 60 watt equivalent/ 14 watt actual fluorescent light bulb. A lot cheaper than a propane refer. See it here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=47172#pid5931...
[Edited on 6-11-2013 by larryC]Hook - 6-11-2013 at 07:41 AM
I dont understand why this is so much more efficient than a regular fridge that is thermostatically controlled. Are freezer compressors that much more
efficient? Are they that much better insulated? Better refrigerants?monoloco - 6-11-2013 at 09:07 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
I dont understand why this is so much more efficient than a regular fridge that is thermostatically controlled. Are freezer compressors that much more
efficient? Are they that much better insulated? Better refrigerants?
The main reason is because chest
freezers don't have the heating elements for a defrost cycle like are found in all modern refrigerators. From wikipedia:
The defrost mechanism in a refrigerator heats the cooling element (evaporator coil) for a short period of time and melts the frost that has formed on
it. The resulting water drains through a duct at the back of the unit. Defrosting is controlled by an electric or electronic timer: For every 6, 8,
10, 12 or 24 hours of compressor operation it turns on a defrost heater for 15 minutes to half an hour. The defrost heater, having a typical power
rating of 350 W to 600 W, is mounted just below the evaporator in top- and bottom-freezer models and below and sometimes also in the middle of the
evaporator in side-by-side models.
[Edited on 6-11-2013 by monoloco]larryC - 6-11-2013 at 03:06 PM
And to expand on what Monoloco said, chest freezers are usually much better insulated. Electric refrigerators generally just blow cold air from their
freezer compartment into the refer portion to cool your food down. The freezer conversion that I use will cool down in less than 30 minutes after
turning it on. It takes longer than that to actually cool your food or drinks down but unlike a propane refer that can take 12 to 24 hours to cool
down, the freezer conversions are very fast. I've had mine for almost 3 years now with no complaints. One small draw back that I notice is I get some
condensation that collects in the bottom of the compartment, but I only use mine for drink storage so not a big deal for me. If you had some thing
like tortillas or bread in there that would be a problem.
Larrywillardguy - 6-11-2013 at 04:44 PM
well seems this has morphed into the old fridge/freezer conversion discussion, if youre gonna build one, do it right.
its all about the integrity of the box.
start with a quality freezer. remove the metal skin, free the condensing coils, relocate the compressor as far from the box as possible. add 4" of the
best foil back hard insulation you can buy, being careful not to have air gaps between original and newly added foam. do this to sides,bottom and top.
now cover the entire box with fiberglass reinforced paneling. now reattach the condensing coils to the outside of the box, yes they will get hot so
try not to lean up against em! add a johnson control thermostat from one of the home brew guys.
now you got a hot rodded chest fridge, very efficient and not really that hard to build!
