# Wish I had $200..



## Helena (May 10, 2002)

There is an ad for a propane refrig in my area on Craigs List for $200. They say it uses 8 gallons of propane a month. Would like to have one for everyday use but hubby says they are all too small ...but would still like to have it !!!


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Around here, propane costs something over $2.50/gal. Eight gallons at $2.50 = $20/mo or $240/yr. Our 25 cubic foot electric refrigerator costs $25/yr to run.


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## cmcon=7 (Mar 7, 2010)

http://bluebarrelgarden.weebly.com/low-power-chest-refrigerator.html
you could run this on 1 100w panel a battery and 1kw inverter.
you could just use water jugs also but would need to run it twice a day.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Helena said:


> There is an ad for a propane refrig in my area on Craigs List for $200. They say it uses 8 gallons of propane a month. Would like to have one for everyday use but hubby says they are all too small ...but would still like to have it !!!


Hi,
Propane fridges are very inefficient compared to up to date electric ones.

A gallon of propane has (92000 BTU/gal)/(3412 BTU/KWH) = 27 KWH

So, the 8 gallons would be equivalent to using 8*27 = 216 KWH a month or 7 KWH a day -- that's a lot. There are good energy star fridges that are down around 1 KWH a day.

Even if you are off-grid, I think a good electric run off solar PV makes more sense.

Gary


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I'd agree Gary. Our new, 25 cuft, GE French door with ice/water in the door is rated at about 500kw/hrs/YEAR......that's less than 2kw/hrs/day.......18 cents/day or $5.40/month.

I did a test and used an external thermostat on a 7 cuft chest freezer to turn it into a fridge, and it used less than 200 watt/hrs/day......small amount of solar would run it easy....but on grid, you're talking less than 4 cents/day for a pretty decent amount of refrigeration.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

You could also run it on methane that you make at home.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

And my favorite SunDanzer.
A hundred watt PV panel, a charge controler, a battery is all the "fuel" you would need for years of dependable refridgeration..........

Yes the propane units are nice, but these modern electric units are less expensive to run fuel wise......

Yes I use propane fuel, but I am concerned about the price of it in the future.


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## AVanarts (Jan 2, 2011)

Jim-mi said:


> And my favorite SunDanzer.
> A hundred watt PV panel, a charge controler, a battery is all the "fuel" you would need for years of dependable refridgeration..........
> 
> Yes the propane units are nice, but these modern electric units are less expensive to run fuel wise......
> ...


We plan to get a SunDanzer refrigerator and freezer for the off grid place we are currently building. The current plan is to get both the refrigerator and freezer in the 5.8 CF size. I have been wondering lately if the 8.1 CF freezer might be a better option since we won't be going into town as ofter and may want to freeze more.

We plan to put the refrigerator in the cabin and have the freezer in the root cellar that will go into the hillside behind the cabin. That way we can keep energy use by the freezer down during the hot months in the summer.

Anyone got comments or suggestions?


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Wish I had the 8.1 CF . . .
When I got mine all they had was the 5.8

Yes spend the extra buck and get the larger one if possible..........

Be aware of the humidity in your root cellar.....
Yes the units have a good paint job on them . . . .but I would think a second time about putting some thing other than taters etc. in a root cellar . . .

Also how long a run will it be if your running 12 or 24 vdc to the unit . . .*wire size* ?


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## AVanarts (Jan 2, 2011)

Actually, what we're calling a "root cellar" will be a 40' container buried in the hillside, so hopefully, it will be sealed up good enough to not have a moisture problem. I want it to keep temperature sensitive items from freezing in the winter or overheating in the summer.

The system will be 24 volts and I will make sure things are close enough to not have too much voltage loss with 10 ga. wire. I can run 6 ga. if necessary.

Thanks for the reply.


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## AVanarts (Jan 2, 2011)

Jim-mi said:


> Wish I had the 8.1 CF . . .
> When I got mine all they had was the 5.8
> 
> Yes spend the extra buck and get the larger one if possible..........
> ...


Mind if I ask another question? When you say you wish you had the 8.1 cf, is that the refrigerator, freezer, or both?

The money isn't as much an issue as the power consumption and according to the chart I was just looking at, it appears that for the extra 2.3 cf the power consumption more than doubles.

Here's the page I got the power numbers from:
SunDanzer Refrigerator & Freezer 12/24 Volt or PV Direct @ Survival Unlimited.com - Solar Appliances


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Helena said:


> There is an ad for a propane refrig in my area on Craigs List for $200. They say it uses 8 gallons of propane a month. Would like to have one for everyday use but hubby says they are all too small ...but would still like to have it !!!


Just a word of caution - I know that some older propane friges were a little dangerous, some old 'Servels' were recalled - bad fumes ?
They can be full-sized .


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Thats interesting. I had never seen that chart.
But look again at the disclaimer sentence at the bottom of the chart.
. . ."figures were taken with an empty unit" 
I think that is a bit misleading . . . . .once you have a bunch of "stuff" in the unit that "stuff" will have a 'flywheel' effect on the running of the unit.
Same as putting milk jugs full of water in an empty freezer . . . .once frozen the unit will cycle less . . "flywheel" effect......

When I got mine they only offered the 5.8 unit . . as a freezer . . . .

I'll bet ya a nickle that the freezer--fridge units are the exact same . . .Except for the controls.
Over time many folks have bought a external control unit from a place like Graingers so as to turn a freezer into a fridge.
Just a matter of how often the thing cycles for the desired internal temp........

Something to consider; Buy both units as "freezers" and get the less than $50 Graingers control, so that in the future you could have both units to freeze.

People argue "But they are so expensive" . . OK they are pricy . .But other than the Sunfrosts (very pricy) NO other units on the market are any where near as efficient running as the SunDanzer (and Sunfrosts).
That freezer at $169.95 at the big box store will cost you more in the long run for the "fuel" to make it run.
Mine is so quiet I have to put my ear close to it to see if it is running.........

Back to the OP . . . . .The SunDanzer is so efficient that it makes an awful lot of sense to think electric rather than propane............................


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Rick . . you bring to mind a thought. . . .How / Who / Where-- would you find some one to service those old Servels . . . ????


I'm not knocking those great old Servels . . . 
They served an awful lot of folks very well . .in their time.


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