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Know where to get a modern icebox?
I'm looking for a basic icebox, but all I seem to find are antiques or actual refrigerators built to look like iceboxes. I want a real, efficient, working, non-electric icebox. Even Lehman's didn't have anything. I suppose I could go with an antique, but you would think that a modern-built one would be more efficient. I'd assume that antiques have lost efficiency over the years due to warping or insulation settling.
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
How big are you looking?
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
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We are going to keep our upright high-efficiecy freezer in the basement when we homestead, and I figured we could eliminate an appliance (solar power) if we just froze milk jugs full of water and rotated them in an icebox. |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Try Lehman's. Nothing they sell is cheap but its of very high quality.
www.lehmans.com |
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
How about just using a couple of jumbo Coleman ice chest coolers. New ones are very well insulated.
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Not sure you'd win freezing jugs of water, then using them in an icebox.
I'd go with a small, chest type freezer, and use a beer cooler thermostat to control it. Here's an article about a guy Dow Under that did it, and LOOK at the watt draw ! An off-grid experimenter in Australia, Tom Chalko, has retrofitted a chest freezer to create a fridge that uses only 100 watt-hours (0.1 kWh) per day! Full Article I bought a couple of the thermostats from KEGMAN to do this with, but haven't had time to experiment yet. 100 watt-hours is NOTHING compared to most refrigeration. http://kegman.net/images/9025.jpg |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Yes, as far as I know ( I bought 2 of 'em, but they are still in the box on a shelf ), the thermostat is a simply a single pole switch using bi-metal technology controlled by that dial on the box part. The "hot" side of the plug runs down and back up the wire to the double plug affair, made open or closed by the thermostat.
According to what I read, it will keep temp with a degree or two of the dial setting. I got them thinking in a grid down situation, I'd convert my smallest freezer ( a chest model ) to a refrigerator, and move the side-by-side BigBoy in the kitchen to the junk heap of historical relics.... :biggrin: I'm sure I haven't thought of everything when it comes to the future, but I have thought ( and prepped ) for a LOT of potential stuff. What many people fail to grasp is how DIRT CHEAP stuff like this is TODAY, but come a SHTF situation, you won't be able to buy technology like this ( or solar panels, or inverters, and so on ) for ANY amount of money or PM's......the ability to produce it will be lost. |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Hey Andy,
Thanks for the linky to that. That is mucho awesome. Regards, Haystackneedle |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
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A chest freezer (fridge) in the kitchen would be handy... especially if it was stainless. I could use the lid as a place to slaughter deer! |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Don't know.....haven't done the experiment yet.
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
There is a direct link to a PDF file explaining how to do it.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...est_fridge.pdf Thanks for the link Andy I am in the market for a freezer, this will be perfect. |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
I use a similar setup for my beer brewing. Chest freezers are much more efficient in general. I use that exact brand of temp controller in my freezer. Holds my lager temps near 34 degrees and I can have 20 to 30 gallons in the cooler at once. The freezer hardly ever kicks on. Very low power consumption. I even got the model for 30% off because it was a year end close out. Now I have two set up in this configuration. +1 on that.
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
WTF???
Ice boxes are so worthless and fridges are so cheap that it is hard to justify such a plan. If you have used a picnic cooler you might have noticed that butter will melt even when it's sitting on a block of ice. Just the inconvenience of having to carry ice from one machine to another is a major nuisance. Ice is for cooling drinks, not storing food. |
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Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Now you have me interested in a solar solution to this.
How much would the panels/converters etc. cost to power a chest freezer? I could do without electricity but refrigeration is cool. (pun intended) That is one thing I would want to maintain should TSHTF. Blorp |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
Well, if it truly only takes 100watt/hrs per day, you would only need a small solar panel....say a 50 watt panel ( minimum ), a good deep cycle battery, a small charge controller, ( to keep from over charging the battery), and a small inverter to change the power from the battery DC to the AC needed by the fridge. You'd be looking at maybe a 500 buck investment or so....
A 50 watt panel would do it, assuming you get decent sun at least every couple days....otherwise, you might wan to go to a bigger watt panel, and maybe a second battery. 50 watt panel with average sun would give you 200-250watt/hrs.....so you could go about 2 days on one sunny day's charge. |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
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I may have do do further conversions of my equipment. I was thinking about 1000 on the setup. I may do this soon, like in a few weeks. Fridge, a primary concern of mine. Rest I can make due with or without. I may trade my old boat for some FRNs and get a panel or two and the equipment for this. *runs off to do more reading* |
Re: Know where to get a modern icebox?
50 watt panel: FRN 279 Here
10amp Charge controller: FRN 68.20 Here 1000 watt inverter ( 2000w surge ) 8.6amps ( should run a >small< freezer ): 90-110 bucks Here Pick up a sealed, no maintenance 12v deep cycle battery locally...150 bucks. Some wire/etc 50 bucks. Grand total: 660ish....so I was off a bit....but I just picked the first prices I saw, not shopping....you could probably knock it down some with prudent shopping.....for example, a 7amp charge controller Here is only 27 bucks, and they say good for up to 105 watts of panel at 12v. |
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