Posted by Jim Wilkins on September 13, 2018, 3:06 pm
<ads> wrote in message
> On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 23:04:03 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
>
> ...
> I have a 28 cu ft Samsung fridge/freezer that is kept cold during
> power outages by a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter (Reliable
> Electric brand, about $20 on Ebay the last time I checked). I had
> the fridge on a Kill-A-Watt for 6 weeks and randomly checked the
> power
> draw. The highest I saw was 550 watts when both fridge and freezer
> defrosters were active (dual evaporator model). The average hourly
> running watts over that time (KWH/hours) was 76 watts (summer, house
> at 78F - winter average power is 59 watts hourly with the house at
> 68F
> days/62F nights).
>
> The inverter doesn't have a "peak watts" rating on its label but
> it's
> never had a problem starting the Samsung fridge or the somewhat
> older
> upright freezer (18-20 cu ft). While I have a DSO, I haven't hooked
> it up to check the starting current. I don't hear any change in the
> very quiet inverter when the fridge or freezer starts so I'd say
> their
> starting current is well within its peak capacity.
>
> The inverter is part of my "Wait until daylight" solar generator:
> 12 volt, 540AH AGM battery bank
> 1510 watt solar array
> two 30 amp and one 40 amp MPPT charge controller
>
> Depending on the season, the solar gen can provide 8 to 20 hours of
> limited power without the sun and longer with sun. That would be
> the
> fridge, a few lights, internet, charging phones and tablets. Maybe
> the upright freezer a few hours a day. The 470 watt blower on the
> gas-fired central heat obviously eats up a lot of power as does the
> 427 watt, 5000BTU window A/C, neither of which will see much use as
> limited cooling can be done with fans and limited heating with
> battery-controlled gas logs and/or a kerosene heater.
>
> Backup for that is a 1600/2000 watt inverter generator, an
> inexpensive
> 120 volt only 3000 watt gen and a 5500 watt 120/240 Generac (bought
> used at a greatly reduced price of $0 when the selkler couldn't
> keep
> it running long enough to prove that it worked). The Generac is
> big,
> heavy, loud and thirsty but it can power the 10" table saw.
>
> In a long term outage, the fridge would be the counter height 4.4 cu
> ft Kenmore that's currently filled with heirloom seeds. It draws 55
> watts and runs about 5 1/2 hours a day in summer. That's 302WH and
> less than some of the 12 volt compressor fridge/freezers that aren't
> as big. That fridge is no longer in stock online so perhaps it's
> been
> discontinued, although there are some shown in the stores. It's a
> Kenmore 99783 fridge.
I've put together a roughly similar backup system, two ageing and two
new 12V 105Ah batteries and 500W of solar, plus a quiet 2500/2200W
inverter generator for meals and recharging and a loud 3750W one (also
bought cheap and barely running) for larger hard-starting motor loads
like the a/c and washing machine. I heat and cook with a wood stove
that doesn't need electricity and dry laundry outdoors.
I made a 24V 25A fast charger from a buzz box arc welder transformer
and a Variac to rapidly recharge the batteries to just below the
gassing level during breakfast, then solar can take over for the rest
of the day. I can fast charge them again if needed during lunch and
supper.
This regulates the charging voltage and current when I'm away and
can't watch the battery monitor sitting atop a computer speaker. I
bought it before the 20A version came out.
https://www.amazon.com/uniquegoods-Step-down-Programmable-Adjustable-Regulator/dp/B01N3YSE6S
Once the batteries reach the 13.6V - 13.8V float level the current
they accept falls off to where a $0, 20A PWM solar controller is
adequate, since the DPS5015 doesn't play well with the varying output
of solar panels. By my measurements and calculations I haven't reached
the array size where MPPT returns more than the same $ spent on adding
panels. My fast charger covers the condition of low batteries on a
sunny cold day where MPPT is most productive.
The higher voltage absorption and equalization stages are missing
because I do them outdoors with a homebrew linear adjustable
regulator. AFAICT an occasional week or two below full charge but in
active use shouldn't hurt the batteries.
I bought a $0 HF steel service cart to run the inverter generator on
in bad weather, protected by corrugated roofing on the upper tray. The
rest of the time it's an outdoor mobile workbench and tool tray.
This closeout 4.3 cubic foot Magic Chef refrigerator drew at the rate
of 260 KWH / year at room temperatures in the upper 70's to low 80's,
and is now at 190 KWH per year at 65-70F.
The 12/24VDC portable Alpicool C20 is somewhat less efficient but
makes up for that by not needing a true sine inverter running
constantly and consuming more battery amp-hours than its load. It can
store almost a second week's worth of frozen food when a major storm
threatens, then freshly cooked food by setting it to refrigerate. Here
in New England we risk both tropical hurricanes and ice storms.
Without added insulation the Alpi ran constantly and couldn't reach
its -18C freezer setpoint in the car on a low 80's day. Covering the
cold compartment with a winter parka let it cycle.
I'm finishing up an insulated box for it. The first attempt used a
moving blanket inside 1" styrofoam but condensation soaked the blanket
and it's unmanageable inside plastic bags. Rev 2 has a waterproof yoga
mat liner protecting the rigid foam. The flexible lid cover is still
the blanket.
The last time I had to repair roof damage during a long ice storm
outage I had only a 500W generator. It proved adequate to power a
saber saw to fit a new rafter and recharge a cordless panel saw to cut
the plywood sheathing along rafter centerlines and make patch panels.
-jsw
Posted by ads on September 14, 2018, 1:37 am
On Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:06:47 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
><ads> wrote in message
>> On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 23:04:03 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
>>
>> ...
>> I have a 28 cu ft Samsung fridge/freezer that is kept cold during
>> power outages by a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter (Reliable
>> Electric brand, about $20 on Ebay the last time I checked). I had
>> the fridge on a Kill-A-Watt for 6 weeks and randomly checked the
>> power
>> draw. The highest I saw was 550 watts when both fridge and freezer
>> defrosters were active (dual evaporator model). The average hourly
>> running watts over that time (KWH/hours) was 76 watts (summer, house
>> at 78F - winter average power is 59 watts hourly with the house at
>> 68F
>> days/62F nights).
>>
>> The inverter doesn't have a "peak watts" rating on its label but
>> it's
>> never had a problem starting the Samsung fridge or the somewhat
>> older
>> upright freezer (18-20 cu ft). While I have a DSO, I haven't hooked
>> it up to check the starting current. I don't hear any change in the
>> very quiet inverter when the fridge or freezer starts so I'd say
>> their
>> starting current is well within its peak capacity.
>>
>> The inverter is part of my "Wait until daylight" solar generator:
>> 12 volt, 540AH AGM battery bank
>> 1510 watt solar array
>> two 30 amp and one 40 amp MPPT charge controller
>>
>> Depending on the season, the solar gen can provide 8 to 20 hours of
>> limited power without the sun and longer with sun. That would be
>> the
>> fridge, a few lights, internet, charging phones and tablets. Maybe
>> the upright freezer a few hours a day. The 470 watt blower on the
>> gas-fired central heat obviously eats up a lot of power as does the
>> 427 watt, 5000BTU window A/C, neither of which will see much use as
>> limited cooling can be done with fans and limited heating with
>> battery-controlled gas logs and/or a kerosene heater.
>>
>> Backup for that is a 1600/2000 watt inverter generator, an
>> inexpensive
>> 120 volt only 3000 watt gen and a 5500 watt 120/240 Generac (bought
>> used at a greatly reduced price of $0 when the selkler couldn't
>> keep
>> it running long enough to prove that it worked). The Generac is
>> big,
>> heavy, loud and thirsty but it can power the 10" table saw.
>>
>> In a long term outage, the fridge would be the counter height 4.4 cu
>> ft Kenmore that's currently filled with heirloom seeds. It draws 55
>> watts and runs about 5 1/2 hours a day in summer. That's 302WH and
>> less than some of the 12 volt compressor fridge/freezers that aren't
>> as big. That fridge is no longer in stock online so perhaps it's
>> been
>> discontinued, although there are some shown in the stores. It's a
>> Kenmore 99783 fridge.
>
>I've put together a roughly similar backup system, two ageing and two
>new 12V 105Ah batteries and 500W of solar, plus a quiet 2500/2200W
>inverter generator for meals and recharging and a loud 3750W one (also
>bought cheap and barely running) for larger hard-starting motor loads
>like the a/c and washing machine. I heat and cook with a wood stove
>that doesn't need electricity and dry laundry outdoors.
>
>I made a 24V 25A fast charger from a buzz box arc welder transformer
>and a Variac to rapidly recharge the batteries to just below the
>gassing level during breakfast, then solar can take over for the rest
>of the day. I can fast charge them again if needed during lunch and
>supper.
>
>This regulates the charging voltage and current when I'm away and
>can't watch the battery monitor sitting atop a computer speaker. I
>bought it before the 20A version came out.
>https://www.amazon.com/uniquegoods-Step-down-Programmable-Adjustable-Regulator/dp/B01N3YSE6S
>
>Once the batteries reach the 13.6V - 13.8V float level the current
>they accept falls off to where a $0, 20A PWM solar controller is
>adequate, since the DPS5015 doesn't play well with the varying output
>of solar panels. By my measurements and calculations I haven't reached
>the array size where MPPT returns more than the same $ spent on adding
>panels. My fast charger covers the condition of low batteries on a
>sunny cold day where MPPT is most productive.
>
>The higher voltage absorption and equalization stages are missing
>because I do them outdoors with a homebrew linear adjustable
>regulator. AFAICT an occasional week or two below full charge but in
>active use shouldn't hurt the batteries.
>
>I bought a $0 HF steel service cart to run the inverter generator on
>in bad weather, protected by corrugated roofing on the upper tray. The
>rest of the time it's an outdoor mobile workbench and tool tray.
>
>This closeout 4.3 cubic foot Magic Chef refrigerator drew at the rate
>of 260 KWH / year at room temperatures in the upper 70's to low 80's,
>and is now at 190 KWH per year at 65-70F.
>
>The 12/24VDC portable Alpicool C20 is somewhat less efficient but
>makes up for that by not needing a true sine inverter running
>constantly and consuming more battery amp-hours than its load. It can
>store almost a second week's worth of frozen food when a major storm
>threatens, then freshly cooked food by setting it to refrigerate. Here
>in New England we risk both tropical hurricanes and ice storms.
>
>Without added insulation the Alpi ran constantly and couldn't reach
>its -18C freezer setpoint in the car on a low 80's day. Covering the
>cold compartment with a winter parka let it cycle.
>
>I'm finishing up an insulated box for it. The first attempt used a
>moving blanket inside 1" styrofoam but condensation soaked the blanket
>and it's unmanageable inside plastic bags. Rev 2 has a waterproof yoga
>mat liner protecting the rigid foam. The flexible lid cover is still
>the blanket.
>
>The last time I had to repair roof damage during a long ice storm
>outage I had only a 500W generator. It proved adequate to power a
>saber saw to fit a new rafter and recharge a cordless panel saw to cut
>the plywood sheathing along rafter centerlines and make patch panels.
>
>-jsw
>
I'm using EPSolar/EPEver Tracer 3210A and 4210A MPPT controllers. With
the bigger solar panels (250W, 60 cell, 30V Vmp or higher), the Tracer
controllers go into MPPT mode at about 5 watts of solar input. Even at
low panel power (5W from a 250W panel early/late in the day) the
voltage difference becomes a current multiplier: 30V panel / 13V
battery = 2.3 so 2.3 * 0.1A = 0.23A into the batteries.
The Tracer controllers don't track sun changes as fast as the MidNite
controllers, but there's a 2x or more difference in price (30Amp
Tracer is around $00-$20 -and they probably went up with the China
tariffs).
I did the math on a solar tracker vs another panel vs an MPPT
controller and the MPPT won out after the fourth 100 watt panel. I've
since found a couple of semi-local (hour's drive or so) sellers who
have good deals on either used or "new, never installed" panels. The
used panels are typically a group removed from service so you can get
a number of identical panels. The new, never installed panels are
basically "leftovers". The most recent "300 watt" panels I bought
were a 300 watt ReneSola and a 310 watt Jinko ($25 each,
craigslist.org - go to For Sale and search for solar panel ) but the
specs are close enough for them to work fine in parallel or series,
depending on need.
The inverters, controllers, a few 100 watt solar panels and the wire
were puchased new, but some of this project was on a "How cheaply can
it be done?" basis. The six 90AH AGM batteries are from a big UPS in
a corporate data center - they were changed out by time, not wear, so
tested as new when I got them for $5 each over a year ago (I should
have bought 3 times as many as I did but loose $$ were hard to come
by). Five of the six batteries still read 12.72v or better after 24
hours at rest (factory spec for fully charged) and number six misses
that by 0.02 volts at 12.70v.
I have a 0-16V, 0-20A power supply that I can use for charging when a
gas generator is running. The supply can be set for current-limited
constant voltage output and bring the batteries to whatever charge
level they need, although this page:
https://marinehowto.com/how-fast-can-an-agm-battery-be-charged/
tells me I probably need a much bigger charger to get the batteries
fully charged quickly - seems that those last few per cent of charge
can make a big difference in battery life and the batteries should be
charged as long as needed to ensure the proper levels are reached very
soon after discharge.
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Posted by Jim Wilkins on September 14, 2018, 1:29 pm
<ads> wrote in message
> On Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:06:47 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
> ............
>
> I'm using EPSolar/EPEver Tracer 3210A and 4210A MPPT controllers.
> With
> the bigger solar panels (250W, 60 cell, 30V Vmp or higher), the
> Tracer
> controllers go into MPPT mode at about 5 watts of solar input. Even
> at
> low panel power (5W from a 250W panel early/late in the day) the
> voltage difference becomes a current multiplier: 30V panel / 13V
> battery = 2.3 so 2.3 * 0.1A = 0.23A into the batteries.
>
> The Tracer controllers don't track sun changes as fast as the
> MidNite
> controllers, but there's a 2x or more difference in price (30Amp
> Tracer is around $00-$20 -and they probably went up with the China
> tariffs).
>
> I did the math on a solar tracker vs another panel vs an MPPT
> controller and the MPPT won out after the fourth 100 watt panel.
> I've
> since found a couple of semi-local (hour's drive or so) sellers who
> have good deals on either used or "new, never installed" panels.
> The
> used panels are typically a group removed from service so you can
> get
> a number of identical panels. The new, never installed panels are
> basically "leftovers". The most recent "300 watt" panels I bought
> were a 300 watt ReneSola and a 310 watt Jinko ($25 each,
> craigslist.org - go to For Sale and search for solar panel ) but the
> specs are close enough for them to work fine in parallel or series,
> depending on need.
>
> The inverters, controllers, a few 100 watt solar panels and the wire
> were puchased new, but some of this project was on a "How cheaply
> can
> it be done?" basis. The six 90AH AGM batteries are from a big UPS
> in
> a corporate data center - they were changed out by time, not wear,
> so
> tested as new when I got them for $5 each over a year ago (I should
> have bought 3 times as many as I did but loose $$ were hard to come
> by). Five of the six batteries still read 12.72v or better after 24
> hours at rest (factory spec for fully charged) and number six misses
> that by 0.02 volts at 12.70v.
>
> I have a 0-16V, 0-20A power supply that I can use for charging when
> a
> gas generator is running. The supply can be set for current-limited
> constant voltage output and bring the batteries to whatever charge
> level they need, although this page:
> https://marinehowto.com/how-fast-can-an-agm-battery-be-charged/
> tells me I probably need a much bigger charger to get the batteries
> fully charged quickly - seems that those last few per cent of charge
> can make a big difference in battery life and the batteries should
> be
> charged as long as needed to ensure the proper levels are reached
> very
> soon after discharge.
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>
Thanks, that's a good informative article that falls in the range of
what I've read from battery manufacturers and my own long-term
experiments and experience as an industrial battery tech. I use 1% of
Ah capacity as the charging cutoff at the high end of the float
voltage range simply because it's easy to figure.
I chose flooded batteries as most cost-effective (and tolerant of
experiments) for my emergency backup system although I would have
bought AGMs or Lithiums for daily cycling. The few recommendations
I've found on how long they can be left at partial charge suggest that
a month may be too long, two weeks perhaps OK as long as they are
equalized afterwards. It helps that room and battery temperature here
rarely exceeds 60F in winter.
I've found that I can get typically 10+ years of useful life from a
non-maintenance-proof flooded battery that's topped off every month or
two, while similarly cared for AGMs fail sooner and are much less
receptive to desulfation attempts.
http://www.thelongestlecture.com/agm-battery-life-expectancy/
https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/159661-life-expectancy-absorbed-glass-mat-batteries.html
I used to collect the changed-out 12V 18Ah AGM batteries from the
company's exit lights and test them for lifespan by measuring Ah
capacity and discharge current at 10.5V. The HF carbon pile tester is
great for measuring maximum current but doesn't have the power
dissipation capacity or stability for longer, lower current discharge
for which I use large rotary rheostats, or an inverter and 120VAC load
for constant power discharges with automatic low voltage cutoff.
The battery in my truck lasted 13 years before its discharge current
fell uncomfortably close to the starter's draw in cold weather. In my
home solar system the SLI31MDC battery from 2008 is down to ~50%
capacity, the 2011 battery considerably better. I bought two new ones
for the 24V inverter, trading in the dead AGMs, and use the older ones
for 12V loads and experiments.
DVMs with optically coupled data outputs are excellent for assembling
a multichannel battery testing datalogger that doesn't short-circuit
through the data lines. My pesonal setup is an older laptop that
accepts PC Card and ExpressCard COM port expanders and these meters
https://www.amazon.com/Tekpower-TP4000ZC-Interfaced-Multimeter-Computer/dp/B000OPDFLM
I've been using it with thermocouples to watch the Magic Chef cycle
and set the turn-on temperature below 40F. The suggested setting lets
it rise above 45F. I'd rather use a little more electricity than risk
spoilage. The temperature graph shows very clearly how much opening
the door for more than a second or two affects internal temperature.
Recording turn-on and turn-off with a clamp-on amp probe on the power
cord wasn't really necessary, the freezer temp reacts in less than my
60 second sampling interval.
The laptop is easier than a desktop to set up in odd places like atop
the refrigerator or beside the water heater. The separate data log
files can be time-stamp aligned in a spreadsheet.
-jsw
Posted by ads on September 15, 2018, 8:01 pm
On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 09:29:16 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
>Thanks, that's a good informative article that falls in the range of
>what I've read from battery manufacturers and my own long-term
>experiments and experience as an industrial battery tech. I use 1% of
>Ah capacity as the charging cutoff at the high end of the float
>voltage range simply because it's easy to figure.
>
>I chose flooded batteries as most cost-effective (and tolerant of
>experiments) for my emergency backup system although I would have
>bought AGMs or Lithiums for daily cycling. The few recommendations
>I've found on how long they can be left at partial charge suggest that
>a month may be too long, two weeks perhaps OK as long as they are
>equalized afterwards. It helps that room and battery temperature here
>rarely exceeds 60F in winter.
>
>I've found that I can get typically 10+ years of useful life from a
>non-maintenance-proof flooded battery that's topped off every month or
>two, while similarly cared for AGMs fail sooner and are much less
>receptive to desulfation attempts.
>http://www.thelongestlecture.com/agm-battery-life-expectancy/
>https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/159661-life-expectancy-absorbed-glass-mat-batteries.html
>
>I used to collect the changed-out 12V 18Ah AGM batteries from the
>company's exit lights and test them for lifespan by measuring Ah
>capacity and discharge current at 10.5V. The HF carbon pile tester is
>great for measuring maximum current but doesn't have the power
>dissipation capacity or stability for longer, lower current discharge
>for which I use large rotary rheostats, or an inverter and 120VAC load
>for constant power discharges with automatic low voltage cutoff.
>
>The battery in my truck lasted 13 years before its discharge current
>fell uncomfortably close to the starter's draw in cold weather. In my
>home solar system the SLI31MDC battery from 2008 is down to ~50%
>capacity, the 2011 battery considerably better. I bought two new ones
>for the 24V inverter, trading in the dead AGMs, and use the older ones
>for 12V loads and experiments.
>
>DVMs with optically coupled data outputs are excellent for assembling
>a multichannel battery testing datalogger that doesn't short-circuit
>through the data lines. My pesonal setup is an older laptop that
>accepts PC Card and ExpressCard COM port expanders and these meters
>https://www.amazon.com/Tekpower-TP4000ZC-Interfaced-Multimeter-Computer/dp/B000OPDFLM
>
>I've been using it with thermocouples to watch the Magic Chef cycle
>and set the turn-on temperature below 40F. The suggested setting lets
>it rise above 45F. I'd rather use a little more electricity than risk
>spoilage. The temperature graph shows very clearly how much opening
>the door for more than a second or two affects internal temperature.
>Recording turn-on and turn-off with a clamp-on amp probe on the power
>cord wasn't really necessary, the freezer temp reacts in less than my
>60 second sampling interval.
>
>The laptop is easier than a desktop to set up in odd places like atop
>the refrigerator or beside the water heater. The separate data log
>files can be time-stamp aligned in a spreadsheet.
>
>-jsw
>
Nice meter for the price and I like that it uses AA cells - need to
add the meter to my wishlist. There's another meter on amazon that
has "optical RS232" so that might also be a possibility - but it uses
a 9 volt battery and the AAAA cells in those don't last long.
---
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Posted by Jim Wilkins on September 16, 2018, 1:06 am
<ads> wrote in message
> On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 09:29:16 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
>>...
>>DVMs with optically coupled data outputs are excellent for
>>assembling
>>a multichannel battery testing datalogger that doesn't short-circuit
>>through the data lines. My pesonal setup is an older laptop that
>>accepts PC Card and ExpressCard COM port expanders and these meters
>>https://www.amazon.com/Tekpower-TP4000ZC-Interfaced-Multimeter-Computer/dp/B000OPDFLM
>>..
>>-jsw
>>
>
> Nice meter for the price and I like that it uses AA cells - need to
> add the meter to my wishlist. There's another meter on amazon that
> has "optical RS232" so that might also be a possibility - but it
> uses
> a 9 volt battery and the AAAA cells in those don't last long.
If I started over without my old Radio Shack PC-Interface meters and
with newer computers I'd buy USB meters. I stayed with RS-232 because
I can access and decode my COM port meters with QBasic though I never
wrote a program that took action based on the readings after buying a
low voltage disconnect module for battery discharge testing.
The raw type K thermocouple temperature reading on the TP4000 may be
off a little. The datalogging program applies a linearization
correction and can convert to Fahrenheit.
There are at least two versions of the datalogging program. The last
meter I bought came with Hong Kong Digitek software which allows
installing multiple instances of the program in separate folders. Each
instance controls one meter. I cut and paste their outputs together
in a spreadsheet.
There's also this, which I haven't done much with yet:
http://www.ultradmm.com/
-jw
>
> ...
> I have a 28 cu ft Samsung fridge/freezer that is kept cold during
> power outages by a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter (Reliable
> Electric brand, about $20 on Ebay the last time I checked). I had
> the fridge on a Kill-A-Watt for 6 weeks and randomly checked the
> power
> draw. The highest I saw was 550 watts when both fridge and freezer
> defrosters were active (dual evaporator model). The average hourly
> running watts over that time (KWH/hours) was 76 watts (summer, house
> at 78F - winter average power is 59 watts hourly with the house at
> 68F
> days/62F nights).
>
> The inverter doesn't have a "peak watts" rating on its label but
> it's
> never had a problem starting the Samsung fridge or the somewhat
> older
> upright freezer (18-20 cu ft). While I have a DSO, I haven't hooked
> it up to check the starting current. I don't hear any change in the
> very quiet inverter when the fridge or freezer starts so I'd say
> their
> starting current is well within its peak capacity.
>
> The inverter is part of my "Wait until daylight" solar generator:
> 12 volt, 540AH AGM battery bank
> 1510 watt solar array
> two 30 amp and one 40 amp MPPT charge controller
>
> Depending on the season, the solar gen can provide 8 to 20 hours of
> limited power without the sun and longer with sun. That would be
> the
> fridge, a few lights, internet, charging phones and tablets. Maybe
> the upright freezer a few hours a day. The 470 watt blower on the
> gas-fired central heat obviously eats up a lot of power as does the
> 427 watt, 5000BTU window A/C, neither of which will see much use as
> limited cooling can be done with fans and limited heating with
> battery-controlled gas logs and/or a kerosene heater.
>
> Backup for that is a 1600/2000 watt inverter generator, an
> inexpensive
> 120 volt only 3000 watt gen and a 5500 watt 120/240 Generac (bought
> used at a greatly reduced price of $0 when the selkler couldn't
> keep
> it running long enough to prove that it worked). The Generac is
> big,
> heavy, loud and thirsty but it can power the 10" table saw.
>
> In a long term outage, the fridge would be the counter height 4.4 cu
> ft Kenmore that's currently filled with heirloom seeds. It draws 55
> watts and runs about 5 1/2 hours a day in summer. That's 302WH and
> less than some of the 12 volt compressor fridge/freezers that aren't
> as big. That fridge is no longer in stock online so perhaps it's
> been
> discontinued, although there are some shown in the stores. It's a
> Kenmore 99783 fridge.