Nuthin but the Fridge?

[robertsig]

Greetings all. I'm about to dip my toe into the world of solar and am very much a noob. I need some advice. I may or may not do-it-myself depending on how daunting I find it all.

Here in Cleveland we once in a while get power outages. When that happens, my primary concern is the fridge, followed by heat (if it's the Winter). I bought a Honda EU2200i generator and installed a 30A inlet to my electric panel for when I need to power the basics. All this is manual - nothing automatic.

I thought about installing permanent solar panels on part of my roof to handle my fridge during outages. I have a Sense monitor in my panel which says the spikes are less than 900W and running watts less than 150W. Total kWh per day is 1.6kWh. I'm sure this is a noob question, but what I picture in my mind is simply a 120V outlet available to me for fridge use, that ties into the panels, batteries and inverter. More manual interaction.

And then I thought, what a waste to have that power sitting their idle every day unused.
And then I thought, what if I sized this system so it could run my fridge 24/7 even if I have grid power? Then I wouldn't need to worry about the fridge during outages.
And then I thought, but if the system failed, or I had snow on the panels, I'd lose my fridge, so some automatic failover mechanism (whichever direction I decide) might be worthwhile.

Since a fridge doesn't technically run continuously, I assume there is a solar installation capable of handling the ups and downs from batteries while providing sufficient power throughout the day? How about at night? I'm okay with power cutting to the fridge for up to 2 hours since it'll stay cold, but would want it to continue after that.

So as you can see I'm all over the place. I want to handle small (or even longer) outages where I can protect my food, or perhaps even a bit more. I have no problem pulling out my generator in the summer, but it's not fun in the winter. Ideally I would avoid mechanisms that tie into my electric panel and ATS, unless that is my only option. I sort of like the idea that this would be autonomous, up to a point. ie. Treat it as emergency power unless it can meet my daily fridge needs. The other side benefit is I don't need to investigate bigger generators, which I've been doing. This little 2200W Honda can take care of my other necessities if the fridge is out of the picture.

I welcome some basic product or complete system recommendations, along with expected prices. Maybe it's not worth it? Maybe I could simply live with my generator? I don't know just yet. As many here are aware, there are other semi-tangible benefits to not relying upon grid power or gasoline during certain scenarios. At least we don't get the hurricanes!

 

[MisterSandals]

...to handle my fridge during outages. I have a Sense monitor in my panel which says the spikes are less than 900W and running watts less than 150W.

Is that just for the fridge? If so, it seems really high.

 

[robertsig]

It could be. Sense includes other junk sometimes. It is a 1997 fridge though.

Having extra might be nice though.

 

[MisterSandals]

Having extra might be nice though.

Having extra is always nice. Knowing the real usage number and knowing how much is extra a far better.

 

[robertsig]

What if that's the number I want to go with? Not sure where to start collecting pieces and info.

 

[NLVMike]

I have a setup that does what you are describing. Not cheap, but I built it with leftover parts, so it was cheap for me. I put four panels on the roof of a shipping container. They are 305W each. They run into a Midnite Classic 250 that came from an auction. Those charge a pair of Valence XP batteries out of a Staples truck. Then on to a cheap chinese 1500w inverter. It powers two freezers and LED lights in the container.

As a backup, I have a battery tender charger plugged into the grid that would trickle charge the batteries if I had an extended time of no sun. It is plugged in all the time. It has an amber light that says it is on, and a green light that says when it is charging. I have never seen the green light on, but it may have come on in the middle of the night.

 

[JimJr]

Greetings all. I'm about to dip my toe into the world of solar and am very much a noob. I need some advice. I may or may not do-it-myself depending on how daunting I find it all.

Here in Cleveland we once in a while get power outages. When that happens, my primary concern is the fridge, followed by heat (if it's the Winter). I bought a Honda EU2200i generator and installed a 30A inlet to my electric panel for when I need to power the basics. All this is manual - nothing automatic.

I thought about installing permanent solar panels on part of my roof to handle my fridge during outages. I have a Sense monitor in my panel which says the spikes are less than 900W and running watts less than 150W. Total kWh per day is 1.6kWh. I'm sure this is a noob question, but what I picture in my mind is simply a 120V outlet available to me for fridge use, that ties into the panels, batteries and inverter. More manual interaction.

And then I thought, what a waste to have that power sitting their idle every day unused.
And then I thought, what if I sized this system so it could run my fridge 24/7 even if I have grid power? Then I wouldn't need to worry about the fridge during outages.
And then I thought, but if the system failed, or I had snow on the panels, I'd lose my fridge, so some automatic failover mechanism (whichever direction I decide) might be worthwhile.

Since a fridge doesn't technically run continuously, I assume there is a solar installation capable of handling the ups and downs from batteries while providing sufficient power throughout the day? How about at night? I'm okay with power cutting to the fridge for up to 2 hours since it'll stay cold, but would want it to continue after that.

So as you can see I'm all over the place. I want to handle small (or even longer) outages where I can protect my food, or perhaps even a bit more. I have no problem pulling out my generator in the summer, but it's not fun in the winter. Ideally I would avoid mechanisms that tie into my electric panel and ATS, unless that is my only option. I sort of like the idea that this would be autonomous, up to a point. ie. Treat it as emergency power unless it can meet my daily fridge needs. The other side benefit is I don't need to investigate bigger generators, which I've been doing. This little 2200W Honda can take care of my other necessities if the fridge is out of the picture.

I welcome some basic product or complete system recommendations, along with expected prices. Maybe it's not worth it? Maybe I could simply live with my generator? I don't know just yet. As many here are aware, there are other semi-tangible benefits to not relying upon grid power or gasoline during certain scenarios. At least we don't get the hurricanes!

"At least we don't get the hurricanes!" Don't let Mother Nature hear about that , She'll fix that. (Youngstown)

 

[Ed Tech Sensei]

I've also been thinking about providing power to my refrigerator in the event of a power outage. The specs on the fridge state 115 volts at 3 amps or 345 watts. I connected the fridge to a Kill-a-Watt meter. The fridge used 5.4 kilowatt hours after 98 hours of runtime which came out to an average of 55 watts. I guess the 345 watt rating from the refrigerator specs is start-up power. Not sure.

I have a couple of options for providing power to fridge. I have a Jackery 500 with a 500 watt pure sine wave inverter and 514 amp hours of storage. That's about 8 hours to be on the safe side. I also have two 120 amp hour, 1.5 kilowatt hour BatteryEvo batteries. I have the Giandel 1200 watt pure sine wave inverter from Will's list.

For short term power outages, I can use the Jackery 500. For longer outages, I can use the Giandel inverter and BatteryEvo's connected in parallel. Charging from 360 watts of BougeRV solar through a Renogy MPPT controller. The Jackery 500 was $419 or about 81 cents a watt. The system I built was about $1,800 or $1.67 a watt.

For intermittent outages, I have an AIMS 1500W modified sine wave inverter/charger with automatic relay switch. If shore power goes out, it automatically switches to battery/inverter power. I also keeps the battery topped off. I'm hesitant to use it because it's not a pure sine wave inverter and I'm not sure if it will damage the LED control panel of the fridge. I also don't have an extra battery to dedicate to the system. I only bought the inverter because it was a good deal and didn't understand what a modified sine wave inverter was. AIMS makes pure sine wave inverters/chargers with automatic relay switches but they are very expensive. They are also capable of automatically switching from shore power to a gas/propane electric start generator. I don't think they will work with the Honda eu2000i.

 

[Delmar]

Another variable when measuring draw is the defrost cycle which uses a heating element. My full-size Fridge nameplate is 11.6A however my kill-a-watt measures around one amp when running. I have yet to monitor power during the defrost cycle.

By far the cheapest and simplest method to keep the fridge running is with a used UPS rated for continuous operation. Show & Tell.

Otherwise there are inverters that can optimize and switch between grid and battery power. Video below.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Greetings all. I'm about to dip my toe into the world of solar and am very much a noob. I need some advice. I may or may not do-it-myself depending on how daunting I find it all.

Here in Cleveland we once in a while get power outages. When that happens, my primary concern is the fridge, followed by heat (if it's the Winter). I bought a Honda EU2200i generator and installed a 30A inlet to my electric panel for when I need to power the basics. All this is manual - nothing automatic.

I thought about installing permanent solar panels on part of my roof to handle my fridge during outages. I have a Sense monitor in my panel which says the spikes are less than 900W and running watts less than 150W. Total kWh per day is 1.6kWh. I'm sure this is a noob question, but what I picture in my mind is simply a 120V outlet available to me for fridge use, that ties into the panels, batteries and inverter. More manual interaction.

And then I thought, what a waste to have that power sitting their idle every day unused.
And then I thought, what if I sized this system so it could run my fridge 24/7 even if I have grid power? Then I wouldn't need to worry about the fridge during outages.
And then I thought, but if the system failed, or I had snow on the panels, I'd lose my fridge, so some automatic failover mechanism (whichever direction I decide) might be worthwhile.

Since a fridge doesn't technically run continuously, I assume there is a solar installation capable of handling the ups and downs from batteries while providing sufficient power throughout the day? How about at night? I'm okay with power cutting to the fridge for up to 2 hours since it'll stay cold, but would want it to continue after that.

So as you can see I'm all over the place. I want to handle small (or even longer) outages where I can protect my food, or perhaps even a bit more. I have no problem pulling out my generator in the summer, but it's not fun in the winter. Ideally I would avoid mechanisms that tie into my electric panel and ATS, unless that is my only option. I sort of like the idea that this would be autonomous, up to a point. ie. Treat it as emergency power unless it can meet my daily fridge needs. The other side benefit is I don't need to investigate bigger generators, which I've been doing. This little 2200W Honda can take care of my other necessities if the fridge is out of the picture.

I welcome some basic product or complete system recommendations, along with expected prices. Maybe it's not worth it? Maybe I could simply live with my generator? I don't know just yet. As many here are aware, there are other semi-tangible benefits to not relying upon grid power or gasoline during certain scenarios. At least we don't get the hurricanes!

Sell the modified sine inverter. I’ve burnt a few things and pretty much proved a decent inverter is way cheaper than a new CRT, cordless tool battery chargers to name two.

Look up Will’s video on the “solar transfer switch.” That’s what you need to make your backup earn it’s keep.


I generally consider a full-size fridge to be 11 ft.³ and larger. So just I generally consider a full-size fridge to be 11 ft.³ and larger. So just I guess.just for practical purposes Everything smaller is a minifridge.

I’d love 11 ft.³ but the Little 4.7 ft.³ fridge that I bought shows 60W on my Inverter, and 80W with the door open and the lights on. This meets my expectations nicely. Galanz single door w/ freezer compartment $169.95 delivered. That leaves $1330 for inverter, panels, and wire. Doable.

 

[JoeHam]

You’re not going to save money doing what you suggest. UNLESS there is a power outage and you save a bunch of groceries.

I installed a critical loads sub panel for fridges, sump pump etc. and use it every day with grid backup.

Payback will be 5-10 years unless it saves me from a flooded basement. Then it would pay for itself in a couple of days.

If 1.6 kWh per day is your target then it should be doable for sure.

Wanna start there?

Most people want 3 days of autonomy in case of days of inclement weather (no sun) so you’re at 4.8 kWh for a battery. I would do a 48v system for that but it could also be done at 24v, I wouldn’t mess with 12v nominal.

Say 1 kW startup for a refrigerator and any 48v inverter will handle that easy. You can get grid/battery switching built in to the inverter or engineer it outside your inverter.

Add a few 350-400w solar panels and you’ll be set.

Post #6 is the cheapest way to do it. Might cost a few thousand the way I’m talking but that makes a bigger solar tax credit on your IRS return. ?

 

[12VoltInstalls]

.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

^^^ I don’t think saving money was a stated goal here. He ‘could’ reduce his electric bill some- maybe 20c/day for just the fridge- which is “A” savings, but we all know small/diy solar is most often more expensive when grid power is available (not saying it’s a bad idea, just a reality up-front cost kW to kW, so saving /something/ is desirable.) I think his goal was continuity in power outages with some implied, “why not?!”

 

[JoeHam]

^^^ I don’t think saving money was a stated goal here.

I completely agree, I just wanted to point out that if used as he intended, in a power outage, it does save money. That is how I justified the expense to myself. The first half of my post is about my experience and my goals as I thought it might be helpful.

Where it transitioned to Wanna start there? I tried to specifically answer the OP's question using his specific parameters.