Did a bunch of little things around the cabin today. Hauled off the old batteries to a place where they can sit without being in the way till I find a way to recycle them properly. Straightened up a few things that got crooked while my multi-day battery adventure was going on. Fixed the front steps…
…Again. When you’re as old as those steps you’ll need periodic repairs too. I scavenged them, modified them multiple times. None of the treads are original. Replaced most of the grip tapes on the top platform, and basically got them ready for winter. And…
I know I’ve had the refrigerator for over two months but the Secret Lair at last officially has a refrigerator. I turned it on yesterday to test how things were going to go, and things went absolutely grand. I’m pretty sure I could have run it on four batteries, had the batteries been in better shape. Six batteries don’t seem to notice the refrigerator. So the cooler box has been demoted to monthly food-moving service from the Palace of Food. I’ve got a fridge! Not much in it at the moment, since I never used the cooler for more than condiments and daily meat – all my actual refrigerated food is at Ian’s but a lot of it will migrate to the porch in the fullness of time. I do have to do something about a better stand when the opportunity presents itself. My homemade stand is – not my best invention. But it works.
What an amazing amount of progress in just one week. You’re going to love that fridge. I had one on my back porch for overflow for several years. Worked great until the chipmunks packed the compressor/coil compartment full of their winter food storage and killed it. Keep that in mind so you don’t suffer the same fate I did.
That refrigerator will take more juice during the summer, so summer overnights and cloudy days will be the real test, but my guess is that you will be fine. Like you say, everyone else has a fridge, and your pv system has grown over the years.
I used to live in a trailer that had a propane fridge. Getting cold out of a flame seemed magic to me, but getting cold from the sun is equally magical. Congrats.
If you bring it inside the compressor will act as a little electric heater.
If you leave it outside it will run less.
There is a breakeven, but I don’t know where…
Out of curiosity, what stops local raccoons, bears or “sort of sapiens” miscreants (some overlap) from breaking into your porch fridge? Seems to me it would be a might attractant to animals.
Tobie, who’s right there at the window. And the awful reputation of humans. This isn’t Massachusetts: Animals here mostly know that messing with human stuff is a remarkably efficient way to get dead. Plus our nocturnal animals tend not to be of the garbage-scavenging sort. As far as I know we don’t even have raccoons here. We had one single bear incursion, over 14 years ago, and that was during a big forest fire south of here that drove a lot of unusual animals north into the desert through the wash network. That bear did get into garbage, and into a house. And it did get shot, though nobody knows if it died.
They’re going to revoke your hermit card if you keep dragging yourself into the 20th Century. 🙂
Because the compressor is warm, be advised that critturs will immediately set up shop in there during the winter and play havoc with nests, chewing, and poop. It’s essential you plan for that. Hope it all works out for you!
Joseph
Because the compressor is warm, be advised that critturs will immediately set up shop in there during the winter and play havoc with nests, chewing, and poop. It’s essential you plan for that. Hope it all works out for you!
Joseph