Run Your Fridge and Freezer With Free Solar Power!

[@solarcabin]

In this video I show you how to run a fridge freezer or chest freezer off free solar power. Great for a power emergency, off grid or a remote work site. Geneverse Pro 2 Power Station: amzn.to/40nvuCT Edgestar Fridge Freezer: amzn.to/3JXPSVS Alpicool Fridge: amzn.to/42sfFN4 Ampere Time LIFEPO4 Battery: amzn.to/3ZWWnh7 I forgot to mention in the video that Geneverse pro 2 has an app that allows you to set a timer for when appliances run but you can also get a timer like this: amzn.to/3Z50y9l I do earn a small commission if you purchase anything through my links and that supports my channel to help people with off grid ideas -Thank You! My Ebooks and Cabin Plans: amzn.to/40sxNEP My website: www.simplesolarhomesteading.com Please like and subscribe and thank you for watching! #solarpower #offgrid #blackout

[@patrickbodine1300]

So how much money have you spent on all your "solar stuff"? Batteries, inverters, refrigerator, charge controllers, etc? And can a "normal" person actually afford to purchase all of what is necessary? So much information , leaving out the important details. Living on s.s doesn't leave much after the bills are paid.

[@solarcabin]

I hear ya! My main system is 400 watts and I lived with that for over 10 years and you can get a kit for under $1200 with everything: amzn.to/3Mg6oRM I also have 400 watts running to a power station and a 200 watt recharging station. All together my system is 1.4Kw and 800Ah of LFP batteries which would cost you about $3k at todays prices. I didn't buy it all at once and started small and added on as I had the money.

[@okejee3455]

Instead of the expense of this type system, you can use your money to have a stock of canned and dehydrated foods. Instant potatoes, instant rice, powdered milk, canned milk, canned beans, etc. are good items to have on hand. Of course, I’m talking about being prepared for the occasional outages, it for total off grid living.

[@YouLookinAtMe-Bro]

​@@okejee3455 Sure, those are great items to have, but with the power station you get lights, cold drinks, fan, heat, tv. And charge it up for free power from the sun after the initial investment. I understand where you're coming from. People have different needs. Be safe.🙏

[@oskosh50]

Great video Lamar ! Thank you. The portable power stations today make things a lot easier on our daily lives. The one you highlighted today is a nice one. I have two stations made by Baldr / Pioneer. One is 330 wh and the other is 933 wh. I am pleased with them as they meet my needs. I am looking at 12 volt fridge / freezers. Would be nice in a grid down situation or cabin life. Have a good one and take care.

[@solarcabin]

I sure wish they had them when I started off grid. Would have been so much easier. Have a good one friend!

[@Go4Corvette]

I have two Bluetti giving me a total of 4000wh and upgrading to 1600 watts of solar panel to make sure I stay charged up. Thanks for the information, Mike

[@solarcabin]

Thanks, power stations have made it a lot easier to expand a system or for emergency power. Beats the old gas generators!

[@YouLookinAtMe-Bro]

Great video and info. Nice set up you have there. Liked and subbed!👍 Be safe.🙏

[@74dartman13]

If anyone knows about solar and living off Grid, you surely do! Thanks for all the information.👍🙂

[@solarcabin]

I have made every mistake possible for sure, lol!

[@74dartman13]

@solarcabin lol, that's how you learn though!🙂

[@GEAUXFRUGAL]

You can put timer on your fridge so it's full-time day part-time night.

[@solarcabin]

You can and I may try one and see how much power it saves.

[@solarcabin]

I forgot to mention in the video that Geneverse pro 2 has an app that allows you to set a timer for when appliances run but you can also get a timer like this: amzn.to/3Z50y9l

[@subscriptions7155]

Thanks for another great video. One thing I've always wondered is do any part of your solar setup including batteries, charge controller, inverters, and even your appliances make any noise or is it silent? Of course something like a microwave will make noise when it's running but is everything else silent? One of my hopes for this type of lifestyle is to eliminate unnatural noise as much as possible.

[@solarcabin]

An inverter can make noise when you have a heavy load. That is the fan running to cool it down. The Geneverse is extremely quiet.

[@DIYtalk]

Im just starting out my off grid living and documenting the steps :) I found your content very helpful - thankyou

[@solarcabin]

Right on friend!

[@OutsideLookingINnervations]

I like your channel bro

[@solarcabin]

I appreciate that

[@ajblunt1156]

Good info thanks Lamar

[@baneverything5580]

What I love about having my own Ampere Time 3.8 kwh capacity battery, 60 amp MPPT charge controller, and 2000 watt inverter is...I can repair or upgrade everything but a battery issue. But my 300ah battery has a 5 year warranty. If the internal BMS does fail I can go inside the battery, remove it, and install my own if that`s my only option. I`m poor, on a very small income, and spent the last of my savings on the battery and other main parts. Then each month I`ve bought the extra solar panels, various cables, fuses, switches, ground wire, etc. I simply HAD to have an off grid energy supply that produces power on site and I also bought lower wattage appliances. If the charge controller fails I can dump power into my big battery with its 300w LiFePo4 charger using four of my power stations. You have to plan out every option in case something happens so I constantly run "what if" scenarios through my head. My tiny air conditioner starts out at 250 watts when the compressor turns on and slowly rises up to 350-390 watts. I put it right behind where I sit on the couch so it doesn`t have to run on high to keep me cool. And for whole chickens, roasts, and things that normally take a long time to cook I got a six quart YEDI electric pressure cooker. I have an electric blanket for Winter emergencies and a tiny 400w heater I can put in my tiny bathroom or bunk room to efficiently stay warm. Plus an oil heater with 600w setting. I use a 600w bucket immersion water heater to take baths. Five gallons of water is plenty for bathing.

[@solarcabin]

Yes, having separate components you can do repairs and are generally cheaper. I still have AGM sealed on my main system because I know I can always get deep cycle batts. There is something to be said for old school off grid systems. They are DIY friendly.

[@myradioclubuk3321]

great info thank you!

[@owensdaniels6244]

thankyou!! sir! youre awesome

[@reddawn5297]

Generverse power stations are pretty cool whether you live off grid or on I think everone should acquire them if they have the money to do so. Love that they can be charged by solar and then ran inside. No fuel.

[@baneverything5580]

I have two cheap 500 watt power stations better than the 500w Jackery that I got for just a little more total for both than the Jackery costs. One runs my dorm fridge 27 hours but only charges at 120 watts but the other charges at 200 watts and has a more efficient MPPT charge controller inside it. Even on cloudy days a 150 watt solar panel gives it 30 to 40 watts charging. I also use them with my Dash mini cookers and my 100 watt 12v rice cookers. For my box freezer I have two 700w Bluetti EB70s I got for half off...250 each...with LiFePO4 batteries rated at 2500 charge cycles to 80% remaining capacity. Plus I have seven 250-300 watt power stations for extra storage, small fans, rice cookers, light, and WIFI. If I need to I can dump their charge into my fridge or freezer batteries. Plus I have a 300ah Ampere Time. I`m so happy that I was able to get these. I`m living alone in a very very rural location in a camper on Social Security and have no car.

[@solarcabin]

Thanks, they are very nice and much easier than using a bunch of separate components. I use mine every day now.

[@baneverything5580]

@@solarcabin I love the easy portability of power stations. I have two ETFE coated Sunpower cell 100 & 120 watt folding panels and a PET 60 watt and several 20 to 30 watt ones for power banks and my smaller ones, plus three 100w and two 190w glass panels, and a 150w flex panel. I just got a very simple in-line 10 amp MPPT charge controller that can connect to them with MC4 cables and to the 300ah battery with alligator clips to have a boost/backup charger. I hope to get a 100ah LiFeP04 before the year is over. I`d like to get a 200ah like the one you have. Hopefully prices will come way down soon.

[@GEAUXFRUGAL]

Ok great having a temp control box for food. Fridge is not the best design. Door should open to the sky fridge air is cooler and denser it'll drop to the lowest level. Open the fridge your feet get cold, open the freezer and you don't notice it as much. This means fridge mechanically removed the heat from the segregated space and when the door opens that advantage is gone and you need to close the door so the machine can return to removing heat. Also a freezer has better insulation than a fridge. Saw a man use a freezer as a fridge raised the lowest temperature above 33° and had a super efficient fridge.

[@solarcabin]

Chest type fridges and freezers are more efficient to stay cold but less convenient because you can't see what is in the unit and have to dig through stuff to find what you want. I have both and the upright fridge is for regular use and the chest for meats and things I only get out maybe a few times a month.

[@mikeeggleston1769]

Do you run the microwave through the power station?

[@solarcabin]

I do and can also run it off the inverter. I switch back and forth depending on which has the most charge.

[@jhosk]

Awesome! Question, do you know anyone who makes their own methane? I have animals and lots of poo

[@solarcabin]

I really don't recommend homemade bio-digestors. It takes a constant flow of bio-material to produce a little fuel and methane is extremely explosive. You can find commercial digestors online and info for using them.

[@GEAUXFRUGAL]

In my runaway camper. The air exchange is a large box fan. 2 long screws into the wall and the fan is up and out the way. I noticed it was getting warm when the 3:30 sun hit the west side the camper. I was drawing air out the west window. The sun heating the air I noticed the temperature inside was higher than outside 71°/78° I just turned the fan over where intake now was the East window. The temperature dropped one degree instead of climbing higher. Helps to know what the temperature is so you can make energy wise decision. Cooler air from the shade side of the camper is better than dragging hot air from the warm side. You notice that different when you fix it.

[@solarcabin]

Yes, keep your fridge and freezers in the coolest part of your house makes a huge difference.

[@baneverything5580]

Yes. I think the way you do. In Winter the very tall metal roof over my camper could be converted to a camper heater if I had help plus that would insulate the heat in Summer. The metal roof is only about 30 inches above my camper and it bakes like an oven. I want to put insulation under it with an air gap between it and the roof and somewhat seal it so hot air can be pumped from it into my camper in Winter with a 5 watt fan.

[@utubemouse]

Thanks for the useful information. Could you show how/why you would swtich from 12 v to 36 v?

[@Michael-ug3uv]

Great. Off. Grid. Low. Technically 👍👍👍👍

[@tonylarose4842]

😬 $3.5k for off grid fridge and freezer system, that's before the cost of the fridge or freezer

[@solarcabin]

I know, it is a pretty expensive unit. However if you priced 400 watts of mono panels, a 200AH LIFEPO4 tip quality, a 40 amp MPPT controller and a big 2200/4400 watt inverter charger you are looking at about $2500 and that doesn't include any wiring and the 5 year warranty. So this unit is designed for convenience of having an all in one unit that more people can use at a grid home, of grid or remote work and is portable.

[@rickynaidoo2921]

I am watching you for the first time. Thank you.

[@solarcabin]

Thanks for watching!

[@dirtisbetterthandiamonds]

I have 6 100w panels sitting in my shoffice (shed office) that I need to wire up. I have NO clue what I'm doing . I have 3 200w RockPals, 1 500w Jackery, and 2 1800w EcoFlow stations that have easy to plug in solar panels. It's these 100w panels that have me scared. It cost so much to convert this shed into an office, I'm so afraid of burning it down 😔 But I really need to have a strong solar backup for our farm freezers and my husbands meds. I like your portable array but I am freaked out about fires since I am totally inexperienced!

[@solarcabin]

This is a basic 100 watt setup: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpWQmH9jlMuaZrc

[@dirtisbetterthandiamonds]

​@Solarcabin Off Grid Adventure Channel thank you!

[@ChrisLaque-k5f]

Thank you for your research and time on videos.

[@solarcabin]

Happy to help friend!

[@aaroncoach]

Lamar! great video, looks like no script, your one the few who can wing it because your smart and sharp as a tack! Question,...If you had to run a 17 cu ft deep freezer in ( OHIO )would you go with inverter battery combo or would you power station?

[@solarcabin]

Do you have some place to store batteries inside? It would be cheaper to get LIFEPO4 batts and an inverter.

[@oreopuppydawg1564]

Awesome!

[@solarcabin]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@pegsol3834]

The solar kit you reccomend is no longer available. Please recommend a new one.

[@solarcabin]

amzn.to/3FWjxMv I would add another 100Ah LIFEPO4 to that system.

[@rongarrett1366]

I was thinking of getting two Alpicools--one for a fridge and another for a freezer.

[@solarcabin]

Another brand I like is this one: amzn.to/3JsTCx2 I have used that as a freezer and really gets cold fast.

[@Utah_Mike]

I prefer the 12 volt refrigerators, there is no power loss to the inverter. My power station uses 9 watts , 0.75 amp, per hour just powering up the ac inverter. That’s 18 amp hours per day lost, that’s not bad on a sunny day but after a week of clouds it will matter.

[@solarcabin]

I have both and 12 volt doesn't use near as much power. I want a bigger model with separate freezer with control.

[@Utah_Mike]

@@solarcabin I have two 12 volt units, one I use as a refrigerator the other a freezer. I purchased both used and I am very happy with the set up.

[@OutsideLookingINnervations]

Deep cycle batteries where do you get those and what brand is best

[@solarcabin]

I use the Vmax tank sealed batts: amzn.to/403UGyo I have 9 years on those batts and still working.

[@jacobfleener8501]

Great video was researching how to power my fridge incase of a blackout.

[@hegefarms4260]

Very Helpful

[@jaminova_1969]

Q: Do these Lifepo batteries need any special type of charger for AC or DC to charge them from the grid or solar?

[@solarcabin]

Yes, LIFEPO4 charge at a higher voltage so you need a controller or charger designed for those. Otherwise they won't get fully charged.

[@guyallphin1295]

Thank you.

[@solarcabin]

You're welcome!

[@rongarrett1366]

You can also charge a portable power station off your car battery if you have a powerful enough inverter that plugs in to your cigarette lighter. You need to make sure your vehicle is running so that you don't drain your car battery.

[@solarcabin]

I haven't charged this unit from the vehicle yet but it is designed for that. I do charge it using the DC from my main system and it is slow but it works well because it doesn't rain my main batts.

[@doodlesthegoose7085]

Beware Fortress eFlex and SimpliPhi if you have low PV uptake in the winter. You will end up seeing your battery eat itself without even a load. These are Lifepo4. There are others. If you want to prepare for what's coming and you know you won't have gas, these batteries will kill your potential to self-sustain.

[@solarcabin]

I still have AGM sealed on my main system because I know I can always get deep cycle batts. There is something to be said for old school off grid systems. They are DIY friendly.