Re: Successful Transplant !

"Jim Wilkins"  wrote in message news:vfp4c9$16vsf$1@dont-email.me...
I'm measuring my 12VDC freezer's run time on [a Jackery E290]. So far it's headed for 15
hours, more than enough to sleep through.
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I stopped it at 12% charge, a bit short of 14 hours. Keeping food cold overnight is the most difficult of my power outage challenges and the E290 has proven adequate. When awake I can run and monitor a generator after the storm abates; at night it could be stolen if audible from the street, though finally some neighbors have installed permanent ones loud enough to mask mine. Storing food outdoors in the car suffices in winter but the US Northeast gets hurricanes in warm weather too.
My 12VDC powered fridge and/or freezer is an Alpicool T60. Its operating cost would be $3-5 per month if it was on grid power, which means the solar installation would never pay for itself, the benefit is independence. Home Depot offers a similar product if you want to deal with humans in a local store without paying the high price of an RV appliance.
https://www.homedepot.com/pep/SIMZLIFE-12-Volt-Refrigerators-4-68-48-Quart-Portable-Freezer-with-Wheels-CFA-45-HD/327644459?
As stationary backup cold food storage at home they don't need the highest reliability (= cost?). 60 liters doesn't hold enough to make occasionally shuffling the contents in the chest style too inconvenient. For me the 20 liter size was more practical for long car trips, as it fits within reach in a rear foot well.
I ask the RV'ers I meet what they use for 12V off-grid appliances. So far all have had the $500 - $1000 name brand mini fridges like Engel and Dometic, so I haven't heard travel experience with the cheaper models. My Alpicool T60 has been fine, the older C20 sometimes glitched and needed a reset.
jsw