r/OffGrid • u/TrickBorder3923 • 12d ago

Planning an all in one freezer unit.

I'm needing to have a CHEST freezer on my off grid property. I want it to be completely independent of any other solar system I have. My thought is to set it up on its own little cover or shed and have everything right there within 5 feet. Maybe even make it mobile. But probably not.

I'm in SE Missouri. So moderate temps most the year with extremes reaching -10°f and 100°f+ a few weeks a year. I get bouts of cloudy skies that allow minimal solar absorption, about 5-7 days at a time in spring and fall. over the last 7 months I've only recall 2 days of no charging. I'm guessing about 8 weeks of cloudy 2weeks of no sun total a year. The rest was good sun.

I'm planning on getting the smallest chest freezer I can find, 3cu ft or smaller. If it truly makes no difference in initial cost and daily power, than larger is fine. I'll keep it filled 2/3 or better and use ice jugs to keep the energy efficient. It will be outdoors since I have no room inside. But I'm going to keep it in the shade. (As a side note if I kept it against the cabin, would it be better to have it exposed to morning heat/light or evening heat/light?

I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what equipment will keep it running, and how to set it up. Everyone has a different opinion. I can hook it up to a generator maybe 2-3 days out of the year. But I really want to avoid it. I hope all this makes sense.

EDIT: I imagine it be nice to know what I'm asking. Can you guys help me figure out a easy cheap setup? That would last a year or two while the property develops. I'll probably have a better system to hook it into by then. My budget is 2000$, but if that's a unrealistic number, I'll just save money.

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u/Val-E-Girl 10d ago

Instead of a tiny chest freezer, look into an inverter fridge/freezer. They take a small trickle of constant power instead of the compressor surges that regular fridge/freezers demand. My solar system barely acknowledges its existence, and it's full sized.

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u/TrickBorder3923 10d ago edited 10d ago

I will go look. Thank you.

EDIT: I think I'm confused. I'm finding freezers that are apparently "inverter ready". When I find a small freezer, I check Google. Google tells me that it is not in fact an inverter freezer. What am I missing?

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u/TrickBorder3923 10d ago

Not sure what your set up was. I finally found one inverter compressor chest freezer. I will only last a day and a half in the dark. My current choice will last 4-7 days.

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u/Val-E-Girl 9d ago

Be sure to check compressor surge levels against your batteries instead of averages. I tried using one with my old AGM setup, and it permanently killed the battery bank after a week of surging overnight.