Conserve Energy with a Converted Chest Freezer

Buy a Temp Controller (from Mikey):

http://screwdecaf.cx/yatc.html

Converting a chest freezer to run as a freezer can save you over a $100 a year on utilities. Our conversion took us from a large energy star upright at which cost $100 a year to run to a $12 per year chest freezer. All it takes is a temperature controller and some adaptation. We used to use 2000 w/hrs each day now we use 250 w/hrs. All the energy star units on the market are using 2x the amount of power per cubic foot.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• temp
• controller
• temperature
• chest
• freezer
• fridge
• keezer
• hack
• yatc

[lordkylo]

Honestly don't think peeps want to bend over to grab their corn dogs bro. You'd probably do way better making a dresser drawer design and sealing the edges.

Nice electrical adaptation; it's perfectly prototyped looking- but yeah- what about the freezer?

btw- please don't tell me you payed for that haircut.

[sklarm]

@lordkylo Yeah, Homeboy isn't going to bend over for his corn dogs. That's fine. There are plenty of people on a limited power budget (off-grid) or just low income who need low power refrigeration.

The freezer can on the north side of house, utility room, or basement. It is used so infrequently there is no need to keep it in the 72 degree kitchen.

The haircut was free. I don't even own a comb.

[sklarm]

@0rtex We always had a second chest freezer. The uprights freezer space was not significant enough to hold the produce from our garden. A unmodified chest freezer draws about 700W/hrs each day versus the modified one we show which draws about 250W/hrs. Running two chest freezers one as a fridge and the other as a freezer still beats any energy star upright combo by a factor of 2.

[prescottbill]

Ever consider using the chest freezer to make "ice blocks" using old milk jugs and keeping your frozen stuff in it? Then rotate your milk jug ice blocks into the old refrigerator, turning the old broken frig into an old fashioned ice block refrigerator.

[sklarm]

@prescottbill Sounds like a lot work moving the ice blocks. I was thinking about making them during the summer in our outdoor chest freezer. The idea is that freezer is much more efficient if it is full of ice and it is pretty empty in the summer.

[RyanIsHungry]

thanks for sharing you guys. love the widget. can you use that on a regular fridge to more accurately regulate temp? rather than just using the 123456 dial thing. or does it even matter?

[MichaelTuozzolo]

I have been wondering how to do this. Thanks a lot

[eTwisted]

@prescottbill Done that - using the outside air (in winter) to freeze things - but it doesn't work well as the cold doesn't come out of the ice quickly enough. It was a pain that took a lot of work. Freezer conversions are simple and don't require the running around, give you the same efficiency without loosing a lot of space to ice jugs.

[eTwisted]

We opted to take an upright freezer and convert it. I got the freezer for free, add a $30 fridge (gas) thermostat and you've got a full sized fridge at 1/2 the power use of the best Energy Star model made! Condensation is an issue in any such conversion - but it could be trivially solved by a mfg with the balls to just sell a fridge with upgraded insulation and the compressor from a freezer. The efficiency is mostly due to the different compressor and coils.

[DorPurseFreak]

Good Job ! I LoVe Recycling & Saving energy As Much as Possible.

[dnci1414]

great idea, one i need to do. where did you get you temp controller and switch names, locations, phone or web site would be of great help.

[electrodacus]

You have good ideas and great videos.

I can not wait to build my of grid house. 

[OurFadedGarden]

Cool! ;)

[airconguy1]

Also, compressors are actually expensive things! They are designed to run with semi-hi pressures, not leak, and last (if they are a better brand, like mitsubishi)

[airconguy1]

@RyanIsHungry I know of some models of refrigerators (that still work) that are from the 1980's that use a labelled thermostat. The ones I have seen use "Full Freeze" "Normal" "Economy" "Vacation" I would say vacation keeps it the warmest, because perishables wouldn't be in there

[airconguy1]

@sklarm Maybe you could switch it off? And turn the fridge thermostat down so its only just freezing in the bottom. Maybe worth a try?