On Sat, 11 Aug 2007 21:11:12 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
"Vic Smith" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:15:46 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
What I do is completely fill the freezer part with canned beer.
The Ice beer works best because of the high alcohol content it doesn't
freeze and bust open. But, the thermostat cant' be set to the cold
position. About 1/4 the way to all the way cold works best. My freezer
contains 15 twelve ounce beers. I relpace them one at a time as I
drink
them. I maybe drink six on a hot day. I cycle new beers from the
fridge
section to the freezer section and add new ones to the fridge section
as
I drink them. An admirable holding plate.
My box is very-well insulated and because of it my compressor usually
runs 20 minutes on 40 off in the summer and about 15 minutes on and
close to an hour off in the cooler months of winter. Let's call that
one-third of 24 hours for 8 hours total or 40 amp hours. The box
measures about 1.5 feet by 2 feet by 1.5 feet. For about 4.5 feet
cubed.
It and everything else is run by two Evergreen 100 watt photovoltaic
arrays connected to a Sunsie charge controller. The fridge runs more
in
the summer months but the days are longer too so the batteries stay
well-charged the year around.
You're getting down to brass tacks now. My main reason for a fridge
would be to chill beer. I might be out in the Gulf of Mexico and Keys
for a couple weeks at a time. My wife drinks mainly pop and juices,
lukewarm - she doesn't like chilled drinks. I don't care what temp my
water is, but I like my beer cold. I normally don't drink beer in
morning or high sun, but might hanker for a cold Coca-Cola in those
hours, which also comes in 12 ounce cans
I'm thinking for guys like me there is a BCAH calculation for
beer/coke amp hours. I just don't know what it is.
You weren't clear about cooling anything except beer in your reefer.
Let's say I want to spec out reefer cooling 6-8 12 ounce cans per day.
How would you recommend going about calculating BCAH, and sizing the
reefer to accomplish that?
Thanks.
--Vic
Beer and pop is VERY expensive in the Bahamas and so is ice. The last
time I cruised the Abacos I brought along 20 twelve packs of beer and 20
twelve packs of cheap pop of different flavors. All in 12 ounce cans. I
stored them on the sole of the head stacked to the level of the v-berth
with a layer on the sole of the main salon. I had all I wanted to drink
cold beverages lasting three months. My Adler Barbour air cooled
compressor kept the beers almost frozen cold. I like them to be sort of
slushy when the top is popped.
This is what I've got for a compressor
http://www.waecousa.com/page.aspx?p=thecold
And this is the evaporator: http://www.waecousa.com/page.aspx?p=theevap
The top one, the VD 150.
With a 12pack in the freezer and two twelve packs lining the bottom of
the icebox that makes one freezing cold 12pack and two cold 12packs. As
I drink several beers or pops from the freezer I add more from the
icebox and add warm ones from the sole into the bottom of the ice box.
There's room for cheese, fruit, veggies, eggs, meats and other things
that are best kept cold on top of the drinks in the bottom of the box.
Butter I don't care if it melts a little. I use tinned butter from New
Zealand when I'm in the Bahamas. It's cheaper than butter in the states.
Two 100 watt solar panels atop the bimini provide all the juice I need
for the fridge and everything else. One thing though. A couple or three
cloudy days in a row means I shut the fridge off at night. The contents
keep cold all night long and when the sun comes out I turn it back on.
It runs a little longer on the first couple of cycles but the solar
panels alone are more than enough to run it so the excess goes into the
batteries. I carry an old 600 watt portable Yamaha gasoline generator
for emergencies but I haven't needed it for years and years.
To avoid the initial btu use trying to cool down three warm 12pack, buy
cold 12packs from the supermarket fridge. Surprising cold or warm the
price is the same. That way you load your box up with cold drinks from
the very start and save that initial surge of energy being used. Also
buy a frozen chicken whole and put it into the ice box. It will stay
frozen for two days and help keep your other stuff even colder. When it
thaws out then you can cook it and eat it. You can do this with steaks
too. Surprising frozen steaks and chicken are not that overpriced in the
Bahamas.
You're right on about the cold beers. Nothing hits the spot better. The
only trouble is you've got to be diligent and ration them out or you'll
find yourself going through a 12pack a day which isn't good at all.
Thanks for the tips, Wilbur. Didn't know I could have all the cold
beer I need with a couple solar panels. Real good to know and will
be part of my of my reefer decision.
--Vic