[gg3]

Elocs, I have a friend & coworker who does that -buys extra clothes occasionally so he can avoid an extra trip to the laundramat.

Pops, definitely look into the detergent issue, that'll solve your friends' problem.

Also re. old Maytags, check yard sales, estate sales, Craig's List, Ebay local listings, new appliance stores (which sometimes get them as trade-ins for newer units and scrap them), used appliance stores, and thrift stores. With all of those stores, leave your name and phone number and tell them to call you when they get one. Chances are nothing will happen for a few months and then you'll get calls for two or three in the same week, in which case pick up all of them, have the best one fully restored, and keep the others either for parts or spare units or to give to friends. After you've got a working unit plus a spare or two, call up the places you've left your number with and let them know you're all set so they don't have to keep your name on file.

As a generalization, it's worthwhile to "stock up" on appliances of all kinds while they are still relatively inexpensive & plentiful. Avoid anything that's computer controlled since the control boards break down faster than anything else. Simple is good.

[aflatoxin]

Speed Queen washers are also a sure bet.

My moms is 40 years old. Two kids.

Mine is 20 years old. Two kids. And me "Mr wash 25 pairs of levis at a time"

I think the biggest energy usage is the water and the heat in the water.

I don't think you could ever wear one of these things out.

p.s. I've heard that topload machines are going to be outlawed in the desert states because of the water use.

[0mar]

This is about as energy efficient as you can get.

Image

{link edited by Aimrehtopyh to preserve page width}

[gg3]

Omar, can you edit that link so it doesn't break the screen-width? (Or, moderators, can you do it?)

Re. hand washing: Been there, done that (in tubs in the bathtub). The amount of physical labor involved is disproportionate to the amount of energy saved.

Speed Queen: Excellent reputation, and have started making a version of one of their commercial machines that's priced for the household market.

NOTE: Loads of nothing but blue jeans are a major strain on top-loaders, but are OK in front loaders. In either case, capacity is reduced somewhat because denim is a relatively stiff fabric to begin with. Best bet is to mix your jeans with colored shirts and socks.

[tsakach]

Since I switched to alternative energy, one of the biggest challenges has been to find a solution for refrigeration that does not require propane or is an expensive off-grid electric refrigerator.

I recently purchased a small refrigerator that uses a technology called "Free Piston Stirling Cooling" (FPSC):

Free Piston Stirling Cooler


From: Global Cooling Technology Overview
"A FPSC differs from a compressor system in that the refrigerant is not pumped into the space that is to be cooled. Rather, a Stirling cooler has a cold head, where heat is transferred into the machine, and a warm head, where heat is transferred out of the machine."

The unit I purchased is the Coleman® Stirling Power Cooler, which uses the Global Cooling FPSC technology. Although this is a very small cooler, it is capable of operating as a 0 degree F freezer in temperatures up to 100 degrees F. It runs on 12vdc and comes with an ac adaptor.


I tested the unit on my main 120vac solar system and a small one panel 12vdc system. Here are my observations so far:

It is very effective at cooling things down quickly. It can cool drinks down 2x faster than a conventional refrigerator.

It operates continuously and the current draw is changed rather than a constant current switched on/off as with a compressor system. I measured 32 watts when cooling items down and 8 watts after the selected temperature has been reached. Most of the time it only draws 8 watts to maintain the contents at 37 degrees F.

It makes a low frequency hum similar to a 60hz transformer. The frequency of the hum does not change, but the amplitude changes based on the amount of energy consumed. This gives a clue on how the device modulates current draw.

When cooling, the exhaust fan dumps a noticable amount of heat. The heat coming out of the unit gradually decreases until the specified temperature is reached.

Although the unit is well insulated for a portable cooler, you can feel cold on the outside of the unit, particularly when operating as a freezer.

The cooling space is very small, only 0.88 cubic feet. While this is comparable to the freezer space of many medium size refrigerators, it is very small for a refrigerator.

FPSC technology is very efficient, and is possibly the most efficient refrigeration technology available. With the low current draw, the unit can be operated continuously with a small solar system, such as an inexpensive one panel/two battery system.

The Coleman unit was designed for mobile cooling and it is an excellent value for a portable cooler with these capabilities. Portable compressor driven systems are more expensive and consume more energy. But many opportunities exist to improve the performance and utility of this cooler for stationary use. For instance, insulation could be added to the outside, such as closed cell foam attached with velcro. Cigarette ligher plugs tend to generate heat, so the power cord could be replaced with thicker wires connected to a 12vdc distribution panel.

The biggest drawback of the unit is the small size. But since the cooler can operate as a freezer in 100 degree F temperatures, it follows that it is capable of refrigerating a much larger space, for instance, a well-insulated 8 cubic ft space. At $635 it is still pricey. I managed to get a good deal at Costco before they sold out.

After I get a test bench setup to take accurate readings of temperature and current over time, I plan to experment with ways to improve the efficiency and increase the storage capacity of the unit. I am very happy with the results so far. It has exceeded my expectations.

[dubled]

Pretty cool.

To bad they are $636.

Be neat to incorporate a stirling cooler with my Homebrew AC


dubled

[tsakach]

Nice homebrew AC project.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dubled', 'T')o bad they are $636.

[12volts]

I have looked at this unit also but was finding it hard to get the numbers on true energy use. So please keep posting on what you find out.

I am hoping to get my solar backup sestem up to 300watts next week if time money and the weather lets me. The 100watts I have is just not enough for the new 1040 amp hour battery bank! I just got in my new BlueSky Solar Boost 2000E MPPT charge controller. But I can only get a peice or two at a time.

Being in TX ice and a fridge would be nice with the power out.

[overrocked]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('magician', 'a')nybody have any experience with the Wonder Wash (tm). my washer is on the fritz and id rather turn the crank than plug it in, so that I might give my non-negotiable electricity hogs (computer, freezer, ect) the juice with less impact on my wallet. im thinking of buying one.

--frater coyote

[elocs]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('overrocked', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('magician', 'a')nybody have any experience with the Wonder Wash (tm). my washer is on the fritz and id rather turn the crank than plug it in, so that I might give my non-negotiable electricity hogs (computer, freezer, ect) the juice with less impact on my wallet. im thinking of buying one.

--frater coyote

[neocone]

I do imagine building a solar powered (Peltier effect?) fridge or freezer box will be the most important element of a post peak oil household...

Think about it:

- Nuts and salted meat can only be ok so long (and I mean psychologically too!). And salt does degrade vitamins and essential nutrients.

- Most of the ills up to the 20th century were due to the inability of people to conserve food gathered sporadically (from hunting to seasonal crops to transportation of perishables) so as to linearize the daily output.

Without a fridge... good luck optimizing your crops and gardens to provide you steady stream of food with all the essentials. Keep in mind the soils of post peak oil will also be much more degraded than what people in 1700 could enjoy too.

[AgentR]

The fridge I'm not to impressed with; the top opening chest freezer on the other hand... That has got to be one of the best tools for sustainable, self-sufficient production ever.

If anything is worth the investment in solar panels to run, its the freezer.

[jbrown]

A long time ago I spent about 2 years without electricity. Not having a refrigerator was by far the most difficult item to work around. Never did resolve it satisfactorily.

[Micki]

Sound pretty interesting.
Is it easy to build a thermoelctrical power gen ??
Any drawings on-line?
Where should a complete idiot start in order to learn more.

[fiedag]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shannymara', 'S')undanzer. I have a tiny PV system sized to run their chest freezer, a few CF and LED lights and a laptop. The freezer is specifically designed to run off PV, hence is extremely efficient. $1000 price tag.

Edit: I figured I could use the freezer to make ice if I needed a small refrigerator (icebox!).

[neocone]

Yep... I think if one can have a fridge it would be a microwave oven sized box using the peltier effect... maybe on a boat or somewhere mobile.

The freezer box is the one thing that would be perfect. It could also sit outside and have the PV directly part of its top. And it could produce ice or refreeze cold packs for use in coolers etc...

At night the inertia of the cold temp inside would carry it to the morning.

So you wouldn't even need batteries.

[gg3]

Note, people who have studied this issue in depth say that the peltier effect is far less electrically efficient than a compressor-based system for an equivalent volume of cabinet to keep cool.

[coyote]

Looks cool, Shannymara... thanks!

[gg3]

Re. SunDanzer: "great minds think alike":-), I've been experimenting with similar designs all summer and should have something ready for production fairly soon.

If we look at SunDanzer's power consumption chart (on the downloadable PDF):

Assume an 8.1 cubic foot fridge DCR-225, and a 5.8 cubic foot freezer, DCF-165. At 70 degrees Fahrenheit ambient room temperature, the fridge will use about 160 watt-hours/day and the freezer about 400; total of 560 watt-hours / day or 0.56 KWH/day, total of 204.4 KWH/year. Compare to the best-practice conventional fridge/freezers, which use about 330 KWH/year.

The cost of the above setup is $2,048. Compare to SunFrost which claims 160 KWH/year and costs about $2,500 for front-loading units.

I'm looking at a target retail price of about $1,500 for my fridge/freezer pair, with similar power consumption factors to SunDanzer but conventional household AC rather than DC. Next set of test results due by Friday; and then one or two more sets of tests to run before I'm ready to gear up for production.

[eastbay]

I thought we would have to resort to using the clothes dryer when we moved to Oregon last spring. But the small wooden folding clothes drying stand we bought about two years ago for 18 bucks still works as good as new. We're still using it two months into the wettest fall in many years here in the Portland area. One load dries nicely in 24 hours even on the wettest and dampest Northwest days.

Even in damp climates, clothes dryers are a luxury appliance used only for convenience.

I'm not sure how much NG a dryer uses now, but in time we all know it will be quite costly. Unplugging the dryer will not cause any hardship for anyone.