What changes can we make to our lives to deal with the economic and energy crises ahead? Have you already started making preparations? Got tips to share?
MrG wrote:
If I didn't have the freezer then salt.. huge quantities of salt.
You won't have a freezer if the electricity gets turned off.
Get a chest freezer with a separate cooling panel on the back so that you can add extra insulation to the other three sides, bottom and, less importantly, the top. That will last quite a few days without the lecky on, especially if it's full.
Cheers Ken
I think at one point I started a thread about the feasibility of running the freezer with intermittent leccy.. I was actually about to say I'd be interested to see how VT gets on with the freezer / generator and how often he needs to fire it up.
I love my freezer. The thing that would concern me most about the power going out... I know, I know, pumped water but it rains a lot in Wales.
A freezer will be fine in the event of short term or rota power cuts.
A large well filled chest freezer should stay frozen for at least 12 hours, and probably for longer, especialy in cold surroundings.
If longer term interuptions are to be allowed for, then a generator or battery bank and inverter will be needed.
If a new freezer is being considered, then I would urge the purchase of an ultra efficient model. This will save valuable money on electricity whilst times are normal, and will increase the holding time on battery power.
If a lot of frozen food is to be kept, then I would urge at least 3 freezers, one spare, and 2 sources of electricity AS WELL as the grid.
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
Eternal Sunshine wrote:
You won't have a freezer if the electricity gets turned off.
Get a chest freezer with a separate cooling panel on the back so that you can add extra insulation to the other three sides, bottom and, less importantly, the top. That will last quite a few days without the lecky on, especially if it's full.
Cheers Ken
I think at one point I started a thread about the feasibility of running the freezer with intermittent leccy.. I was actually about to say I'd be interested to see how VT gets on with the freezer / generator and how often he needs to fire it up.
I love my freezer. The thing that would concern me most about the power going out... I know, I know, pumped water but it rains a lot in Wales.
I have not lost the food in the freezer in the last thirty years for any reason but that was in the age of cheap oil and will not be a precedent for what is before us. The portable generator may well save what food I have in the freezer a time or two as long as I have gasoline to run it but if times get really tough I expect to have to do without it. I'll turn to pressure canning and root cellaring along with dry storage, salt cure and eating fresh killed meat to get to the next garden harvest.
For that reason I only keep a third of my food storage in the freezer.
We've run freezers on intermittent electricity for years without any major problems. We always run them at minimum temperature so if the lecky is more intermittent than usual we have a bit of time before they warm to dangerous levels. The worst thing to keep on intermittent cooling is ice cream which soon goes runny if the temperature is not just right.
