I saw this fridge a few years ago on Build it Solar.com. It’s a great site like I keep saying with hundreds of practical projects. Several years later and now I’m asking the same questions as the author below. Why haven’t more people made the switch to this super energy efficient fridge?
“Using vertical doors in refrigeration devices is an act against the Nature of Cold Air. Understanding and cooperating with Nature rather than acting against it leads to much better efficiency.
My chest fridge (Vestfrost freezer turned into a fridge) consumes about 0.1 kWh a day. It works only about 2 minutes per hour. At all other times it is perfectly quiet and consumes no power whatsoever. My wind/solar system batteries and power-demand-sensing inverter simply love it.
It is obvious that a truly energy efficient fridge does not cost any more money than a mediocre one. It actually costs less. It also has amazing food-preserving performance because temperature fluctuations in its interior are naturally minimized.
So – WHY mediocre food-spoiling fridges are being made? WHO makes decisions to manufacture them? Who awards them “stars” and other misleading awards? Why people continue to buy and use energy wasting and food-spoiling devices? Does anyone care about understanding anything?
Nearly every household on Earth has a fridge that totally wastes at least 1 kWh of energy a day (365 kWh a year). How much reduction in greenhouse emissions can we achieve by banning just ONE inefficient household device in just ONE country? How many politicians debating for how many years will it take to achieve such a ban?
Rather than waiting for someone to do something I would like to volunteer to supply modified chest freezers and/or freezer modification kits to environmentally conscious people of Australia. Let’s do something in the right direction right now.”
Source: Mt. Best.net (lots more good info on this site)
You can read the full article here.
How to Convert a Chest Freezer to a Fridge
We did the chest fridge thing for 3 good years. Loved it, quiet, energy saving, fitted in perfectly into our kitchen. There are a couple of downsides that no-one seems to cover. 1) We needed a freezer as well, so this meant that we had to buy a second chest freezer – taking up extra space and using extra electricity. 2) Our Fisher & Paykel freezer converted into a fridge lasted 3 years before the freon gas leaked out and rendered it useless. Not repairable! My blog post explains it a little better: http://ouroldcottage.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/going-conventional.html
I wouldn’t think buying a new freezer every 3 years is very good for the environment either, so we sadly went back to a conventional fridge/freezer.
My question is: Are Vestfrost freezers any less prone to the pipes rusting out and leaking gas due to the increased running temperature?
Thanks for the first hand info. Please write the author and see what he says. Report back if you get a chance.
wow
Reblogged this on lava kafle kathmandu nepal.
Thanks.
The reason I would see is that you waste limited space in the kitchen, and a chest config requires stacking all your food to use the space efficiently. I doubt many want to unpack half the fridge to reach a given item.
Yeah, but it seems people could create some racks and bins to help organize things.
Read that blog that was previously mentioned. That guy lays out a very convincing argument for cutting back our energy use: http://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2007/03/no-refrigerator-for-30-years.html
I’m not picking on you, but something has to give. They’re planning more and more nuclear power plants because “they’re needed”. Where does the madness stop? Nothing will likely change if we don’t curtail our individual energy use.
I have his circuit board. Only problem is the relay. At 110v it doubles the amperage and the relay it is designed for welds itself closed. Tried to get interest in it a few years ago but stupid americans can’t grasp the idea that changing the thermostat won’t work off grid..