# Suggestions For Portable Solar Set-up



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

So I have a bunch of meat and frozen foods in a refrigerator/freezer and a free standing freezer. In case of a power outage, I purchased a small Honda generator from my local Cal Ranch (big box farm supply). I filled it with fuel and oil; flipped the choke; and gave it 4 pulls. It almost started so I turned the choke off and gave it a fifth pull. It seized and I never did get it to work. Yes ... I can take it in and have it repaired or replaced but, at this point, I no longer trust Honda to make quality goods. Probably made in China with China's stringent quality measures. Yes ... sarcasm!

Anyway, even if I got it to run I don't want it to fail in a real emergency so I want a back up system. I'm looking for a solar set-up just strong enough to run a frig and a freezer and maybe a single light. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not a rich man so I'm looking for something pretty affordable.


----------



## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

What model of Honda did you get? I am looking for recommendations on either a Honda or a Yamaha. Can't help you with solar as I'm taking baby steps in that now too. 

Godspeed


----------



## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

If you want fridge and freezer powered round the clock, you’re not talking cheap small or cheap. I have 1000 watts of panels and 600 amp-hrs of batteries. That might run your loads round the clock....... might! Now it you want to fool around powering only one at a time and shutting them off at night, then you can go smaller. But you’re talking a whole lot of messing around.


----------



## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

I also have a Honda EU2000 inverter generator and it has been 100% reliable. I’m very surprised you are having troubles. I’d get it fixed or replaced cause they are very good units.


----------



## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

Purchase a “kill a watt” meter. Then plug each appliance into the meter and it will tell you exactly how much electricity that appliance consumed. Total up all your appliances and you can then figure out how to size your planned solar system. These meters are inexpensive, $30 on amazon.


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

Chiefster23 said:


> If you want fridge and freezer powered round the clock, you're not talking cheap small or cheap. I have 1000 watts of panels and 600 amp-hrs of batteries. That might run your loads round the clock....... might! Now it you want to fool around powering only one at a time and shutting them off at night, then you can go smaller. But you're talking a whole lot of messing around.


No. I'm currently hooked to "the grid." I'm just looking for something to keep things running until power is restored. I was asleep when it occurred but I got a message from my power company today that the power went out a little after midnight and was restored around 3:30A.M. I've also seen the power flicker a couple of times this morning. My branch phones aren't taking incoming calls for some reason so my trust in "the grid" is waning at the moment. I just don't want to lose hundreds of dollars worth of food.


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

Chiefster23 said:


> I also have a Honda EU2000 inverter generator and it has been 100% reliable. I'm very surprised you are having troubles. I'd get it fixed or replaced cause they are very good units.


Yup. That's the model I have. I will get it replaced but want a back up to the back up.


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

Chiefster23 said:


> Purchase a "kill a watt" meter. Then plug each appliance into the meter and it will tell you exactly how much electricity that appliance consumed. Total up all your appliances and you can then figure out how to size your planned solar system. These meters are inexpensive, $30 on amazon.


According to may calculations my Honda would be enough to power my frig and freezer with enough to power a light or two.


----------



## Elvis (Jun 22, 2018)

Assuming your fridge and freezer don't have a huge start up surge the EU2000 is plenty of generator for what you want to do.
Cheifster is right about the solar setup size.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

ActionJackson said:


> Anyway, even if I got it to run I don't want it to fail in a real emergency so I want a back up system. I'm looking for a solar set-up just strong enough to run a frig and a freezer and maybe a single light. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not a rich man so I'm looking for something pretty affordable.


I have two Humless solar generators and plenty of panels, but powering freezers requires a lot of power. I don't plan on using mine for such a use. I, like you, don't trust gasoline generators to last a very long time, so my plan is to use them to power my multiple refrigerators & freezers until we eat that food down. I have a smaller dc powered refrigerator/freezer that can easily be run by one of my solar generators.

If I were starting over today, I'd get the Titan solar generator. It seems to be amazing and can be upgraded easily. No solar generator with panels is cheap but there are no moving parts & there is an unlimited amount of fuel... the sun. They don't make any noise either. Here is a review:

https://poweredportablesolar.com/product/titan-solar-generator-no-panels/


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

******* said:


> I have two Humless solar generators and plenty of panels, but powering freezers requires a lot of power. I don't plan on using mine for such a use. I, like you, don't trust gasoline generators to last a very long time, so my plan is to use them to power my multiple refrigerators & freezers until we eat that food down. I have a smaller dc powered refrigerator/freezer that can easily be run by one of my solar generators.
> 
> If I were starting over today, I'd get the Titan solar generator. It seems to be amazing and can be upgraded easily. No solar generator with panels is cheap but there are no moving parts & there is an unlimited amount of fuel... the sun. They don't make any noise either. Here is a review:
> 
> https://poweredportablesolar.com/product/titan-solar-generator-no-panels/


Looks like what I'm hunting for. I'll have to start saving up. A little out of financial range at the moment. Thanks for the lead and the idea.


----------



## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

Dig a root cellar. Free refrigeration all year long. Even if you were to put a fridge/freezer underground they would consume less energy because they wouldn't need to turn on nearly as much. Unfortunately stuff like fridges, freezers, air conditioners consume quite a bit of power so aren't really ideal for running with solar. That doesn't mean it can't be done obviously, it just takes a fairly large system.


----------



## Ridin with biden (Nov 25, 2020)

ActionJackson said:


> So I have a bunch of meat and frozen foods in a refrigerator/freezer and a free standing freezer. In case of a power outage, I purchased a small Honda generator from my local Cal Ranch (big box farm supply). I filled it with fuel and oil; flipped the choke; and gave it 4 pulls. It almost started so I turned the choke off and gave it a fifth pull. It seized and I never did get it to work. Yes ... I can take it in and have it repaired or replaced but, at this point, I no longer trust Honda to make quality goods. Probably made in China with China's stringent quality measures. Yes ... sarcasm!
> 
> Anyway, even if I got it to run I don't want it to fail in a real emergency so I want a back up system. I'm looking for a solar set-up just strong enough to run a frig and a freezer and maybe a single light. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not a rich man so I'm looking for something pretty affordable.


I talked to the solar people in my area a couple weeks ago about this very thing... we are building a new barn and we're gonna put a fridge and deep freezer in the tack room... they priced it for between 10k and 12k..... l can dig a ditch and pull wire way cheaper than that lolol... thought it would be a good time to spend a little on a great prep but not that kinda money hahahaha


----------



## Weldman (Nov 7, 2020)

They do make AC/DC fridge/freezers that run on 120V AC or 12/24V DC, I have one and it draws 2.5 amps when it runs at 24V DC. I live off grid and only run a generator if the sun doesn't shine for about 4 days to a week I pull in 1200KW and can store up to 440AH @24V. I even run a small 6k btu AC in summer time with it when sun is out. I can weld with my system but only with sunlight out no AC running.


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

Weldman said:


> They do make AC/DC fridge/freezers that run on 120V AC or 12/24V DC, I have one and it draws 2.5 amps when it runs at 24V DC. I live off grid and only run a generator if the sun doesn't shine for about 4 days to a week I pull in 1200KW and can store up to 440AH @24V. I even run a small 6k btu AC in summer time with it when sun is out. I can weld with my system but only with sunlight out no AC running.


Thank you. Can you provide a name brand and model number? I'm interested in checking this out.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

I have an ARB 60 Liter refrigerator freezer, that runs on 12/24 v dc and 100-240 v ac. It has been tested while running on 12 volts to draw .89 amps per hour. Granted, it is on the small side but it is very energy efficient and perfect for smaller solar generators. In a SHTF situation, when my gas generators die or run out of fuel, I'll use this to either make ice for my chest coolers or keep some items fresh. I've had it for a few years so there may be better on the market now. I think it important to at least have some refrigeration or freezer during an extended crisis. These smaller units are great for that. They are designed to be put in the back of your vehicle and run off of your car's battery, so they pull little amps and don't have big start up amps either.


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

******* said:


> I have an ARB 60 Liter refrigerator freezer, that runs on 12/24 v dc and 100-240 v ac. It has been tested while running on 12 volts to draw .89 amps per hour. Granted, it is on the small side but it is very energy efficient and perfect for smaller solar generators. In a SHTF situation, when my gas generators die or run out of fuel, I'll use this to either make ice for my chest coolers or keep some items fresh. I've had it for a few years so there may be better on the market now. I think it important to at least have some refrigeration or freezer during an extended crisis. These smaller units are great for that. They are designed to be put in the back of your vehicle and run off of your car's battery, so they pull little amps and don't have big start up amps either.


Does the girl come with it?


----------



## Weldman (Nov 7, 2020)

Here is the one I have and can be had for $675
https://www.whynter.com/product/whynter-95-quart-portable-wheeled-freezer-door-alert-12v-option-gray/
Now if you want to go nuts with something larger then look towards SunDanzer
https://sundanzer.com/product-category/household/


----------



## Weldman (Nov 7, 2020)

I will put in blatant terms when it comes to solar and off grid.
Only reason one should/would want to go solar is to be off grid as in folks here or you want a back up, not cause you think it's "green" thing to do, you aren't going to stick it to the man when it comes to avoiding a electric bill you are just paying it in advance through batteries, inverters, chargers and whole set up.
If you live on west side of Washington state you might as well go with hydro power solar will not work there and is a waste. 
If your overall goal is to hit 48V DC might as well not forego DC appliances and such.
Batteries in series last longer than ones in parallel or parallel/series due to ability to charge and discharge evenly.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Years ago, when I purchased mine, I was getting all confused over how long a given solar generator could power a given appliance. I think I have this correct, so following is how long my 1.3 KWH solar generator can power my ARB refrigerator/freezer without recharging. If I have this wrong, please let me know.

So running 12 volts, 1.3 kilowatt hours converts to 108.33 amp hours. That ARB freezer uses .89 amps per hour, so that tells me my solar generator should power it for around 121 hours... or around 5 days. In my area, we rarely have heavy cloud cover for more than a few days, so that gives me lots of spare power to use for other purposes. Also, the solar panels will still recharge the solar generator when cloudy... will just be slower. In that case I would add an extra panel.

You folks that are better with electricity, please let me know if I have figured this correctly. I used an online converter.


----------



## Weldman (Nov 7, 2020)

******* said:


> Years ago, when I purchased mine, I was getting all confused over how long a given solar generator could power a given appliance. I think I have this correct, so following is how long my 1.3 KWH solar generator can power my ARB refrigerator/freezer without recharging. If I have this wrong, please let me know.
> 
> So running 12 volts, 1.3 kilowatt hours converts to 108.33 amp hours. That ARB freezer uses .89 amps per hour, so that tells me my solar generator should power it for around 121 hours... or around 5 days. In my area, we rarely have heavy cloud cover for more than a few days, so that gives me lots of spare power to use for other purposes. Also, the solar panels will still recharge the solar generator when cloudy... will just be slower. In that case I would add an extra panel.
> 
> You folks that are better with electricity, please let me know if I have figured this correctly. I used an online converter.


How many amp hours do you have and do you have lead acid or lithium, those are two factors missing also for an equation.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

The Humless uses Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) batteries. It is listed as output of up to 1500 total Watts running at once. Storage Capacity: 1330 Watt hours (1.33 Kilowatt hours). Here is info:

https://humlessenergy.com/1500-series-portable/#1.3


----------



## Weldman (Nov 7, 2020)

******* said:


> The Humless uses Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) batteries. It is listed as output of up to 1500 total Watts running at once. Storage Capacity: 1330 Watt hours (1.33 Kilowatt hours). Here is info:
> 
> https://humlessenergy.com/1500-series-portable/#1.3


According to my math that rounds about to 110.83 AH which you don't want to run below 20% on a LiFEP04 battery which equals to 105.85 usable amp hours or 1.27 kWh which I would say around 4 days before kicking generator on.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Weldman said:


> According to my math that rounds about to 110.83 AH which you don't want to run below 20% on a LiFEP04 battery which equals to 105.85 usable amp hours or 1.27 kWh which I would say around 4 days before kicking generator on.


Thanks. I do understand you would not want to make a habit of draining it to zero. I doubt I'd let it get below 50%. But this does show how energy efficient some of these refrigerator/freezers can be & how a solar generator can easily power them.


----------



## agmccall (Jan 26, 2017)

while you can probably get some lithium ion batteries, inverter/chargers, and a couple of panels for less money. There are lots of people selling on ebay and craigslist. The systems are not at all difficult to set up. A couple of good panels can charge and keep your fridge and freezer gong 24/7. Remember if you want to start adding more and more to the system then you will have to consider a larger more efficient system.

Recently when researching batteries I saw the new bluetti. Some real good reviews for it out there. it is basically a battery, charger for both solar and AC and inverter built into one. I would think the 2400 watt would do what you want with the added benefit of being portable. lots of places are selling them here is the link for amazon https://amzn.to/37Kh5Hh

al


----------



## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

agmccall said:


> while you can probably get some lithium ion batteries, inverter/chargers, and a couple of panels for less money. There are lots of people selling on ebay and craigslist. The systems are not at all difficult to set up. A couple of good panels can charge and keep your fridge and freezer gong 24/7. Remember if you want to start adding more and more to the system then you will have to consider a larger more efficient system.
> 
> Recently when researching batteries I saw the new bluetti. Some real good reviews for it out there. it is basically a battery, charger for both solar and AC and inverter built into one. I would think the 2400 watt would do what you want with the added benefit of being portable. lots of places are selling them here is the link for amazon https://amzn.to/37Kh5Hh
> 
> al


Thanks for the good info.


----------

