tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post3463208239866818601..comments2024-03-23T11:23:04.366-05:00Comments on Wretha's Adventures Living Off Grid: Secret Road TripWrethaOffGridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941116263529261885noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-8322168770044873232013-04-30T19:08:41.763-05:002013-04-30T19:08:41.763-05:00Well..here we go on an update! finally...we decid...Well..here we go on an update! finally...we decided to go with solar for now as the micro-hydro was more complicated and would need more tweaking and required permits etc. plus with the solar we can get a 30% tax credit and nothing for the hydro power... we got 3 100W panels from a company called Renogy and 4 deep cycle batteries from Advance Auto Parts...they had a deal where if I order on-lineadirondackpashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619777324285825431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-37558343209477563482013-03-10T13:14:26.019-05:002013-03-10T13:14:26.019-05:00Sounds like a great deal! We use regular deep cycl...Sounds like a great deal! We use regular deep cycle batteries, nothing special, these are made by Interstate. Get whatever is the best deal for you. Your batteries will generally be the most expensive part of your system, and they have to be replaced every so many years, the ones we have are supposed to last 5 years (on average), but in real life, just like most things, your mileage will vary. WrethaOffGridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941116263529261885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-21145849931236499222013-03-10T11:07:58.042-05:002013-03-10T11:07:58.042-05:00Well I found a fantastic deal on a chest freezer.....Well I found a fantastic deal on a chest freezer..a chain grocery store had them on sale last week for $199.00 and it came with a coupon book for $200. in free frozen food! So it was essentially free and I'm using it right now at home as a freezer. <br />( That's the great part of this...I will hopefully use it in the summer at our camp as a refrigerator and bring it home in the winter adirondackpashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619777324285825431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-17459287546183891212013-02-27T21:02:30.381-06:002013-02-27T21:02:30.381-06:00Thank you so much for this info...other than the f...Thank you so much for this info...other than the fridge/freezer that we will definitely be doing, we would only want to power a small radio and recharge a computer and my husbands trolling motor batteries which are deep cycle. You are lucky to get internet...we are in a dead zone with no cell service and definitely no internet. I had been thinking we would need 4 batteries and based on what you adirondackpashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619777324285825431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-42214297702184710792013-02-27T12:00:16.354-06:002013-02-27T12:00:16.354-06:00adirondackpash, half a dozen lights (mostly CFLs a...<b>adirondackpash</b>, half a dozen lights (mostly CFLs and a couple of LEDs) usually have 2 on at a time nighttime use only. A small radio, a laptop computer, sometimes a set of small computer speakers, a wireless internet antenna, of course the freezer/fridge conversion, all of those items run from the inverter. We also have a 12 volt water pump that runs directly from the batteries.<br /><br /WrethaOffGridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941116263529261885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-71052147072719122042013-02-27T03:53:02.671-06:002013-02-27T03:53:02.671-06:00What items are you powering through the inverter? ...What items are you powering through the inverter? How big is your battery bank? My head is spinning with all of the research I have been doing! I am afraid I may underestimate what we need or the reverse and it will be overkill!!adirondackpashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619777324285825431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-23147559492259929852013-02-25T20:34:17.905-06:002013-02-25T20:34:17.905-06:00adirondackpash, thanks for writing, I assume you a...<b>adirondackpash</b>, thanks for writing, I assume you are asking about the surge that happens when electric items first come on, I looked on the side of the freezer and it says 5 amps, I assume that is the maximum it would ever need and once running it uses much less.<br /><br />Any freezer will have a tag either on the side of the back with the specs of what it takes to run. Our inverter will WrethaOffGridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941116263529261885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-31819529420824015472013-02-25T19:56:16.149-06:002013-02-25T19:56:16.149-06:00I came across your blog via an answer you left on ...I came across your blog via an answer you left on a Black and Decker energy star chest freezer question. We have an off grid camp in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY. We use propane lights and a ram pump to pump water uphill to storage tanks which gravity feed back down to camp. I really want a refrigerator and we are looking at micro hydro power to charge a small battery bank. ( others adirondackpashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15619777324285825431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-80856778360318757382013-02-10T00:22:42.464-06:002013-02-10T00:22:42.464-06:00ya I am using it---my girlfriend and I have a tiny...ya I am using it---my girlfriend and I have a tiny cabin wayyyy off grid and were looking for a fridge idea and came across your reviewAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-76667329541432376262013-02-08T03:29:44.012-06:002013-02-08T03:29:44.012-06:00Thanks Josh, I appreciate it, I'm glad my revi...Thanks Josh, I appreciate it, I'm glad my review could help you, I tend to write the way I want to read things, I like details, lots of details, thanks for letting me know it helped. :)<br /><br />I assume this is something you are interested in? Are you using this or are you going to use this? If so, let me know what you are doing... <br /><br />WrethaWrethaOffGridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04941116263529261885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306303306134956607.post-89590163568358480262013-02-07T10:23:26.278-06:002013-02-07T10:23:26.278-06:00Hi: My name is Josh and I actually am commenting o...Hi: My name is Josh and I actually am commenting on here to thank you for your review of the temperature controller for the freezer you made on amazon. It was SOOOO detailed and helpful for me and i just wanted to acknowledge it and say thanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com