Boondockers Got Ice?
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DLTooley
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I use a compressor fridge and a cooler as a combo, using the compressor freezer to make ice for the cooler.
highdesertranger
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that's not an efficient use of electricity. every time you convert energy from one form to another you have loses, no conversion is 100%. the more conversions the more wasted energy. can't get around it, physics is non forgiving. you would use less power to have a dedicated 12v refrigerator. making ice is an energy hog. highdesertranger
Yes but the lack of efficiency is almost never a good reason to NOT do something.
Internal combustion engines are terribly inefficient, around 20 to 30% typically.
Human muscles are only around 25-30% efficient, on average.
If lack of efficiency means we should not do something, then we should all stop driving or walking. Yet we drive, we travel, we walk, we run, we do stuff.
Ice in our drinks is a refreshing pleasure that a lot of us enjoy....whether it is efficient (or not) simply does not matter to most of us.
Internal combustion engines are terribly inefficient, around 20 to 30% typically.
Human muscles are only around 25-30% efficient, on average.
If lack of efficiency means we should not do something, then we should all stop driving or walking. Yet we drive, we travel, we walk, we run, we do stuff.
Ice in our drinks is a refreshing pleasure that a lot of us enjoy....whether it is efficient (or not) simply does not matter to most of us.
highdesertranger
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we are not talking about ice for drinks. i like ice in some drinks too. and i make ice in my freezer. but making ice to use in a cooler is a waste unless you have an abundance of power in reserve. and then it's still a waste. now everyone can do as they wish i am just pointing out the down side. highdesertranger
My Alpicool fridge is pretty small and I have thought about using it as a freezer to make ice only as DL does.
The ice can then be used in my cooler which is much roomier and can hold more stuff.
I've already added a second layer of foam insulation to the Alpi and by also insulating the cooler (or maybe buying one of those Yetis) it might work out OK. No way to tell until I try it.
Also, I remember a guy in Slab City that ran a generator every day for 3-4 hours to charge batteries but to also power a freezer. He said powering the freezer for 3-4 hours was enough to keep things frozen for the other 20 hours. How well this would work would depend a lot on how good the equipment is.
The ice can then be used in my cooler which is much roomier and can hold more stuff.
I've already added a second layer of foam insulation to the Alpi and by also insulating the cooler (or maybe buying one of those Yetis) it might work out OK. No way to tell until I try it.
Also, I remember a guy in Slab City that ran a generator every day for 3-4 hours to charge batteries but to also power a freezer. He said powering the freezer for 3-4 hours was enough to keep things frozen for the other 20 hours. How well this would work would depend a lot on how good the equipment is.
highdesertranger said:
I was addressing the OP's question about ice. Do boondockers make it...and ice could be made in a freezer or countertop ice maker for drinks....nothing was in the original post about filling a cooler with it....that was in a follow-up reply and yeah...probably not practical for those with limited solar.
highdesertranger
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sorry my bad, I was thinking about the other thread were they were asking about making the ice for a cooler thing. highdesertranger
