In the late 19th century, and first half of the 20th, ice refrigerators were a common feature in American households. Blocks of ice could be purchased every few days and placed in an insulated box to slow the decay of…
Blog Archives
Homesteading Refrigerator to Die With –Part 2– Insulating to Decrease Load
In an effort to reduce the power consumption of a stand-alone domestic refrigerator an upright freezer, I will be adding additional insulation to standard units. A large amount of the heat gain (and thus heat to be pumped out), leaks…
Tagged with: collapse technology, dc refrigerator, diy refrigeration, low tech, off grid refrigerator, PCM, phase change material, refrigeration, refrigerator, two-phase thermosiphon
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Homesteading Refrigerator to Die With – Part 1 – Background and Selection
This is a proposal for a refrigeration system which is intended to eliminate the need for electricity as much as possible. What follows is my refrigerator and freezer; it is not for everyone, and it is not designed for commercial…
Tagged with: absorption, biomass, dc refrigerator, diy refrigeration, freezer, freezerator, ice box, ice refrigerator, low tech, lowtech, off grid, passive refrigerator, passive thermal, refrigeration, refrigerator, solar powered refrigerator, two-phase thermosiphon
Posted in Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Fridge Powered by Farts and Rainbows
The most difficult part of designing a durable, robust, long lasting refrigerator is dealing with the the question of how to power it. Electricity is the answer most people would pop off before I get the last breath out. But,…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, green tech, HVAC, off grid, peak energy, peak oil, refrigeration, refrigerator, renewables, solar power, sustainability, sustainable
Posted in Personal, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Personal, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Modular Refrigerator Project Update- Part 2
See Part 1 Continuing with my project update. This is over several months of work beginning in the summer of 2016, and concluding at the present. For a while, I ran the machine with a glycol freezing evaporator and the…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, glycol, HVAC, PCM, phase change material, propane refrigerant, R-290, r290, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Modular Refrigerator Project Update- Part 1
Long overdue for an update, I have these backlogged photos of my journey towards building a better refrigerator, and I feel I need to get these published so I can pursue further writing. See Part 2 The last nine months…
Tagged with: appropriate technology, diy refrigeration, homemade refrigerator, HVAC, propane refrigerant, R-290, r290, refrigerator, vapor compression
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Beginning the Modular Refrigerator
Beginning a few weeks ago, I’ve embarked on a project to construct a modular, long lasting cooling system for domestic purposes. I’ve outlined my reasoning for this elsewhere on this site. 100 Year Fridge The majority of my documentation is…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, hc refrigerant, modular design, propane refrigerant, R-290, r290, r600a
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator, The Squatch
Posted in Refrigeration, Refrigerator, The Squatch
A Refrigerator For The Ages
Over the course of the next several years I will be illustrating a plan for a long lasting, modular refrigeration system which encompasses my values in the realm of design and simplicity. Here I will begin that process by trying…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, modular design, planned obsolesence, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Personal, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Personal, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
The Power Plant -or- The Wood Fired Refrigerator
I don’t like heat pumps. Wait, let me rephrase that: I don’t like grid tied heat pumps. It’s the electricity! Heat pumps are an amazing technology which I am currently obsessed with, and I am in fact in the process…
Tagged with: biochar, diy refrigeration, gasification, gasifier, homesteading, HVAC, off grid, refrigeration, refrigerator, steam engine, thermal mass
Posted in Dehumidifiers, Dwelling, Hot Water, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator, Tiny House, Water
Posted in Dehumidifiers, Dwelling, Hot Water, Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator, Tiny House, Water
Ejector Assembly Construction
This is a three part series on refrigeration ejectors. Part I on theory, is Ejectors in Refrigeration – an Expressor, and Part II on manufacturing techniques, Handmade Copper Ejector. There is a lot of video media, so I will jump…
Tagged with: brazing, diy refrigeration, ejector, expressor, heat pump, HVAC, hydrocarbon refrigerant, injector, jet pump, natural refrigerant, propane refrigerant, R-290, r290, refrigerant ejector, refrigerant jet pump
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Handmade Copper Ejectors
This is part two of a three part series to get my blog up to date on my ejector research. Part I was about ejector theory: Ejectors in Refrigeration – an Expressor. Part III is about assembling and testing: Ejector…
Tagged with: brazing, copper annealing, diy refrigeration, ejector, HVAC, jet pump, refrigerant ejector, refrigerant jet pump, refrigeration, venturi
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Ejectors in Refrigeration – an Expressor
Having developed a degree of confidence with copper brazing, and reaching the potential limits of what can be learned, I have decided to move past my original work with the Ebullator. I document my progress with that device in Refrigeration…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, ejector, ejector refrigeration, exergy, heat pump, HVAC, injector, jet pump, refrigerant ejector, refrigerant jet pump, refrigeration, vapor compression
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Sealing Thermocouples Into Refrigeration Lines
I thought I would provide some media to help describe my method of installing thermocouples into refrigeration lines. I’ve found in working with the Ebullator, that the temperature readings I was getting by taping thermocouple tips to the outside of…
Tagged with: diy refrigeration, epoxy, HVAC, natural refrigerant, propane refrigerant, R-290, refrigeration, temperature sensor, thermocouple, vapor compression
Posted in Refrigeration
Posted in Refrigeration
Cannibalizing the Ebullator
I’ve moved on, in regards to what I think can be learned from the first flooded evaporator system, I have been calling “The Ebullator”. Far too many limiting features were preventing me from moving on to the next step in…
Amateurish Refrigeration Research
I have a High School Diploma, and that is about the extent of my formal education. My real education comes from years of mechanic jobs, fiddling with and fixing things around the house, building things I need rather than buying…
Tagged with: dehumidifier, diy refrigeration, hc refrigerants, heat pump, organic rankine, propane refrigerant, r290, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Hot Water, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in Hot Water, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Refrigeration Test Bench – Part III
In Part I, I shared a lot of media relating to my efforts in building a refrigeration test bench. I intended to build the whole thing from a DIY approach, and utilize a York 210 – Belt Driven Air Conditioning…
musings on entropy 