Now that we’ve covered the desire to build a well insulated refrigerator and freezer, as well as the advantages associated with living in a cold climate where ice can be produced passively, it’s time to move on to the detail…
Blog Archives
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
Designing a Refrigerator at 55mph
I have purpose. Purpose is good. I’m building a refrigerator. The question I get asked most often is, “Why don’t you just go buy a refrigerator?”. They just don’t get it. I understand that it is an unusual hobby, but…
Tagged with: design, diy refrigerator, homemade refrigerator, HVAC, refrigeration, refrigerator
Posted in Philosophy, Refrigeration, Refrigerator
Posted in 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
Beware of HVAC Technicians
In the fall of 2015, I did something which I felt was for my own good: I quit my job as a local truck driver, and pursued a residential HVAC maintenance position at a Portland area company. My view then,…
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…
musings on entropy 