Keeping food during a power outage.

[Woodznutz]

First off, everyone should have a chest freezer, whether large or small. Keep a half dozen or so gallon jugs of water in the bottom of the freezer (use plastic milk jugs). They will help maintain the temp in your freezer during a power failure, or they can be placed in the refrigerator for the same effect.

Place a sheet of cardboard or wood on top of the jugs to make a 'floor' to place food items on.

Don't fill the jugs completely full, leave a little room for the water to expand during freezing. Also leave the caps off until frozen.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

First off, everyone should have a chest freezer, whether large or small. Keep a half dozen or so gallon jugs of water in the bottom of the freezer (use plastic milk jugs). They will help maintain the temp in your freezer during a power failure, or they can be placed in the refrigerator for the same effect.

Place a sheet of cardboard or wood on top of the jugs to make a 'floor' to place food items on.

Don't fill the jugs completely full, leave a little room for the water to expand during freezing. Also leave the cap off until frozen.

Great tip. Thanks. Currently my freezer is so full there's no room for a credit card in there, but I'll remember this.

 

[Canon Shooter]

First off, everyone should have a chest freezer, whether large or small. Keep a half dozen or so gallon jugs of water in the bottom of the freezer (use plastic milk jugs). They will help maintain the temp in your freezer during a power failure, or they can be placed in the refrigerator for the same effect.

Place a sheet of cardboard or wood on top of the jugs to make a 'floor' to place food items on.

Don't fill the jugs completely full, leave a little room for the water to expand during freezing. Also leave the cap off until frozen.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the room for a chest freezer.

The best solution I'm aware of is a generator. Period. Nothing beats it...

 

[Woodznutz]

Great tip. Thanks. Currently my freezer is so full there's no room for a credit card in there, but I'll remember this.

The frozen food itself will maintain temps as well.

 

[Woodznutz]

The best solution I'm aware of is a generator. Period. Nothing beats it...

Great for homeowners. For apartment dwellers not so much.

 

[Canon Shooter]

Great for homeowners. For apartment dwellers not so much.

True, but apartment dwellers usually have a LOT less space to put a chest freezer...

 

[rightwinger]

A freezer full of frozen food should maintain temperature for many hours

Keep the door closed

 

[Woodznutz]

True, but apartment dwellers usually have a LOT less space to put a chest freezer...

There are some pretty small chest freezers. Several of my tenants that live in our small efficiency apartments have them. The refrigerators we provide don't have much freezer space, and our students eat a lot of frozen dinners.

 

[Canon Shooter]

There are some pretty small chest freezers. Several of my tenants that live in our small efficiency apartments have them. The refrigerators we provide don't have much freezer space, and our students eat a lot of frozen dinners.

What's a decent, yet small, chest freezer?

I don't have an aversion to getting one, I've just never considered it...

 

[Woodznutz]

What's a decent, yet small, chest freezer?

I don't have an aversion to getting one, I've just never considered it...

Lots of small ones out there.

small chest freezers - Search Shopping

www.bing.com

I've had mine for years, wouldn't be without it. Best thing is that it avoids the freezing and thawing of the defrost cycle that degrades frozen foods over time.

 

[Canon Shooter]

Lots of small ones out there.

small chest freezers - Search Shopping

www.bing.com

Thanks, I'll check 'em out!

 

[Stryder50]

Lots of small ones out there.

small chest freezers - Search Shopping

www.bing.com

I've had mine for years, wouldn't be without it. Best thing is that it avoids the freezing and thawing of the defrost cycle that degrades frozen foods over time.
View attachment 658269

We have two of those in our garage.

 

[Stryder50]

Here's a nifty idea;

The Coolest Way to Keep Food Cold Without Refrigeration​

Electricity not necessary.
...
Believe it or not, you don’t need a fridge to keep food cold. Just gather some ceramic pots, sand, and water, and you’ve got a portable, non-electric mini-fridge with a time-tested design. After all, people were preserving food for thousands of years before you had to keep that leftover takeout from stinking up your college dorm.

In some parts of the world, this clay pot cooler is called a zeer, and its sustainable, inexpensive design is far from new. People in the Middle East and Africa have long used similar contraptions to keep food from spoiling in hot, dry climates.

“It’s just amazing,” says Paul Smith Lomas, CEO of Practical Action, a U.K. charity that helps people in Latin America, East and Southern Africa, and South Asia find solutions to daily challenges, including food preservation. “We like to find ingenious ideas that can help people fix their own problems.”
...

The Coolest Way to Keep Food Cold Without Refrigeration

Electricity not necessary.

getpocket.com

 

[eagle1462010]

Bump

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

First off, everyone should have a chest freezer, whether large or small. Keep a half dozen or so gallon jugs of water in the bottom of the freezer (use plastic milk jugs). They will help maintain the temp in your freezer during a power failure, or they can be placed in the refrigerator for the same effect.

Place a sheet of cardboard or wood on top of the jugs to make a 'floor' to place food items on.

Don't fill the jugs completely full, leave a little room for the water to expand during freezing. Also leave the caps off until frozen.

Good idea. We use the same principle when loading large Ice chests for extended camping trips where going to get Ice would be a 4 hour trip at least.

For long term power loss....
You can run the Dometic fridge freezer 24/7 as long as you dont have an extended period of really cloudy days.
We're going to add another Dometic Obsidian 100 watt panel for extra power for other items and it will help on those cloudy days.
While the Dometic fridge/freezer is only 95 liters it's big enough to keep a lot of food and drinks for those emergencies you didnt see coming.
And it's far cheaper than buying 4 100 watt panels,batteries and a regulator for a normal household fridge/freezer.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Here's a nifty idea;

The Coolest Way to Keep Food Cold Without Refrigeration​

Electricity not necessary.​

...​

Believe it or not, you don’t need a fridge to keep food cold. Just gather some ceramic pots, sand, and water, and you’ve got a portable, non-electric mini-fridge with a time-tested design. After all, people were preserving food for thousands of years before you had to keep that leftover takeout from stinking up your college dorm.​

​

In some parts of the world, this clay pot cooler is called a zeer, and its sustainable, inexpensive design is far from new. People in the Middle East and Africa have long used similar contraptions to keep food from spoiling in hot, dry climates.​

​

“It’s just amazing,” says Paul Smith Lomas, CEO of Practical Action, a U.K. charity that helps people in Latin America, East and Southern Africa, and South Asia find solutions to daily challenges, including food preservation. “We like to find ingenious ideas that can help people fix their own problems.”​

...​

The Coolest Way to Keep Food Cold Without Refrigeration

Electricity not necessary.

getpocket.com

I've watched a lot of videos using the same principle.
Unfortunately they dont work in high humidity.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Unfortunately, not everyone has the room for a chest freezer.

The best solution I'm aware of is a generator. Period. Nothing beats it...

Except Solar,as long as you have a big enough setup.

Until you run out of gas.
We have a Honda EU2200ie and a Honda EU7000ie.
They're great if all you need is a week or so of power.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Lots of small ones out there.

small chest freezers - Search Shopping

www.bing.com

I've had mine for years, wouldn't be without it. Best thing is that it avoids the freezing and thawing of the defrost cycle that degrades frozen foods over time.
View attachment 658269

Little bit bigger than a bookcase.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Except Solar,as long as you have a big enough setup.

Until you run out of gas.
We have a Honda EU2200ie and a Honda EU7000ie.
They're great if all you need is a week or so of power.

I wish I had a bigger generator. I do have a few solar panels and several Jackery power stations. I was really glad to have a power station and an electric blanket in my back seat for driving in WAAAAY sub zero temps, my first South Dakota winter.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I wish I had a bigger generator. I do have a few solar panels and several Jackery power stations. I was really glad to have a power station and an electric blanket in my back seat for driving in WAAAAY sub zero temps, my first South Dakota winter.

The EU7000ie is a pretty strong unit.
It'll power one central A/C and all 5 of my fridge/freezers with power to spare.
We got it for hurricanes so we'd have A/C in the Master Bedroom,bathroom and the long term food storage room/gunroom.

We're now concentrating on solar. We want a system that will power everything in a small house for retirement.
Thats going to run around $22k,while it's expensive once you have it you're set.
We're thinking about this set up because it's expandable if needed.