How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? • Hacker News Board

Re: How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?

#381

Post by em-bee » Thu, Aug 13, 2020, 5:49 PM UTC

Markoff wrote: post #195

em-bee wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you'll learn to plan your meals better. take everything out that you need before you start...

You know people have limited capacity of hands and not everyone is cooking just for 1-2 people, right? While this may be OK for single or couple without children, it's hard to imagine it for family with 4+ members.

exactly because of kids i am more frequently distracted, and for example just today i forgot one (optional) ingredient because i didn't collect all the ingredients at the start.

Re: How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?

#382

Post by pfdietz » Sun, Aug 16, 2020, 2:55 PM UTC

gregwebs wrote: post #279

pfdietz wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An inverter that runs off the 12V battery in your car is very cheap. Get one, and an extension cord, and you have an emergency power source to cool down your freezer every few days.

This is the approach I am taking (bought inverter, will test it out next weekend). I don't think you can really run this off the battery (it will be on the order of 1000 watts): instead you need to have the car turned on and will be essentially running it off the inverter. So it's essentially an inefficient gas-powered generator that you already have on-hand and you need to make sure you have some gas in the tank.

I don't think a freezer draws anywhere close to 1000W when running. Perhaps you are talking about a startup transient?

Re: How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?

#383

Post by namibj » Mon, Aug 17, 2020, 2:31 PM UTC

nikau wrote: post #377

namibj wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, theoretically you could just use 3-phase motors, right? I'd actually like that, and over here in Germany, most homes have a 3-phase supply in the kitchen for an electric stovetop.

Hmm not sure why a 3 phase motor would make a difference?

More efficient than single-phase. In this case, it makes the inverter redundant, because the inverter's only purpose is to produce a 3-phase AC supply for the motor.

I.e., you can cut the sensitive electronics out.

Re: How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?

#384

Post by jbn » Tue, Aug 18, 2020, 7:05 PM UTC

wtvanhest wrote: post #364

woobar wrote: post #340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ice floats. Even if the most of the ice in the cup has melted, but there was a little bit of it left, the coin will stay on top. From my personal experience: while we were away on vacation, there was a power outrage for 24_ hours. Coin was on top, but all ice cream and frozen packaged food was ruined. Not sure about big chunks of beef.

I left the comment partially to see if anyone countered it. I wonder if the better solution would be to tip it on a 45 degree angle. If it melts, it will now be flat with gravity. No coin required

a variant is to put an ice cube out of its container and tilted on the rack inside the fridge. If it thaws, it will fail through the rack and not be where you left it when you check for it.