Alan Estes

I looked at a lot of plans and ideas for gasifiers, but am really impressed with that one.

http://www.tacticalwoodgas.com/#!online-store/cmfr/!/Big-Dragon-Full-Kit-With-metal-filter/p/36895175/category=9623788

Ok this is what I have come up with, for my situation and location.
If you see problems with it, PLEASE, let me know, (nicely).

Tactical Wood Gas, Big Dragon Gasifier Kit $1000
(I have 80 acres, 7 miles from a small town, with lots of trees).

Homebuilt LP generator using a small engine and 24v alternator. $70
Between myself and family we have more small engines than we know what to do with.

Trojan L16E-AC 6v 370Ah batteries $207 each
4 (in series) = 24v, 370ah= 8.8kw
2 of the above in parallel = 24v, 740ah = 17.7kw
Using only top 20% = 3.5kw available per Day

Samlex SA 2000W 24V Pure Sine Wave Inverter $780
(Later if I can afford it, an Outback and keep this for backup)

Hot water heater is already using LP
House heat is wood.
Stove is electric, but the guy who sells the Gasifier also sells a 2 burner stove.
Wife is from Colombia, SA and think that clothes dryers are a silly luxury.
Can live without AC by spending summer time in the basement.
Water is from spring/cistern so the pump uses very little power.

Gasifier 1000
24v Alternator 70
Batteries 1656
Inverter 780
Total 3506

I live halfway between Springfield, MO and Little Rock and the most money saving thing here is to fill the big freezer with beef and deer every fall.

Alan

My plan is to buy two of the same so that in an extreme long-term situation I could keep at least one of them running, with the parts from the other.

Will probably also buy the spare parts that seem to go out most often, if the price isn't too high.

Alan

I haven't bought one yet, just a plan.

Alan

Ok, looking at that makes things a lot clearer.

There was much more time spent in design, rather than just throwing something together that works.

It also is designed to hopefully last much longer.

When I look at that it reminds me of the 50hz to 60hz phase converter we had to use at the radio station I was assigned to in Germany.

Alan

Found a refrigeration expert who said that a refrigerator uses more power even though it does not cool as much because it is a refrigerator and freezer in one which make things more complicated.

Alan

The guy who suggested it, seemed to imply that a freezer ran in a way that was different than a refrigerator, and used less power, but provided no real information.

My thought was that maybe a freezer doesn't bring the temperature down as fast, but know absolutely nothing about the process of either.

So what criteria did you use when looking at inverter specs?

Alan

My idea was to put together as cheap as possible a system to power the essentials only, and add to it later.

It looks like I'm going to have to spend more and do an 8 battery 24v system.

The freezers I'm buying are upright, and $600 each.
http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-21-cu-ft-upright-freezer-white/p-04621042000P

My biggest problem now is choosing an inverter (24v, 2.5kw).

They seem to go for $350 (china) to way more than that and all claim to be perfect.

Anybody know of someone who has tested different units and gives an unbiased opinion?

Alan

That calculator is a spreadsheet that can be downloaded here-
https://app.box.com/s/4uyvtxfjozzkky4b9kab

The reason I did not initially question the 18v calculation is because I assumed that you could get an 18v inverter, or a 12v that would handle 18v.
So far, have found neither.

So, what kind of problems did you have with the refrigerator?

I think the person I learned about it from, explained how it could be done, but maybe had not actually done one.

Alan