Here we will explore some of the frequently asked questions that we receive from our first time gas refrigerator buyers. It’s important to note that the gas refrigerator designation includes both natural gas as well as propane refrigerators. As we explore further you will want to consider how you will be using the refrigerator, where it will be located within your hunting cabin, homestead, tiny home, ski lodge or other off-grid home. With gas fueled refrigerators air flow is an important consideration in the planning and placement of your gas powered refrigerator.
Most of our customers live off the grid, so it is important to them to have a well performing, durable and efficient propane refrigerator for their cold food storage. The propane refrigerator is a superb appliance; it is long-lasting and runs efficiently with low fuel consumption. Our smallest propane refrigerator, the EZ-10W uses less than 2 gallons a week on average. This means you’d only have to replace a 5 gallon propane tank every 2-3 weeks. It’s important to note that a full gas refrigerator performs better and uses less energy than an empty propane refrigerator. It takes less energy to stay cool since the food acts as an insulator.
For optimal performance you also want to ensure that anyone in your household using the gas powered refrigerator doesn’t hold the door open unnecessarily long while making food selections, especially in the summer months. Keeping an inventory sheet can also help with knowing what you have in your off-grid gas powered refrigerator without having to open it. When living off the grid your every action is typically well thought out and planned for utmost economy and efficiency. This is why the gas refrigerator lends itself well to this lifestyle as it requires very little maintenance, and its requirements for fuel consumption are minimal.
In our previous write up we discuss the benefits of propane refrigerator efficiencies versus solar. The key take away was that the propane refrigerator was much more efficient and cost effective. The cooling efficiency of the propane refrigerator costs approximately 60 cents a day in warmer climates and in cooler regions can operate on as little as 45 cents a day. Please note that these estimates are based on the average propane cost of $2 per gallon.
When you are living off grid you are often in remote areas. You do not want to hassle with high consumption appliances that require electricity, or the high expense of installing a solar array. Most often, due to the remoteness of your cabin, hunting lodge or ski lodge, tapping into the power grid is geographically impossible. So gas powered refrigeration then becomes a nice option where you need reliability, convenience and flexibility. Off-grid gas powered refrigeration gives you much more freedom and control, easily running efficiently on a small tank of fuel that you can replace/refill with a bit of planning on your next supply run. You can easily plan to ensure you have enough fuel to power your off-grid refrigerator by using our estimates as a guide then tracking your use.
Below we cover more questions in an FAQ that we often get from our first time buyers. If you should have any propane refrigerator questions that are not addressed here please contact us. Our friendly and helpful team is happy to answer all of your questions. We also live the off grid lifestyle and utilize the propane refrigerator in our daily lives.
Propane Refrigerators and their various sizes
We offer an extensive inventory of natural gas and propane refrigerators so we are sure to have what you need. In planning on buying your first gas refrigerator you want to consider how much food, the number of people and seasonal meat or garden harvests you will want to account for. That way you can get a good idea on what size of gas refrigerator will work best for your daily, weekly and monthly food storage needs. Also, take into account your supply runs, if you buy food in bulk and how frequently you purchase supplemental groceries.
Storing enough groceries for a family of four will most likely require a 19 cubic foot refrigerator for enough storage space. If you bulk shop you will definitely need more room.
Our recommendation: 19 CU. Ft. Propane Refrigerators
Consider the average of 4-6 cubic feet per person per week. While most off-grid homesteaders cook at home they also supplement their groceries with garden harvests and wild game meat. So take this into consideration as well especially when contending with a large game meat surplus or large garden harvest. But if you already know that you will be dealing with large amounts of fresh meat and garden harvest, consider canning, freezing or dehydrating food for later use.
For more reading, we recommend reading our commonly asked questions.
Feel free to call our friendly team for any specific questions, you can reach us at 928-636-1955 or send us an email.
