Emergency Preparedness

In emergencies when utility power is interrupted Sun Frost refrigerators can be configured so that they will continue to run on battery power. All of our models can be modified to run on either AC or battery power. The systems batteries can also be used to run other emergency equipment such as lights, radios or to recharge cell phones and computers. The battery bank can be sized so that it will supply sufficient power for a few days or several weeks. The batteries can be recharged when utility power is restored. For long term outages the batteries could be recharged by solar panels or a generator.

Two deep cycle batteries, the size of a large car battery, will run the RF16 for 3 to 4 days. On this model the freezer compartment can be turned off and the refrigerator left running. This would significantly reduce the RF 16’s energy consumptions and increase the number of days the refrigerator will operate. With the freezer compartment turned off two deep cycle batteries will keep the refrigerator running for about 10 days.

To lengthen these run times more batteries could be added or the battery could be kept charged with a solar panel. Typically a 200 watt solar panel is required to run a RF16. A 200 watt solar module is about 5 ft x 3 ft. With the freezer compartment turned off a 90 watt module is all that would be necessary.