Off The Grid Freezer 12 Volt Sundanzer DCF 225

I’m more than happy to tell folks about a product that I purchased when it worked as advertised! In this case, it worked better than advertized which is VERY unusual! While refitting the R/V Cathy G we wanted to make the boat as energy efficient as possible. Installing 12 Volt battery banks to run appliances cuts down on generator time. Eventually we will recharge the battery banks with wind generators which will further cut down on diesel usage. A freezer is a must have for the type of marine services we offer, whether it is research support or boaters base camp or hunting base camp, we need a freezer. First we looked at propane freezers but having a full time propane appliance running on the boat even when we are off the boat makes me worry about a fire. Our other choice was 12 Volt. My first thought was it would be wimpy and take forever to freeze anything. The other concern was how much power it would use. So I did a web search and first looked at Norcold since my Norcold fridge/freezer has been very dependable for the last 6 years. They didn’t have a chest type freezer. Next was Sundanzer. Their model  DCF 225 chest freezer would fit the location I wanted to put it. The price for these 12 Volt freezers were of course much higher than an equivalent size 110V freezer so I wanted to check one out before forking out the money.  Since I have learned in the past not to go by on-line reviews only, I went to the nearest Sundanzer dealer which was Alaska Battery on East Potter Drive in Anchorage. I met with the owner and he named several outfits that were using them without any complaints. The freezer looked well built and was thick with insulation and I noticed the Electrolux logo on the lid handle. I did a little more research and found that Electrolux in Sweden make the cabinet. Electrolux has been manufacturing quality products as long as I can remember so I ordered the Sundanzer. It end up, with shipping, costing $1420 and took about a week to get to Anchorage. We got it on the boat, wired it in, turned it on and: nothing. I heard nothing. Opened the lid the light came on then I noticed frost forming but it didn’t make any noise. I’ve never had such a quiet freezer. Next came the big test: we loaded it up with a load of food and it took less time to freeze it than my 110V freezer of the same size! Now after a full season of use it still freezes faster than the old 110V freezer and is still quiet (I still regularly lift the lid to check if it is running!) As for the power consumption, we wired it to 6 X 6 Volt batteries. It runs for over a week without charging so there was no problem there. There are also lights on that circuit as well as the main fresh water supply pump. If I lived in a house I would run one these so I would not have worry about my food spoiling during a power outage, not to mention the power saving especially at Alaska’s electricity rates. Alaska Battery http://www.absak.com has been my choice for off grid supplies, the owner is very helpful and their prices are in line with what you find on the web. Their number is 1-907-562-4949

Matt