Alternative for electric fridge - Spring Homes

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Alternative for electric fridge - Spring Homes

Alternative for electric fridge - Spring Homes

Source: http://rootedmag.net/make/5-budget-friendly-fridge-alternatives/

Author: Rachel Brut

If you’re lucky enough to have a stream crossing into your property, a spring house would make a great addition to the site and provide steady, cool temperatures to preserve foods. The great thing about spring houses is they can be just a few insulated shelves in a small structure or one that looks more like a tiny home. Today, off-grider Shawn Lambert from Asheville, N.C. still uses spring houses. He doesn’t use any electricity at all; for almost a year, he’s relied on solar-powered generators and cooking outdoors, and channels a portion of a creek that runs through his property through a wooden trough where he keeps things like milk and cans of Pepsi stored in airtight plastic. Lambert built shelves of varying heights above the water for things like cheese and other items that need to be cooler and stay dry. He says the colder the creek, the longer things last, but the challenge of this method is that it doesn’t cool like a normal refrigerator or freezer unless it’s less than 60 degrees outside.