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Using inverters for emergency power
Instapundit ^ | November 8, 2012 | Glenn Reynolds at 6:07 pm

Posted on 11/08/2012 3:43:18 PM PST by virgil283

"Looking for some low-cost power backup? Given recent storms and the growing number of blackouts, you certainly have company—and perhaps fresh memories of spoiled food, a flooded basement, no heat or air conditioning and (if you have well water) no water for bathing or household chores....We found that inverters can keep at least some of your home’s essentials energized. But you’ll need to prioritize: Even the smaller, 900-watt PW900-12 was able to run a freezer, two refrigerators, two sump pumps, lights, and chargers for various electronics for our staffer at home—but not all at once. ."


TOPICS: Reference
KEYWORDS: inverters
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To: RobertClark
I use AH for all my calcs, and do the algebra as required to keep everything at the nominal battery voltage level.

Sure, the panels put out 96VDC @ 2A. I read that as 8 amps. One hour of that is 192 AH (less line loss and conversion loss) into the batts, since everything relies on the batteries.

Watts are derivative. If I have to do something like that I prefer to use KVA.

That has worked for me on large and small systems. I've got some small stand-alone systems fielded now that have done great for 2 years with minimal mainenance except PM.

/johnny

41 posted on 11/08/2012 5:25:09 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: loungitude
This microwave was made by Litton back in the day and served a long life.

Even during the ~8 years since it's been out of service, I haven't bothered to take a second look inside the power section.

42 posted on 11/08/2012 5:30:59 PM PST by Paladin2 (.)
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To: loungitude
I got my first ticket when I was 11. Mom sent me down to the FCC center in downtown Dallas to take the test. My first ride on a bus by myself.

I built my HW-101 later that year. And got rid of the ARC-5 transmitter and old Hallicrafter receiver I had been using.

I built the power supply for the HW-101 because I couldn't afford to buy the one heathkit provided.

That transformer was given to me by an Elmer. I had to figure out primaries (yes, plural) and secondaries.

Got heater, B- and all those special voltages out of it, rectified, and smooth as a kitten. Life lesson in inductance and capacitance.

I've been playing with 'lektrikity for a long, long time.

What I talk my brother-in-laws into doing is my business. ;)

/johnny

43 posted on 11/08/2012 5:37:54 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper
It's not plug and play.

I agree. Fourteen years ago I installed two stacked trace inverters for our backup power system. I needed the 10KW inrush power for the well. I power 10 critical circuits with 8-L16 batteries and use the generator only to charge the batteries.

The maintenance and setup is much more complicated then most people would understand. The development of the BatteryMinder units has at least reduced the deep cycle battery work.

I cringe when I read stories of people running their gasoline generators 24/7. Most likely the generators will not last and it is a total waste of gasoline. I can get by on slightly less than one gallon a day. In a SHTF scenario the solar panels will go up, but not until then.

People really need to learn about electricity and power consumption. They would be pleasantly surprised to find out that you can live comfortably with 5KW a day or less.
44 posted on 11/08/2012 5:41:59 PM PST by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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To: Paladin2; JRandomFreeper

I love dangerous high voltages as much as the next guy.
I used to keep an old microwave out in the garage just to put strange stuff into, to see what would happen. My favorite was loosely wadded bronze wool. (steel wool burns). This in addition to many high voltage, high power electronic and mechanical projects.
That said, I have never found a reason to mess with the guts of a microwave oven.


45 posted on 11/08/2012 5:42:03 PM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: loungitude

So, will 0bama give me a couple of really large caps for free?


46 posted on 11/08/2012 5:50:13 PM PST by Paladin2 (.)
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To: Paladin2

Don’t hold your breath.


47 posted on 11/08/2012 5:53:22 PM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: loungitude
I've used the guts of 'em. I'm licensed for 1KW in the 2 gig band.

I was 5 when dad taught me about capacitors. He had an axial lead electrolitic charged up on his bench near his DeVry books.

He picked it up by one lead.

Looked at it.

Set it down.

Picked it up by the other lead, looked it over and set it down.

Then he went back to the DeVry books.

So I reached over and picked it up.. with both hands.

It was a learning experience.

He did, during that teachable moment impress on me how capacitors worked, and how to be safe around them. I already knew about the brown shorts part.

/johnny

48 posted on 11/08/2012 5:54:10 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: PA Engineer
I can run my 4.5 kva genset for about 2 hours a day and keep everything humming along here without a problem if the sun isn't shining.

If I want to keep the freezer frozen... after the 1st day, I hook up the genset, and run it until the compressor in the freezer shuts down. Then I shut down the gentset. Doesn't take long. Just listening to the load on the genset will tell you when that happens.

I don't need idle standby in a situation where gas is in short supply.

/johnny

49 posted on 11/08/2012 6:01:55 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper

I am just venturing into ham radio.
Took the practice exams and passed with little study.
I don’t have the desire to broadcast, and even less to give my contact info to a three-letter federal agency.
I tune and tune, but mostly just hear guys talking about their gear and antenna.
I rarely get reception from overseas, have not mastered dx yet.
I have built some large audio tube amplifiers, and did consider using a microwave oven xfmr. Never did it, just used off the shelf stuff. A 480/120 industrial control transformer is impressive and cheap when wired step-up.
Good talking.


50 posted on 11/08/2012 6:06:10 PM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck; virgil283
Perhaps not, but it'll recharge my lappy, cell, and LaCrosse (2a/3a) charger til the cows come home or it runs outta gas, whichever comes first   ;-)

The goal being to maintain operability of flashlights and a couple low-power boredom fighting 'niceties' for a week or so til the grid (hopefully) comes back up.
Have water-heat-food covered for a couple weeks, with more to be added asap as $s permit.

Actually, this thread prompted me to check out YouTube for some ideas, given that there's a 6hp mower w/ Briggs engine sitting unused in the shed.

Got some good ideas for homebrew gensets that I just might have a go at .. so thanks Virgil for the thread !

51 posted on 11/08/2012 6:08:06 PM PST by tomkat
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To: loungitude
I've been on their books for years. I was a ham radio operator before I was a cook in the military, and before I could drive, legally ;).

Fedgov has my DNA, my life history, all my contacts... whatever. I don't worry about it. I'm a free man, or I'm not. I'm certainly not going to cringe for the rest of my life out of fear. They have to bury me and owe the family a flag.

There's a lot more than just folks talking about gear and antennas, but that's going to be nasty old guys on 80 and 160M. Very opinionated groups. Ham radio has been very good to me over the years.

Don't let fear run your life. Live free, or make 'em prove they are a tyrany.

/johnny

52 posted on 11/08/2012 6:15:29 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: tomkat

Frequency control is probably the biggest issue with homebrew. Commercial generators have frequency governors that keep the engine at the same speed regardless of the load (within the machine’s physical limits). If you don’t mind wandering between, say, 40 and 80 Hz, then you have more leeway. (You still need something to govern the voltage, though.)


53 posted on 11/08/2012 6:24:45 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (cat dog, cat dog, alone in the world is a little cat dog)
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To: virgil283

An RV is a help when the electricity is out. Propane heat and refrigerator and water heater, 12 volt lighting and the 12 volts runs the furnace blower.

We lived in our trailer for about four days when our electricity was out due to snow storm. Kept the battery charged with the car. Since the natural gas was still available, we took hot showers in our totally cold home, and we slept in our home bed with a ton of blankets.


54 posted on 11/08/2012 6:26:21 PM PST by cymbeline
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To: JRandomFreeper

Thanks, friend.


55 posted on 11/08/2012 6:27:20 PM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Yes, will need to research the alternator side of things .. most of the YT vids seemed to be using one with an internal voltage regulator.

At this very early stage, am thinking basic motor-alternator-inverter-battery on a wheeled dolly .. won't have $ to burn screwing things up, so will surely do lots more reading/listening before tackling it.

Appreciate your info !

56 posted on 11/08/2012 6:52:26 PM PST by tomkat
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To: tomkat

Yeah, my 80’s Ford diesel burns not much more than that, at no-load idle.

However, to power the 2500 watt inverter when the rooftop A/C is running off it requires a healthy dose of throttle or the banks of 7 starting and auxiliary batteries will run down. The alternator needs sufficient rpm to provide the charging current.


57 posted on 11/08/2012 7:10:46 PM PST by steve86 (Acerbic by Nature, not Nurture tm)
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To: virgil283

After hurricane Ike, I was out of power for two weeks.
I first powered lights and the tv with an ancient 500 watt inverter. That gave me time to set up an old 1500 watt 1800 rpm generator that I had switched over to propane. I could power most things. My dryer was gas and I would power the washer then the dryer. I couldn’t run them both at once. My range and oven were electric, so I cooked outside on a 2 burner propane setup.

I had a 100lb propane bottle and when it was down about half way, I went on a quest to find a place to fill it. I had to drive about 40 miles to find a propane place running a diesel generator.

Later I plumbed it to the natural gas bbq tap and retuned it for NG.

My 53 Willys Jeep is also converted to propane. I was just thinking of running it on NG to power inverters as well.


58 posted on 11/08/2012 7:48:16 PM PST by Elderberry
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To: RobertClark

Watts are a measure of the rate of energy consumption. Watts are how much energy you are using RIGHT NOW. If you use a watt for an hour, you have used a watt-hour. Maybe you have calculated how many watt-hours you use per day. But you can’t possibly calculate how many watts you use per day.


59 posted on 11/09/2012 5:20:56 AM PST by SoothingDave
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To: FLAMING DEATH

bookmark


60 posted on 11/09/2012 6:58:36 AM PST by antisocial (Texas SCV - Deo Vindice)
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