M
Mike
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
Hi Mike...
Respectfully suggest that you might perhaps re-think your project...
if you're looking for heat, even a fully charged new(ish) car battery
is only going to deliver 1500 watts of heat for about a half hour, and
that assuming that the inverter is somehow 100% efficient.
Even then - don't know where in the world you are, but I'm in Winnipeg
(sometimes called Winterpeg), Canada, and 1500 watts of heat is just
teasing. I'm not sure, but I might also be concerned about off-gassing
from the battery at that kind of load.
There are alternatives available - propane catalytic heaters or kerosene
space heaters, with plenty of ventilation and safety barriers to protect
youngsters work quite well, and the energy concentration of the source
is much more dense than a lead acid battery. You might also consider
putting in a wood burning fireplace, if you also enjoy the aesthetics
and don't mind a little work.
You surely don't need the fridge; if it's cold enough to require much
heat, it's also cold enough on a porch or in a garage to store your
perishables. And you can do without the microwave, if the outage is
long enough, you can (again, do it safely) use a camp stove burning
propane or white gas. Another idea - if you have a baby or toddlers
who need quick and often access to milk or formula, you might
consider one of the peltier effect (Koolatron) 12 volt coolers.
Mine draws about 4 amps at 12 volts. A side benefit is you can
use it in your car for trips for soft drinks, sandwich makings, etc.
What you might like your idea for is a bit of lighting if you need it,
but a 9 watt florescent (equal to 40 watt regular bulb) will run
a long long time on a small inverter. Plug a small inverter into
your cigarette lighter, and run a temporary extension cord outside.
Take care.
Ken
I wonder how many 9 watt fluorescent bulbs I can power up with a 3000 watt
generator? ha The place might be aglow when all of my neighbor's power is
off.
Thanks for the ideas. I will check into a 9 watt fluorescent light as I
don't have anything other than incandescent bulbs around here. Might be a
good plan to have some around.
I had considered some of the "ventless" propane heat options, but again,
getting a gas line through the brick doesn't sound like much fun.
We have a fireplace with an insert, but the instructions for that say not to
build a fire without the blower motor running. It has probably been about
15 years since we had a fire in the insert. Wasn't too impressed with the
way that works.
We are in Missouri and what prompted me to come up with this plan was a
recent power outage of about 26 hours as a result of an ice storm. I think
it was around 15-20 degrees over night. We put on some insulated coveralls
and some gloves and made it just fine, but it made me think, if we had to go
for a few days that way some home made electricity would sure be nice.
Thanks,
Mike