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Posted: 9/13/2022 5:12:27 AM EDT
[#1]
Not possible with your budget.
Lead-acid batteries are the cheapest option for storage but I think with Li-ion where it is today it would be very shortsighted to choose lead-acid over lithium. You can maybe power a single fridge for 24 hr with your budget. But fridge, freezer, and A/C aren't happening. A/C is the big killer. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 5:41:41 AM EDT
[#2]
Bear in mind solar panels are sometimes stolen too, and are not effective in cloudy weather. Portable solar panels, in particular, are tempting targets. I have some, but accept in SHTF, someone will have to guard them.
One issue we had in the last big ice storm was in stolen generators. The thieves would wait until people went to bed, then start a stolen lawn mower next to the generator they were about to steal so there was no interruption in sound. My solution was to build an enclosed shed just big enough for the generator with baffles at each end. The generator used an extra plug to run a box fan to circulate fresh air into the shed. It had the side benefit of bringing the noise level down a little. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 7:20:28 AM EDT
[#3]
In a real SHTF event people are going to die. SIL needs to go first.
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Posted: 9/13/2022 7:24:20 AM EDT
[#4]
Even in a backyard with a stockade fence, the more sophisticated gangs won’t have any trouble finding your solar panels with a cheap drone. And they will need those panels to charge their growing fleet of stolen drones.
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Posted: 9/13/2022 7:29:03 AM EDT
[#5]
Ok, one more, and this one is only partially serious.
Build a bicycle powered generator and park your SIL on it. She can lose weight while generating electricity. It’s a win/win. To motivate her, she gets only so many calories of food for every watt she generates. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 7:37:38 AM EDT
[#6]
With that budget, $900 for a generator that'll power the house, and that leaves you $600 to fortify it. You ain't getting any sort of a battery nothing in that price range that'll power a fridge and an HVAC system for any length of time.
Pour a pad where you're gonna want the generator, bolt it down to the pad. take off the wheels and handles. You can even build a cage around it if you got a welder and a grinder and a bit of free time. Bolt the cage to the pad, too. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 8:48:36 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Ok, one more, and this one is only partially serious. Build a bicycle powered generator and park your SIL on it. She can lose weight while generating electricity. It’s a win/win. To motivate her, she gets only so many calories of food for every watt she generates. You have no idea whatva beautiful picture that is... So, back to reality - I'm screwed. I wasn't talking about powering the entire AC, just when those little portable units. But, there's nothing that'll work, I'll just have to get used to dried food, warm water , and everybody putting up with everybody else's stink. Not a problem, my stink is worse than anybody else's! |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 9:03:26 AM EDT
[#8]
A 12v refrigerator, solar controller, 100ah battery, and 400w of panels will cool the essentials.
Your best bet might be to invest in a quality pressure canner like an All American, Coleman gas stove, and mason jars. Instead of trying to preserve the cold and frozen food with electricity, start canning when the power goes out. Also, if SIL is scared she will have a different attitude towards work...for awhile. If that changes, see my previous post. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 9:11:28 AM EDT
[#9]
I have a non attached garage (no CO hazard to the house)and back feed the house from there.... I can use my 2200W inverter generator to run a neighbor's portable AC and doesn't load the generator when the unit starts.... I hand raise my garage door about 4"for ventilation, and can cross bolt the track in that position... I have a separate entry door...with the unit running in the closed door garage noise is hardly noticeable at 20yd...
edit... I have attached a T in the inverter's fuel line and using a squeeze bulb primed fuel line, can fuel from bulk fuel cans with a dip tube... during hurricane Irma I was powering refrigerators for 3 families... utility trailer pulled by the lawn mower |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 9:42:39 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A 12v refrigerator, solar controller, 100ah battery, and 400w of panels will cool the essentials. Your best bet might be to invest in a quality pressure canner like an All American, Coleman gas stove, and mason jars. Instead of trying to preserve the cold and frozen food with electricity, start canning when the power goes out. Also, if SIL is scared she will have a different attitude towards work...for awhile. If that changes, see my previous post. This is all good advice. Particularly the canner. Also, decent rechargeable 12v fans can be had for about $40. They can turn sweltering heat into tolerable heat. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 10:10:13 AM EDT
[#11]
You could install a 30kWh battery and 12kW inverter charger for about $20k.
Posting that for context. Electrical is about load management, storage is about time needed to run without recharge. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 10:18:46 AM EDT
[#12]
Buy an inverter generator of the necessary size, put it in an enclosure, and you won't be able to hear it 6 feet away.
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Posted: 9/13/2022 10:23:36 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Buy an inverter generator of the necessary size, put it in an enclosure, and you won't be able to hear it 6 feet away. Yeah, I was just about to post this. For higher power needs, get two that can be bridged. Still super quiet. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 10:30:42 AM EDT
[#14]
As many have said, you're not going to power HVAC in that price range.
You can however purchase a good generator that'll power fridge and plenty of box/stand fans or heaters depending on weather. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 6:06:03 PM EDT
[#15]
To give you an idea, heres a turnkey solution. It should handle the fridge but HVAC would be out of the question unless you went with a window unit. Dont think this would power both at the same time though.
This doesnt even factor in the solar panels to recharge though. But, you could cobble something together and go with smaller/less batteries, an inverter (2000 watt) and some solar panels to recharge the batteries. Also, assuming the fridge doesnt need to run full time so you could definitely skimp if you keep usage to a minimum..... ie....Run the fridge once in the morning, once in the evening and then spend the rest of the day recharging batts for example. |
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Posted: 9/13/2022 8:02:21 PM EDT
[#16]
Gas generator and an enclosure to secure it/dampen the sound is your best bet at that budget range. You also want it someplace you could keep eyes on it.
Portable AC units are often in the 500-2kw range by themselves. That is the biggest draw. Fridge may or may not be close to that, when running (depends on how big and efficient it is). Hot plates are going to be several hundred to over 1k while working. You need to figure out what your avg and peak loads would be (or what to turn off when you need something else). Then, also consider size/noise and fuel consumption of the generator. Going too big will waste fuel, but too small might overtax it. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 3:47:54 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: One issue we had in the last big ice storm was in stolen generators. The thieves would wait until people went to bed, then start a stolen lawn mower next to the generator they were about to steal so there was no interruption in sound. My solution was to build an enclosed shed just big enough for the generator with baffles at each end. The generator used an extra plug to run a box fan to circulate fresh air into the shed. It had the side benefit of bringing the noise level down a little. This is good advice. If you start with a quiet (small inverter) generator, a well-insulated shed can make it surprisingly quiet - without investing a huge amount of money. I started with a Rubbermaid "Garden Shed"...  Attached File...installed a 10" AC-powered exhaust fan on the back wall inside it, and then lined it entirely with 3" rock wool insulation:  Attached FileIt is shockingly quiet - So much so that you can't tell if the little Honda generator is even running from just a few feet away. Installing the rock wool insulation was a game-changer - It is a superb sound-absorber. Aside from sound reduction, the shed also serves as a place to store fuel, hides the generator from view, and keeps it dry in rainy weather. ETA: View of the back side of shed during installation, showing the air inlet (lower) and exhaust (upper) vent locations -  Attached File |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 3:48:43 AM EDT
[#18]
The other important point is to get used to only running your small generator intermittently.
In order to keep their contents cold, you freezer and fridge only need AC power for an hour or so at a time, several times a day. Used in this manner, a small generator doesn't require much fuel to keep your food from spoiling for weeks. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 4:43:54 AM EDT
[#19]
and just to state the obvious... small inverters are man portable without the need for a wheeled cart, making them very versatile in a variety of applications...especially useful in an emergency situation...
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Posted: 9/14/2022 4:57:23 AM EDT
[#20]
If you get a small one a window unit AC can be run by what is your only option the small inverter generator. Complete game changer turn one room into a cold room hang blankets and such up for additional insulation and stack bodies for the evening.Security and sound installation are well covered above people will steal your gas as well got to figure that out.
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Posted: 9/14/2022 9:59:31 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...installed a 10" AC-powered exhaust fan on the back wall inside it, and then lined it entirely with 3" rock wool insulation: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/13258/Doors_Open_jpg-2525656.JPG entirely... except the lid.  Somewhat related to this, many folks confuse the principals of "soundproofing". One use case is trying to keep the sound from bouncing around inside a room. Like a recording studio. A completely separate use case is trying to keep the sound from escaping a space, like trying to keep the sound of your generator from alerting the neighborhood crackheads. Use case 1 is where you'd use foam and fluffy stuff. Use case 2 is where you want dense stuff. Brick, concrete, MDF, etc. Things that sounds cannot easily pass through. Often times the professional sound-proof rooms are made with a room with very dense walls, then isolated with air and rubber between it and whatever building or foundation its connected to. Not saying foam and fluff doesn't help with use case #2, it just doesn't do nearly as good of a job. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 1:48:10 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: entirely... except the lid. Quote HistoryQuoted: entirely... except the lid. I planned to do the lid, but the results without it were plenty good enough. The rock wool on the sides extend beyond the top just enough to serve as an "acoustic gasket" - keeps noise from leaking where the walls meet the lid. Somewhat related to this, many folks confuse the principals of "soundproofing". One use case is trying to keep the sound from bouncing around inside a room. Like a recording studio. A completely separate use case is trying to keep the sound from escaping a space, like trying to keep the sound of your generator from alerting the neighborhood crackheads. Use case 1 is where you'd use foam and fluffy stuff. Use case 2 is where you want dense stuff. Brick, concrete, MDF, etc. Things that sounds cannot easily pass through. Often times the professional sound-proof rooms are made with a room with very dense walls, then isolated with air and rubber between it and whatever building or foundation its connected to. Not saying foam and fluff doesn't help with use case #2, it just doesn't do nearly as good of a job. Rock wool is sort of a combination of your case 1 and 2 - It's fluffy, but also has some heft to it. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 2:30:48 PM EDT
[#23]
Is rock wool fire resistant? The generator in my shed generates a lot of heat, even with the fan to ventilate it. I would like to add that to mine to subdue the noise. But I would not want to risk a fire if it was slightly flammable.
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Posted: 9/14/2022 2:44:00 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The other important point is to get used to only running your small generator intermittently. In order to keep their contents cold, you freezer and fridge only need AC power for an hour or so at a time, several times a day. Used in this manner, a small generator doesn't require much fuel to keep your food from spoiling for weeks. I came here to post this. Run the generator for an hour or two while sitting in view of it. If you are really worried about it, sit where people can see you and lean a shotgun or rifle up against your chair. Then once the fridge has run and the A/C has cooled the room down a bit you can shut the generator down and take it back inside for four to six hours. Repeat as needed. If you need to leave then you can always take the generator with you. Bottom line is that you don't NEED to run it twenty-four seven to keep your fridge/freezer under control. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 4:17:56 PM EDT
[#25]
True. One time I had a blackout that lasted several days from someone knocking down a high power line, it was when gasoline was $5.00/gallon. I simply could not afford to spend $45/day on fuel to keep it running around the clock. So I just ran it for a few hours in the evening, from when I got home to before I started getting ready for bed. The refrigerator was fine. Since the house was the hottest in the afternoon and early evening, I ran a big window AC and it kept the house mostly comfortable.
If things get so bad that you not only don't have electricity, but also don't have access to gasoline to power a generator, you probably won't have a job anymore, so won't have someplace you have to go during the day. You should get a generator before you spend too much time looking at solar. |
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Posted: 9/14/2022 8:18:17 PM EDT
[#26]
Looking into generators. We have very few real nature related events out here, so generators are usually still around.
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Posted: 9/15/2022 6:43:41 AM EDT
[#27]
There was an article floating around that talked about how people were using generators in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. One common scenario was getting up in the morning, running the generator for an hour while getting started for the day. Then they would go to work and run the generator for a couple of hours in the evening when they got home and needed to prepare dinner. This went on for months and apparently was sufficient to keep fridges/freezers from keeping food from spoiling. The article didn't include specifics like whether they had to adjust their food selection to avoid foods more prone to spoiling or if they changed the settings to run it colder than they normally would. I just went back and searched for the article but was unable to locate it.
It would be interesting to hear more detailed accounts about how people adjusted to life depending on generators for electricity for months. |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 8:15:04 AM EDT
[#28]
there used to be a lot of chatter about using the small 5 cu ft top opening chest freezers as refrigerators... idea being that the dense cold air would spill out of a door opening large standing refrigerator and be partially alleviated by the top opening door...that they had better wall insulation (?) and some were changing the thermostat to the higher refrigerator values.. don't remember if this was a physical change of thermostat, or simply adjusting the settings
I don't store much perishable food , and have several gallon water jugs frozen in my refrigerator's freezer at all time.. during expected power outages from tropical storms, I work out of a 5 and 7 day cooler... if I have warning, I ice down the chests of course... I have switched the circuit breakers around so that all my wanted power is on the same 120v leg that is fed by the inverter..., I try to freeze an alternative couple of gallon water jugs each time I run the alternator ...I shut the alternator off at 11PM as a courtesy to the neighbors, and power my ceiling fan with a small battery powered propeller motor and Ridgid contractor's fan we had a 9 day outage in 2004, and a 5 day in 2005... at the end of the 5 day, I still had partially frozen jugs in a cooler that I did not need to open... |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 9:15:02 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is good advice. If you start with a quiet (small inverter) generator, a well-insulated shed can make it surprisingly quiet - without investing a huge amount of money. I started with a Rubbermaid "Garden Shed"... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/13258/Doors_Closed_jpg-2525655.JPG ...installed a 10" AC-powered exhaust fan on the back wall inside it, and then lined it entirely with 3" rock wool insulation: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/13258/Doors_Open_jpg-2525656.JPG It is shockingly quiet - So much so that you can't tell if the little Honda generator is even running from just a few feet away. Installing the rock wool insulation was a game-changer - It is a superb sound-absorber. Aside from sound reduction, the shed also serves as a place to store fuel, hides the generator from view, and keeps it dry in rainy weather. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: One issue we had in the last big ice storm was in stolen generators. The thieves would wait until people went to bed, then start a stolen lawn mower next to the generator they were about to steal so there was no interruption in sound. My solution was to build an enclosed shed just big enough for the generator with baffles at each end. The generator used an extra plug to run a box fan to circulate fresh air into the shed. It had the side benefit of bringing the noise level down a little. This is good advice. If you start with a quiet (small inverter) generator, a well-insulated shed can make it surprisingly quiet - without investing a huge amount of money. I started with a Rubbermaid "Garden Shed"... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/13258/Doors_Closed_jpg-2525655.JPG ...installed a 10" AC-powered exhaust fan on the back wall inside it, and then lined it entirely with 3" rock wool insulation: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/13258/Doors_Open_jpg-2525656.JPG It is shockingly quiet - So much so that you can't tell if the little Honda generator is even running from just a few feet away. Installing the rock wool insulation was a game-changer - It is a superb sound-absorber. Aside from sound reduction, the shed also serves as a place to store fuel, hides the generator from view, and keeps it dry in rainy weather. are you gravity feeding the small genny fuel tank with the bigger one up high? |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 9:54:20 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: are you gravity feeding the small genny fuel tank with the bigger one up high? Not necessary for the Hondas, they have fuel pumps. But required for the Harbor Freight type inverter gennys which do not. A 3 or 6 gallon boat tank makes a great extended run set up. |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 3:17:41 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Is rock wool fire resistant? The generator in my shed generates a lot of heat, even with the fan to ventilate it. I would like to add that to mine to subdue the noise. But I would not want to risk a fire if it was slightly flammable. Yes, it's very fire-resistant - often used in areas with extremely high temperatures. |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 3:21:21 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: are you gravity feeding the small genny fuel tank with the bigger one up high? That tank is mostly for gravity -feeding sevaral Champion inverter generators. There is a natural gas cock right next to the shed, which will eventually be used as a seconf fuel source for the Honda in the picture. |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 3:27:04 PM EDT
[#33]
Buy a used treadmill on Craigslist list for $100. Then figure out how to attach treadmill to generator. Then put hambeast on treadmill and dangle a gallon of ice-cream and a extra large pumpkin spice sugar concoction right infront of the treadmill but just out of reach. Tell her its melting fast.
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Posted: 9/15/2022 8:19:12 PM EDT
[#34]
Mach... an alternative to a complete boat tank is just a fuel line with a squeeze bulb... I run a 3500W Honda with gravity, and use the bulb to prime the line, and it runs my 2200W inverter that has a fuel pump that I plumbed a T fitting between the fuel pump and shut off valve.... a fitting through the side of the inverter is plugged when the internal tank is used, ... the end of the fuel line is a dip tube that fits into any larger fuel tank.. my fuel nozzles are 1" and a couple 90s and short sections of 1" PVC gives me a pretty good water proof "snorkel"
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Posted: 9/15/2022 9:20:55 PM EDT
[#35]
I’m coming at this answer from research done referencing the 12v automotive/expedition community so take it with a grain of salt.
I think you take your initial investment of $1000-$1500 and buy deep cycle batteries (as many as you can afford) and a big DCAC inverter. Have your battery bank charge being maintained by your home electrical grid while operational. When you can afford it, buy a small genny to charge your battery bank. Run your home electronics from the inverter attached to your battery bank and add auxiliary charging methods for the batteries. With this solution you also have the ability to attach your vehicle via a long heavy cable and isolator/smart charger (fairly cheap stuff depending on your vehicle) with Anderson plugs on each end while you save for a generator. This eliminates the theft issue for the most part, unless your shithead neighbors would steal a car. TL:DR buy lots of batteries and an inverter and charge battery bank with vehicle/home power grid until you can afford a generator or solar at a later date. |
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Posted: 9/15/2022 10:27:46 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: there used to be a lot of chatter about using the small 5 cu ft top opening chest freezers as refrigerators... idea being that the dense cold air would spill out of a door opening large standing refrigerator and be partially alleviated by the top opening door...that they had better wall insulation (?) and some were changing the thermostat to the higher refrigerator values.. don't remember if this was a physical change of thermostat, or simply adjusting the settings I don't store much perishable food , and have several gallon water jugs frozen in my refrigerator's freezer at all time.. during expected power outages from tropical storms, I work out of a 5 and 7 day cooler... if I have warning, I ice down the chests of course... I have switched the circuit breakers around so that all my wanted power is on the same 120v leg that is fed by the inverter..., I try to freeze an alternative couple of gallon water jugs each time I run the alternator ...I shut the alternator off at 11PM as a courtesy to the neighbors, and power my ceiling fan with a small battery powered propeller motor and Ridgid contractor's fan we had a 9 day outage in 2004, and a 5 day in 2005... at the end of the 5 day, I still had partially frozen jugs in a cooler that I did not need to open... I have two dual function 7.0cuft chest freezers that are "Garage Ready" and have a switch to convert them to refrigerators. Incidentally, I run these off a solar generator I built and they use about 700W/day each in the summer in my garage when set at 0F... With their standard insulation they only warm up about 2F/hr when off too when full of meat and/or liquids. They could quite easily be run once or twice a day to range the internal temperature from say -10F to 25F and never have a thaw out. |
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Posted: 9/16/2022 7:09:58 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: When you can afford it, buy a small genny to charge your battery bank. Run your home electronics from the inverter attached to your battery bank and add auxiliary charging methods for the batteries. TL:DR buy lots of batteries and an inverter and charge battery bank with vehicle/home power grid until you can afford a generator or solar at a later date. You may want to be careful on how you approach something like this. I tried to do something similar with a power outage at work. We ran some remote network components on a UPS for a couple of hours. When the UPS got down to 25% I took a Honda EU2000I out and plugged it into the UPS to charge it back up. The problem is that it took over ten hours to get the UPS back up to 60%. I may as well have just run it off the generator and not spent the money on the UPS. BUT different batteries and different chargers have different capabilities. I am sure that you could find some that charged much faster. Just pointing that out so that you can keep this in mind when sourcing components. |
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Posted: 9/16/2022 9:54:59 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You may want to be careful on how you approach something like this. I tried to do something similar with a power outage at work. We ran some remote network components on a UPS for a couple of hours. When the UPS got down to 25% I took a Honda EU2000I out and plugged it into the UPS to charge it back up. The problem is that it took over ten hours to get the UPS back up to 60%. I may as well have just run it off the generator and not spent the money on the UPS. BUT different batteries and different chargers have different capabilities. I am sure that you could find some that charged much faster. Just pointing that out so that you can keep this in mind when sourcing components. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: When you can afford it, buy a small genny to charge your battery bank. Run your home electronics from the inverter attached to your battery bank and add auxiliary charging methods for the batteries. TL:DR buy lots of batteries and an inverter and charge battery bank with vehicle/home power grid until you can afford a generator or solar at a later date. You may want to be careful on how you approach something like this. I tried to do something similar with a power outage at work. We ran some remote network components on a UPS for a couple of hours. When the UPS got down to 25% I took a Honda EU2000I out and plugged it into the UPS to charge it back up. The problem is that it took over ten hours to get the UPS back up to 60%. I may as well have just run it off the generator and not spent the money on the UPS. BUT different batteries and different chargers have different capabilities. I am sure that you could find some that charged much faster. Just pointing that out so that you can keep this in mind when sourcing components. The problem is the inverter generators only put out like 10 or 20 amps VDC. If you want to recharge a battery bank with a small generator you need a large AC to DC charger, something like a 1500W (125amp) power supply. Or multiple smaller ones like you'd see on some large laptops. |
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Posted: 9/16/2022 8:35:22 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You may want to be careful on how you approach something like this. I tried to do something similar with a power outage at work. We ran some remote network components on a UPS for a couple of hours. When the UPS got down to 25% I took a Honda EU2000I out and plugged it into the UPS to charge it back up. The problem is that it took over ten hours to get the UPS back up to 60%. I may as well have just run it off the generator and not spent the money on the UPS. BUT different batteries and different chargers have different capabilities. I am sure that you could find some that charged much faster. Just pointing that out so that you can keep this in mind when sourcing components. Oh definitely, it’s vital to match your batteries, chargers, solar controllers, etc because there are so many different types of each and they don’t all work with each other. I didn’t really want to get into the specifics of batteries, chargers, etc. I think the best approach would be find a RedArc distributor and tell them you want the largest battery bank and inverter you can find with a way to charge the batteries via your vehicle and via your homes a/c power. |
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Posted: 9/17/2022 9:15:58 AM EDT
[#40]
Just a comment here, I run a 11,000 btu air conditioner and my entire RV with one 2500 watt inverter generator. I have to stage the AC, first fan then compressor, but it works.
I have two 5,000 btu window units at my house for the same application. They're about 500 watts continuous each. That's 1,000 watts continuous and unless you have one very large generator or the two units are literally very close together, one small genny is not going to work. Refrigerators are 350 watts to 750 watts depending on whose. These new ones are continuously on to save on the surge wattage which is good for home 110 but problematic for generator loads. Just doing the math, I have no idea how you would do what you want without a generator. Besides options like solar and batteries, the cost would be way more and the batteries having to be replaced periodically. That means the solution is a generator of sufficient size back fed into you house electrical box via isolation panel. You can do that for under $1,000 something like a Champion 4500 which at the time of posting this is on sale, 50% off, on Amazon for $516. Boxes are $200-$300 and cable typically $100-$200. Very popular with the RV crowd, they're very quiet. Security is a totally different topic but honestly my friend, you should be addressing that anyway generator or no generator. Now what works depends on your house and geographic location. At my place, we use a Simplisafe alarm system which automatically calls the cops with signs prominently displayed. My house I can light up the entire perimeter with the flip of a switch, 8, two per corner, LED floods mounted high on my house. My system uses motion sensors and surprise surprise on this site, I own guns, many. It wouldn't even be the first or second time I've run assholes off. Now that said, my house is on a hill, one way in and one way out and a good 200' from the road. In a housing project, I'd have to do more like a privacy fence, etc. There are basically two options to security, one is hide and hope for the best and the other is take it head on. Keep in mind, no matter what we do a determined bad guy can find a way. The idea is to be less of a target than your neighbors. Its kind of like "How you outrun a bear?" "You don't have to, you just have to outrun your buddy." Sorry not what you wanted to hear but I hope it helps. Tj |
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Posted: 9/17/2022 1:01:06 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have two dual function 7.0cuft chest freezers that are "Garage Ready" and have a switch to convert them to refrigerators. Yep - Modifying your existing chest freezer so that it can also be operated as a fridge is usually pretty easy. Basically, you add a second thermostat, since the original one on the freezer can't be set to operate at above-freezing temperatures. Use the freezer's original thermostat when you want to operate it as a freezer, or use the add-on thermostat for both refrigerator and freezer use. Some folks also install a small computer fan inside the freezer to help circulate air when operating as a fridge. Operating the freezer as a fridge typically reduces its daily power consumption by about 1/2. Chest freezers are roughly twice as efficient as conventional refrigerators anyway, so you could expect to your refrigeration power requirements to be 4 times less than when using a conventional fridge. |
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Posted: 9/17/2022 9:28:40 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The problem is the inverter generators only put out like 10 or 20 amps VDC. If you want to recharge a battery bank with a small generator you need a large AC to DC charger, something like a 1500W (125amp) power supply. Or multiple smaller ones like you'd see on some large laptops. The battery wasn't being charged from the DC side of the EU2000I. It was being charged from the 120VAC side. |
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Posted: 9/18/2022 1:30:40 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There was an article floating around that talked about how people were using generators in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. One common scenario was getting up in the morning, running the generator for an hour while getting started for the day. Then they would go to work and run the generator for a couple of hours in the evening when they got home and needed to prepare dinner. This went on for months and apparently was sufficient to keep fridges/freezers from keeping food from spoiling. The article didn't include specifics like whether they had to adjust their food selection to avoid foods more prone to spoiling or if they changed the settings to run it colder than they normally would. I just went back and searched for the article but was unable to locate it. It would be interesting to hear more detailed accounts about how people adjusted to life depending on generators for electricity for months. This is exactly what one of the folks I worked with did down in PR when I was there right after Maria hit. He'd crank up the genny in the morning, get ready for work, and shut it off when he left. When he got home from work, he'd crank it up and let it run to cool down his bedroom with a window unit. Then at bed time, he'd shut it off. Wash, rinse, and repeat. He said he had enough gasoline to run that way for a month. As soon as the fuel trucks started running again, he re-stocked so he always had a month's worth of fuel. One of the big problems down there was that a lot of folks, businesses, hospitals, and government groups used stand-by generators. Most stand-by generators aren't designed to run 24/7 for months, they're designed to run 24/7 for a few days at most. So, FEMA was running around having to try to repair generators and getting temporary ones wired in so they could work on the broken one. Lots of individuals ended up having their generator fail for the same reason. If you think about some of the portable units that tell folks to change the oil every 100hrs, that's only a little over 4 days. What happens when you don't change the oil for a month running full time? Not so good. |
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Posted: 9/21/2022 8:17:46 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The battery wasn't being charged from the DC side of the EU2000I. It was being charged from the 120VAC side. This helps, but does not give enough information to figure a good answer. What was the current draw on the 120 volts. Were you using something like a trickle charger to charge the battery, or something like an automotive battery charger? How large was the battery bank you were charging. |
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Posted: 9/22/2022 8:19:12 AM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This helps, but does not give enough information to figure a good answer. What was the current draw on the 120 volts. Were you using something like a trickle charger to charge the battery, or something like an automotive battery charger? How large was the battery bank you were charging. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: The battery wasn't being charged from the DC side of the EU2000I. It was being charged from the 120VAC side. This helps, but does not give enough information to figure a good answer. What was the current draw on the 120 volts. Were you using something like a trickle charger to charge the battery, or something like an automotive battery charger? How large was the battery bank you were charging. If set up correctly, a battery management system is utilized in conjunction with inverter(s), in order to control voltages. They can be for solar(VDC) or generator (VAC). It’s not a laptop charger or a single battery |
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Posted: 9/22/2022 1:07:10 PM EDT
[#46]
A couple questions and some feedback…
-Are you looking at just keeping cool and keeping bare essentials cool? -Have you considered fans instead of powering AC? -Some fans can have much less power draw than even small ACs. -It may be worth buying a mini-fridge to keep essentials cool (some meds that require refrigeration, a small selection of foods that need to be refrigerated, etc). -A small chest freezer usually requires very little electricity and can last a while unpowered if you keep it closed. It’s not always about figuring out what you need to power everything you have; it can be more worthwhile to find out the minimum you need for X amount of time and what that would take to make work. |
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Posted: 9/22/2022 7:15:10 PM EDT
[#47]
We have a 6500W portable gas powered generator that we used during a four day outage in July with daytime temps popping over 100*F. It's noisy but it's a workhorse.
You do not have to run all of your appliances simultaneously. We have a chest freezer and two refrigerators, so one extension cord was rotated between those three appliances every few hours. If the outage had gone another day we could have consolidated the cold food to one refrigerator and one chest freezer, and left the other refrigerator empty. So, a typical portable can handle your temporary AC unit (I'll assume the type that sits on the floor with a hose to vent hot air through a window), your refrigerator and chest freezer if you alternate power to them, plus a few fans. If you need to use something like a microwave or hot plate just unplug the refrigerator/freezer for a few minutes. I can tell you though that none of us wanted hot meals or coffee. We mainly drank iced tea, water, or Gatorade, ate sandwiches or cold fruit, and by the end of the day I was happy to bathe in cold water. With that many adults you should sleep rotating shifts to ensure that generator doesn't grow legs and walk away. We had a lot more traffic than normal driving slowly by our home after dark, especially since most of our neighbors gave up and went to hotels after the second day. We never had to confront anyone, just showing a light (usually a flashlight) and some movement in the house to indicate that someone was awake would keep folks moving down the road. Yes we were armed at all times. If you can secure the generator to something so it can't be easily moved, so much the better. Don't expect to get a lot of work done during the hottest part of the day. I did most chores at night using small battery-powered LED lamps as task lighting. The one exception was laundry. I washed clothes by hand in the bathtub in cold water during the afternoons, and they were hung outside to dry. |
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Posted: 9/22/2022 7:50:14 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A couple questions and some feedback… -Are you looking at just keeping cool and keeping bare essentials cool? -Have you considered fans instead of powering AC? The portable fans that run on cordless tool batteries are also great for use during periods when the generator isn't running. Here's an example that'll run for around 40 hours on a 4 AH battery. |
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Posted: 9/23/2022 6:50:16 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This helps, but does not give enough information to figure a good answer. What was the current draw on the 120 volts. Were you using something like a trickle charger to charge the battery, or something like an automotive battery charger? How large was the battery bank you were charging. It was an enterprise grade, commercially available UPS AKA off the shelf battery backup. |
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