Home electric power bank system

Tailgate

Tailgate

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No recent mentions on my forum searches about power banks.



Looking for a battery home backup system (not gas or solar) that can deliver some power during short periods of outages. TV, fan, frig, lamps and other small appliances are only appliances that we might use, so it should be fairly portable and not installed in-line with the home wiring.



Have seen some units ranging from 1k to 3k price range that look promising, but I don't know how to really evaluate them. Most brands are not familiar or have other mainstream products that are well known for quality. Lots of YouTube and online reviews are helpful, but I'm hoping someone on the forum has some expertise that can point me in the right direction.



Sorry for the ramble... TIA for your advice.
 
If you can be more specific (preferred run-time and power draw) you may get more focused answers.

As a first shot though, you might find a portable battery powered hub such as https://egopowerplus.com/nexus-portable-power-station/ useful.

I am assuming it doesn't need to automatically switch on. The number of appliances you want to plug in might be a limiting factor.
 
Tailgate said:
... Have seen some units ranging from 1k to 3k price range that look promising ...
Click to expand...
For that kind of money (or less) you can easily find a dual-fuel Lp/gas generator that will run almost everything in your house, central air and electric ovens excepted. Add a 20# LP tank or steal from your propane grill and you are set. I think the end you'll find that a battery gets discharged fairly fast.

Options from either the battery or the generator:

(1) Run a heavy extension cord, add a power strip, and plug all your loads into the strip.

(Before buying your power source, hook everything up like this and plug the extension cord into the wall. Buy or borrow an inexpensive clamp-on ammeter to measure your load, add a generous fudge factor (like 50% or 100%) and you'll know what size power source to buy.)

(2) Hire an electrician to add a small manual transfer panel to your load center, then run your critical circuits through that panel. Hook your power source to the panel with a heavy cord and you are done. This is basically what we have done in our city home; a 5000 watt gasoline Homelite generator is moved outside (chained to a fence post :LOL:); we just plug into it. At our lake home we have a larger genset permanently mounted in the garage and hooked to a 100# propane tank. Again, it's manual transfer and plug-in connection.
 
I have a midsize solar+battery installation (8 kW PV array, 34 kWh battery, 9.6 kW inverter), and am in the process of expanding it.

The system is DIY, particularly the large battery which is built from individual LFP cells. So, I have learned a few things about solar and lithium battery, but the OP is not looking for something that can run the entire house, and what takes a small shed to house.

There's now a lot of stuff out there off-the-shelf to choose from. The word to use to look on the Web for what the OP has in mind is "solar generator".

A solar generator is usually a compact portable unit which incorporates: 1) a large lithium battery, preferably of the lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry (LFP, or LiFePO4), 2) an inverter to generate 115V AC power from the battery, 3) an AC charger to recharge the battery from an AC outlet or generator, and 4) a solar charger controller.

The item 4 above allows you to easily connect a PV solar panel to get juice from the sun. The solar charger does not add much to the system cost, and it gives the name "solar generator" to this type of compact power source.

I do not own any solar generator but have followed their development with interest. You can find a lot of these on Amazon and see reviews of them on YouTube. I will defer to the YouTubers who actually test out these units, and even open them up to look at the quality of construction. It looks like the OP already encounters these videos, and the amount of info can be bewildering.

I wish I could be of more help. Happy shopping.
 
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Tailgate said:
Looking for a battery home backup system (not gas or solar) that can deliver some power during short periods of outages. TV, fan, frig, lamps and other small appliances are only appliances that we might use, so it should be fairly portable and not installed in-line with the home wiring.

Have seen some units ranging from 1k to 3k price range that look promising...
Click to expand...

Are you sure you wouldn't consider a portable gas/propane generator, which seems tailor made for what you need? Costco has a 4000W Firman dual fuel unit on sale for $600 (starts Mar 9).

We have a similar size generator that did all you are asking plus more during the 50 hours our power was out in last year's TX Feb Grid Failure.
 
REWahoo said:
Are you sure you wouldn't consider a portable gas/propane generator, which seems tailor made for what you need? Costco has a 4000W Firman dual fuel unit on sale for $600 (starts Mar 9).

We have a similar size generator that did all you are asking plus more during the 50 hours our power was out in last year's TX Feb Grid Failure.
Click to expand...
Just for curiosity, I googled this brand and got a hit that Southern California Edison is offering rebates on some of these units if you live in certain zip codes.
You might want to check with your utility company before making a purchase to see if they might be offering any rebates on generators or portable power stations.
 
OP here...thanks for all the replies thus far. Gas/propane is not being considered for a number of reasons. Should be AC rechargable with solar option, portable, as compact as possible. Just enough power for frig, tv , fans and lamps for an 8-10 hour period before having to recharge.
 
Tailgate said:
OP here...thanks for all the replies thus far. Gas/propane is not being considered for a number of reasons. Should be AC rechargable with solar option, portable, as compact as possible. Just enough power for frig, tv , fans and lamps for an 8-10 hour period before having to recharge.
Click to expand...
You need to figure out how many watt hours of storage you need. The fridge would be the biggest drain so find an amp rating on it, then estimate the percentage of time it will run. Lamps will all need to be LED.


A Killawatt device can measure power usage over a period of time to help with the estimate.


https://www.pge.com/includes/docs/p...ning/pec/toolbox/tll/appnotes/kill_a_watt.pdf
 
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RetiredAndLovingIt said:
Just for curiosity, I googled this brand and got a hit that Southern California Edison is offering rebates on some of these units if you live in certain zip codes.
You might want to check with your utility company before making a purchase to see if they might be offering any rebates on generators or portable power stations.
Click to expand...


Recently, I read something about CA going to ban all small gasoline engines. And this includes portable generators too, if I am not mistaken.
 
corn18 said:
Jackery sells some nice units that the folks on diysolar.com seem to like. About $1 / Wh, which isn't bad at all.

https://www.jackery.com/products/explorer-1500-portable-power-station

Will you just put it in your house and plug things into it?
Click to expand...


Yes, with these portable power sources, you just plug an appliance into it, as long as you do not exceed the power rating. A large fridge may draw 500W running, but the startup power may be 1500W or higher.

The 1800W rating is the same as what you can draw from an 115V outlet. You can run a microwave, or a portable induction cook top, an Instant Pot, a toaster oven, etc..., but one at a time.

The real limitation is the 1500-Wh battery capacity. This will run the above appliances for 1 hour total, or a fridge for 3-4 hours.
 
Last edited:
Tailgate said:
OP here...thanks for all the replies thus far. Gas/propane is not being considered for a number of reasons. Should be AC rechargable with solar option, portable, as compact as possible. Just enough power for frig, tv , fans and lamps for an 8-10 hour period before having to recharge.
Click to expand...

travelover said:
You need to figure out how many watt hours of storage you need. The fridge would be the biggest drain so find an amp rating on it, then estimate the percentage of time it will run. Lamps will all need to be LED.

A Killawatt device can measure power usage over a period of time to help with the estimate.

https://www.pge.com/includes/docs/p...ning/pec/toolbox/tll/appnotes/kill_a_watt.pdf
Click to expand...


Yes, most people find out that they need a bigger battery than they think.

My large 30-c.f. draws more than 5 kWh over a 24-hr period. My smaller fridge that we do not open the door as often draws 2.5 kWh in a day.

A device that can run a single fridge over 24 hours is not cheap.

Here's a BLUETTI set up with 6 kWh. It runs $6,400.

https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Gene...417142&sprefix=solar+generator,aps,260&sr=8-6
 
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Thanks everyone... ordered this 8 00 watt unit and the corresponding solar panel for right at 1k. I think it will do the job


BLUETTI POWER BANK
 
Tailgate said:
No recent mentions on my forum searches about power banks.



Looking for a battery home backup system (not gas or solar) that can deliver some power during short periods of outages. TV, fan, frig, lamps and other small appliances are only appliances that we might use, so it should be fairly portable and not installed in-line with the home wiring.



Have seen some units ranging from 1k to 3k price range that look promising, but I don't know how to really evaluate them. Most brands are not familiar or have other mainstream products that are well known for quality. Lots of YouTube and online reviews are helpful, but I'm hoping someone on the forum has some expertise that can point me in the right direction.



Sorry for the ramble... TIA for your advice.
Click to expand...

I guess what you mean by "short" outages makes a difference. If the power is out for just a few hours or even a half day, you really don't have to worry about the fridge or the freezer as long as you are not opening and closing the doors frequently. The fridge is insulated enough to keep food from unfreezing or spoiling for such short periods.

All I have and have needed in 11 years in a rural area that is prone to brief outages is a small UPS that I use for my internet modem and internet phone. So if the power goes out I have internet and phone for a little bit. Also have cellphones, flashlights, etc.

The biggest concern would be heat if the outage occurs in winter during a below zero temperatures, but then I would have a friend go in and start a big fire in the woodstove to keep the building above freezing.
 
Tailgate said:
No recent mentions on my forum searches about power banks.



Looking for a battery home backup system (not gas or solar) that can deliver some power during short periods of outages. TV, fan, frig, lamps and other small appliances are only appliances that we might use, so it should be fairly portable and not installed in-line with the home wiring.



Have seen some units ranging from 1k to 3k price range that look promising, but I don't know how to really evaluate them. Most brands are not familiar or have other mainstream products that are well known for quality. Lots of YouTube and online reviews are helpful, but I'm hoping someone on the forum has some expertise that can point me in the right direction.



Sorry for the ramble... TIA for your advice.
Click to expand...

I know two guys on the mainland who have nat. gas systems. Both have been reliable and relatively inexpensive - except for "routine maintenance." I think I would at least investigate this option along with battery back-ups. YMMV
 
Koolau said:
I know two guys on the mainland who have nat. gas systems. Both have been reliable and relatively inexpensive - except for "routine maintenance." I think I would at least investigate this option along with battery back-ups. YMMV
Click to expand...
One can buy small inverter generators now that operate off natural gas, propane or gasoline. The first two fuels are ideal as they don't go bad like gasoline. I just put a Tee fitting on my gas meter and installed a quick connect, though one could use the BBQ tank as well.


Hope the OP finds the Bluetti adequate for his needs.
 
The inverter generators are preferred because they only run as fast as the electric draw requires. They're much quieter and efficient than those old Briggs & Stratton construction generators that run at full throttle all the time.

And inverter generators are getting bigger. Champion has a 8750 watt unit with electric start and remote control that should do a great job hooked up to a home.

I'm big on having any generator properly wired into any house. There have been too many electric company linemen that have been electrocuted from power coming thru generators not wired correctly.
 
We have a 3000 watt goal zero yeti, and they do make now a 6000 watt-hr version. It is a 2000 watt pure sine inverter (I think 3000 watt surge?)

The 6000wh would power quite a bit of smaller stuff for quite some time and it is plug and play with a warranty.

Costco sometimes has the 3000 watt YETI on sale with 200 watts of solar panels for $2700, which is $300 less than the mormal price of the YETI by itself. I think it can support 600 watts of solar into its MPPT charger.
 
^^^ The 6-kWh Yeti runs around $6K. It weighs 106 lbs, so the portability is the same as that of a big generator.

You can buy a 6-kWh LiFePO4 battery for $2500, and wire it to a 3-kW inverter/charger for $700. The functionality is the same as the above Yeti for less money.
 
NW-Bound said:
^^^ The 6-kWh Yeti runs around $6K. It weighs 106 lbs, so the portability is the same as that of a big generator.

You can buy a 6-kWh LiFePO4 battery for $2500, and wire it to a 3-kW inverter/charger for $700. The functionality is the same as the above Yeti for less money.
Click to expand...
I agree, one pays a lot for the pretty plastic cover on the so called "solar generators".
 
REWahoo said:
Are you sure you wouldn't consider a portable gas/propane generator, which seems tailor made for what you need? Costco has a 4000W Firman dual fuel unit on sale for $600 (starts Mar 9).
Click to expand...


We have 10KW (8KW running) Fireman multi-fuel from Costco with a transfer interlock switch installed at the breaker box. We were able to start that thing in below zero rain! This larger unit has battery start.
 
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