Best Electric Generator For Back-Up Power.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I will take a wild guess and assume that Dave Houndriver has an aircooled 6.5kw generator running at half capacity which is about as efficient as it's going to get for an air cooled generator at 100 pisos per hour for fuel. You have to remember that aircooled engines have good power to weight ratio and generally are less expensive to build, they were not chosen because they were the most efficient. Daves generator also probably has an alternator that has has to generate a field to produce power, the least expensive kind to build, and not a permanent magnet alternator which does not have to generate a power hogging electromagnetic field before it can start making power.

 

I am sure you know your stuff.  I no longer have the gennie as I sold it to someone who was not on a tight budget like me.  I meant i rode out a large part of the aftermath of the Typhoon with no power and no aircon.  Natural disasters can happen anywhere (even Manila as one poster commented) and they seem to be more frequent in the Philippines than in rural Canada.  I HATE the thought of living here with the power grid down so I shall keep an eye on threads like this one and I appreciate the people who share their knowledge for us common folk to learn from.

 

I DID look into the idea of water flowing from high to low and creating hydro power.  With the extreme slopes around here that will be a good plan for many rural dwellers.

[robert k]

Thank you Dave, you praise me too much, I have just learned from others and look for real world applications.

 

Nobody has brought up other means of storage of energy, basically a custom battery with a much greater reservoir, perhaps the equivalent of 20 batteries or more. If you had a way to charge it and only used it when there was a brownout, you could store a large amount of energy gathered for a month from even a weak source, small solar, wind or diverting a small head of water to a small pelton type wheel generator. Most batteries are made small so they are portable, there is no need to restrict yourself so much when you don't have to move the battery, except for convenience.

 

Something else that has not been brought up is wood gas or a steam engine, me because I'm sure it would be labor intensive and need tending, but they were common at one time around the turn of the century when people needed power away from what little grid there was at that time.

[Thomas]

I see air conditioning as the killer

So better try to build so aircon isn't needed   :)

Dang Robert, I can readily see your other sides: surveyor, earth mover, custom builder and off gridder. I would love to see your fortified home....he, he.

If I can afford it, I aim at building the bottom floor (=garage and "cellar" but above ground) as a "fortress", and the second floor as a common bungalow  :)  150 sqm or so, with a big "terass" only reachable from the second floor, with parapet railings strong enough to stop common bullets. Carport under the terass suiting to put clothes to dry at, and to put car when being to lazy to use the garage   :)

And a dream would be to have a connected tower too, with a third floor as last defence reserve place, but normaly used as a relax place with stunning 360 all around view.

With electric backup  :) 

[not so old china hand]

Nobody has brought up other means of storage of energy, basically a custom battery with a much greater reservoir, perhaps the equivalent of 20 batteries or more. If you had a way to charge it and only used it when there was a brownout

 

 

How about 24 of these to create a 48v battery bank?

 

They would allow you to run air conditioning and just about everything else for a week.

 

However:

 

The battery bank would weigh about two tons and cost 30K dollars. To give an idea of the size: a single cell would just fit under the counter top in my kitchen. You probabaly wouldn't need to worry about thieves unless they have a fork lift truck :Policeman:

 

When I was researching batteries for the junk Surrette were always quoted as the benchmark for deep cycle batteries. It was generally said that their equipment would last for at least 20 years. Rolls guarantees them for ten years.

 

Hi Jake

To answer your questions about how to measure battery capacity and how to tell when a battery has been fully discharged, these are the most detailed, transparent, and specific figures I have seen from any manufacturer. You can see the knees at the bottom of the discharge curve when the voltage suddenly drops: this is when the lights go dim.

 

Cheers Terry

2YS31P.pdf

Edited May 23, 2014 by not so old china hand

[Jake]

Hey guys,

This topic is hot because we are all thinking about preparations for the next major calamity that is so

prevalent in the Philippines.  This island chain is also part of the Pacific Ring of Fire with Mt Pinatubo

erupting in 1991.  It was reported that it had more explosive force than Mt St Helen in the state of

Washington.  

 

Personally, my most likely scenario is to survive away from the danger zone, which could be an area

of a whole province or small island.  Besides the family bug out bag, back up power has to be light-

weight, portable (with handles) and fuel efficient.  Of course, carrying an armalite would help me to

survive as well.....he, he.

 

Terry.....thank you for showing me that graph.  I could see the avalanche point where the load starts

to blink or fade out (perhaps 10.5vdc).  I guess I shouldn't wait too much longer after that.  I need to

immediately switch over to another fully charged battery.    

 

Respectfully -- Jake

 

[robert k]

A battery is not rocket science and yes you will pay top dollar for a turn key deliverd system from a major named marketer like rolls.  I'm sure the battery described is made of space age materials, I'm talking concrete with a liner and a truck battery. Maybe you could find the right composition plastic barrel and cut it in half and make two 25 gallon high capacity batteries from two truck batteries.  You are talking industrial quality, I am talking easy replacement of parts. My unit can weigh 10 tons (although it need not be) because it will be built on the spot, by me. Consider one cell with a truck battery for it to charge and discharge through, with 25 gallons of elecrtolite. How many gallons of elecrtolite do your multiple batteries contain? Especially since they are so full of those pesky lead plates, taking up considerable volume because they can't have the capacity because they were designed to be easily portable. Give it some thought. I think the battery tank would be a project within the capability of anyone who could also figure out a way to charge it with solar, wind, carabao on a turnstile, whatever gets you there. There have to be chemcal supply companies in the RP, so there should be a source for barrels, somewhere.

[Dave Hounddriver]

A battery is not rocket science

 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/engineering/human_space_vehicle_systems/energy_systems_test_area/battery_systems/index.html

 

Those guys would differ with ya.   :hystery:

[robert k]

True, and the Baghdad battery that dates from around the time of Christ  tells me it may not be as sophisticated as all that, unless one wants it to be.