Finding The Right Batteries

[Dave Hounddriver]

I am starting this topic on a whim.  Perhaps someone has already looked into this and would like to share knowledge:

 

Many of us complain of power outages that last 8 to 12 hours in many areas of Philippines.  This complaint has spawned a number of threads on alternate energy, off grid systems, and generator systems.

 

But if what we are really looking for is back up power for the times when the electric is out, how about just a battery or 3 that is hooked to a 1500 watt inverter and will store enough juice to last 8 hours?  I know it is practical because every RV back home has that system.

 

The batteries could be charged from the mains when the power comes back on OR go green and recharge them slowly with a solar cell.  The system would only draw down once every month or so during 'scheduled maintenance' or emergency line repairs.

 

So how many or what kind of batteries are needed to stockpile reserves for 8 hours at 1500 watts maximum steady draw?  Where would you buy them and how much would they cost?  Are there any RV sites where you could buy a system like that and ship it in a BB box? Any other suggestions?

[expatuk2014]

over here they are known as " deep cell batteries "

even CDR king sell them

[scott h]

As an intellectual topic Dave its fun to discuss this. But depending on the cost, can these things leak? Will they hold a charge after a long time of not being used? Do you need to buy a charger also? I am asking these questions because I honestly don't know.

 

Seems to me a bit of reinventing the wheel, I just googled Wilcon home depot and found gas generators for about 8k peso on up ( that was on line so I am sure there are cheaper ones out there) . I know we bought one 2 years ago before that typhoon hit Manila. Ran it for 3 days with no problems. Have not had to use it sense, we keep it in the corner of the dirty kitchen and the house boy starts it up every 3 months.

 

Fun to talk about, but is it a) cost effective, b) as safe as a gas generator and c) oh there must be a C but my brain is freezing up right now :cheers:

:cheersty:

[Dave Hounddriver]

Fun to talk about, but is it a) cost effective, b) as safe as a gas generator and c) oh there must be a C but my brain is freezing up right now

 

When you put it that way, a small generator may be more cost effective if you don't mind running to the gas station to fill it and if it does not cost too much in repairs and maintenance.  Of course there is also the noise factor and the inconvenience (with batteries you just flip a switch but generators often need a bit more setting up). 

 

I mentioned RVs in my last post.  Thinking back on it (I spent a lot of months living in an RV) almost all of them have battery and inverter backup for areas where you cannot plug in to the power lines and only the higher cost RVs have a generator.  Is that because batteries are cheaper in North America?  Or because generators are more expensive?  Or are the RV manufacturers seeing something that we are missing here?

[scott h]

Is that because batteries are cheaper in North America?

Could be that, and electricity is less expensive maybe.

 

Or are the RV manufacturers seeing something that we are missing here?

:bash:  This is me reaching through the internet smacking you up side the head Dave :mocking: . Come on, we are missing ALL KINDS of logical remedies here :hystery: .

 

a small generator may be more cost effective if you don't mind running to the gas station to fill it

 

Seriously I suppose a lot depends on what part of the country a person lives in. We here in Manila have had only one major outage in the three years I have been here, 3 or 4 days, I cant remember, our generator has a 1 liter tank I think, and I have a 1 liter plastic gas can. During our outage I only had to fill it up once. Ran it most of the day, enough juice for a couple of fans, our TV and DVD player, computer for some games I still have and a couple of lights at night. All the other outages we have had since, the power came back on before I could get the generator set up.

 

Now if I lived way out in the sticks someplace with regular outages, I might rethink my whole position.

[Jollygoodfellow]

There is a place that has inverters and links to deep cycle batteries on their site. Located in Cebu and Samar.  http://www.inverter.ph/

[Dave Hounddriver]

There is a place that has inverters and links to deep cycle batteries on their site. Located in Cebu and Samar.  http://www.inverter.ph/

Thanks,  I had seen the link to the battery.ph site before.  It seems to be one of those frustrating sites that says "We offer best price and good quality products"  and they give a lot of descriptions of batteries but do not show how much, or where to buy, or how to buy online.  Or if they do then it is too complicated for the average guy who wants to point and click and have a battery delivered  :hystery:

[manofthecoldland]

   After living with the 6 week power outage following typhoon Yolanda, the only electrical convenience I really missed then and  now when we have a brown out is the fan. Guess I could hook up a few car batts and a dashboard fan to get past that if I was disposed to do so, but I'm too lazy and koriput to bother. 

   Since we're cooking with the unaffected propane or charcoal stove, wife and me just switch to using candles, LED headlamps and flashlights when the general lighting fails. No big inconvenience. It seems to keep things fairly normal and running on schedule. I switch to my neglected books for  reading. We certainly don't miss the radio and television blackout. A generator isn't going to get my computer back up and on-line in most situations.. 

   We're lucky to live near the sea, with strong day and fair night breezes. Our bedroom is highly elevated and positioned to catch the winds. When they die though..... no good. Most nights, in the aftermath of the typhoon, we'd fall asleep with a traditional, time-proven hand fan providing relief.

   The hand-fan is an incredibly effective leverage machine. Your muscle energy input, when done properly and efficiently, is very tiny and you reap a very cooling airflow on your head, where much of your hot blood flow is channeled through the neck to the brain. Preindustrial people knew and used this traditional lore, along with other body cooling  practices for millenniums. I still like to have my wife pack a hand fan in her purse for situations where we have to sit w/o A/C for extended periods since I have a mesomorphic  body mass and usually wear long sleeves, pants and shoes in public.

   Power out.... I take a shower right away to draw out heat from my body mass. 

   If you have the money, have a low psychological or physical tolerance for heat discomfort.... by all means, buy a generator or set up a battery and regeneration system. Especially if you live in a concrete and steel house with limited natural breeze. I've been there and I've suffered when my A/C and fans shut down. Thats part of the reason that I don't mind going semi-traditional with hybrid bamboo and nipa. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

 If you have the money, have a low psychological or physical tolerance for heat discomfort.... by all means, buy a generator or set up a battery and regeneration system

 

And there is the problem.  Each of us has a different tolerance.  You may not realize that I also lived in the typhoon stricken area after Yolanda.  Gas for the generator was a HUGE problem in the first 3 weeks of the crisis.  Food and water were also critical but some supplies still available.

 

In that situation I would have been thrilled to have a battery pack that recharges with solar energy.  Even if there was not enough juice to operate 24/7 it would have been great to run my laptop (games only as Internet was down for weeks) and have a fan and a light at night.

 

I must not be the only one with 'low  physiological or physical tolerance as every boat leaving the island was sold out before the tickets hit the public window.  I know because I would have been the first one out if a spot was available.  I am just a little surprised to hear anyone making light of that typhoon.  It devastated a lot of lives.

[Jack Peterson]

 I am just a little surprised to hear anyone making light of that typhoon.  It devastated a lot of lives.

I Agree here but in my Experience, this comes from those that never experienced the Devastation.

 

JMHO