Finding The Right Batteries

[Billoncho]

On 1/5/2016 at 8:57 PM, Huggybearman said:

I am also one of the 'wimps' who does not handle brownouts very well. We have our fair share of power outages here and they can last up to four hours. My good lady teaches English over the internet for a Taiwanese based school so it is important that the internet is protected in such circumstances. So I knocked together a UPS which has a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter running from two locally sourced 12v 100 amp/hour deep cycle, maintenance free batteries. These are wired in parallel to provide 12 volts and 200 amp hour capacity. They are permanently connected to a four stage 'intelligent' charger which keeps the UPS charged and the TV, three pedestal fans, cable TV box and internet are permanently run off it. In the event of a brownout I also attach a couple of LED table lamps and that keeps us entertained and comfortable for about four hours. All the equipment which runs off the inverter totals around 300 watts. At 12 volts that amounts to around 25 amps current draw. It is not a good idea to discharge your batteries below around 50% state of charge, to prolong their life, so my 200 amp hour capacity will give around four hours at 25 amps down to 50%.
So, to answer the OP's question, to run a 1500 watt inverter would require a current draw at 12 volts of around 125 amps. So ideally you would need around 500 amp hour of battery capacity to run 1500 watts for four hours. That would need to be doubled to protect your batteries down to a 50% state of charge. So around a 1000 amp hours of battery capacity would be needed. I have fitted a battery monitor called a Smartgauge which indicates the state of charge so I don't go below the desired 50%. Another thing to bear in mind is the continuos rating of the inverter. On start-up some equipment have an initial current draw considerably in excess of their rated power. An example would be a 1HP air conditioner. Its continuous rated power would be around 900 watts but on start up could be three times this.
It is also important to use deep cycle batteries. Automotive batteries are built differently, for a different purpose, and their life will be very short lived if used for running an inverter for any length of time.

For prolonged power outages I also have a little Honda Eu10i inverter generator which is very economical and quiet in operation. The gennys you can buy cheaply in the likes of Ace Hardware are very noisy, and use a modified sine wave which is not suitable for all types of equipment.


Ken

 

 

Hi Ken, Thanks for your post. I'm an expat currently teaching English in Taiwan and I plan on moving to the Philippines with my family and teach online also. Glad to see it's being done. It's been recommended that I use PLTD. Which provider do you use? I need a 10 mbps download speed and 2 mbps upload speed minimum. No problem here in Taiwan but I've heard it's hard to get good internet there. I'll also want to get the UPS setup like you have with a small Honda generator just in case.
Thanks again.

[hk blues]

I'm not so sure about PLDT - where I live there is both Globe and PLDT.  PLDT seems to have more issues than Globe.  I reckon it's very much dependant on local situation so best ask the neighbours before deciding.

I do online teaching and have a simple by effective solution for the relatively rare brownouts we have - a cellphone powerbank and a 500php cable which boosts the 5v in the powerbank to 12V for the modem - supplied with the correct end connectors for both modem and powerbank.  Works a treat and has never let me down.  I also have a USB light which I use in a brownout.  However, you will be limited by the battery power of your PC but that can be resolved.  It's not an issue for me because I manage my schedule around the problem.  For online teaching using Skype video you will be OK with 3 mbps download and about 0.7 mbps upload.  The problem is the data limit as not all plans are unlimited - you will need to make sure your monthly data is enough or that you can top up as needed - I have 100 GB and usually need to top up another 50 GB towards the end of the month.

No generators allowed in my subdivision  so that's not an option for me. (Although some have but if they are too noisy complaints are made and the HOA get involved so It's a hassle). 

I should also add that brownouts are rare in my area and only last 1-2 hours when they do occur so we can get by.

[graham59]

I have '20 meg' PLDT fiber, unlimited (actually fairly consistent 27 up and down). 

Maybe I should  take up English teaching again ?  

[Huggybearman]

On 3/31/2019 at 4:48 AM, Billoncho said:

Hi Ken, Thanks for your post. I'm an expat currently teaching English in Taiwan and I plan on moving to the Philippines with my family and teach online also. Glad to see it's being done. It's been recommended that I use PLTD. Which provider do you use? I need a 10 mbps download speed and 2 mbps upload speed minimum. No problem here in Taiwan but I've heard it's hard to get good internet there. I'll also want to get the UPS setup like you have with a small Honda generator just in case.
Thanks again.

We have both PLDT and Globe. The PLDT is up to 50mbps and Globe up to 20mbps. PLDT is usually OK but has been unreliable on occassion so we have the Globe as a backup. In our experience PLDT customer service is pathetic and outages, though thankfully quite rare, can last for several  days before they get fixed.

Interestingly, even using a UPS, we lose PLDT internet about 50 minutes to an hour after a brownout. (assuming the brownout continues) Globe always seems to continue unaffected by brownouts. 

Fibre internet is not available everywhere so I would do some research as to what is available in the area you propose to live.

Ken

 

[Billoncho]

4 hours ago, Huggybearman said:

We have both PLDT and Globe. The PLDT is up to 50mbps and Globe up to 20mbps. PLDT is usually OK but has been unreliable on occassion so we have the Globe as a backup. In our experience PLDT customer service is pathetic and outages, though thankfully quite rare, can last for several  days before they get fixed.

Interestingly, even using a UPS, we lose PLDT internet about 50 minutes to an hour after a brownout. (assuming the brownout continues) Globe always seems to continue unaffected by brownouts. 

Fibre internet is not available everywhere so I would do some research as to what is available in the area you propose to live.

Ken

 

Thanks Ken,

Tuguegarao has fiber-optic plans. I'll get the combination like you guys have. Appreciate the help.

Billy

[GeoffH]

I have to agree with Huggybearman, we have Parasat cable (a local reseller of PLDT) and Globe Wireless at Home because to be honest neither works consistently enough just to have the single provider.  Several times one or the other has stopped working for several days and then just come good again.  

So far we haven't been unlucky enough to have both not working at the same time but if they weren't then we could hotspot one of the phones with a SMART SIM.

Edited April 2, 2019 by GeoffH

[Billoncho]

On 3/31/2019 at 9:31 PM, hk blues said:

I'm not so sure about PLDT - where I live there is both Globe and PLDT.  PLDT seems to have more issues than Globe.  I reckon it's very much dependant on local situation so best ask the neighbours before deciding.

I do online teaching and have a simple by effective solution for the relatively rare brownouts we have - a cellphone powerbank and a 500php cable which boosts the 5v in the powerbank to 12V for the modem - supplied with the correct end connectors for both modem and powerbank.  Works a treat and has never let me down.  I also have a USB light which I use in a brownout.  However, you will be limited by the battery power of your PC but that can be resolved.  It's not an issue for me because I manage my schedule around the problem.  For online teaching using Skype video you will be OK with 3 mbps download and about 0.7 mbps upload.  The problem is the data limit as not all plans are unlimited - you will need to make sure your monthly data is enough or that you can top up as needed - I have 100 GB and usually need to top up another 50 GB towards the end of the month.

No generators allowed in my subdivision  so that's not an option for me. (Although some have but if they are too noisy complaints are made and the HOA get involved so It's a hassle). 

I should also add that brownouts are rare in my area and only last 1-2 hours when they do occur so we can get by.

Thanks for the info. Do they gouge you much for the extra 50 GB? 

[hk blues]

43 minutes ago, Billoncho said:

Thanks for the info. Do they gouge you much for the extra 50 GB? 

It's only 99php to top up - and you can top up as often as you like.  Just a word of caution though, I recall another poster here saying he was not able to top up due to capacity limitations in his area so best to verify first if you are on a limited data plan.  

Reading all the posts above and in the past just confirms again that the comparison between Globe and PLDT is dependant on local condition - we probably have a loss of connection no more than once every 4-6 weeks and even then for no more than a few hours - we have never had an outage lasting more than 12 hours.  When  we have a brownout (infrequently) the modem is up and running again within 2-3 minutes.  Yet, a neighbour also with Globe has to wait 10-20 minutes to get going again! 

A tip - give the installation guy a small tip and get his mobile number - then you can call him direct if you have any issues.  It's the best way to get things fixed whenever you need it. 

 

[graham59]

I  have also retained my Smart SIMed wifi router with outdoor antenna... as backup.  

[bastonjock]

This might be a solution for lighting ,I've got a few if these security lights ,they are solar powered , if you use them outside make sure you get the ip65 rated ones

You could also fully charge one and use indoors,  manufacturer claims 12 hours continuous use