Power Backup help

[biferi]

I live in the USA and my Living Room Outlets give 120 Volts at 15 AMPS so 120 x 15 = 1,800 WATTS.

Now I was thinking if the Power ever goes out the only thing I realy need to run is my T.V. DVD Player my Lamp.

So would I be right that if I did get a Portable Electric Generator for my Living Room and it can supply 1,800 WATTS I would be ok and can run just my Living Room?

 

[Mr RB]

An 1800W portable generator should provide enough power to run your TV, DVD player and a lamp or two.

It might be safer to have the generator OUTSIDE and run an extension lead inside to the living room.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Due to the recent north eastern power outages i've been reading up on this a bit more too. They are saying the generators should be at least 25 feet from the house and not near any entrances.

Interestingly, i've also read now that it's a national law that you can not bring a propane tank that is over 1 pound into the house...it must stay outside. They state that the fire companies will not enter a home that has a propane tank over 1 pound so that's part of it i guess.

 

[crutschow]

I find your choice of critical devices that you need to power, interesting. So you don't need to run the refrigerator or furnace?

 

[MikeMl]

I had a 3 day power outage last winter. I back fed my electric panel, and was able to run the following with a 6500W genny:

1.5HP Deep well submerged water pump.
Big Refrigerator
Rinnai Gas heaters
Misc lights
TV set
Laptop

Could not run the electric hot water heater.

 

[dr pepper]

Your tv depending on age will take about 2 or 300 watts, dvd about 10, lamp if low enery about 10, so a 600w genny would probably do the trick, and might be more economical.
Look at the rating plates on your devices and add them up, they should all say how many watts they need.
You could if you get lots of power cuts just get a tv/dvd player with a built in battery, I have one for the boats, it lasts 4 hours of a charge, and then just have a battery powered fluorescent lantern, might work out cheaper.
Gen sets being engine powered obviously put out noxious gases, namely carbon monoxide, however I dont think you've any intention of running one in the house!
Your house insurance might frown on a genny being inside the house, even for storage, due to the quantity of petrol.

 

[Reloadron]

About 20 years ago with my mother-in-law's health failing and us doing home care I decided to invest in a small generator. My fear was during a power outage we would rapidly find ourselves in trouble with the machines being added.

To keep things simple I went with a small 4,000 watt (5,000 surge) unit. One consideration was I wanted 240 VAC out so I could easily connect to the house mains input. I discovered that 4 KW was more than adequate for all essentials including the blower for the gas fired heat. I set up a small "Pony Station" outside where the generator was connected in times of need. I back fed the main breaker panel and despite needing a checklist to get things going it worked out very well. Always keeping fresh gasoline around was annoying and adding Stabil was annoying but things worked. That little generator was a life saver. During one major outage we even shared power with a few neighbors.

I still have that little 4 KW unit but years ago during major home renovations we installed a whole house 18 KW unit (I got a good price on it) that runs on natural gas with fully automatic transfer. We lose power and within 10 seconds we are back up and running.

Anyway, I like the small units around 4 KW that can deliver 240 VAC making interfacing to the house easy. It's that or run extension cords in a pinch.

The yard is all fenced today but this is the new unit during construction:

**broken link removed**

Ron

 

[dr pepper]

Nice installation.
Good point on petrol, after a few weeks it starts to degrade.
Diesel keeps for years, however a diesel gen will cost you more and can be hard to start when its really cold.
One thing about bigger gens the engine/gen tend to be better quality items and last longer, probably because larger sets tend to be owned by the more discerning user.

 

[biferi]

Ok here is what I need help understanding?

I found a Document on E How on the Internet on how to make a Small Genarator with a 9 Volt Car Battery and an Inverter and a Motter.

It says just get a Motter with the same Voltage spec as the 9 Volt Batter.

Hoock the Battery up to the Motter and then you turn the Motter Shaft it will Charge the Battery up again. And yes I know it is Spinning a Magnet in a Coil of Wire to make Electricity.

And then it says to run Home Devices off of it just Hook up an Inverter to the Battery to Change the DC to AC.

I get all of this but I do not understand on thing the Battery is 9 Volts the House Outlet is 120 Volts and the Outlet is 15 AMP I do not think the Car Battery is 15 AMP.

What am I not understanding?

 

[crutschow]

Standard car batteries are 12V, not 9V.

Car batteries can deliver 50A or more but they can't do it for very long. If you need 15A @ 120V, which is 1800W of power, that would require more than (15*120)/12 = 150A from the battery and one battery would only last a few minutes. 400W would require greater than 400/12 = 33A from the battery which might last an hour at that current.

 

[Reloadron]

Ok here is what I need help understanding?

I found a Document on E How on the Internet on how to make a Small Genarator with a 9 Volt Car Battery and an Inverter and a Motter.

It says just get a Motter with the same Voltage spec as the 9 Volt Batter.

Hoock the Battery up to the Motter and then you turn the Motter Shaft it will Charge the Battery up again. And yes I know it is Spinning a Magnet in a Coil of Wire to make Electricity.

And then it says to run Home Devices off of it just Hook up an Inverter to the Battery to Change the DC to AC.

I get all of this but I do not understand on thing the Battery is 9 Volts the House Outlet is 120 Volts and the Outlet is 15 AMP I do not think the Car Battery is 15 AMP.

What am I not understanding?

OK without getting into the details Carl was kind enough to mention the Internet is loaded with all sorts of How To generator suggestions. Unfortunately most of them either do not work well, work at all or cost more than they are worth.

As to actual generators that are portable low power and gasoline fueled maybe something like this from a local Home Depot or similar store?

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This Briggs & Stratton 3500 Watt portable generator is ideal for all of your basic home back up needs. When your power goes out, don't be left in the dark. This unit provides you with a Briggs & Stratton 1150 Series OHV engine and 4 gallon fuel tank, allowing you to run up to 8 hours at 50% load. There are 2 120 Volt - 20 Amp outlets as well as one 120 Volt - 30 Amp RV outlet. The handle and wheels allow for easy maneuverabilty.

3500 Running watts / 4375 starting watts
Briggs and stratton 1150 series OHV engine with power surge alternator
2 - 120-Volt - 20 Amp outlets1 - 120-volt - 30 Amp RV outlet
Wheel kit
Click on the “More Info” tab to download the specifications pdf to view the wattage requirement guide
MFG Brand Name : Briggs & Stratton
MFG Model # : 030547
MFG Part # : 030547

You do not mention a price range? There are many cheaper units available from Harbor Freight for example.

Another option is an Inverter which would for example convert 12 Volts from a battery to 120 Volts 60 Hz household line power. Basic inverters do not quite mimic house power as they normally output a "modified sine wave" rather than a regular sine wave form. More expensive inverters do deliver a 60 Hz sine wave. However, the conversion comes at a cost and for higher power unless you have a large battery supply the batteries will run down very quickly (this as Carl points out) unless you have a means to keep them or it charged. Additionally inverter systems use deep discharge batteries similar to those found on boats and Recreational Vehicles. Different animal than a car battery. Inverters here in the US are sold by everyone from Radio Shack to distributors like McMaster Carr Supply. Also Lowes and Home Depot carry them.

The easiest solution to your problem is likely a small portable gasoline driven generator in the 2,000 to 4,000 watt range.

Ron

 

[mhmoss]

sandy

the little briggs looks interesting,engine made in usa.seems like briggs can lay around a long time and still work;not sure about the others which all look similar and chinaeese. problem with briggs is it is 120v. can the 2 120volt outlets be pigtailed to produce 240v?

 

[kinarfi]

the little briggs looks interesting,engine made in usa.seems like briggs can lay around a long time and still work;not sure about the others which all look similar and chinaeese. problem with briggs is it is 120v. can the 2 120volt outlets be pigtailed to produce 240v?

Most likely NO, but you probably don't need 240 v any way, any thing that needs 240 v also needs more power than the generator can supply, so add a 2 pole 20 amp breaker to you panel and tie the outputs together and to the generator. If power fails, off with the main and on with the 2 pole 20 amp and start the gen.