A decent size lithium battery also has the advantage of providing power for additional things when he needs it. The extra energy can be used to charge up flashlights or phones.
12VDC and system (battery and Solar) needed for wood stove exhaust extraction blower
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Rednecktek
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Yup, I threw that in earlier for lights and charging the phone for emergency alerts and so on.
Get1949
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To RedNeckTek Ohh, I can put them "on the porch?!" I thought I read somewhere that batteries do not like to be cold?! If I can get "5 days" of continuous usage then that's 7,200 minutes and it will only take me about 30 seconds to open the wood stove door and slide in some wood... (which is when I'd run the fan(s))! Perhaps I just need a charged up battery (via AC wall power)...and forget the solar...to get me through to enough time to survive a severe situation. And if it's a typical outage (we have a 4 day outage in the summer about 6 years ago) then a week is about expected. Thanks.
Is anyone else concerned (not worried) about long term power outages?!
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
You can put FLA and AGM batteries on the porch, Lithium doesn't charge below freezing. And if you just charge them from the wall you're back to your outage problem, so definitely pursue the solar setup to keep them fed. If you want to give them a little help from the cold, get an old cooler, punch a couple holes in the sides below the lid for ventilation and wires and stick the batteries in there. Some heat will be generated from the charge/discharge cycles and coolers are cheap and well insulated.
Besides, what fun is there in plugging it into the wall?
There's a reason my cabin is getting the full off-grid treatment. Doing solar at the house is really a waste of time and money due to geography and topology so there's no point in trying to supplement it at home. My 200w of panels can't keep up with the 5w standby draw of the inverter.
Besides, what fun is there in plugging it into the wall?
There's a reason my cabin is getting the full off-grid treatment. Doing solar at the house is really a waste of time and money due to geography and topology so there's no point in trying to supplement it at home. My 200w of panels can't keep up with the 5w standby draw of the inverter.
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Get1949
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Ha Ha... I 'luv' my little plug in the wall...!You can put FLA and AGM batteries on the porch, Lithium doesn't charge below freezing. And if you just charge them from the wall you're back to your outage problem, so definitely pursue the solar setup to keep them fed. If you want to give them a little help from the cold, get an old cooler, punch a couple holes in the sides below the lid for ventilation and wires and stick the batteries in there. Some heat will be generated from the charge/discharge cycles and coolers are cheap and well insulated.
Besides, what fun is there in plugging it into the wall?
What I meant was that if I charge up the batteries from the wall PRIOR to any outage--charge them and let them sit safe in the corner in my warm condo.... Waiting for the power outage 'hammer' to drop on my head. So if that be the situation, I can spend my funds on batteries (good ones) and hold off on the solar...as I figure out how society... goes (and too I might just be all too overly paranoid...ha ha ha).
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
If they're going to just be charged and set aside, you'll want to throw them on a trickle charger as batteries will slowly discharge themselves over time. Fortunately there's not enough current flow on a trickle charger to worry about gassing.
Granted, this is all based on what your power draw and fan needs are that will determine what your battery needs. Once you figure out exactly what you need for your fans and such, then it can be recalculated accurately.
Another option would be a charger you can plug into the jeep and clamp to the battery, even if it's as simple as a cigarette lighter plug and some battery clamps. Not the most efficient generator in the world by any stretch, but it would work.
Granted, this is all based on what your power draw and fan needs are that will determine what your battery needs. Once you figure out exactly what you need for your fans and such, then it can be recalculated accurately.
Another option would be a charger you can plug into the jeep and clamp to the battery, even if it's as simple as a cigarette lighter plug and some battery clamps. Not the most efficient generator in the world by any stretch, but it would work.
Get1949
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We're back at the fan amperage thingy again... looks like I've got a bit of work to do to figure this out...I have some small fans that have a USB connection that plugs into a laptop and I think they are 5 amps...naaa I don't know that? (I just plugged it in now...as I'm at the laptop punching keys...it runs pretty fast). I could put it up against the end of a 4"dia pipe...mummify it with aluminum tape (I'll try duct tape first to hold it in place). I hooked this up to a larger solar panel (it's about 18x24 inches...a small ANKER panel) and even in indirect light it took off and flew. I can then put an extra wood stove pipe I have laying around (but could be used in the real stove) into the end of one of the inlets in the pictures of the "Y" connect (sent/shown in previous emails) ...turn on the fan with solar light (or the laptop USB port), light a match to the stove end and see if it sucks in the smoke from a burning piece of paper!!!. It's MacGyver time... be back in a bit with the news...
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
USB is only 5v, if you plug it into a 12v source or a 20v panel you're going to be waay over-volting and burning up your fan in no time.
If you are spending the time and money (and space) for this setup get a couple of solar panels and a good SCC (solar charge controller). They store into not much space and you can move and deploy them into the areas that have sun.
Plus, if a power problem happens (not in freezing weather), you can make friends by letting people charge up their devices.
My thoughts get a couple of lithium batteries - once every six months or once a year, top their charge up. That way they are ready.
I used to live in a condo like that (all electrical) built in 70’s. One late fall there was a longer power outage (12 hours), most people left for motels - we stayed. It stayed surprisingly warm. I didn’t need to get anything out except flashlights and light the oil lamps.
Our emergency stuff: in my storage unit was a generator and a empty gas can. The fuel was in my car’s gas tank (plus all the temp abandon vehicles in the garage). A couple of extensions cords - power my fridge, plus 2 neighbor’s. And a camping stove for cooking (plus all of our other camping gear). Be sure and think about more than just heat.
Plus, if a power problem happens (not in freezing weather), you can make friends by letting people charge up their devices.
My thoughts get a couple of lithium batteries - once every six months or once a year, top their charge up. That way they are ready.
I used to live in a condo like that (all electrical) built in 70’s. One late fall there was a longer power outage (12 hours), most people left for motels - we stayed. It stayed surprisingly warm. I didn’t need to get anything out except flashlights and light the oil lamps.
Our emergency stuff: in my storage unit was a generator and a empty gas can. The fuel was in my car’s gas tank (plus all the temp abandon vehicles in the garage). A couple of extensions cords - power my fridge, plus 2 neighbor’s. And a camping stove for cooking (plus all of our other camping gear). Be sure and think about more than just heat.
Get1949
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RedNeckTek. Your idea is right on! Seeing as how testing this idea can not involve me lighting up a wood stove (here in the condo) what I did was to split the experiment in two parts. I tested the smoke draw issues (inside my condo next to my laptop) from inlet small pipe #2 to the outflow exhaust large pipe #3. Notice the small fan sitting on top of the solar panel had been taken apart to fit into the pipe end at #1 (I have about 5 of these little fans). The white stuff is just paper towel to take up the gaps (seal leaks) around the different size pipes and the black stuff is gorilla duct tape. With the apparatus sitting next to my laptop and the fan plugged into the laptop the fan forced air from #1 past the unseen end of #2 which is inside its larger pipe and then out #3 and when I lit a paper towel at the seen end labeled #2 the smoke DID get sucked into the end of the pipe at #2. The end #2 across to #3 needs to be visualized horizontal (hence the other picture of the same apparatus) as the actual stove would be to the left of the horizontal $2 pipe end. So IT WORKS! I actually lit a small piece of paper towel and while it was burning it got suck into the pipe and blown out the #3 end!!!!!!!!!! The next experiment was to test the solar panel. So I took the fan shown (on the ANKER solar panel) both outside and went to my Jeep and gave it the best sun position and turned the fan on.... It ran but not that good in fact it runs fast (about the same as when plugged into my laptop) for 9 seconds... then stops for 2 seconds and then starts again for 9 seconds. I believe this works but I might need a bit stronger solar panel or batteries or fan to combat wind issues or maybe two of these fans shown here... not sure though! ANYWAY. Good ideas and Kudos to you RedNeckTek!! Good advice!!
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Might I suggest you take a step back and define your goal here, is the goal to heat your condo, or to survive a long term winter power outage. If you want to survive and be reasonably warm there are alternatives, for under $1,000 you can buy a 100-150AH LiFePo4 battery, 400 watts worth of solar panels, a sub thousand watt inverter and an electric blanket, some LED lights, etc. Then you can use your wood for cooking on your patio with little risk of dying in your sleep of Carbon Monoxide.
A $60 Queen size electric blanket consumes about 100 watts of power on high, A king size can consume up to about 180 watts on high, A circa $300 LiFePo4 battery can provide provide circa 1280 watts of power, in other words it can run a 100 watt queen size electric blanket on high for about 12 hours before needing to be recharged, and a 150AH battery could run the same electric blanket for 18 hours. 400 watts worth of solar panels on a sunny winter day could recharge this 100 AH battery in about 6-8 hours depending on various factors, sure bigger battery and bigger solar array would be better, but will take up more room and cost more.
A $60 Queen size electric blanket consumes about 100 watts of power on high, A king size can consume up to about 180 watts on high, A circa $300 LiFePo4 battery can provide provide circa 1280 watts of power, in other words it can run a 100 watt queen size electric blanket on high for about 12 hours before needing to be recharged, and a 150AH battery could run the same electric blanket for 18 hours. 400 watts worth of solar panels on a sunny winter day could recharge this 100 AH battery in about 6-8 hours depending on various factors, sure bigger battery and bigger solar array would be better, but will take up more room and cost more.
A big buddy propane heater and a 20lb bottle of propane stores forever. It won't charge your phone, but it will keep you from freezing for a little over 3 days. That's what I used when I lived above 7000 ft in Colorado. In the desert now, my concern is running an air conditioner.
Get1949
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Hi, Just John... Yes, for you that's best... but I live in a condo and storing a pile of 20lb propane tanks INSIDE my condo is very problematic...in fact, I have stored 75 of the 1lb disposable canisters (last only about 3 hours per bottle) they are easily concealed, I have each wrapped in its own gallon plastic zip freezer bag, and then stored 15 at a time 5 Nutri-system Styrofoam shipping containers and them taped shut...and they are in my bedroom where I can smell them if anything leaks... I have never heated my bedroom (baseboard electric)...so it's the safest place. Thanks for the visual though and your help. I'm 73 and frankly, this is just an attempt at solving a possible problem... but for all those younger--if I have to go about using all this stuff then everyone else is in serious trouble! Thanks again
Get1949
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Stove is a 48 lb stainless steel camp stove with extra welds to seal it and a special door--it's small. The wood is stored in a cage and in a friends barn it is all oak, ash, mahogany...other hard woods from a special cabinet/furniture maker who allows me the scrapes which are usually around 14 inches long and look like small 2X4s--I have a truck load already...and more anytime I want it--All free.
I'd just go to your friends farm if shit hits the fan. With your type of ingenuity you would probably fend much better in a barn / farm than an apartment. I could take care of myself pretty much indefinitely on a farm, not so much so in an apartment.
Get1949
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To 740GLE and A.Justice--- Thanks for your ideas But I've already been tagged for an inappropriate posting (talking about things other than solar) so we should keep to the subject of using solar/battery power to get the best venturi draft (to extract exhaust fumes from a wood stove) using the smallest DC voltage fan (perhaps now using a computer 5 volt fan). I am now finding out that getting the venturi effect is a real fluid dynamics issue...AND, I'm not too sure ANYONE has even entertained doing this! But to quickly supply to your interest. The barn is down a steep hill and once it snows walking is the only way...Ooh you can drive DOWN but you'll NEVER drive back up and out!! The barn is over 100 years old and quite small and living there would be foolish...it won't work! Storing the wood there is doable but would be hard to get back...walking up hill with a box of it about 1000 feet up a steep sloping dirt (snow covered) road.
Get1949
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Hi, RedNeckTek...!
I saw this vid yesterday (surfing the YT) and not really...this guy is more interested in getting the most heat from his wood stove (his stove is much bigger and different than mine---his a typical mine stainless steel...and very small). I don't see where he is venting his exhaust gases (I'll guess behind the stove). I'll be using Solar or Battery power to run a small computer DC voltage fan into a larger pipe (cold air) and across an inserted smaller exhaust gases stainless steel (SS) pipe positioning it in such a way that the cold air will go across the SS pipe and cause a venturi effect to suck out the fumes from the SS pipe and exhausting it outside (really ALL this piping and fan will be located outside protected from the elements). My biggest issue now seems to be the arrangement of the cold air fan and pipe AND the SS pipe to get the best negative pressure (venturi) effect across the SS pipe end/outlet. I think I can fabricate one using a Tee fitting (say about 6inch to 6inch with a 4 inch 90 degree Tee...but I'm going to have to do some experiments some MacGyver-isums to test this out--- I might be able to use paper or cardboard tubes to do some low cost tests.
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
Nope, after I got into it a bit more I realized it was something completely different.
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