Old folk power out kit

[Bluedog225]

Good morning. I’m fresh back to austin from several days in houston with no power. No fun.

We stayed because the in-laws are old. And stubborn. .

They are also not able to move and deploy a decent sized generator or 5 gallon gas cans. Logistically, a natural gas genny would have to be in an unsecured location and would be stolen. Or in the garage with CO issues.

I think they can move a modest solar panel. Or I can mount it. And they can move a battery on a dolly if needed.

Cooking is natural gas. Water and natural gas are pretty reliable. Power is not.

I’d like to put together a simple emergency power kit for them. Comments welcome.

1. 12 volt battle born. Maybe get a cheaper/safer LFP. Do I really need a class T fuse? Or is an MRBF sufficient?

2. Bus bars, switch panel, 12 volt cigarette plug, usb ports, fuses, etc

3. Ryobi 12 volt charger, Ryobi battery packs, fan, lights, radio.

3. Single 300 watt panel.

4. Small victron mppt

5. Anderson power pole or mc4 plugs for panel to MPPT.

6. Multi meter, wire nuts, crimper, stripper, electrical tape.

This will get them lights, fans, phones, and radio.

I’m hesitant to include an inverter as they will try to plug in the fridge.

Any thoughts welcome.







-

 

[littleharbor2]

Good morning. I’m fresh back to austin from several days in houston with no power. No fun.

We stayed because the in-laws are old. And stubborn. .

They are also not able to move and deploy a decent sized generator or 5 gallon gas cans. Logistically, a natural gas genny would have to be in an unsecured location and would be stolen. Or in the garage with CO issues.

I think they can move a modest solar panel. Or I can mount it. And they can move a battery on a dolly if needed.

Cooking is natural gas. Water and natural gas are pretty reliable. Power is not.

I’d like to put together a simple emergency power kit for them. Comments welcome.

1. 12 volt battle born. Maybe get a cheaper/safer LFP. Do I really need a class T fuse? Or is an MRBF sufficient?

2. Bus bars, switch panel, 12 volt cigarette plug, usb ports, fuses, etc

3. Ryobi 12 volt charger, Ryobi battery packs, fan, lights, radio.

3. Single 300 watt panel.

4. Small victron mppt

5. Anderson power pole or mc4 plugs for panel to MPPT.

6. Multi meter, wire nuts, crimper, stripper, electrical tape.

This will get them lights, fans, phones, and radio.

I’m hesitant to include an inverter as they will try to plug in the fridge.

Any thoughts welcome.






This Blue Seas fuse will work great for your purpose. Mount it right on the Pos. terminal of the battery.

This Blue Seas fuse will work great for your purpose. Mount it right on the Pos. terminal of the battery.

 

[Rednecktek]

Just a few thoughts:

What are you trying to power? A fridge is usually pretty high up on the needs list so a small inverter might be a necessity.

Can you permanently mount a couple used panels in a good location without it getting stolen? Nuts & bolts & 2x4's?

Stay away from Battleborn, you're going to want capacity over over priced brand name.

Would it be easier for them to have a pre-built in the garage? I'm thinking a Pecron 2000LFP and extra batteries would be super simple and can just be strapped to a hand truck. DIY is fun and cheaper, but unless you're a DIY person, there is a pretty steep learning curve.

There's also some variation of a Solar Dolly with all sorts of different ports. I did a DIY battery so I could get 304ah in a 12v system and strapped everything to a piece of plywood on a hand truck. It was fun and semi-functional for what I needed it to do.

You can't really have too much panel.

 

[Q-Dog]

I have collected most of the bits for a power cart. Want to build a frame or maybe use a hand truck to mount 2 cheap 100ah batteries for 24 volts, 1200VA Victon inverter, 100/20 MPPT, 120v to 24 volt charging etc. Thnking a built in light would be handy. The idea is to use it mostly in our shed, but with the ability to drag it around the property if needed elsewhere. And doing 24 volts so if our main inverter fails we can tie in this one or scavenge parts to keep some power on.

We have a bunch of 100 watt panels that will be orphaned when I get the roof arrays finished. Haven't decided on that.

 

[littleharbor2]

Any way you can mount your propane genny in the garage and run the exhaust up and out near or on the roof?

 

[Brucey]

Good morning. I’m fresh back to austin from several days in houston with no power. No fun.

We stayed because the in-laws are old. And stubborn. .

They are also not able to move and deploy a decent sized generator or 5 gallon gas cans. Logistically, a natural gas genny would have to be in an unsecured location and would be stolen. Or in the garage with CO issues.

I think they can move a modest solar panel. Or I can mount it. And they can move a battery on a dolly if needed.

Cooking is natural gas. Water and natural gas are pretty reliable. Power is not.

I’d like to put together a simple emergency power kit for them. Comments welcome.

1. 12 volt battle born. Maybe get a cheaper/safer LFP. Do I really need a class T fuse? Or is an MRBF sufficient?

2. Bus bars, switch panel, 12 volt cigarette plug, usb ports, fuses, etc

3. Ryobi 12 volt charger, Ryobi battery packs, fan, lights, radio.

3. Single 300 watt panel.

4. Small victron mppt

5. Anderson power pole or mc4 plugs for panel to MPPT.

6. Multi meter, wire nuts, crimper, stripper, electrical tape.

This will get them lights, fans, phones, and radio.

I’m hesitant to include an inverter as they will try to plug in the fridge.

Any thoughts welcome.







-

A Victron 12/1200 should handle any fridge

BattleBorne equals very poor $ per kwh

An Ecoworthy 12V 280Ah is a nice 3?5kWh chunk of storage usually around $500 level

 

[Mattb4]

Don't take this wrong but I have found that if a person does not take on the effort themselves to setup a source of backup power giving them one will just result it not being maintained and not working when needed.

So if you build something that you wish to haul and setup for them during emergencies it can work. Just don't leave it with them.

 

[Brucey]

We have a bunch of 100 watt panels that will be orphaned when I get the roof arrays finished. Haven't decided on that.

I have 14 assorted 100W thinking of throwing on top of enclosed trailer. And then use one of my 150/35s.

 

[Bluedog225]

Some great ideas. Thanks!

I hadn’t thought of a cart instead of a dolly. Would be a lot easier. And a pre built deal might be a good idea as well. I’d forgotten about those.

And some fixed panels are maybe not going to get stolen.

The fridge is tough since it is old and requires so much power. I may need to invest in some newer tech.

I have a couple of leftover low use battle borns from the early days.

 

[Rednecktek]

There's also the idea of a Licitti box with some 280's in it. That's 12v, 120v, and USB all in a single box.

 

[Citlalatonac]

My dad was asking the same thing after the May outages in NTX. They have a lovely south facing roof, with a lovely giant pecan tree that shades the entire thing. So, actually putting in a rooftop system isn't going to be a great investment.

He'd just like to be able to power the fridge, some light, furnace controller, fans, usb chargers. Simple enough.

I think oversizing actually makes sense for 1 key reason, 25D credits. Any ESS needs >=3kWh to qualify. The extra power means able to use small appliances, and a buffer for cloudy days (like you can get after a storm)

Physically moving might be an issue with a 3,000w battery. They have wheels and handles, but 100lbs is 100lbs. My old folks can work with that, but your might not.

This EcoFlow kit from santan seems to have it all covered. https://www.santansolar.com/product/ecoflow-delta-pro-3600wh-w-1-5kw-solar-panels-kit/

I also found this Jackery on costco's website cheaper than the ecoflow, with similar functionality. https://www.costco.com/jackery-expl...-two-100w-solar-panel.product.4000255282.html
I dont think the 200W of panels it comes with would be sufficient for several days of blackout. But you can pick up a pile of used panels fron santan that'll be fine for backup purposes.

Edit: Side note: Jackery's website is amazingly annoying and makes me not want to recommend anything they make.

 

[45North]

Better to just move them out of Texas.
It's in a deep dark hole and will take a lot of time, money, and political will to fix.

 

[Rednecktek]

I dont think the 200W of panels it comes with would be sufficient for several days of blackout. But you can pick up a pile of used panels fron santan that'll be fine for backup purposes.

Wwwhhhaaa?? Are you implying that 200w of panels can't produce 3+ Kwh a day? That's crazy talk!

 

[Citlalatonac]

Wwwhhhaaa?? Are you implying that 200w of panels can't produce 3+ Kwh a day? That's crazy talk!

Eh, nothing said they need to make 3k. My thoughts are a 500Wh battery might not be enough and with tax credit a 1,500Wh gen might end up more expensive than the 3,000Wh. I'd treat the potable panels as a nice bonus. It's just nice that the santan kit I linked has everything you need.

 

[pvdude]

natural gas are pretty reliable

Any way to use the natural gas for an automatic generator?
My cousin (confined to a wheelchair w/ MS) had some kind of Generac installed, powered by natural gas from the utility.
It is completely automatic, starts & powers the place when the grid goes down.
Automatically does a routine test cycle. A contractor comes out once a year to service it.

 

[Rednecktek]

Logistically, a natural gas genny would have to be in an unsecured location and would be stolen. Or in the garage with CO issues.

Generator in the garage with piping might be an option, but would be expensive.

 

[Rmart30]

If you cant do a whole home Lp or natural gas generator I would think building a 48v hand truck build like in Wills utube video for about $1700 + panels would be best.
$650 for the eg4 inverter, and right now can get a 51.2v server rack battery for $1000. the eg4 comes with battery cables.
BEENE Bros is in Mansfield texas and has good deals on panels. Hes on FB and utube.

 

[Bluedog225]

I

Any way to use the natural gas for an automatic generator?
My cousin (confined to a wheelchair w/ MS) had some kind of Generac installed, powered by natural gas from the utility.
It is completely automatic, starts & powers the place when the grid goes down.
Automatically does a routine test cycle. A contractor comes out once a year to service it.

I like the concept. But wonder what it costs?

 

[Rmart30]

Bluedog your looking at $5500-12,000 just for the generator. Then you have gas install and electrical install on top of that.

 

[Recovering EE]

Good morning. I’m fresh back to austin from several days in houston with no power. No fun.

We stayed because the in-laws are old. And stubborn. .

They are also not able to move and deploy a decent sized generator or 5 gallon gas cans. Logistically, a natural gas genny would have to be in an unsecured location and would be stolen. Or in the garage with CO issues.

I think they can move a modest solar panel. Or I can mount it. And they can move a battery on a dolly if needed.

Cooking is natural gas. Water and natural gas are pretty reliable. Power is not.

I’d like to put together a simple emergency power kit for them. Comments welcome.

1. 12 volt battle born. Maybe get a cheaper/safer LFP. Do I really need a class T fuse? Or is an MRBF sufficient?

2. Bus bars, switch panel, 12 volt cigarette plug, usb ports, fuses, etc

3. Ryobi 12 volt charger, Ryobi battery packs, fan, lights, radio.

3. Single 300 watt panel.

4. Small victron mppt

5. Anderson power pole or mc4 plugs for panel to MPPT.

6. Multi meter, wire nuts, crimper, stripper, electrical tape.

This will get them lights, fans, phones, and radio.

I’m hesitant to include an inverter as they will try to plug in the fridge.

Any thoughts welcome.







-

I'm not sure if depending on natgas is a prudent move. Wasn't natgas the predominant problem in the 2021 Winter Texas power system disaster?

The right-wing press had (falsely) claimed it was the windmills, but the primary reason was actually a failure of the natgas system.

Though fundamentally, it was a political problem. The "decision makers" had decided to *not* spend the money to fix the system after a very similar problem had occurred several years earlier.

An unbiased report by the UT Austin Energy Institute:

ERCOT Blackout 2021 | Energy Institute

energy.utexas.edu

 

[Bluedog225]

I'm not sure if depending on natgas is a prudent move. Wasn't natgas the predominant problem in the 2021 Winter Texas power system disaster?

The right-wing press had (falsely) claimed it was the windmills, but the primary reason was actually a failure of the natgas system.

Though fundamentally, it was a political problem. The "decision makers" had decided to *not* spend the money to fix the system after a very similar problem had occurred several years earlier.

An unbiased report by the UT Austin Energy Institute:

ERCOT Blackout 2021 | Energy Institute

energy.utexas.edu

Good point. It was on fact nat gas. The operators are in a tough spot because protecting against an extraordinarily rare freeze works against 110 eff summer temps. Heat tape type stuff, insulation, and other mitigation stuff being implemented. But slow, expressive, requires testing and maintenance etc.

 

[Citlalatonac]

The right-wing press had (falsely) claimed it was the windmills, but the primary reason was actually a failure of the natgas system.

Right wingers are literally out there tilting at windmills.

Good point. It was on fact nat gas. The operators are in a tough spot because protecting against an extraordinarily rare freeze works against 110 eff summer temps. Heat tape type stuff, insulation, and other mitigation stuff being implemented. But slow, expressive, requires testing and maintenance etc.

Dumb reason: many natural gas facilities hadn't submitted the paperwork to be declared critical infrastructure, rolling blackouts started, gas got shutoff, power plant shutoff, more blackouts, until the entire thing ground to a halt.

Dumber reason: sixty-seven natural gas facilities had submitted paperwork explicitly marking themselves non-critical to be shutoff first.

 

[xjaw4]

A USB power bank or a 12v jump start pack can run plenty of small items there are USB fans, headlamps and aa battery chargers. Going a bit bigger a counter top ice maker can be had for around $100 it would run on a tiny generator couple that with a cooler and you have a much cheaper way to keep some food cold and at least help with moraI. I have a 6 watt USB solar panel it came with a flashlight power bank for under $20, the panel is useful the flashlight broke.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsman-1000w-inverter-portable-gasoline-generator-gen1000i?cm_vc=-10005

SunStream Pro™ Combo Pack - SunStream Energy

The most reliable portable USB solar panel on the market. Delivers 1 full AMP of power for advanced portable electronics such as tablets, smartphones, batteries, and devices. Built for the harshest outdoor conditions. Unbreakable polycarbonate case design with tie-downs.

www.sunstreamenergy.com

 

[littleharbor2]

Generator in the garage with piping might be an option, but would be expensive.

Friends of mine have one in their garage. The exhaust exits up on their2nd story roof. I believe it's made of EMT tubing. Not crazy expensive.

 

[Rider]

If you're talking about emergency power while you're not around to get them hooked up, maybe a whole house battery system would work better. Turnkey, just install. There are a couple of products out there that will work. I opted for an Anker F3800 and will be installing their version of the Automatic Transfer Switch, 20ms cutover to backup. All critical circuits are on a separate sub-panel. This will provide immediate power backup.

I have an external generator plug on my main breaker panel. I've been in touch with Anker support. If you have a pure sine wave generator (I do), you can plug the generator in and turn it on. The Anker will go back into standby and recharge from the generator. When the Anker is charged, turn off the generator and let the Anker take over again.

It has inputs for up to 2400 watts of solar, so that would help extend the run time on battery during the day.

Yeah, I know it's not DIY. For an application like this, a compact, turnkey, no maintenance system could be a better solution.