SAMLEX PST-600-24 DC-AC INVERTER PURE SINE WAVE 24VDC IN 120VAC OUT 600 WATT...

[mactech]

I have 6 of those equalizers. My batteries are all in great shape 3 years later.

 

[2Big2B]

While you can’t run a pair of 600 watt inverters in parallel, you can run them separate but io the same battery. One could provide power for a few lights, laptop computer, maybe a cable box or cable/DSL modem. Use the other one for a tv if its power requirements are less than 600 watts. A 100 ah battery will give you a few hours but you’ll need to conserve power since you don’t have any way of charging them without the grid. For cooking or heating canned foods, you’ll get much more bang for the buck with a small butane burner. Think of this as a camping trip without the mosquitos.

I am building a solar battery charger for my wheelchair that I can hang in my patio. I am probably the first to try that!!

 

[2Big2B]

This is not true as an absolute. 24V allows the use of smaller conductors.



Doesn't work like that. Each 120VAC power outlet of your home can supply at least 1800W of power, but you don't think twice about plugging a 10W light bulb into it.

Same thing with the inverter.

Besides, what I'm reading is that 40A is the maximum input current. 40A * 24V is 96W



Quality is a mixed bag, but some are better than others. One thing of concern is they all have high idle consumption and low efficiency.



There's nothing wrong with having more than one inverter. This unit would likely do very well to efficiently run a handful of lower power items. You can even connect multiple inverters to the same battery.



Making heat with batteries is a bear. I would take that off the table and look for a fuel burning camp stove/grill for grid-down cooking.



Budget limitations are tough for a project like this. It's best to start with a very specific goal, e.g., I want to power this, this and this for X hours per day and then design a backup system around it.

You are right. I happen to have a single burner propane camping stove that would work in stealth...

 

[HarryN]

If you start with good quality AGM or LiFe batteries, wire them in parallel, and then charge / discharge them a few times, they will essentially turn into a matched set. After that, you can run them in series up to the suppliers data sheet for voltage.

The two main challenges are that most people buy cheap batteries and don't take the time to run a few charge / discharge cycles to match them up.

Dual pro and a few others build battery balancers.

 

[HarryN]

Battle born makes a 24 volt LiFe battery in case that is at all useful. I have had good luck with their products in general. Double check that the discharge / charge rates meet your needs.