BIG battery backups units like jackery or Bluetti, anyone have them?

[jo-jo]

We have a smallish gas generator. Would like to get a smallish battery/ solar one. I’m looking at a few that are in the 1000 -1200 watt range. And can be expanded. Aside from cost, weight is also an issue. These seem to be in the 35 - 40 pound range, not including extra pack. That’s about my limit.

Sometimes we lose power for a few hours, something we can just plug into would be great for short term use. The big issue with gas generator is dealing with the cords from it to appliances since you can’t have it too close to house. And we hardly ever lose power on a nice sunny day. Dealing with gas generator during a rain storm isnt fun.

 

[_19disnA]

We have a gas/propane generator to use when the power happens to go out. We had an electrician wire in a separate circuit to route the power through the main panel. This eliminates the need to run extension cords all around and way more convenient. With any type of generator, you need to think about how much power you need and how convenient it would be to use.

Seen that solar unit advertised a lot on TV. Not sure how much power it provides or for how long. Bad storms usually mean it is overcast so also not sure how much power those solar panels would provide. If the unit only runs on some small internal battery, have to consider how long it would last/how much power it can provide and how often you need to keep it charged in anticipation of the next outage.

 

[fla4fun]

I’m looking at the solar idea as well. My concern is getting enough battery storage and having that storage in a safe place. After seeing how electric cars react when the batteries get wet, I don’t want my house to go up in flames. Ideally, I would want to be able to run my AC and major appliances for up to a week or more if a hurricane hits. We have been extremely lucky as far as power goes after a storm, probably because our supply lines are buried. But there is always a risk.

A house down the street just got solar panels installed on their roof in August. It’s pretty ugly, if you want the truth, but since the front of their house faces south that’s where they had to put them. Fortunately my home faces north, so they would go on the back side of the roof. Maybe I will get brave enough to stop and ask about them the next time I see someone outside. We don’t have natural gas available in our area and we can’t have propane tanks large enough to power a generator, so that leaves solar as the only viable option.

I have also considered the smaller portable units for the occasional outage to be able to run a lamp and some fans. It’s rare for us to have an outage that lasts longer than a couple of hours. I have seen some that you can keep charged up using a regular electric outlet and then switch to solar panels if necessary. There are a lot of options out there and I look forward to seeing if anyone here on the DIS has used them.

 

[_19disnA]

Battery backup in general can be expensive and you have the issues mentioned above about where to safely store the battery when not in use. They seem more practical for camping in some remote area or perhaps use when tailgating at a football game. Solar panels would be a pricey option to run a backup generator that may sit idle for several years waiting on the next outage.

Most portable generators use gas and some can use either gas or propane. All of these are really an insurance policy for when your power might go out. You have to consider how often power might go out in your area to consider the various options. Most portable generator websites have a place where you can estimate your power requirements so you purchase the appropriately sized unit.

 

[sam_gordon]

I would want to be able to run my AC and major appliances for up to a week or more if a hurricane hits.

I would think a battery only generator to run that kind of load for a DAY would be rather expensive, much less a week.

 

[jo-jo]

I don't want a whole house , super heavy load. We don't lose power that often. Looking for sump pump OR Fridge OR Freezer. I can live without AC, coffeemaker or dryer. I mean short term, not forever LOL.

All the items mentioned need about 800 running watts and about double surge.

In 45 years, the longest we had off was 4 days when a transformer was hit and only a handful of houses were affected. We were told then, they fix the areas that help the most people came first. We were on the end of the list. Usually we lose power 2-4 hours once or twice a year. A few more times, we may lose power for 5 mins to an hour, but that's mostly due not to weather. But if it's raining heavy heavy , 15 mins without sump pump could be a mess. Having a battery backup mean plugging it in within mins. At best, getting the gas generator out of garage, gassed up, cords laid out is 20- 30 mins. We don't keep it gas in it since its only used maybe once a year. We had another one for 20 years and used it only a time or two.


So basically, if we have battery back up for immediate use, we have the gas generator for longer use.

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't want a whole house , super heavy load. We don't lose power that often. Looking for sump pump OR Fridge OR Freezer. I can live without AC, coffeemaker or dryer. I mean short term, not forever LOL.

That's not what you said before however, which prompted my response.

I suggest looking at the power draw for each specific model and then you'll know how large a generator you need. Doing a quick google search shows refrigerators take 300-800 watts, and sump pumps 800-1000w running, but 3000-4000 for start up.

 

[kdonnel]

This is where EV with V2L (vehicle to load) or V2H (vehicle to home) excel in usefulness.

Instead of having to maintain a generator or backup battery, you just plug your car into your home during the outages. Too many times the generator doesn't work when needed because homeowners don't perform regular maintenance on something that is not in their face everyday.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/...-evs-how-does-it-work-and-which-cars-have-it/

Not many EV have V2X technology but it is seen as an important feature to be included in future models.

A 60 kWh battery in an EV could power the average american home for 2-3 days during an outage.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I would think a battery only generator to run that kind of load for a DAY would be rather expensive, much less a week.

This. You're not going to get AC and large appliances for long with even whole house battery backup. We have solar that supplies a good portion of our electricity, and 2 tesla powerwalls for backup. When the power goes out, we turn off things like AC/heat, dryer, stove, etc that consume the most energy. But we're good with fridge/freezer, lights, fans, charging devices, computers, tvs, coffee pots, microwave, etc.

 

[barkley]

I don't want a whole house , super heavy load. We don't lose power that often. Looking for sump pump OR Fridge OR Freezer. I can live without AC, coffeemaker or dryer. I mean short term, not forever LOL.

i took a look at the jackerys a couple of months ago and they are NOT cheap. they also don't provide a massive amount of power for a long period of time. i have a generac 'whole house' which in actuality is NOT whole house b/c you have to pick and choose what you want wired in to match the power load your model provides. i was looking at the jackerys b/c our hot tub is NOT wired in and we lost our last hot tub b/c power went out during below freezing temps. it was cold enough that the water in the pipes froze and burst. we bought a sump pump when we bought our new hot tub so we can do a fast drain and while the outlets immediatly near the hot tub are not on the generator we decided can snake an extension cord from one of outlets that are generator active.

like you i'm not comfortable with the idea of storing active charged batteries so that one one deterant on the jackerys, but also the running time was not very long and they seem to be designed for very short term or low wattage uses (camping stove, radios and such).

 

[barkley]

Too many times the generator doesn't work when needed because homeowners don't perform regular maintenance on something that is not in their face everyday.

must not be the case around us b/c we get ours serviced once per year and servicing appointments can take over 2 months to get unless you time it right (we call in early august). an investment into a whole house costs too much not to spend around $200 to get it serviced. mine does an automatic test run 1x a week so hearing it kick on is a constant reminder.

 

[kdonnel]

must not be the case around us b/c we get ours serviced once per year and servicing appointments can take over 2 months to get unless you time it right (we call in early august). an investment into a whole house costs too much not to spend around $200 to get it serviced. mine does an automatic test run 1x a week so hearing it kick on is a constant reminder.

I was specifically taking about portable generators. People buy them, fire them up once, and put them away.

 

[jo-jo]

That's not what you said before however, which prompted my response.

I suggest looking at the power draw for each specific model and then you'll know how large a generator you need. Doing a quick google search shows refrigerators take 300-800 watts, and sump pumps 800-1000w running, but 3000-4000 for start up.

I’m not sure where I said about needing a ton of power.

But I also don’t see needing three to four times the wattage for start up .

 

[jo-jo]

I was specifically taking about portable generators. People buy them, fire them up once, and put them away.

That would be more like us. I would think those with yearly service are the whole house ones. Not the keep the fridge and a lamp going type.

 

[kdonnel]

But I also don’t see needing three to four times the wattage for start up .

That is how electric motors, pumps, etc work. They for a very short period of time draw way more power than when running.

Most portable generators advertise their watt output based on their surge capacity, not their run capacity.

Edited to add:
Many times when a whole house generator is installed a soft start kit will be installed on the AC. The soft start kit is more capacitors to provide the needed boost to get the compressor going so the generator can run the AC.

 

[sam_gordon]

I’m not sure where I said about needing a ton of power.

You're right. I'm sorry, I confused you with another poster who said they wanted AC and major appliances for a week.

But I also don’t see needing three to four times the wattage for start up .

As mentioned, that's how motors work. You should be able to research your specific brand/model to see what it's requirements are.

 

[_19disnA]

Using a standby generator should be thought of as something used in an emergency when the power happens to go out. Generally things like AC which uses a LOT of power would not be considered something essential. Whole house generators (Generac is a typical brand) if large enough could run everything in your home, but clearly the cost would be much larger then various standby choices like these. Battery/solar type units appear to be a LOT more expensive then these typical models.

 

[jo-jo]

That is how electric motors, pumps, etc work. They for a very short period of time draw way more power than when running.

Most portable generators advertise their watt output based on their surge capacity, not their run capacity.

Take this Jackery for example...

High-powered Performance: Jackery 1000 Plus Power Station delivers an impressive 2,000W rated output and 4,000W peak power, capable of running your essential devices, including electric grills, coffee makers, and more. Equipped with Dual PD 100W and multiple output ports (2*2000W AC, 2*USB-A, 2*USB-C, and 1*DC car port), this solar generator charges multiple devices (Macbooks, tablets) quickly and also simultaneously.

Or a Bluetti...

[Power All Your Needs] - The AC180 boasts 1800W output and 11 outlets to handle almost anything you plug in. With a tap on the BLUETTI App, you can give it a boost to 2700W for your higher needs.

So I'm reading these as 2,000 and 1,800 running wattage with 4,000 and 2,700 for start up power? That's not what they are saying? I've seen charts of 1/3 hp sump pump 600 -800 with about double or so needed for start up. How far the water is lifted would also factor in, but I thought either of these units would work.

 

[jo-jo]

Using a standby generator should be thought of as something used in an emergency when the power happens to go out. Generally things like AC which uses a LOT of power would not be considered something essential. Whole house generators (Generac is a typical brand) if large enough could run everything in your home, but clearly the cost would be much larger then various standby choices like these. Battery/solar type units appear to be a LOT more expensive then these typical models.

View attachment 803075

Yes, this is a once in a while thing, not like it's hurricane season, I'm bound to lose power 8 times for days on end in the next 4 months.

 

[sam_gordon]

Take this Jackery for example...

High-powered Performance: Jackery 1000 Plus Power Station delivers an impressive 2,000W rated output and 4,000W peak power, capable of running your essential devices, including electric grills, coffee makers, and more. Equipped with Dual PD 100W and multiple output ports (2*2000W AC, 2*USB-A, 2*USB-C, and 1*DC car port), this solar generator charges multiple devices (Macbooks, tablets) quickly and also simultaneously.

Or a Bluetti...

[Power All Your Needs] - The AC180 boasts 1800W output and 11 outlets to handle almost anything you plug in. With a tap on the BLUETTI App, you can give it a boost to 2700W for your higher needs.

So I'm reading these as 2,000 and 1,800 running wattage with 4,000 and 2,700 for start up power? That's not what they are saying? I've seen charts of 1/3 hp sump pump 600 -800 with about double or so needed for start up. How far the water is lifted would also factor in, but I thought either of these units would work.

NOtice the Jackery has 2x 2000W AC outlets. So let's say your sump pump uses 800W after a 1600W start up. So that's one AC outlet on the Jackery (you need to allow for the startup). The items they specify "grills, coffee makers, Macbooks, tablets) aren't really high volume devices.

And, check YOUR sump pump for how much power it wants. If it's over 2,000W at start up (for example), that Jackery won't handle it. Same with the Bluetti.

I also note neither of those say how LONG it will run (obviously depends on the load).