# Back to battery basics



## bandana_gyrl (Aug 6, 2016)

I am by no means an aficionado when it comes to electricity but I am hoping that you all can give me some advice or point me in the right direction.

I own a 33' trailer that is hooked up to a park for electricity. Sadly we have brown outs about daily recently and my fridge and computer can't seem to stay powered. I need the computer for work so I can't really just do away with it. 

Brown outs are always during the day from 2-6 or 7 likely due to everyone's AC blowing. It can be off for anywhere between 10mins to a couple hours at a time. 

I was thinking it should be possible to have a set of batteries that are powered by the outlet and then they power the trailer. We lose power and the batteries carry the weight until it's back on. But for the life of me I can't seem to figure this out without the main power block being solar... I'm sure there's many missing pieces to the puzzle but any and all information would be appreciated.

Side note - generators are not allowed so this sadly is not an option


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

You can set up a battery bank and an inverter just like you would with a solar panel. Instead of a solar panel you can use a battery charger as your power source.

If it is a brown out it can burn out the motors on your refrigeration. The low voltage causes the motor to use more amperage which causes excess heat. The heat damages the motor. If it is a blackout you can get voltage spikes when the power comes back on which can also burn out appliances.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

As I use Inverters and batteries for power during a power failure, for allocated parts of my house, garage, and shop.

I also use one of these for a section of my house with items (computers) that I don't want to see power failures...









Difference between an inverter and a UPS is very simple. 
The inverter and the UPS are used to give your electrical and electronic appliances and gadgets backup power when there is an electricity failure .

The electricity backup from the UPS is *instant* and it does not let your electronic gadgets get switched off and the electric supply is continuous and that is why it is given a name UPS which stands for* Uninterrupted Power Supply. *

However, the backup supply of power from an inverter gets delayed, which causes your electronic gadgets to get switched off. This is the reason that most people use UPS to support backup of electricity to their* computers and other costly electronic* equipment.

On a UPS unit...
The one power cable of your UPS is connected to the power socket of your wall when the power is on. So, the UPS keeps on getting a regular power supply from the mains when the power is on. 
This AC power received from the mains power source continuously keeps on being converted to DC. This DC power keeps on charging the battery of the UPS in a continuous charging mode.

So, the battery of the UPS is always kept charged during the time when the power is there in the mains.

The output from the battery goes to the Sine wave inverter of the UPS. It converts DC to AC and this feeds the equipment. This makes it very clear that the power to your electrical gadget which is connected to the UPS is always supplied from the battery. 
Due to the power always being drawn from the battery to the electrical equipment, there is no time lag in case of electricity failure.

It is only the battery of the UPS which stops from being charged since there is no power in the mains. However, the backup power from the battery of the UPS keeps on being supplied uninterrupted till the battery is discharged and is no more able to supply the power to the equipment.

The internal battery , which is good for short times , 20 minutes or so, can be supplemented with larger external batteries for hours of run time if needed.

These are mainly designed for such equipment as computers, to prevent them from dropping out, and come in different wattage capacities.

Here is an example of a 1500W unit.
http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/produ...pmD5FPmcS6aQziqfvrpRphBdJSw_e1CmhfBoCsbLw_wcB

Just my 2 cents.

Jim


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

phideaux said:


> As I use Inverters and batteries for power during a power failure, for allocated parts of my house, garage, and shop.
> 
> I also use one of these for a section of my house with items (computers) that I don't want to see power failures...
> 
> ...


Plus the appliances are protected from voltage surge and brown out damage. Nice plan.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

phideaux said:


> As I use Inverters and batteries for power during a power failure, for allocated parts of my house, garage, and shop.
> 
> I also use one of these for a section of my house with items (computers) that I don't want to see power failures...
> 
> ...


 Do these UPS devices come in different sizes or price rages? This one on your link is $409.00.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Meerkat said:


> Do these UPS devices come in different sizes or price rages? This one on your link is $409.00.


Huge range in prices depending on what you need/want for power.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...5.TR12.TRC2.A0.H1.Xups.TRS0&_nkw=ups&_sacat=0


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

Yep, they come with inputs for 12vdc, 24vdc, and 48vdc that I'm aware of,

Keep in mind, the higher the DC volts the smaller wire can be used, 
1500W at 12vdc =125 amps =#1 wire, 1500W at 48vdc = 31 amps=#8 wire.

They will come in capacities of 200w and up,

Mine is 48vdc input, with cable made to hook into my 48v Utility vehicle, and parallel hook to my 48v golf cart,( approx. 1500AH of power) with 1500w capacity at 120vac output.

Just an example , a 100 watt light bulb would run 1500 hrs , approx., without recharge. 
I use all LED lights, so a 10 watt LED light (60W equivalent)would run 15,000 hours. That's nearly 2 years non stop for that LED light. 

You can web search any size , shape you want.

Prices range from $50 to thousands ..



Jim


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

hiwall said:


> Huge range in prices depending on what you need/want for power.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...5.TR12.TRC2.A0.H1.Xups.TRS0&_nkw=ups&_sacat=0


 Thanks for the link Hiwall.



phideaux said:


> Yep, they come with inputs for 12vdc, 24vdc, and 48vdc that I'm aware of,
> 
> Keep in mind, the higher the DC volts the smaller wire can be used,
> 1500W at 12vdc =125 amps =#1 wire, 1500W at 48vdc = 31 amps=#8 wire.
> ...


 Thanks Jim, I' trying to educate myself on the wireing now. Kit should be at store Monday. Many have explained the wiring to us so we think we know more about it,but still not quite there yet.

i was really getting confused but after 6 yr.s of tryign to get solar just ordered the kit which now I wish I had of got 2-240W panles instead of 4 -100W. But too late.


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