I am in the process of building a backup system for two rooms in my home, my computer office and the master bedroom. In the event of a power failure, I hope to operate on battery for up to 12 continuous hours.
I currently have a battery and a 1K/2K pure sine wave inverter that I can operate my computers for 4.5 hours. I am using a smart charger connected to the grid to recharge the battery.
I will be moving the batteries into a tool shed with the inverter and running wires into the house for power. I will be adding solar power and, hopefully, wind power this Spring. I am also working on acquiring a gas generator so I can charge the batteries and power the heater system and two refrigerators periodically as needed for long term power outages.
I will be building power panels in the room so I don't tie directly to the electrical wiring in the house. (I just learned about the electrical code issues of connecting to internal wiring, even if it is separated from the main breakers.)
==== Additional Information ====
Solar power has been an interest of mine for a few years now. I have researched and read a lot about it and understand its costs and limitations, especially for my area.
What actually triggered my taking action on it was when my computer UPS went out and I started looking into replacing it with one that will last for several hours. I already have a battery charger so I bought a marine battery and a pure sine wave inverter that keeps my computer up for over 4 hours. It cost about the same as a modified sine wave UPS that would only last about 15-30 minutes under the same load.
Because the price of Solar cells is falling, I have also planned on adding solar to my system. I have designed a cat porch to extend out my office window that is just the right size to mount two 100 watt panels on for rain cover. The panels will get about 4 to 5 hours of sun in the winter and even more in the summer.
I live in an area where we get lots of wind. I expect that a small vertical style windmill could provide a reasonable amount of electricity to help charge the batteries.
Eventually, I hope to take both my bedroom and computer office completely off the grid for the majority of the time, and backed up by the grid as necessary.
I currently have a battery and a 1K/2K pure sine wave inverter that I can operate my computers for 4.5 hours. I am using a smart charger connected to the grid to recharge the battery.
I will be moving the batteries into a tool shed with the inverter and running wires into the house for power. I will be adding solar power and, hopefully, wind power this Spring. I am also working on acquiring a gas generator so I can charge the batteries and power the heater system and two refrigerators periodically as needed for long term power outages.
I will be building power panels in the room so I don't tie directly to the electrical wiring in the house. (I just learned about the electrical code issues of connecting to internal wiring, even if it is separated from the main breakers.)
==== Additional Information ====
Solar power has been an interest of mine for a few years now. I have researched and read a lot about it and understand its costs and limitations, especially for my area.
What actually triggered my taking action on it was when my computer UPS went out and I started looking into replacing it with one that will last for several hours. I already have a battery charger so I bought a marine battery and a pure sine wave inverter that keeps my computer up for over 4 hours. It cost about the same as a modified sine wave UPS that would only last about 15-30 minutes under the same load.
Because the price of Solar cells is falling, I have also planned on adding solar to my system. I have designed a cat porch to extend out my office window that is just the right size to mount two 100 watt panels on for rain cover. The panels will get about 4 to 5 hours of sun in the winter and even more in the summer.
I live in an area where we get lots of wind. I expect that a small vertical style windmill could provide a reasonable amount of electricity to help charge the batteries.
Eventually, I hope to take both my bedroom and computer office completely off the grid for the majority of the time, and backed up by the grid as necessary.
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