Stand alone power supply help?

[Jamesdrums]

Hi all,

Im a drummer who needs a stand alone power supply in my garage for my practice studio. Unfortunately getting the garage hooked up to the main power supply is not an option, so ill need a stand alone power source.

Ill be powering a single light bulb, a 3Kw fan heater/cooler, a hifi system and hopefully in future a computer - so nothing too big. Ive just started looking at generators, which look a bit expensive and potentially noisy, and have just read about solar powered rechargeable batteries, perhaps I might get two of them and have one on charge while the other is being used?

Any thoughts/suggestions on those or alternative power supplies that would to the job would be a great help.

cheers,
James.

 

[winston1]

3Kw plus is pretty big for portable power. You'd need some pretty substantial batteries and lots of solar panels.
I would look at an alternative for heating, maybe a portable gas heater and cylinder.

 

[flameport]

Battery powered light
Portable gas heater
Car stereo & 12v battery
Laptop computer

 

[Taylortwocities]

Portable gas heater inside a garage with the door closed?

Please take care if doing this http://www.calor.co.uk/documents/63...elines-for-the-safe-use-of-mobile-heaters.pdf

 

[ericmark]

With a narrow boat we tried using a cheap modified sin wave inverter to get power from the three 160AH batteries already fitted rated at 3kW with 6kW peak cost around £170 and was a flop. It gave out expensive blue smoke and was returned under warranty at a cost of £85 by time customs duty added and the second one also went faulty.

Also many items don't like modified sin wave so talking at least £400 for inverter better at 24 volt than 12 volt at least 2 batteries more like 8 but a 160AH traction battery (vehicle is no good) costs at least £200 each so ball park with out even looking at solar panels is £800 so clearly a generator will be far cheaper.

Generators again come in many flavours and the inverter generator will vary speed according to load so at light load it only ticks over where the non inverter type will always rev at 1500, 3000, or 6000 revs according to type and noise can be a problem.

For 3kW again price tag can easy reach the £3000 mark but noisy one start at around £300 so you really do need to rethink on the 3kW heater.

Using non electric heating then it is a completely different scene. I use a cheap modified sin wave 150W inverter in car to run lap top and yes this works well. Below 3kW there are some cheaper generators A quick look 1kW inverter generator £278.50 since inverter type although 64 dB(A) at 1/4 load running light it would be at tick over so noise much reduced. The larger 2kW model likely less noise.

Solar panels will cost more than generator by time you add cost of battery.

 

[Jamesdrums]

Hi guys - this is all really useful, thanks v much.

Yes, i agree - I need to rethink the 3kW heater. The space im heating up is only small, approx. 6'10" height x 5' width x 7' length, its essentially a room made of stud walls that id put inside the garage where i live (room within a room type job). So I might go for a 500w fan heater perhaps if that seems like a good idea?

Im not sure a petrol/diesel powered generator would work for me as im in an enclosed space (in the drumming studio) and the generator at best would be outside of the studio, but inside the garage - filling it up with petrol/diesel fumes, right?

Ive just seen these inverters http://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/khxc/gbu0-prodshow/VP2000.html?gclid=COrj2p7ttroCFXMRtAodsRcAvQ that are powered by solar charged batteries - do you think that this set up could work - with one set of batteries on charge while others are being used? Im pretty much a beginner at all this stuff - so apologies if any of these ideas just wont work - please let me know!

cheers,
James.

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[riveralt]

Im a drummer who needs a stand alone power supply in my garage for my practice studio. Unfortunately getting the garage hooked up to the main power supply is not an option, so ill need a stand alone power source.

Is there a reason you cannot run cable to the garage?
Although, having said that, a noisy drummer would probably invite someone to cut the cable (with rubber handled shears of course)

 

[JohnW2]

Yes, i agree - I need to rethink the 3kW heater. The space im heating up is only small, approx. 6'10" height x 5' width x 7' length, its essentially a room made of stud walls that id put inside the garage where i live (room within a room type job). So I might go for a 500w fan heater perhaps if that seems like a good idea?

I think you really need to forget about any sort of electrical heating. Even with 500W, a standard car battery (via a fairly expensive inverter) would probably not even give you one hour's heating, and it would then probably take days, if not weeks, for even a very expensive solar set-up to recharge it. As has been said, heat with gas.

Im not sure a petrol/diesel powered generator would work for me as im in an enclosed space (in the drumming studio) and the generator at best would be outside of the studio, but inside the garage - filling it up with petrol/diesel fumes, right?

... and far worse - you would almost certainly die. If you used a generator, it would have to be 'outdoors'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

Why on earth would need heating?

 

[ericmark]

2000W at 85% at 12 volt = 200 Amp. To be able to draw this current I would guess at least 2 x 160Ah batteries any less and likely you will end up buckling the plates even 2 cutting it a bit fine.

So with say a 1000W load (4 Amp) you will get somewhere like 3 hours maximum before needing recharging and keeping to the only use 60% of battery around 2 hours.

Next problem is recharging something like a 50A three stage charger will just about recharge for next day.

So as well as your £379 you will also need two 160Ah batteries approx £400 and a charger another £350 cable I would go for twin 35mm at 50mm really hard to work with isolators and your looking at well over £1000 to set it up more like £2000 with good kit.

Then you have to lug these batteries back home for charging again not easy.

I would say step one ditch any idea of electric heating unless you go for a generator. Water cooled exhausts and piped outside is really the way to go.

Wispergen do some really quiet generators they use a Sterling engine I did not say anything before as they are not cheap. But being an external combustion engine they are very quite.

 

[winston1]

So with say a 1000W load (4 Amp) you will get somewhere like 3 hours maximum before needing recharging and keeping to the only use 60% of battery around 2 hours.

No way. 320 Ah batteries are 320Ah at the 10 hour rate (32 amps) or maybe even the 20 hour rate (16 amps). At high rates the capacity falls rapidly.

 

[securespark]

I have a different scenario, but I use a leisure battery for my gear.

I go camping & use the battery via an inverter for lighting small LED BC lamps, running air pumps, charging mobiles and lappies etc...

If you just use if for the stereo and laptop and light, you shouldn't need huge batteries, especially if you get LED lamps like mine.

Obviously there are losses with the inverter there and you would need to charge the battery.

I have a 300W inverter (also has USB output) that was £40 and the 110 Ah battery was £90.

Cheapest I found was here, but when I bought mine, it was the cheapest for that brand.

http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/110-ah-platinum-leisure-battery-6110l/

Only worry is the weight of the battery. Trudging across fields with it is a pain...

If your garage is (well) detached, it'll be the same!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why on earth would need heating?

Because some drummers are cool?