110 Volt Power

[Dave Hounddriver]

24 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Any suggestions from the members?

Yes, generators are inconvenient and need gas to run.  The current generation of battery back up systems is amazing.  You can plug the inverter into the wall so that it automatically charges the batteries when the power is on and instantly switches to battery power when the power goes off.  In addition, They will use battery power to augment the line power if you have a voltage drop outside your tolerance (which you can set).  You can choose how many batteries you want to use, and thus the output in wattage and duration of charge.  I had 4 batteries that would supply 3,000 amps for up to 8 hours.  That ran the fridge, air conditioner, lights, tv, Internet router and and anything else I deemed essential.  If there was a scheduled 12 hour brown out I would conserve on the A/C so the batteries would last 12 hours.

You can also add solar panels to the system if you get periods of long brownouts.  Then you can recharge the batteries during the day from the panels.  I never bothered with that part.  Quite a few expats in and around Dumaguete were using similar systems.

Edit:  My inverter looked like the one in this pic.  3,000 watts should be plenty for what you want but its common to run larger sizes or use double inverters.  Also, they say 3,000 watts but that is constant flow.  They put out double that for A/C start ups etc.  The one thing was not able to run on it was the on demand electric water heater.  Your imagination, budget, and battery pack capacity are the only limits.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Dave Hounddriver

[Possum]

39 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I am going to continue this topic, even though it might be a bit long on being appropriate?

Yesterday, the power grid dropped at about 3pm. It only returned today at 9am. There have been a number of power outages during the past 2 years we have lived here. I have had enough, so will soon stop by at the local Ace store to buy a generator. I want to buy one that is strong enough to power our refrigerator and freezer and maybe the A/C in our bedroom, along with other small gadgets that require charges... I am thinking it needs to supply about .500kw?

Any suggestions from the members?

The diesel generator I have claims to be 6.7KW and runs everything in the house. I 'think' I paid about 45000 for it but will ask the finance minister to be sure. Diesel because I didn't want to store  two days of gasoline. All the less expensive generators such as mine are 3600 rpm and noisy. One advantage to that is neighbors notify you quickly about restoration of power.

[Possum]

39 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I am going to continue this topic, even though it might be a bit long on being appropriate?

Yesterday, the power grid dropped at about 3pm. It only returned today at 9am. There have been a number of power outages during the past 2 years we have lived here. I have had enough, so will soon stop by at the local Ace store to buy a generator. I want to buy one that is strong enough to power our refrigerator and freezer and maybe the A/C in our bedroom, along with other small gadgets that require charges... I am thinking it needs to supply about .500kw?

Any suggestions from the members?

The diesel generator I have claims to be 6.7KW and runs everything in the house. I 'think' I paid about 45000 for it but will ask the finance minister to be sure. Diesel because I didn't want to store  two days of gasoline. All the less expensive generators such as mine are 3600 rpm and noisy. One advantage to that is neighbors notify you quickly about restoration of power.

[GeoffH]

2 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I am thinking it needs to supply about .500kw?

Any suggestions from the members?

0.500 kw is only 500 watts... that won't run more than a fan.

 

You'll need several kilowatts, depends upon how large your fridge and AC are.

[Tommy T.]

2 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

The current generation of battery back up systems is amazing.  You can plug the inverter into the wall so that it automatically charges the batteries when the power is on and instantly switches to battery power when the power goes off.  In addition, They will use battery power to augment the line power if you have a voltage drop outside your tolerance (which you can set).  You can choose how many batteries you want to use, and thus the output in wattage and duration of charge.  I had 4 batteries that would supply 3,000 amps for up to 8 hours.  That ran the fridge, air conditioner, lights, tv, Internet router and and anything else I deemed essential.  If there was a scheduled 12 hour brown out I would conserve on the A/C so the batteries would last 12 hours.

What was this system called and where did you purchase it? About how much was the cost?

 

[hk blues]

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, hk blues said:

You are always so helpful HK... Thanks!

[hk blues]

28 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

You are always so helpful HK... Thanks!

[Possum]

9 hours ago, Greglm said:

The diesel generator I have claims to be 6.7KW and runs everything in the house. I 'think' I paid about 45000 for it but will ask the finance minister to be sure. Diesel because I didn't want to store  two days of gasoline. All the less expensive generators such as mine are 3600 rpm and noisy. One advantage to that is neighbors notify you quickly about restoration of power.

Minister of Finance said we paid 58,000 including spare air and fuel filter.

[Dave Hounddriver]

10 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

What was this system called and where did you purchase it? About how much was the cost?

The system is a DIY backup battery system, designed from solar system parts.  There is no one I know who professionally installs them but there are many expats who have learned and shared knowledge on what to do.

The heart of the system is the inverter. I got mine from "MUST Energy" out of China and purchased through Alibaba, shipped to Dumaguete.  The price I paid was years ago so irrelevant today, (I am not 100% sure but my memory says I paid about 30K pesos delivered but that was in about 2018).  Here is the link to their Facebook page if you want to study it more.  I can only tell you that I had no problem with their product and I would by another if I was suffering short and continual brownouts.  https://www.facebook.com/mustsolarpower

The second most important parts are the batteries.  I bought four two 200ah batteries from a company in Manila who shipped to Dumaguete and I do not have the link.  Just do your research about what is the best value for your money.  EDIT  wifey tells me I bought 2 batteries which cost me a total of 25K pesos delivered to my door.  I think I meant to buy 4 but got cheap and only bought 2.  But they sure did the job.

The rest is just wiring and connectors which you can buy locally.  I get the idea you are a DIYer so you will figure this out. So all in, the cost to me was about 60K pesos but it worked so well I would have bought 4 batteries if I had to do it again.  Your electric bill will go up a bit as you are frequently recharging those batteries but the system is completely silent except for an occasional "click" when the power goes out and it shifts to battery.

There is no need to stockpile gas or diesel for this system.  If you are concerned about long term power outages you can buy plug n play solar panels OR a very small generator to recharge the batteries overnight.  Much cheaper and more efficient than the big generators.  BTW I had a big generator, at a different house, and I sold the generator.  No way I would choose a big genny over this system.

Obviously I am biased as I loved the convenience.  Whatever you choose, deal with those brownouts as they are unlikely to ever fix themselves.