110 Volt Power

[Joey G]

15 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

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

maybe a typo here Tommy.    .500kW = 500 watts   definitely not enough

I have 2000W Honda... (1800 W, 2200W surge) big enough to run everything you mentioned...  but not at once.  Switching between appliances isn't that difficult... i.e. - unless you keep opening the fridge and freezer they don't both need to run full time....  it's a temporary solution to a temporary problem.  

The Honda EU2200 is an inverter generator... safe to run electronics.... often my internet router still has signal when power goes out.... so you can run the router, TV, and have internet as well.

And... make sure you always have fuel on hand... especially if the pumps at the station aren't working when power goes out.

Final note... most generators have a safety mechanism built into their oil reservoir for the engine. So if oil gets low... the generator won't start. I can't tell you how many people I know have torn their arm off trying to start their generator only to find out 3 oz. of oil in the reservoir was all they need.

 

 

[GeoffH]

6 hours ago, Joey G said:

maybe a typo here Tommy.    .500kW = 500 watts   definitely not enough

I have 2000W Honda... (1800 W, 2200W surge) big enough to run everything you mentioned...  but not at once.  

I really like the Honda invertor generators (the Yamaha ones are pretty good too), they're reliable and easy to get parts for, the down side is they're expensive for the rated power output.

Joey G is correct a 2000W Honda will run most household devices (individualy) but honestly I'd be looking at something larger than 2kw for household backup power.

Something around 5kw or maybe a bit more would be my guess.

[Tommy T.]

23 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

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.

 

Great information, Dave, thanks!! Yes, I am a DIY type. I purchased everything and installed a complete solar array system on the yacht, including inverter/charger unit, 4 x 4D deep cycle gel batteries (at about 150 amp/hours each), I think 180 watts of solar panels and controller, with a 90 amp alternator on the diesel as backup. It worked great and provided three days power for lights, refer, computers and more.

I contemplated doing something similar for this house when it was constructed, but funds ran dry then. Checking briefly online this morning I see that 4D batteries run close to 180-200 amp/hours each. I did the quick math - correctly hopefully this time - and that works out to around 4,000 watts or a bit less for two batteries. The air/con is the biggest drain for something less than 2,000 watts. The rest is much less for lights, refer, freezer, computers, modem and TV. I need to break out all the manuals and add them all up to be certain, but, so far it looks like everything could be on and still run less than 4k watts....but for how long? Like you suggest, I would likely turn off the a/c in lieu of a fan to conserve.

I am just a bit tentative about starting this project because I am certain I will need to chase all over town and maybe the country to source what I would need - you know, like when you go shopping for dinner here and need to got to three stores or more to find all the ingredients?

20 hours ago, GeoffH said:

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.

Yes Geoff, you are correct. Bad typo and not much research yesterday. Now I already know a lot more about the supply and demand...

9 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

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.

 

 

7 hours ago, Joey G said:

maybe a typo here Tommy.    .500kW = 500 watts   definitely not enough

I have 2000W Honda... (1800 W, 2200W surge) big enough to run everything you mentioned...  but not at once.  Switching between appliances isn't that difficult... i.e. - unless you keep opening the fridge and freezer they don't both need to run full time....  it's a temporary solution to a temporary problem.  

The Honda EU2200 is an inverter generator... safe to run electronics.... often my internet router still has signal when power goes out.... so you can run the router, TV, and have internet as well.

And... make sure you always have fuel on hand... especially if the pumps at the station aren't working when power goes out.

Final note... most generators have a safety mechanism built into their oil reservoir for the engine. So if oil gets low... the generator won't start. I can't tell you how many people I know have torn their arm off trying to start their generator only to find out 3 oz. of oil in the reservoir was all they need.

 

 

 

30 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

I really like the Honda invertor generators (the Yamaha ones are pretty good too), they're reliable and easy to get parts for, the down side is they're expensive for the rated power output.

Joey G is correct a 2000W Honda will run most household devices (individualy) but honestly I'd be looking at something larger than 2kw for household backup power.

Something around 5kw or maybe a bit more would be my guess.

I will have to check the budget. I may opt for a small solar panel farm to begin with but get the batteries, cables, etc. and inverter/charger first. That 16 hour outage the other day was the longest I've experienced since coming to the Philippines. I think I may pass on the generator for now, although I keep thinking that I could buy one and have it available instantly, whereas a total system would take a while....thinking....

[Dave Hounddriver]

10 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

The air/con is the biggest drain for something less than 2,000 watts.

I had a 1 HP aircon which seemed to draw 1,000 watts (double that when starting up)  Actually I had 2 x 1 HP aircons but only used one at a time.

[Tommy T.]

14 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I had a 1 HP aircon which seemed to draw 1,000 watts (double that when starting up)  Actually I had 2 x 1 HP aircons but only used one at a time.

Yeah... our most used air/con is in our bedroom and is a 2 HP model. I was calculating on the living room unit which is 2.5 HP which equates to less than 2,000 watts (actually, about 1870?) if my math is correct? And, as you pointed out before, the startup is much higher but a good inverter will supply that momentary surge. Our units all start up and run strong for initial cool down when set - as always - on automatic. As the room cools, they slow down a lot within less than an hour and they get super quiet after about 3 or 4 hours run time. I can't imagine it drawing anywhere close to 2.5 HP then, but I have not actually tried to confirm that.

[OnMyWay]

8 hours ago, Joey G said:

And... make sure you always have fuel on hand... especially if the pumps at the station aren't working when power goes out.

After the first hurricane season I went through in Florida, with three big storms, and long blackouts, I bought a good generator.  I had central air con and never hooked it up as a "whole house" system, so no aircon.  Worked fine with extension cords to the frig, TV, internet, fans, etc.

I had eight 5 gallon gas cans that would fit in the trunk of my car.  We were without power for almost a week after one big storm.  I drove 1.5 hours north before I found gas.  If somebody had rear-ended me on the way back, boom!

Reminds me of a scene that has stuck in my mind!  Before one storm, gas stations had lines of people filling up.  There were some "Florida Men" with a 55 gallon plastic trash can in the back of their pickup truck, filling it.  The station said nothing about the obvious safety problem.  I got out of there ASAP.

[Snowy79]

On 1/26/2023 at 9:39 AM, 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?

I'd be tempted to go down the solar route with back up Lifepo4 batteries. No need to worry about fuel, noise and moving parts. The climate here eats generators unless serious quality. 

[hk blues]

11 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

I'd be tempted to go down the solar route with back up Lifepo4 batteries. No need to worry about fuel, noise and moving parts. The climate here eats generators unless serious quality. 

I'd second that last sentence based on more than one of my neighbours' experiences.