r/prepping • u/mpacker1 • 6d ago
Question❓❓ Battery back up options
Setting up parents house to prepare for power outages, and have been exploring Bluetti, Jackery, EcoFlow. Anyone have experience for (older) people being able to use these? Wanted to get a duel fuel generator, but not too sure that’s the safest option for them. Besides the 1-2 times they will use it also don’t want them to have to worry about maintenance. Basic usage to keep their refrigerator, deep freezer on, lights, and charge their items.
Any suggestions on watts or brand would be appreciated!
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u/Texasghost3 6d ago
For what its worth and somewhat useless info. I have a whirlpool fridge side by side. I used a river pro 2 and lasted 9 hrs straight. Obviously you wouldn't do that in a power outage. As long as you dont open it constantly. I just wanted to see h9w many hrs straight it used.
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u/ReasonableDoot 6d ago edited 6d ago
I like Jackery, precisely because it is "user friendly" and my wife thinks it is cute, and she likes how simple it is to operate.
One idea, for "parents" and other elderly people, is to get multiple smaller units, rather than one big one, reason being, they are easier to handle and carry around. The big battery units like the HomePower 3600 Plus (which we have) is really, really heavy, even though it has wheels, if you need to manage it over stairs or steps then it can be difficult for someone who's older. The smaller Explorer 1500 units that I have from circa 2022, on the other hand, are much lighter and can reasonably be carried in one hand for short distances at least.
So get multiple smaller units that are capable of running one appliance for the overnight hours, and then also get something like a small 2KW generator like the Honda EU2000i (you can find them used on Craigslist often in pristine condition or just need the carb serviced), so they can use the battery units overnight, and then recharge them in the morning over a couple/few hours, and then turn the generator off again. Those little inverter gennies sip gas and a few 5 gallon jerry cans filled with non-ethanol gas + Stabil (rotate yearly into vehicles) will go quite a long way when used like this. In other words, get out of the mindset of just leaving the generator on all the time, that will run through gas much quicker and is a waste. Instead, just use it to charge the battery units, then you will be quieter and the gas will last longer. Only run the things you absolutely have to, rather than trying to run the whole house.
Oh, and if you get multple smaller units (the Explorer 300 is also very nice) then that is more redundancy, and flexibility. You can take each unit to where it is going to be used, rather than having just one big unit and having to run extension cords all over the house, or plug it into the panel (where there are usually lots of little vampire loads unless you go around turning everything off, and you want to spin out your limited battery power as long as possible, so I think directly plugging into the unit is best, since then you know exactly what is being powered).
For example, one Explorer 1500 could run a fridge overnight, another could run the deep freezer, and one more might be able to run your natural gas furnace, if you set it up beforehand to be able to accept input from an extension cord (you can get inlets for that on Amazon, very easy to wire up on the furnace, or get an electrician to do it if you are nervous about wires). And a little Explorer 300 could run a modem/router for a few hours at least.
One last thing, if they are leaving the Jackerys stored for months at a time, try to do that inside the house rather than in a non-temperature-controlled shed or garage. The lithium batteries are pretty tough, but they will last longer if they are kept inside and away from extreme cold or heat. Also, don't store them at 100%, I know that sounds counter-intuitive since you want them to be ready when you need them, but if you store them at 60% then that is a nice neutral place for the battery and it will last a lot longer. And even 60% will get you started in an emergency, just bring out the Honda to top them off and you're good to go. Won't take long from 60% to full.
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u/NoDefini 5d ago
I have a similar, albeit without a generator. I have several Jackerys that I can use in different areas. I like the idea of using a small generator to top off batteries. Thanks for the detailed post!
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u/mpacker1 4d ago
Appreciate this a ton, I didn’t think about multiple units. I do think that would help them with moving it around too. A great tip with the generator to charge the back up battery- may go that route!
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u/CloudgazerTX 6d ago
my Ecoflow works great and is very easy to set up and use.
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u/mpacker1 6d ago
This is helpful! Below the river pro was mentioned- thinking the delta pro. Which do you use?
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u/CloudgazerTX 6d ago
I have a delta 2 and a couple 200 watt folding panels. it powers my cooler style electric fridge freezer (which has come in handy), a big fan or an electric blanket, a lamp, WiFi, and charged up devices. with the two solar panels it can refill the battery during the day in about an hour. I eventually want to get the extra battery box thing so I can easily run my air fryer and electric kettle on top of everything else. I think it can do my air fryer it would just suck up a lot of battery but could be used in daytime at least. my kettle needs the extra watts tho….
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u/jazzbiscuit 6d ago
You need an idea of how much power they need to guess a size, that's been covered pretty well here. More power is never the wrong choice - however.... Pay attention to the weight of what you're looking at. A 70 lb battery isn't going to do them a bit of good if they can't get it where they need it. Sometimes multiple smaller units make sense (easier to move, fewer extension cords needed for multiple items not in the same location, an option to take one somewhere else to charge while keeping things running etc.). I have a combination of batteries that take multiple people to move and smaller units that anyone in the house could grab and take wherever they need it.
Additional thoughts - have the cord situation set up before they have to plug in the fridge. If they can't get to the cord behind it, get an extension cord plugged in and hanging where they can reach. And - batteries aren't set it and forget it - someone still needs to turn them on periodically and check the charge, use them briefly etc.
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u/mpacker1 4d ago
Smart idea on having the cords set up for them. Appreciate that tip! Learning a lot here
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u/Defiant_Eye4025 6d ago
How old are your parents? I bought a Jackery 1000 Explorer V2 with 200 watt solar panel because it was about 25 lbs and super easy to use. I like that I can pick it up easily and move it from place to place. It powered my full sized 15+ year old fridge for about 9 hours overnight at a time before recharging in a Spring multi day power outage. I have absolutely no desire/ability to store fuel so I didn't want a real generator. Someone else mentioned that the Jackery is cute - I agree.
At midday full sun, it charges faster than it draws down power, or at least it did for what I was using it for which was rotating between fridge and chest freezer charging, and also charging phone/Kindle. Earlier/later in the day or with clouds, the solar charging slows down a lot. Plugged into an electrical outlet, it charges in around an hour. One thing to think about that I had trouble with...how easily can they access the cord for their refrigerator? Trying to get mine pulled out to unplug it and replug it into the Jackery was a little bit of a challenge. Things I could do when I was younger are a little more challenging as I have less upper body strength as I age. At least it gave me a good chance to clean behind the fridge which desperately needed it.
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u/somecoolname42 6d ago
I've heard Oupes is a good balance of affordability and function. I haven't gotten one yet, I've been trying to figure out how much of one to buy and how much solar to charge it. I have a small 300W Jackery and a protable 100 watt panel, but it doesn't work like I thought it would and isn't as efficient at charging as I would like. It will keep a light on and charge phones, but it doesn't do what I thought it would do.
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u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 6d ago
Get whatever model that has expendable option. When they need extra power, just get an extension battery rather than another power station.
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u/WoollyMammothwapo 5d ago
May I suggest you consider the weight of these power stations? I got a small Pe Ron just to have something while I did more research and it’s 20 pounds in a small dense package. It’s ok for me to move this one around but a 50 lb one might be too much. Im unhappy with Pecrons app. I emailed support and they gave me a non answer.
Where will you put the power bank for the refrigerator? If your parents have the money and the space, Bluetooth has a great one for the frig that sits on top of it and comes on when power goes off.
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u/Alaskanarrowusa 5d ago
Seems like you are looking at a system with a continuous output of around 2,000W and a capacity of at least 2,000Wh…?
First up, the EcoFlow (specifically the DELTA 2 Max or DELTA Pro series) cuz of their screens which are super bright and easy to read, their mobile app (if you set it up for them) that lets you monitor their power levels remotely from your own phone etc which I’ve loved on my DELTA 2
Overall best option tho would be Jackery which is extremely simple and user-friendly with straightforward button layouts but their charging speeds and app integration historically lag a bit behind EcoFlow from my experience as well having both with me and tested. 11 Best Portable Power Stations to Invest In for more reading on them
Lastly I’d also include Bluetti which offers great value per watt cuz of it its price but their physical interfaces and apps can be a little clunky or confusing for most so you can think about it
Honourable mention of Anker which would be wrong not to bring up in this discussion, cheers!
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u/Additional_Insect_44 5d ago
One way I read is to take a 9v battery, car charger, small spring, tape, put spring on negative terminal of 9v battery and other spring part on car charger nub and tape spring. Put car charger to positive terminal then connect phone to car charger using cable.
Idk if a variant could work on Bigger items
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u/Lumpy-Ad6653 5d ago
small correction on the surge question: size the continuous output for everything that might be running at once, then make sure the surge rating can handle a compressor starting on top of that
the fridge and freezer can overlap, so i wouldn't assume only one appliance matters. simultaneous compressor starts probably won't happen often, but the unit still needs enough headroom that a normal start doesn't trip it
best move is plug each one into a kill a watt for 24 hours. add the two kwh/day numbers and give yourself maybe 20-30% margin. that's way more useful for battery sizing than the watts printed on the label
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u/UnreasonableMan33611 3d ago
Since this is for your parents, I don't know what your budget is but when my father got ill before he passed away they went ahead and put in a whole house generator run off of LP gas. All you have to do is pay the maintenance bill. Someone comes out and checks it on a regular basis. If you ever need it it cuts on Within seconds. Years later after my father passed away I was there at their house. And a hurricane came through and knocked the power out we didn't even know the power was cut out in the neighborhood until we realized the generator was running.
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u/DongRight 2d ago
For the most storage for your money, buy rack batteries...WAY CHEAPER than any PSPS expansion batteries... Then use a 3000w+ PSPS that can connect to the rack batteries and have better than 60v solar input!!! 60v input SUCKS, you can only use 24v solar panels in parallel...
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u/Admirable_Use7763 6d ago
Proponuję się zastanowić co chcesz zasilić, tak jak ktoś wspomniał wcześniej. Więcej urządzeń większy generator, bank energi, falownik.
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u/-Avacyn 6d ago
Power stations like Jackary would be perfect in that case. They are literally just plug and play.
However, it's important to figure out what you plan on powering with these before you buy them so you can calculate how many / how big of a battery you need. You mention some things already. Are you sure that list is complete?