Power bank
Posted by Sleddoggamer@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 23 comments
Does anyone have a in-depth guide for all things related to planning to set up a power bank?
I can use something that will help me figure out the target I'll want to aim to store, how much power I'll need to expect to lose when charging the bank, and anything I should know like losses when using thr bank and what I should know to minimize them. I also want a well-made guide so others can easily read it if there also picking out a new battery/back up and so I can go back to it while I'm looking at banks to order
CleanCut2018@reddit
Kris from City Prepping did a power station show down and included a robust comparison guide as a Google doc. You can punch in your wattage needs and it'll calculate and show where each brand/unit holds up.
We recently got the Bluetti AC24O because it ticked all the boxes and was best bang for the buck.
Check it out here https://youtu.be/d4XJM1nIjZ8?si=T3CRwZvUlh-l2sQr
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
I think that's almost exactly what I wanted. Capacity, outputs, DC and AC efficency covered, and then even chemistry of the battery are in the spreadsheet plus the cost of all the battery options which I thought I'd have to hand filter
I was looking for a worded guide on a single page to explain the basics in a way you can just scroll up and down to recheck the tick boxs with a spreadsheet and calculator to go to after so it can help do the math so I can give it to anyone with a lesser interest, but I don't think anyone else put in more work to help people along
saintsfan214@reddit
Some brands have a 20,000 or 30,000 rechargeable battery for a good price such as Energizer if you’re looking to stock up but stock up on 1 brand so that you don’t have to worry about the batteries not being able to be charged with the wrong cord.
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
Not the same kind of battery. I'm talking about power banks for boiling water and keeping the Toyostove on
GarbageContent823@reddit
Those are called "Powerstations".
saintsfan214@reddit
Oh. Okay.
ROHANG020@reddit
Its basic electricity 101, study it...as a prepper you need to understand it anyways...there is no day like today...Millions have...join them.
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
Working with boat and 4x4 batteries is simple enough and i can always scrap junk people throw out. The issue is it isn't really the same thing as a battery that's meant to be in a house powering a T.V until the kettle needs it and those have chips/regulators you can just learn to jerry-rig
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
There's a limit of what I can do if anything has a regulator or chip on it, which makes it hard to learn and stay practiced. It takes weeks to just get parts to replace a damaged breaker this far north
lostscause@reddit
I recommend having minimum 4+ 100watt+ solar panels and a minimum 100AH battery with a 30amp controller
Learning how this all works is one of the best things you can do to prep for a lose of power, once you understand how below works it becomes easy to produce and store energy
https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Panels-Monocrystalline-Module-Camping/dp/B0CYH13JJK
https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Phosphate-charging-Rechargeable-Off-Grid/dp/B09L89LW3P
https://www.amazon.com/Controller-Bateria-Power-Intelligent-Compatible/dp/B0CSJV161S
https://www.amazon.com/ELFCULB-Anderson-Connector-Automotive-Generators/dp/B0CFPKLSRC
https://www.amazon.com/Cummins-CMN400-Inverter-Converter-Included/dp/B0B7V9X4XL
https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-sockets-Output-2000mA-AC110V/dp/B07TZWWSSY
IGetNakedAtParties@reddit
Ah without Volts is meaningless. Wh are a more useful measure of energy.
lostscause@reddit
all the above devices are clearly defined as 12v. Which I recommend sticking with for any beginner. Amp hour and Watt hour are interchangeable. Most Batteries are sold in Ah.
IGetNakedAtParties@reddit
Your comment didn't mention 12V that's why I was pointing it out. I agree it's a useful standard to work with, a lot of batteries are now rated in Wh rather than Ah as it is more useful to estimate demands.
TheAncientMadness@reddit
great deal going on rn
https://www.reddit.com/r/preppersales/comments/1fbbbcz/amazon_gpower_1200w9744wh_lifepo4_power_station/
whhe11@reddit
Start with a cheap power bank for your wifi router that has a few hours of charge. That's the biggest bang for your buck, small short power interruptions are always most likely and prepping for them allows you to have internet access and let people know you're okay if something more severe happens.
silasmoeckel@reddit
Power bank or power wall?
Sounds like you're looking for a power wall to run your whole house.
https://www.victronenergy.com/markets/off-grid/family-home#system-diagrams these are the guys I used 3 times now they are upper end of the market but it's far cheaper than batteries in a box while being maintainable (they are meant for the marine environment, guys on sailboats have to be able to fix things as sea).
The efficiency will depend on the specific gear choices and particular load it's not a single number. Passthrough efficiency will depend on if you want the full UPS features so you don't notice a blackout at all or can deal with a quick burp and that's still very load dependent (it's more a fixed overhead so is a smaller fraction as your load increases). For most scenarios your looking in the 90's.
Your missing a lot of details charging that bank from mains/generator/backfeed AC or via DC? They are all different and have design tradeoffs.
So my setup is solar on the roof inverter/mppt in the basement (You should never use micros on the roof prepper or not). First trade off string voltage/amperage vs wire gauge and distance, basically the higher the voltage the lower the wiring loss for that distance, as amperage goes down the the same power you can use less thick wire for for the same or lower losses. Conversely the MPPT the higher the voltage vs the battery setup the higher the losses. Finally the higher the string voltage the sooner your producing power and your voltages needs to exceed the battery voltages in nearly all MPPT's. Your goal hear should be 5% or less.
Now you have to get the power into the batteries, this is battery specific but generally mid 90's. Higher quality batteries have higher C charging rates and are more efficient (or they would heat up incredibly while charging at those faster rates you can buy lifepo4 that can recharge in minutes) they also tend to have lower lifespans. 5% here is normal so 100hw on the roof turned into roughly 90wh in the battery.
No discharge side my quatro 10k's are 96% efficient at peak so I'm getting 85wh or so of what came in from the roof if it went to the battery 90wh if it's direct to AC.
With raw solar panel prices down to $0.50 a watt it's doesn't matter much that's about 2c a kwh for 20 years at which point a typical panel is down to 80% of it's initial output and the MPPT's and Inverters will be on their last legs if not already replaced or repaired. Losing 10-15% I'm still so much better off than my $0.26 a kwh. Combine that with heat pumps and and my heating costs cheaper than buying in cordwood.
Apprehensive_Sir_630@reddit
First step is determining what you need to power and what you dont, i recently went with a jackery solar generator for my mom, in all reality in our area we are going to lose power for at most 24 to 48 hours.
She doesnt watch tv and rarely runs her A/C. Her pirmary concern was running keeping her freezer runnning and charging cell phones.
If youre trying to run your whole house with all your devices then yeah your going to need some substantial infastructure and youre looking at power generation not power storage for lack of a better term.
pesonally i use this
The reason i do is in a power out situation the only thing i care about is keeping my radios and my cellphone charged.
Im blessed in that i have no medical need for electricity, so i can get away with less. Start with watching the videos linked and determine exactly what you personally need and how long you can reasonably expect to be without power.
Then determine what kind of system you will need to provide that power.
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
I actually have a generator big enough to run the whole house with everything running normally if I can ever get the box set up to take it, but I want a battery system so I can flesh my plan out bit more and take advantage of the battery in the day to day.
I don't know the name of it, but I'm hoping someone has an article that covers the practical stuff. I'm still trying to get time to watch some videos but I think I'm gonna have to dig through R.V and camp forums and see if anyone shared anything i can save
Apprehensive_Sir_630@reddit
I think youre honestly better off starting with an electrician, and if you do set up your generator to your house please, install it on a transferswitch, linemen are super cool dudes no need to fry one.
As for the ecoflow power bank you linked, im nither for nor against its very surplus to my specific needs, like i said i just need to keep radio batteries and cellphones charged.
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
Ecoflow is actually having labor day sales until the 9th, and the Delta max thats usually $2000 is almost half off
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
I would recommend you check my recent post about preparing for a Power Outage.
Sleddoggamer@reddit (OP)
I saw that before and missed the YouTube link so il check that out to see if it leads to what i want, but I'm specifically looking for a link to something that professionally covers just the battery and backup.
Something easy to read, covers important little stuff like inverter losses, and helps get an idea of what everything electronic uses per usage so I know how big of a system I need to aim for. I'd use FEMA if FEMA covered it and didn't just recommend doing something, but not explaining how to actually get started without risking buying junk if I don't have the money for a full professional system
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
Watch the videos first. They will help you.