Are there any must-have gadgets for power outages in 2024?

[VintageReefer]

The 600wh one I have I got on sale for 250$ and has a 1000w sine wave inverter and ups built in

The 400$ one I linked to is 1075wh and has a 2000w sine wave inverter and ups built in

Plus the bms needed for maintaining the lipo’s

 

[EricR]

I have a 3800w generator and the issue is they aren’t worth it to pull out and hook up for a hour or two outage. Plus leaving them filled with gas so they are ready can clog the carb, leaving gas in cans is dangerous, and the fuel spoils over time. I’ve never used my gas generator once. I would probably need a outage more than 24 hours before even considering using it

If I were to buy a generator (for manual intervention), I'd go propane, personally.

I still think the bigger issue is what do you NEED to run and for how long.
*based on length of outage and ambient temperature

If you need to run heaters (cold ambient) or vice-versa, then no amount of DC batteries are going to work for very long, so some kind of generator is your best option.

If you just want basic life support (and automated power during outage) for shorter amounts of time, then any reasonable DC source makes sense.

Whole house generator (solar-to-battery / natural gas / whatever) seems ideal but expensive.
*for me running house A/C from a generator during summer heat (when outages are most likely here) would be ideal but too cheap to invest

 

[SaltwaterScoop]

hmm I wonder if I should return my 2nd ecotech battery backup I just ordered...

I measured and I have 16x12x27" of clearance in that area I pictured and the Delta 2 is 15.7 x 11 x 8.3" so it should fit. I noticed the bigblue you linked didn't have grounded sockets on the $399.99 one, and I think a few of my devices would need one.

 

[VintageReefer]

hmm I wonder if I should return my 2nd ecotech battery backup I just ordered...

I measured and I have 16x12x27" of clearance in that area I pictured and the Delta 2 is 15.7 x 11 x 8.3" so it should fit. I noticed the bigblue you linked didn't have grounded sockets on the $399.99 one, and I think a few of my devices would need one.

 

[VintageReefer]

It’s DC and connected devices do not need to be truly grounded. They are receiving power after a ups and after ac is converted to dc. These things have dummy holes in case you have a grounded plug. The main power input is grounded.

And you can get a small strip surge protector and connect it if you need more grounded outlets

 

[VintageReefer]

If I were to buy a generator (for manual intervention), I'd go propane, personally.

I still think the bigger issue is what do you NEED to run and for how long.
*based on length of outage and ambient temperature

If you need to run heaters (cold ambient) or vice-versa, then no amount of DC batteries are going to work for very long, so some kind of generator is your best option.

If you just want basic life support (and automated power during outage) for shorter amounts of time, then any reasonable DC source makes sense.

Whole house generator (solar-to-battery / natural gas / whatever) seems ideal but expensive.
*for me running house A/C from a generator during summer heat (when outages are most likely here) would be ideal but too cheap to invest

I agree with everything in this post.

If we are talking about short outages a few hours like most are, and up to let’s say a day max, then the dc options are great

If you want to prepare for multi day outages or need to run heaters or chillers…you’re going to need a gas/propane generator

 

[Big E]

In the winter you need your heaters so I wouldn't discount not using them. I also have an electric room heater to help as I've been in outages and the tank heaters couldn't keep up.

Pelonis 1,500-Watt Oil-Filled Radiant Electric Space Heater with Thermostat HO-0279 - The Home Depot

1,500-Watt Oil-Filled Radiant Electric Space Heater with Thermostat. 3 heater settings 600/900/1500-Watt, Safety auto shut-off and Safety tip-over switch. With adjustable thermostat, power indicator light,

www.homedepot.com

Most of these have settings at 600, 900 and 1500w

 

[VintageReefer]

In the winter you need your heaters so I wouldn't discount not using them. I also have an electric room heater to help as I've been in outages and the tank heaters couldn't keep up.

Pelonis 1,500-Watt Oil-Filled Radiant Electric Space Heater with Thermostat HO-0279 - The Home Depot

1,500-Watt Oil-Filled Radiant Electric Space Heater with Thermostat. 3 heater settings 600/900/1500-Watt, Safety auto shut-off and Safety tip-over switch. With adjustable thermostat, power indicator light,

www.homedepot.com

Most of these have settings at 600, 900 and 1500w

How do you power the electric room heater in a outage?

 

[Big E]

I use a gas/propane generator inverter that has a large enough capacity to run tanks, space heaters, ect.

So that means at least a 2500w

I'm going to be adding a Power inverter Ecoflow for short term. I don't know how long those last, still doing research on that.

You probably won't need more that 600w on the low setting if you cordon rooms from the main room the tank resides.

There are many other things you have to prepare for. Things like how is the cord going to get outside and to eliminate cold weather from getting in. It's also prudent to have a box made to protect the generator from snow and rain as this is usually when they are used.

 

[Malcontent]

There are a slew of trifuel inverter generators either recently released or slated to be released. Running on natural gas really appeals to me and an inverter generator that can run on NG out of the box might be exactly what I need to cement my position as neighborhood warlord.

 

[SaltwaterScoop]

My credentials

I have been following the tech and brands for years and watched the capacity go up and price go down. Now is a good time to buy one for a few hundred dollars.

Couple years ago 300$ Would get you 300 watt hours. Now you can get that for half price and 300$ can get 500+. 400$ you can get 1000+ watt hours.

It looks like the BigBlue you linked would work better as a UPS than the ecoflow models. ~10ms vs like minutes on the ecoflow from what I'm reading. I think the only thing it's missing is a water resistance rating. I didn't see anything listed. I'm digging the CellPowa1000 for $399.99.

 

[Mpek]

Vintage reefer is right on. I'm using Goal Zero solar generator 1500 with 4 add on batteries. Way more efficient than the UPS crap for computers. I started with those and they all burned out after a couple years. Gas generators are nice but a pain to maintain. Good to have to charge solar generators tho.

 

[VintageReefer]

Vintage reefer is right on. I'm using Goal Zero solar generator 1500 with 4 add on batteries. Way more efficient than the UPS crap for computers. I started with those and they all burned out after a couple years. Gas generators are nice but a pain to maintain. Good to have to charge solar generators tho.

Those computer ups are crap tech from the 80’s and 90’s that they never bothered to update. It’s designed to give you a few minutes to save your work and power down safely

Lithium portable power stations are way better, the battery management software lets them last thousands of cycles with a lifespan of almost 10 years.

They are not water rated, I would put it somewhere dry on top of a few legos to keep it a inch off the ground if it’s in a puddle risk zone

I have two cellpowa 600 and like them a lot, so I’m getting a 1000. I will have one on every tank in my house, sized based on need. My pico and nano can get the 300wh ones, my reef can get the 1000. And I keep some others on the side for my phone, laptop, led lamps, or internet

 

[Mpek]

Yeah they only ran aerator for an hour....straight trash. Wish I knew that before I bought them. New house is getting a 22kw standby generator and I'm keeping the 12kw solar generator kit as a back up to the back up

 

[VintageReefer]

Vintage reefer is right on. I'm using Goal Zero solar generator 1500 with 4 add on batteries. Way more efficient than the UPS crap for computers. I started with those and they all burned out after a couple years. Gas generators are nice but a pain to maintain. Good to have to charge solar generators tho.

From what I see the goal zero 1500 is 1500wh for roughly $1100

Big blue makes a high end model with an app, CellPowa 2500 - it’s 1843wh for $900

https://a.co/d/ehRbRLf

 

[Ironwill723]

 

[Mpek]

Yessir. One of the reasons I went with goal zero is it's a solar generator. I can recharge the battery with solar panels. Zamp solar is another option. It all depends on your needs...lots of choices. Big blue is a good choice.

 

[Reeferbadness]

One sure fire way to avoid any issues is solar with a Tesla Power Wall (or 2). This is a shot from my place at 5:45 am. Battries ran the entire house + 2 x 200g tanks overnight and still has 50% left. I never let the batteries go below 30% - so if an outage comes, i have about 18 hours to resolve or, just wait for the sun to start filling the batteries again. Each power wall can store about 14kw of energy.

 

[Reefering1]

Battery backup for 1st day, generator after that. Inconvenient or not, a generator will keep running if you take care of it. Last time i used mine, it ran for 12 or 13 days non stop. And yes, it's just been sitting there, in standby, until I need it again. Also nice being able to run the entire tank and a/c, fridge, lights, microwave indefinitely.. everything except water heater and oven.

 

[VintageReefer]

Yessir. One of the reasons I went with goal zero is it's a solar generator. I can recharge the battery with solar panels. Zamp solar is another option. It all depends on your needs...lots of choices. Big blue is a good choice.

All Of these come with the connections and ability to recharge via solar, and they make solar panels and have combos with solar panels also

Goal zero is also a big name for these and a solid choice