Great video. This is a big mental block for a lot of people. They have no concept of how much power a small resistance heater uses, and are genuinely surprised when they discover that they can’t heat a single room for more than a couple hours with a $2000 power station.
The arithmetic here is so basic it's elementary school level really. The abysmal efficiency of this setup in terms of capital expenditure is a byproduct of very low energy density of both solar power generation and more importantly battery storage. A 1 liter of gasoline has WAY more energy stored up than even a powerful and expensive power bank. So yeah, until we develop some super batteries and super photovoltaics we are stuck with fossil fuels - unless of course we want to be super eco and live in cold like Neanderthals. One possible alternative is small modular nuclear reactors - you buy it for a hefty sum of money but it lasts you 30 years with little to no maintenance. They aren't available yet but there's really nothing better on the market right now.
@@vaakdemandante8772 Lots of people lots their lives fighitng for that liter of gasoline, innocents too, was it really that inexpensive? How much does the US military spend per year on a military to protect their gasoline? thats inexpensive? How about Russia? We could be Andromeda by now but we're paying for oil protection money to dinosaurs who think they can live on this planet forever instead. Yea we cant have cool things because of the cost of gasoline.
With the more efficient mini splits you can run infinitely given a small or moderate battery & solar system. Gasoline is good until that gallon is gone. Solar with the right tech is infinite. Even in -22 you're gonna get 80% efficiency with a good mini split and far more btu than electric resistive heating
@@timothykaczynski2752 Solar isn't infinite. It requires minerals to be dug out of the ground to make the panels. Those resources are finite. The lifetime of the panels in operation is also finite, which means they need to be replaced, which means those resources from the ground need to be consumed.
@@timothykaczynski2752 Really? A mini split needs 2K to 4K depending on the size. So if it runs 6 hours a day (fairly conservative), you need plenty of storage and lots panels to charge it up. In terms of A/C, mini splits are more efficient than central air, but in terms of heating, they are less efficient than central heat because of the electricity they require.
Best 2 minute explanation of watts and watt hours ever! I had just told some friends about this reality, and why the idea of a massive battery bank for extended periods WITHOUT fossil fuel generator backup is a big joke. But, for off grid, solar driven daily use, these portable scalable units have legs.
I actually bought and installed a wood stove 1st and foremost,since I live in MA.Then I got my Titan next. Great vid cause it's obvious many beginners don't catch this concept.
Great video! Since I live in FL I never thought I'd need to use my solar generator during the winter, but I certainly was glad I had it when our temps got below freezing and we lost power for 18 hours. Was quite a wake up call. We have a Pecron E3000 with 4 x 200 watt panels (which my husband HAD thought was a waste of money when he purchased it for me this past Summer). We're definitely going to be expanding when we can. Looking forward to your video on the AC & mini split units
Another great video. Would never use solar generator to run heaters or stoves. Changed that over to propane. Looking forward to the video on AC\ mini split. Thanks again..... Jeff
Great video, I seen a comment on another video and the person was confused due to the reviewer not explaining it well about what an EB 240 could run as he wanted to run a 1500w heater. I have directed him to this video, I hope he comes as it's much easier to hear than read. I've only got about 5 weeks of knowledge as I just found about solar batteries so even though I explained quite well and also suggested portable gas heater with cylinders, it's still better to hear it from someone who has a lot of real world and hands on knowledge. Very timely video.
My sister is completely mentally retarded about solar and has tried to stop me from getting it. She failed. I`ll have power after the next hurricane. She won`t.
Great video. I am so grateful that I had my wood stove installed back in 2021, but not everyone can do that or want one if you live a warmer climate. Just like solar generators, wood stoves are not cheap either. I paid over $7,000.00 including the installation. I agree propane, including the Mr Buddy heater is the best way to go for heating an area. I had purchased four Buddy heaters before I had the wood stove installed. I never used them, but if a friend or family member needs heat, I have the solution to help keep them warm till the electricity comes back on. I was watching this one prepper on TH-cam, and he told everyone to to go out and purchase them because they work. The main thing is to keep your fridge and the freezers working, using something like the instant pot, or portable electric stove tops that you can plug into your solar generator for cooking and heating up water. I am interested in the mini-splits with solar for the summer.
Thanks for watching. I did a test earlier this year with my mini splits I installed and maybe I'll edit and post that video sooner than later since that is a big topic people are asking about.
Whoa. Simple box stoves are about $1000. They will heat a small house. The smaller stoves can be had for less than half that. The little ones can be vented by a diy- er. There are camping wood burners designed for tents. Lots of budget options.
@@YSLRD I have a split level house, I may have been able to get two smaller ones, but did not think of it at the time. I had the Schrader wood stove that my dad had installed back in the 70's replaced with Lopi Evergreen. The pipes were out of code, and I was afraid that if there was ever a fire, that the insurance company would not pay. So I had to have everything replaced. The Evergreen is so much smaller though and have to take a chain saw to shorten the wood.
I forget what I saw it on but I highly recommend having an emergency electric blanket. It is far easier to run off a battery if you need to and it'll get you warmer at a quicker rate than trying to heat an entire room to keep you warm. And yes 25 hour power outage, December 23 0°F outside between the woodstove and the fireplace inside we ranged between 45-50F. I ran the electric blanket for somebody off of a car battery I had laying around pretty much most of the day on and off. When we woke up the next day and we were still out I decided to top off my batteries with the inverter that I'm halfway through installing in my van. I was also able to run the refrigerator and the microwave, one of those wasn't planned but somebody came in and just started the microwave! grrrr.
When people learn how much energy it takes to do certain things, mostly "heating and cooling", with electricity, they are stunned. For heating, there is nothing more efficient, in my opinion, than a masonry stove or a rocket mass heater, burning plain old "wood". It's the original renewable power source! :) We have a wood-burning insert in our fireplace that has a plenum chamber above it. That plenum chamber has two standoffs in the attic that tie into our HVAC hot-air return. The intake for the plenum is a grate just above the fireplace. When the fire is going and things are good and hot, rising heat in the plenum pulls air in through the grate and out through the standoffs, effectively "pushing" hot air throughout the network of HVAC ducts in my house. I'm not kidding when I tell folks this system actually keeps the entire house warmer than the forced-air propane furnace does. Wood will ALWAYS be my back-up source for heat, in my home. Also, plug-in heated blankets are a great way of keeping people warm.
@@minutemanprep- So, funny story. It was installed, but NOT plumbed in. The standoffs from the plenum chamber were just taped off with insulation over them. I got my HVAC system replaced and they asked if I wanted those tied in. They explained that you have to replace your HVAC filter more often, but otherwise could heat your whole house with wood, so heck yeah I had them connect it all up! :)
@@minutemanprep Depending on what your current wood-burning setup is, you can sometimes retrofit a solution like this. Anyone with a free-standing wood stove certainly can. It helps alleviate the condition where it's way too warm near the stove and cold in other parts of the room or house.
@R Voit - Sorry guy, but you couldn't be more wrong. Burning "biomass" is considered carbon neutral, whereas oil, gas and coal are fossil fuels that release carbons which will likely never be sequestered again. Do some research. Man has been burning wood since the dawn of civilization; it wasn't until we started burning fossil fuels that we created a CO2 issue.
Right now in Central California, at around $2 a therm, propane space heaters makes more sense for just me alone in my house. A 20lb propane refill was $26 yesterday, so you can run a Buddy for about $2.60 for 8 hours versus $16 in gas + 4 kilowatt hours for the central heat. You can never have too much paneling, batteries, wood, or propane.
First I thank you for the video as it provides essential information for getting by with what comes naturally. In that vein a solar water heater can be made from from drip irrigation tubing, plywood and a clear plastic film (to prevent air currents from blowing the heat away). The water heater should be OUTSIDE and the heat ducted, passively or by a fan (uses far less power than electric heaters.) Another big help which is to use heaters made for 12 volt systems ( such as R.V.s a nd boats) and use them directly off the photo electric panels. Of course this will not work without enough light for the panels to generate electricity. But when there is enough light saves a lot because tne inverter itself consumes a good part of the generated electricity.
Mini splits can also be used for heating. In parts of the house that does not have direct sunlight you can augment other heating solution with it if you have some sunlight. It does not work in a heavy storm but it may work in extreme cold after the storm which is often coupled with clear skies. Some minis can run from DC directly (some don't even require inverter, you can connect panels directly). This can become very useful if the power outage is long and propane or firewood supply is limited.
Not sure which part of the US you're based but be thankful you're not in the south west of England ... days & days of Winter gloominess where 180w panels typically manage only 35w input! Both propane & paraffin (kerosene) are used as heat & cooking in my bungalow and three small power-stations run lighting, phones & low-capacity TV. Not terribly cost-effective BUT electricity rates in the UK currently, are astronomical.
I feel for you, that's got to be very difficult. I was in London in October looking at how we could possibly help the UK with backup solar power options and the bottom line is that in most cities and towns people don't have a lot of space to put solar panels so that they can make enough to really keep solar equipment running. You said you're in SW England, do you have much space for setting up solar panels?
I bought 2no 180w rigid panels along with a Delta Mini, EB3A & EB70S when I lived in NY and brought them over with all my chattels in November. Most appliances & woodworking tools were all 120v, 60Hz so they had to be supplied similarly. I also brought two traditional (US) generators one being propane pure sine specifically to charge the stations on just these weather occasions. My energy use is low so even though the Winter days are gloomy, just three or four hours of clear sun is sufficient so far to boost the smaller of the three and sometimes I resort to using the car's 12v port to top-up too. But in connection with your video, propane or paraffin has to be the best ways for space-heating despite the disadvantage of increased moisture & slight ventilation issues. London, like NY, is just a cramped metropolis which is why you'd have noticed the plethora of 'wind farms' and offshore turbines ... there is simply limited capacity for city dwellers to generate their own supply.
Thanks for the math lesson Ben, and the summarized comparable system configs...no matter how you slice it, it's going to expensive to run purely on solar on the front end. I've got a Titan with 3 batteries and plenty of solar panels...but if I don't have any sun....well, not much I can do in that context. Cutover to energy alternative #2; pick your poison...I've got a propane converted Honda 3000...runs great and fairly cost effective to charge up the Titan. That should get me thru the night in your scenario. I also have a Mr Buddy Heater, which heats up my sunroom super fast...constantly having to turn it down even when it's freezing outside. Always looking for ways to keep off the grid as much as possible. This space will continue to evolve, so keep the vids coming! On another note: my parents live in the boonies of Maine and have had power outages every now & then; enough to the point where they just bought a Generac propane system; instant cutover for power outages. Already this year, they've had 2 short outages and it worked flawlessly. Since they heat with heating oil, they need power to run it. Seems to work for them.
Great easy explanation hehe 😉 you made me realize no I don’t want to run any battery inverter for heaters 😅 only for a max of 15min on emergency only . Is there any recommendations for portable propane heaters but safe for room or camping on rv or van ?
We are and will be tied to fossil fuels for the next 50 or so years, think of the kWh it takes to run a small city. A battery bank the size of my shed still has to have a fossil fuel generator to back it up. Thanks for the work you are doing in the solar battery / solar panel field.
Good call. I have 2, along with over 24 canisters and device to refill them as well as the hose to run from bigger ranks. Thankfully I haven't need them.
Wow! So glad I have my propane heater stove. This video really put things into perspective. Space heaters are power sucking demons. Thanks for your channel and info. - what do I do with my system when all is well to keep in best condition? Run 24 hrs drills monthly?
To keeo your equipment in the top condition you should use them once every 3 months. Batteries prefer to stay charged between 20 to 80%. Personally though, since my units are emergency preparedness focused, I keep mine topped off at 100%.
Nice to hear. I have done all the same mental gymnastics, and ended up with exactly with the same conclusion. This year I'm going to add a mini split to my arsenal. I can heat with Solar Radiation, Solar Electricity, Wood (cord or pellet), Natural Gas, Propane, Diesel, Kerosene, Waste Oil, or Electricity. I can cool with Solar Electricity, Shade, Convection, Water, Water Evaporation, or Electricity.
I saw your vanpowers rename on other countries anyways how good has been working over time with app and by it self ? Would you recommend it I saw it drop fast over a year all do but this was I noticed really quick ,wonder why ?
Kindly allow me to drop my favorite comment in this sort of situation. First rule of thumb, fellow Americans - give up this ridiculous habit of wanting to walk around in summer garb during the winter. OVERheating your space like a kiln. For emergencies as well as winter outdoor fun, get a snowsuit and wear it indoors if you must to stay alive. Make a little tent with poles and paracord and blankets for that smaller room. And for safe heat to sleep on if you must, be sure to have a fowl heating pad - they take very little juice to run (as low as 15 watts) and if they're safe enough around pecking barnyard critters, they're safe enough to give you a little extra heat around your feet. For when I'm awake in the winter, I keep one on for my feet at the chair or sofa where I sleep anyway. Saves tons of $ on the propane. It lives inside a large insulated fabric igloo (for pets) where I plop my feet when they're down on the floor. Best of all, raise yourself a couple of big chow chows. They're the best heaters in the world. ... Oh, and also? Be sure you have a very small e-notebook and you can also watch movies for next to no juice. Try to get hand-cranked radios and small stand-alone hand cranked generators as well if you run out of juice.
Very easy to understand your presentation. Thank you! I've heard that Ca is no longer allowing natural gas appliances in new home builds. Also, they are eliminating all natural gas appliances including furnaces by 2030. I saw another YT video on just how quickly Mr. Buddy heaters go through propane which makes them not practical for any long periods either. I also saw a video on how quickly the Generac generators for homes eat through large propane tanks. If you could confirm those things I would definitely appreciate it. I'm trying to figure out which way to go for home alternatives. San Diego Gas & Electric just got called out today by watchdog groups for raising their natural gas prices to their customers while natural gas prices to them just dropped. It's all just lies to force people into the govt's baloney new green deal. I'm very much looking forward to hearing about the new innovations in solar batteries, etc you are seeing at the Las Vegas convention. Thank you again!
I run an electric oil heater during the day with my 2000w solar generator and 2.5 kw battery and 800 Watts solar.(2.5 to 3.5) kw day in winter. It’s pretty mild climate and lots of sun so it’s pretty comfortable during the day and reduces main heater use. Definitely wouldn’t do much in 0 degree weather and cloudy weather situation. I also use to run a small ac in the summer with similar results. Takes the edge off but not much more. A thing to note is in grid down you will probably prioritize other loads ( lights / fridge etc) that coupled with inverter efficiency pretty much makes electric heat a no go or any sort of climate control a no go.
funny thing is, all the electric energy you pump into loads inside your house will eventually heat your house, no matter how small. Only exception is if you power a gas heater that cools the ventilator with external air, and external lights. All the rest - lighting, electric chargers, computer, fridge, everything in the house - will ultimately shed that power as heat into the house.
As well as knowing the power output of the inverter, and the energy storage of the battery, it is worth knowing how much power is required to heat a house. For a house 10m x 20m with 2.4m high walls, the surface area is 544m2. If all surfaces have insulation with an R-value of 4, and there is a temperature difference of 20C (36F) between inside and outside, then heat loss is 20C * 544m2 / 4K.m2/W = 2720W. To maintain the inside temperature, you would need a 3kW heater. Adjust the temperature difference, house size and R-value for your house and climate. This is oversimplified (more heat loss through ceiling than floor, and ceiling usually has better insulation), but is enough to show that heating only a single room during a power outage is more achievable. Where I live it doesn't go below freezing in winter and the whole of house heater is 10kW, and the temperature difference between inside and outside is 7-15C.
You can buy minisplit that runs direct off solar panels its about 900 watts cost just over $1000 you can buy other non solar for about $800 they say you get about 5 hours solar away average You can use Solar thermal collectors are panels which are (usually) fitted onto your roof. The panels contain tiny tubes of water which are heated by the sun. This heated water can reach up to 90 degrees C. It is passed down into your home where the heat is transferred to water in a storage tank or cylinder via a coil.
I think depends what you are looking for, if you want to be off grid, yes it make sense. However the ROI for a regular house is not worth it. But you can do it by stages, go for the basics first then start expanding
Amps is what moves from the source to the load. Voltage is the difference in potential. Watt's is how much power is consumed. This is why we say a light bulb is burning 100 watts whereas burning is "consuming", not moving.
But if you have really good insulation in your theater room, your heater would not run 100% of the time. It will cycle on and off. And what temperature do you want? If you're desperate you could lower the temp in that room to maybe 60 degrees F. It might be better to run the 500 watt heater rather than the 1300 watt heater and keep the fan kicked up. Some will allow you to do that. But you're right .. if you have gas figure out a way to run your house furnace and then close off as many rooms separated from the thermostat as you can. Then it might be better to get the family in the living room and spend the night there. Keep the fan cycle time low to take off the chill factor.
Yes but that also depends on the heater itself. Some do not have a sensor to turn off when the room reaches certain levels. But above all, this was meant to be a simple video to help people understand the concept. We didn't get into inverter efficiencies, power on/off due to the temperature being reached, recharging with solar while running heaters etc. But you're absolutely correct.
Great vid, well explained BUT I find it a little interesting that you have all this knowledge and equipment but you are still standing there indoors, with a puffer jacket and a hat on....
500w rating. But what does the space heater actually pull? Start up, & continuous? Heat elements and fan and light? Definitely need propane n candle lard heaters lol.
My power outage plan when my really only concern is for heat via my pellet stove. I can easily run my Harmann P43 pellet stove for 5 hours off a 100 AH battery (w/pure sinewave inverter). My plan is to run my inverter generator for several hours to power the pellet stove AND a battery charger to recharge the 100 AH deep cycle battery. Then run off battery for a few hours, lather, rinse, repeat.
I have 2 200w panels in an indoor window. My question is will the panels still generate heat when not plunged in? with summer coming I wonder if I will need to take them out.
You are right on the money, Most people dont do the math, those small "solar generators" may say the run a fridg. but "how long" not long...Or they think 2-3 solar panel will keep with it, good luck. Right?
Yes. Take the total watt-hours of the battery and divide it by 300w. Example: 2,560wh ÷ 300w = 8.5hrs of run time. To get the watt hours take the voltage of the battery and multiply it by the amp-hours. Volts x Amps = Watts.
What’s nice is they always write stuff in Aunt hours but the devices are always watts. East to calculate but for people who do not know this it can be counterintuitive, especially when buying a microwave
You could have had a heatpump unit and extended the units capacity by 2.5-3 though. It may help in a pinch, but is even more expensive. Would already be in place for a home with powerwall type setup and solar I guess.
You could use a space heater in a bedroom that was well-insulated, but to run it for more than a few hours is going to take plenty of battery and panels.
I’m looking at putting together a solar electric heating system for a rig. I’m going to build the system myself. Do you think 200ah is good enough? It’s a small space so a 500 watt or less heater will work. I will put the nice high output alternator in my rig and fill the roof with solar. I have the availability too just plug in once a week also too charge. Also gas gen as back up. Any tips are helpful thanks 🙏
He basically covered it but to make it simple... converting electric to heat is very inefficient. He didn't mention the lost in conversion when going from 12v to 120v. Ignore the lost in converting, 200ah will only run a 500w heater for 4hrs if it's a lithium battery. A rated 200ah agm battery gives out somewhere around 150ah at the most or around 3hrs of run time. You have to consider conversion lost, cold temperatures (battery loose capacity when cold), recharge rate (recharge slower when it's cold) and battery cycle. The most I ever got from a 100ah agm using a 350w automatic cemeric heater going through an inverter was 3.5hrs in 40 degree weather. Hope this gives you an idea. Smart move is to use a natural gas or liquid fuel heater. Look into a diesel heater
We have a 200 watt heater, and heating a small 17’ travel trailer in 45F temperature, it was pretty useless so don’t even consider less than 400 watts. Our 1500 watt heater worked very well at lower settings but we had access to 120 volt outlet.
I have 66kWh of home battery storage from recycled S/X batteries with solar on every usable inch of my roof. I personally run an Antminer S19 Pro into my furnace vents to heat my home and make some money on the side. My main breaker has been off for 2 years. I recommend people bypass all these little portable battery systems. Start with a few panels and whatever form of Lithium battery chemistry that gets you the lowest $/kWh then just scaling it up over a couple of years. I started with one single Model S module, an inverter and a single solar panel.
Love your videos. However, it needs to be understood that any time you move electricity there are loses. And, larger loses when converting DC to AC, topically 15%, although I've measured as high as 30% on cheaper inverters. So, a 1kW power source will really have around 850 usable watts at the inverter output. This principal also applies to the DC output of solar generators... regulation isn't free!
That is important for calculating runtime. On the other hand, losses are generally heat so if you have the inverters and such in the area you are heating, the system would approach 100% efficiency.
@@Rickmakes Not only would that "benefit" not hold up when you want to cool (it would actually be a determent), but an inefficient system requires more solar, storage, and components. And, heat is not beneficial to MTBF. Efficiency matters.
I tried for the longest time to find some sort of battery back up for my aunt in case of power outage that she could keep warm and heat food. Most of these devices especially anything USB will not even boil water much less rent a space heater. We were able to find a small 250 white space heater that doesn’t do a whole lot, a jacket with heating coils… But ended up having to get a gas generator because the battery technology just isn’t there yet. As soon as you can boil water with USB device that is one battery technology will be there
I have solar on my house. At the time, I didn't get batteries. I figured I could add it later. Of course finding someone to install it is about as easy to find someone who has seen bigfoot. When I do get a quote, it is way overpriced. Without the battery when the grid goes down, I go down as I am connected to the grid. The solar does a good job during most of the year. All I need is a small wind turbine to add in non-optimal weather conditions and at night. Then of course, I need batteries. I have NG for heat, so that isn't an issue. I produced 12.8 MWh last year and exported 333 kWh. It's Oct-Mar that are my lower producing months. I was looking at the Anker SOLX F3800, or something similar, which I would just add expansion batteries to. I work in IT and have set up battery backup for buildings, server rooms, etc. I also have an electronics background from the Army, but I am getting older and I know nothing of code. The kicker, I work supporting the grid. You'd think I'd be able to find all the resources we had to help with this type of shit but I find out more on my own and it is sad. But I agree with you, the grid is getting overloaded. The infrastructure bill is helping, but it's more of a band aide. Texas is going to be the worst as they are 100% privatized and it's all about profits. Having power plants producing at 85% capacity when you don't need the power means they aren't making money so when the storms or really hot or cold weather hits, they can't cover and the people who live there are screwed. I lived near Houston a while, which is where I got our building generator and battery backup for our server room as well. The hurricane right before I got their took them down for almost 2 weeks.
It's near impossible to get copmanies to add batteries. I do it for people sometimes. Shoot me an email to info@poweredportablesolar.com and I can see what it'd look like to get it done for you and see if I can save you some money.
Your better off doing solar thermal or a heat pump for solar heating with solar, solar thermal with evacuated tubes is near 100% efficent at collecting solar energy where as solar PV are only about 21 - 23% efficent although if a heatpump that can get a COP of 4 or greater you are basically equal to solar thermal and when it's not quite as cold you can use that electricity to do other things hence why solar thermal apart from for hot water is not really used, although I do think a system of 1 solar thermal to 5 solar electric in area is a pretty good balance because you can keep very hot water from the solar thermal for hot water and to add extra heat to the outlet of the heat pump from 30C to 35 - 40C, obviously for ultra cold or overcast days I would want propane as a backup. This is only for places that are cold the vast majoirty of the year if I lived a hot place I would go completely solar PV
If you got a central heater it's definitely better to just hook up the heater power to an electric generator if there's a power outage during freezing temperatures.
Yes. You just need to provide power to your electrical panel that your furnace is connected to. Feel free to email me at info@poweredportablesolar.com for help with that.
Quick question…would it be wise to store any solar generator and its stackable batteries (while in use) in a DIY faraday cage in an attempt to have some EMP protection? What could possibly go wrong?
If you have a 700 sq ft movie room, you can put in a wood stove for way less money. Anyone trying to prepare a home for emergency should see at least a small backup wood heater as a no brainer.
The one thing I don’t understand is why you would use an inverter to change the direct current (as stored in the battery) to alternating current to plug-in an resistive heater Like the ones shown. While convenient this is inherent inefficient. To me, it would make more sense to use a DC heater like this used in an RV or camper.
better solution, but only for gas heat forced air furnaces.... install a $100 Reliance controls 15amp transfer switch for your furnace, then plug it into a backup battery (or better a small generator). furnace blowers vary consumption based on speed, but expect 4-8amps load. at 120v that's around 960watts startup, and 500watts when running. approximations. so, you can run your furnace for 15mins for 250watts. That's about 12hours of heating your entire home on a 2kwh battery. now... level up and get a 2kw predator generator from harbor freight. now you can run your furnace for a few weeks from a 5gal gas can.
The problem with using energy killing 1500 watt space heater on your battery system is the risk of running your system down to zero or close to zero. I never let my LiFePO4 batteries go below 50% to maximize their lifecycle. I really plan to get at least 10 years or 10,000 cycles on my pair of power queen 200 AH batteries. I'd rather use my ventless natural gas heater as a backup heat source or my buddy propane heater instead of electricity.
This replaced an older wall unit that failed. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxQDiHf0Cagl2e3YNPX-bWnDMXQAL2A2Y8 The grill on the front is nice, the old unit did not have one, just the glass. Much more kid/dog friendly. Best feature is the battery operated igniter..... old one had the plunger type, which was quirky. This one fires right up with just a touch of the button. Takes the chill off a room very quickly, seems to put out more heat that the one that was there, even though they were the same BTUs. Very impressed.... so much so I bought a second one to replace the other old one even though it still works!
In emergency you would get your family sleeping bags they are rather nice. The highest rating the better. Than it be easy living. Not me I'm off the grid for the most part. Not say you need to live like me.
i run 5 oil filled radiator heaters set on 600 watt setting during the day when solar is producing 6000 watts, then as the wattage go's down at the end of the day i switch over to propane, wood, pellet stove, witch ever is cheaper to run.
should also think about heated blankets, if all your trying to do is stay warm yourself why waste power to heat all the space instead of just your body?
It depends on the heat setting on the Mr buddy. A gallon of propane holds about 90,000 BTUs. If the heater is using 10,000 BTUs on high then it will last 9 hours for one gallon. A 5 gallon BBQ tank would last 45 hours non-stop.
When we lose power, I fire up my 5800-watt gasoline generator and it costs me about $40.00 per day to run and powers my whole house except the air conditioner.
propane is really the cheapest option. Wish we had other ways to heat a home that is of low expense. Fireplace of coarse...But where is the new tech at? No really much has came out in the last 30 yrs other than wind, solar, and batteries
Great video. This is a big mental block for a lot of people. They have no concept of how much power a small resistance heater uses, and are genuinely surprised when they discover that they can’t heat a single room for more than a couple hours with a $2000 power station.
The arithmetic here is so basic it's elementary school level really. The abysmal efficiency of this setup in terms of capital expenditure is a byproduct of very low energy density of both solar power generation and more importantly battery storage. A 1 liter of gasoline has WAY more energy stored up than even a powerful and expensive power bank.
So yeah, until we develop some super batteries and super photovoltaics we are stuck with fossil fuels - unless of course we want to be super eco and live in cold like Neanderthals.
One possible alternative is small modular nuclear reactors - you buy it for a hefty sum of money but it lasts you 30 years with little to no maintenance. They aren't available yet but there's really nothing better on the market right now.
@@vaakdemandante8772 Lots of people lots their lives fighitng for that liter of gasoline, innocents too, was it really that inexpensive? How much does the US military spend per year on a military to protect their gasoline? thats inexpensive? How about Russia? We could be Andromeda by now but we're paying for oil protection money to dinosaurs who think they can live on this planet forever instead. Yea we cant have cool things because of the cost of gasoline.
With the more efficient mini splits you can run infinitely given a small or moderate battery & solar system.
Gasoline is good until that gallon is gone.
Solar with the right tech is infinite.
Even in -22 you're gonna get 80% efficiency with a good mini split and far more btu than electric resistive heating
@@timothykaczynski2752 Solar isn't infinite.
It requires minerals to be dug out of the ground to make the panels. Those resources are finite.
The lifetime of the panels in operation is also finite, which means they need to be replaced, which means those resources from the ground need to be consumed.
@@timothykaczynski2752 Really? A mini split needs 2K to 4K depending on the size. So if it runs 6 hours a day (fairly conservative), you need plenty of storage and lots panels to charge it up. In terms of A/C, mini splits are more efficient than central air, but in terms of heating, they are less efficient than central heat because of the electricity they require.
Best 2 minute explanation of watts and watt hours ever! I had just told some friends about this reality, and why the idea of a massive battery bank for extended periods WITHOUT fossil fuel generator backup is a big joke.
But, for off grid, solar driven daily use, these portable scalable units have legs.
Haha thank you very much.
I actually bought and installed a wood stove 1st and foremost,since I live in MA.Then I got my Titan next. Great vid cause it's obvious many beginners don't catch this concept.
Very smart, that's a great way to go.
You have no idea how many time I have had to explain this to people. They often think it's a magic box that can run power hungry devices.
Then they get all mad - "they are over priced and I could buy 3 gas generators for the same price".
@@grindychum Yep. That is definitely a repeated response.
Yes! I tried to explain to my dad who is a senior but without success. I'm going to send him this video.
Great video! Since I live in FL I never thought I'd need to use my solar generator during the winter, but I certainly was glad I had it when our temps got below freezing and we lost power for 18 hours. Was quite a wake up call. We have a Pecron E3000 with 4 x 200 watt panels (which my husband HAD thought was a waste of money when he purchased it for me this past Summer). We're definitely going to be expanding when we can. Looking forward to your video on the AC & mini split units
Thanks for mentioning that. I was trying to keep it very simple for people but you're absolutely right.
Great video. Most people don't realize what they are getting into until it's too late. Good recommendations.
Another great video. Would never use solar generator to run heaters or stoves. Changed that over to propane. Looking forward to the video on AC\ mini split. Thanks again..... Jeff
Thanks for watching!
I am SO glad I found this video!!
I can see why people come to you!
Thank you!
Great video, I seen a comment on another video and the person was confused due to the reviewer not explaining it well about what an EB 240 could run as he wanted to run a 1500w heater. I have directed him to this video, I hope he comes as it's much easier to hear than read. I've only got about 5 weeks of knowledge as I just found about solar batteries so even though I explained quite well and also suggested portable gas heater with cylinders, it's still better to hear it from someone who has a lot of real world and hands on knowledge.
Very timely video.
My sister is completely mentally retarded about solar and has tried to stop me from getting it. She failed. I`ll have power after the next hurricane. She won`t.
Great video. I am so grateful that I had my wood stove installed back in 2021, but not everyone can do that or want one if you live a warmer climate. Just like solar generators, wood stoves are not cheap either. I paid over $7,000.00 including the installation. I agree propane, including the Mr Buddy heater is the best way to go for heating an area. I had purchased four Buddy heaters before I had the wood stove installed. I never used them, but if a friend or family member needs heat, I have the solution to help keep them warm till the electricity comes back on. I was watching this one prepper on TH-cam, and he told everyone to to go out and purchase them because they work. The main thing is to keep your fridge and the freezers working, using something like the instant pot, or portable electric stove tops that you can plug into your solar generator for cooking and heating up water. I am interested in the mini-splits with solar for the summer.
Thanks for watching. I did a test earlier this year with my mini splits I installed and maybe I'll edit and post that video sooner than later since that is a big topic people are asking about.
Whoa. Simple box stoves are about $1000. They will heat a small house. The smaller stoves can be had for less than half that. The little ones can be vented by a diy- er. There are camping wood burners designed for tents. Lots of budget options.
@@YSLRD I have a split level house, I may have been able to get two smaller ones, but did not think of it at the time. I had the Schrader wood stove that my dad had installed back in the 70's replaced with Lopi Evergreen. The pipes were out of code, and I was afraid that if there was ever a fire, that the insurance company would not pay. So I had to have everything replaced. The Evergreen is so much smaller though and have to take a chain saw to shorten the wood.
A Chinese diesel heater is the best option if using fuel to heat. Anything else is a waste of time and money.
I forget what I saw it on but I highly recommend having an emergency electric blanket. It is far easier to run off a battery if you need to and it'll get you warmer at a quicker rate than trying to heat an entire room to keep you warm.
And yes 25 hour power outage, December 23 0°F outside between the woodstove and the fireplace inside we ranged between 45-50F.
I ran the electric blanket for somebody off of a car battery I had laying around pretty much most of the day on and off. When we woke up the next day and we were still out I decided to top off my batteries with the inverter that I'm halfway through installing in my van. I was also able to run the refrigerator and the microwave, one of those wasn't planned but somebody came in and just started the microwave! grrrr.
When people learn how much energy it takes to do certain things, mostly "heating and cooling", with electricity, they are stunned. For heating, there is nothing more efficient, in my opinion, than a masonry stove or a rocket mass heater, burning plain old "wood". It's the original renewable power source! :) We have a wood-burning insert in our fireplace that has a plenum chamber above it. That plenum chamber has two standoffs in the attic that tie into our HVAC hot-air return. The intake for the plenum is a grate just above the fireplace. When the fire is going and things are good and hot, rising heat in the plenum pulls air in through the grate and out through the standoffs, effectively "pushing" hot air throughout the network of HVAC ducts in my house. I'm not kidding when I tell folks this system actually keeps the entire house warmer than the forced-air propane furnace does. Wood will ALWAYS be my back-up source for heat, in my home. Also, plug-in heated blankets are a great way of keeping people warm.
That's an incredible setup! Did you install that when you were building the house or did the house come that way?
@@minutemanprep- So, funny story. It was installed, but NOT plumbed in. The standoffs from the plenum chamber were just taped off with insulation over them. I got my HVAC system replaced and they asked if I wanted those tied in. They explained that you have to replace your HVAC filter more often, but otherwise could heat your whole house with wood, so heck yeah I had them connect it all up! :)
@@jasonbroom7147 wow that's so cool though. I wish i had that. Maybe in my next house.
@@minutemanprep Depending on what your current wood-burning setup is, you can sometimes retrofit a solution like this. Anyone with a free-standing wood stove certainly can. It helps alleviate the condition where it's way too warm near the stove and cold in other parts of the room or house.
@R Voit - Sorry guy, but you couldn't be more wrong. Burning "biomass" is considered carbon neutral, whereas oil, gas and coal are fossil fuels that release carbons which will likely never be sequestered again. Do some research. Man has been burning wood since the dawn of civilization; it wasn't until we started burning fossil fuels that we created a CO2 issue.
Thank you for the insight. You’ve helped understand in this video what no one else has ! 👍
Right now in Central California, at around $2 a therm, propane space heaters makes more sense for just me alone in my house. A 20lb propane refill was $26 yesterday, so you can run a Buddy for about $2.60 for 8 hours versus $16 in gas + 4 kilowatt hours for the central heat. You can never have too much paneling, batteries, wood, or propane.
First I thank you for the video as it provides essential information for getting by with what comes naturally. In that vein a solar water heater can be made from from drip irrigation tubing, plywood and a clear plastic film (to prevent air currents from blowing the heat away). The water heater should be OUTSIDE and the heat ducted, passively or by a fan (uses far less power than electric heaters.)
Another big help which is to use heaters made for 12 volt systems ( such as R.V.s a nd boats) and use them directly off the photo electric panels. Of course this will not work without enough light for the panels to generate electricity. But when there is enough light saves a lot because tne inverter itself consumes a good part of the generated electricity.
Mini splits can also be used for heating. In parts of the house that does not have direct sunlight you can augment other heating solution with it if you have some sunlight. It does not work in a heavy storm but it may work in extreme cold after the storm which is often coupled with clear skies. Some minis can run from DC directly (some don't even require inverter, you can connect panels directly). This can become very useful if the power outage is long and propane or firewood supply is limited.
Great video! Everyone needs to understand this before buying a solar generator.
Not sure which part of the US you're based but be thankful you're not in the south west of England ... days & days of Winter gloominess where 180w panels typically manage only 35w input! Both propane & paraffin (kerosene) are used as heat & cooking in my bungalow and three small power-stations run lighting, phones & low-capacity TV. Not terribly cost-effective BUT electricity rates in the UK currently, are astronomical.
He's in Idaho.
I feel for you, that's got to be very difficult. I was in London in October looking at how we could possibly help the UK with backup solar power options and the bottom line is that in most cities and towns people don't have a lot of space to put solar panels so that they can make enough to really keep solar equipment running. You said you're in SW England, do you have much space for setting up solar panels?
I bought 2no 180w rigid panels along with a Delta Mini, EB3A & EB70S when I lived in NY and brought them over with all my chattels in November. Most appliances & woodworking tools were all 120v, 60Hz so they had to be supplied similarly. I also brought two traditional (US) generators one being propane pure sine specifically to charge the stations on just these weather occasions.
My energy use is low so even though the Winter days are gloomy, just three or four hours of clear sun is sufficient so far to boost the smaller of the three and sometimes I resort to using the car's 12v port to top-up too.
But in connection with your video, propane or paraffin has to be the best ways for space-heating despite the disadvantage of increased moisture & slight ventilation issues.
London, like NY, is just a cramped metropolis which is why you'd have noticed the plethora of 'wind farms' and offshore turbines ... there is simply limited capacity for city dwellers to generate their own supply.
Thanks for the math lesson Ben, and the summarized comparable system configs...no matter how you slice it, it's going to expensive to run purely on solar on the front end. I've got a Titan with 3 batteries and plenty of solar panels...but if I don't have any sun....well, not much I can do in that context. Cutover to energy alternative #2; pick your poison...I've got a propane converted Honda 3000...runs great and fairly cost effective to charge up the Titan. That should get me thru the night in your scenario. I also have a Mr Buddy Heater, which heats up my sunroom super fast...constantly having to turn it down even when it's freezing outside. Always looking for ways to keep off the grid as much as possible. This space will continue to evolve, so keep the vids coming!
On another note: my parents live in the boonies of Maine and have had power outages every now & then; enough to the point where they just bought a Generac propane system; instant cutover for power outages. Already this year, they've had 2 short outages and it worked flawlessly. Since they heat with heating oil, they need power to run it. Seems to work for them.
Get a Chinese diesel heater
Great easy explanation hehe 😉 you made me realize no I don’t want to run any battery inverter for heaters 😅 only for a max of 15min on emergency only . Is there any recommendations for portable propane heaters but safe for room or camping on rv or van ?
We are and will be tied to fossil fuels for the next 50 or so years, think of the kWh it takes to run a small city. A battery bank the size of my shed still has to have a fossil fuel generator to back it up. Thanks for the work you are doing in the solar battery / solar panel field.
Nuclear
We picked up two more Mr. Heater Buddy heaters at Costco for $79.99 including the adaptor hose and a line filter.
Good call. I have 2, along with over 24 canisters and device to refill them as well as the hose to run from bigger ranks. Thankfully I haven't need them.
@@JWTX They are the backup to the woodstove for heating the house.
@@CamppattonFamilyCompound Yeah, same here.
Wow! So glad I have my propane heater stove. This video really put things into perspective. Space heaters are power sucking demons.
Thanks for your channel and info.
- what do I do with my system when all is well to keep in best condition? Run 24 hrs drills monthly?
To keeo your equipment in the top condition you should use them once every 3 months. Batteries prefer to stay charged between 20 to 80%. Personally though, since my units are emergency preparedness focused, I keep mine topped off at 100%.
Nice to hear. I have done all the same mental gymnastics, and ended up with exactly with the same conclusion. This year I'm going to add a mini split to my arsenal. I can heat with Solar Radiation, Solar Electricity, Wood (cord or pellet), Natural Gas, Propane, Diesel, Kerosene, Waste Oil, or Electricity. I can cool with Solar Electricity, Shade, Convection, Water, Water Evaporation, or Electricity.
Great video so what am I going to do put in a gas furnace and take out my electric heating?
I saw your vanpowers rename on other countries anyways how good has been working over time with app and by it self ? Would you recommend it I saw it drop fast over a year all do but this was I noticed really quick ,wonder why ?
thank you for making it less of a mystery!
Kindly allow me to drop my favorite comment in this sort of situation. First rule of thumb, fellow Americans - give up this ridiculous habit of wanting to walk around in summer garb during the winter. OVERheating your space like a kiln. For emergencies as well as winter outdoor fun, get a snowsuit and wear it indoors if you must to stay alive. Make a little tent with poles and paracord and blankets for that smaller room. And for safe heat to sleep on if you must, be sure to have a fowl heating pad - they take very little juice to run (as low as 15 watts) and if they're safe enough around pecking barnyard critters, they're safe enough to give you a little extra heat around your feet. For when I'm awake in the winter, I keep one on for my feet at the chair or sofa where I sleep anyway. Saves tons of $ on the propane. It lives inside a large insulated fabric igloo (for pets) where I plop my feet when they're down on the floor. Best of all, raise yourself a couple of big chow chows. They're the best heaters in the world. ... Oh, and also? Be sure you have a very small e-notebook and you can also watch movies for next to no juice. Try to get hand-cranked radios and small stand-alone hand cranked generators as well if you run out of juice.
I immediately saw the title and went this is exactly what I want to know so yes Worth the third time.
The multiple jackets are starting to make more sense.
Very easy to understand your presentation. Thank you! I've heard that Ca is no longer allowing natural gas appliances in new home builds. Also, they are eliminating all natural gas appliances including furnaces by 2030. I saw another YT video on just how quickly Mr. Buddy heaters go through propane which makes them not practical for any long periods either. I also saw a video on how quickly the Generac generators for homes eat through large propane tanks. If you could confirm those things I would definitely appreciate it. I'm trying to figure out which way to go for home alternatives. San Diego Gas & Electric just got called out today by watchdog groups for raising their natural gas prices to their customers while natural gas prices to them just dropped. It's all just lies to force people into the govt's baloney new green deal. I'm very much looking forward to hearing about the new innovations in solar batteries, etc you are seeing at the Las Vegas convention. Thank you again!
I'm going with the ductless mini split that runs on solar during the day and then using server rack batteries at night.
That's an AWESOME way to go. I will be doing videos on those as well because they work so well.
I run an electric oil heater during the day with my 2000w solar generator and 2.5 kw battery and 800 Watts solar.(2.5 to 3.5) kw day in winter. It’s pretty mild climate and lots of sun so it’s pretty comfortable during the day and reduces main heater use. Definitely wouldn’t do much in 0 degree weather and cloudy weather situation. I also use to run a small ac in the summer with similar results. Takes the edge off but not much more. A thing to note is in grid down you will probably prioritize other loads ( lights / fridge etc) that coupled with inverter efficiency pretty much makes electric heat a no go or any sort of climate control a no go.
funny thing is, all the electric energy you pump into loads inside your house will eventually heat your house, no matter how small. Only exception is if you power a gas heater that cools the ventilator with external air, and external lights. All the rest - lighting, electric chargers, computer, fridge, everything in the house - will ultimately shed that power as heat into the house.
If you are going to run a nat gas furnace not only do you need to calculate the power needed for the fan but also the power needed for the ignitor.
That is literally nothing.. and for about 5 seconds..
@@MalWolf01 but it requires surge power. Not so sure that 500w will do the trick.
As well as knowing the power output of the inverter, and the energy storage of the battery, it is worth knowing how much power is required to heat a house. For a house 10m x 20m with 2.4m high walls, the surface area is 544m2. If all surfaces have insulation with an R-value of 4, and there is a temperature difference of 20C (36F) between inside and outside, then heat loss is 20C * 544m2 / 4K.m2/W = 2720W. To maintain the inside temperature, you would need a 3kW heater. Adjust the temperature difference, house size and R-value for your house and climate. This is oversimplified (more heat loss through ceiling than floor, and ceiling usually has better insulation), but is enough to show that heating only a single room during a power outage is more achievable. Where I live it doesn't go below freezing in winter and the whole of house heater is 10kW, and the temperature difference between inside and outside is 7-15C.
You can buy minisplit that runs direct off solar panels its about 900 watts cost just over $1000 you can buy other non solar for about $800 they say you get about 5 hours solar away average
You can use Solar thermal collectors are panels which are (usually) fitted onto your roof. The panels contain tiny tubes of water which are heated by the sun.
This heated water can reach up to 90 degrees C. It is passed down into your home where the heat is transferred to water in a storage tank or cylinder via a coil.
Wherry can you buy that?
Great video! Very clear and informative. Thank you!
I think depends what you are looking for, if you want to be off grid, yes it make sense. However the ROI for a regular house is not worth it. But you can do it by stages, go for the basics first then start expanding
Amps is what moves from the source to the load. Voltage is the difference in potential. Watt's is how much power is consumed. This is why we say a light bulb is burning 100 watts whereas burning is "consuming", not moving.
But if you have really good insulation in your theater room, your heater would not run 100% of the time. It will cycle on and off. And what temperature do you want? If you're desperate you could lower the temp in that room to maybe 60 degrees F. It might be better to run the 500 watt heater rather than the 1300 watt heater and keep the fan kicked up. Some will allow you to do that.
But you're right .. if you have gas figure out a way to run your house furnace and then close off as many rooms separated from the thermostat as you can. Then it might be better to get the family in the living room and spend the night there. Keep the fan cycle time low to take off the chill factor.
Yes but that also depends on the heater itself. Some do not have a sensor to turn off when the room reaches certain levels. But above all, this was meant to be a simple video to help people understand the concept. We didn't get into inverter efficiencies, power on/off due to the temperature being reached, recharging with solar while running heaters etc. But you're absolutely correct.
Great vid, well explained BUT I find it a little interesting that you have all this knowledge and equipment but you are still standing there indoors, with a puffer jacket and a hat on....
Winter is coming. Can you do an updated on most efficient electric heaters to pair with delta 2 max, Bluetti etc?
Great idea. I'll add it to my video list.
500w rating. But what does the space heater actually pull? Start up, & continuous? Heat elements and fan and light? Definitely need propane n candle lard heaters lol.
I have 40 truck batteries i just need a inverter , solar panels And a way to connect them
My power outage plan when my really only concern is for heat via my pellet stove. I can easily run my Harmann P43 pellet stove for 5 hours off a 100 AH battery (w/pure sinewave inverter). My plan is to run my inverter generator for several hours to power the pellet stove AND a battery charger to recharge the 100 AH deep cycle battery. Then run off battery for a few hours, lather, rinse, repeat.
I have 2 200w panels in an indoor window. My question is will the panels still generate heat when not plunged in? with summer coming I wonder if I will need to take them out.
Yes they will make power through a window but substantially less than if they were outside.
Excellent explanation and video. Easy to understand. Keep your videos going! ☮️🙏☯️
You are right on the money, Most people dont do the math, those small "solar generators" may say the run a fridg. but "how long" not long...Or they think 2-3 solar panel will keep with it, good luck. Right?
Even a $15 walmart heater uses more than 500w when on "high". High is usually at least 1200 watts and usually 1500w.
Thanks for explaining watts per hour .
What about inverter and system overhead of the power station. Surely that will eat in to the total run time
Yes it does but this was a video to keep it simple. I'll likely be making a complete solar course that goes into the gritty details like that.
I have a 300 watts space heater for camping. Can I do it with a battery
Yes. Take the total watt-hours of the battery and divide it by 300w. Example: 2,560wh ÷ 300w = 8.5hrs of run time. To get the watt hours take the voltage of the battery and multiply it by the amp-hours. Volts x Amps = Watts.
What’s nice is they always write stuff in Aunt hours but the devices are always watts. East to calculate but for people who do not know this it can be counterintuitive, especially when buying a microwave
You could have had a heatpump unit and extended the units capacity by 2.5-3 though.
It may help in a pinch, but is even more expensive. Would already be in place for a home with powerwall type setup and solar I guess.
Watt about the watts being used by the inverter?
You could use a space heater in a bedroom that was well-insulated, but to run it for more than a few hours is going to take plenty of battery and panels.
I’m looking at putting together a solar electric heating system for a rig. I’m going to build the system myself. Do you think 200ah is good enough? It’s a small space so a 500 watt or less heater will work. I will put the nice high output alternator in my rig and fill the roof with solar. I have the availability too just plug in once a week also too charge. Also gas gen as back up. Any tips are helpful thanks 🙏
He basically covered it but to make it simple... converting electric to heat is very inefficient. He didn't mention the lost in conversion when going from 12v to 120v. Ignore the lost in converting, 200ah will only run a 500w heater for 4hrs if it's a lithium battery. A rated 200ah agm battery gives out somewhere around 150ah at the most or around 3hrs of run time. You have to consider conversion lost, cold temperatures (battery loose capacity when cold), recharge rate (recharge slower when it's cold) and battery cycle. The most I ever got from a 100ah agm using a 350w automatic cemeric heater going through an inverter was 3.5hrs in 40 degree weather. Hope this gives you an idea. Smart move is to use a natural gas or liquid fuel heater. Look into a diesel heater
We have a 200 watt heater, and heating a small 17’ travel trailer in 45F temperature, it was pretty useless so don’t even consider less than 400 watts. Our 1500 watt heater worked very well at lower settings but we had access to 120 volt outlet.
I have 66kWh of home battery storage from recycled S/X batteries with solar on every usable inch of my roof. I personally run an Antminer S19 Pro into my furnace vents to heat my home and make some money on the side. My main breaker has been off for 2 years. I recommend people bypass all these little portable battery systems. Start with a few panels and whatever form of Lithium battery chemistry that gets you the lowest $/kWh then just scaling it up over a couple of years. I started with one single Model S module, an inverter and a single solar panel.
Love your videos.
However, it needs to be understood that any time you move electricity there are loses. And, larger loses when converting DC to AC, topically 15%, although I've measured as high as 30% on cheaper inverters. So, a 1kW power source will really have around 850 usable watts at the inverter output.
This principal also applies to the DC output of solar generators... regulation isn't free!
That is important for calculating runtime. On the other hand, losses are generally heat so if you have the inverters and such in the area you are heating, the system would approach 100% efficiency.
@@Rickmakes Not only would that "benefit" not hold up when you want to cool (it would actually be a determent), but an inefficient system requires more solar, storage, and components. And, heat is not beneficial to MTBF. Efficiency matters.
How would you hook up a solar charger to a oil fired boiler?
I tried for the longest time to find some sort of battery back up for my aunt in case of power outage that she could keep warm and heat food. Most of these devices especially anything USB will not even boil water much less rent a space heater. We were able to find a small 250 white space heater that doesn’t do a whole lot, a jacket with heating coils… But ended up having to get a gas generator because the battery technology just isn’t there yet. As soon as you can boil water with USB device that is one battery technology will be there
I have solar on my house. At the time, I didn't get batteries. I figured I could add it later. Of course finding someone to install it is about as easy to find someone who has seen bigfoot. When I do get a quote, it is way overpriced. Without the battery when the grid goes down, I go down as I am connected to the grid. The solar does a good job during most of the year.
All I need is a small wind turbine to add in non-optimal weather conditions and at night. Then of course, I need batteries.
I have NG for heat, so that isn't an issue.
I produced 12.8 MWh last year and exported 333 kWh. It's Oct-Mar that are my lower producing months.
I was looking at the Anker SOLX F3800, or something similar, which I would just add expansion batteries to.
I work in IT and have set up battery backup for buildings, server rooms, etc. I also have an electronics background from the Army, but I am getting older and I know nothing of code.
The kicker, I work supporting the grid. You'd think I'd be able to find all the resources we had to help with this type of shit but I find out more on my own and it is sad.
But I agree with you, the grid is getting overloaded. The infrastructure bill is helping, but it's more of a band aide. Texas is going to be the worst as they are 100% privatized and it's all about profits. Having power plants producing at 85% capacity when you don't need the power means they aren't making money so when the storms or really hot or cold weather hits, they can't cover and the people who live there are screwed. I lived near Houston a while, which is where I got our building generator and battery backup for our server room as well. The hurricane right before I got their took them down for almost 2 weeks.
It's near impossible to get copmanies to add batteries. I do it for people sometimes. Shoot me an email to info@poweredportablesolar.com and I can see what it'd look like to get it done for you and see if I can save you some money.
@@minutemanprep I forwarded you an email I had sent to EcoFlow this morning.
Your better off doing solar thermal or a heat pump for solar heating with solar, solar thermal with evacuated tubes is near 100% efficent at collecting solar energy where as solar PV are only about 21 - 23% efficent although if a heatpump that can get a COP of 4 or greater you are basically equal to solar thermal and when it's not quite as cold you can use that electricity to do other things hence why solar thermal apart from for hot water is not really used, although I do think a system of 1 solar thermal to 5 solar electric in area is a pretty good balance because you can keep very hot water from the solar thermal for hot water and to add extra heat to the outlet of the heat pump from 30C to 35 - 40C, obviously for ultra cold or overcast days I would want propane as a backup.
This is only for places that are cold the vast majoirty of the year if I lived a hot place I would go completely solar PV
If you got a central heater it's definitely better to just hook up the heater power to an electric generator if there's a power outage during freezing temperatures.
Where did the Apollo videos go to?
Can one power a blower on home natural gas furnace with a solar generator?
Yes. You just need to provide power to your electrical panel that your furnace is connected to. Feel free to email me at info@poweredportablesolar.com for help with that.
well done, thanks!
consider a heat pump.
I guess it be right if you already count the inefficiency of the inverter. If not it would take more energy.
Quick question…would it be wise to store any solar generator and its stackable batteries (while in use) in a DIY faraday cage in an attempt to have some EMP protection? What could possibly go wrong?
Maybe that and also install broadband ferrites at sensitive areas like the cords. EMP Doctor talks about this.
If you have a 700 sq ft movie room, you can put in a wood stove for way less money. Anyone trying to prepare a home for emergency should see at least a small backup wood heater as a no brainer.
The one thing I don’t understand is why you would use an inverter to change the direct current (as stored in the battery) to alternating current to plug-in an resistive heater Like the ones shown. While convenient this is inherent inefficient. To me, it would make more sense to use a DC heater like this used in an RV or camper.
I didn't know dc heaters were available. That would be more efficient. Where could I get one?
Appropriate technology includes appropriate use.
A solar heating system is designed for, and more appropriate for, heating.
better solution, but only for gas heat forced air furnaces.... install a $100 Reliance controls 15amp transfer switch for your furnace, then plug it into a backup battery (or better a small generator). furnace blowers vary consumption based on speed, but expect 4-8amps load. at 120v that's around 960watts startup, and 500watts when running. approximations. so, you can run your furnace for 15mins for 250watts. That's about 12hours of heating your entire home on a 2kwh battery. now... level up and get a 2kw predator generator from harbor freight. now you can run your furnace for a few weeks from a 5gal gas can.
Ty for the info
A solar powered heater. 😂 That's a great idea at night
Or a diesel heater , or a wood stove .
Ty sir
Perfect.
You should be converting it to AMP hours for batteries
Flame is a CO maker
The problem with using energy killing 1500 watt space heater on your battery system is the risk of running your system down to zero or close to zero. I never let my LiFePO4 batteries go below 50% to maximize their lifecycle. I really plan to get at least 10 years or 10,000 cycles on my pair of power queen 200 AH batteries. I'd rather use my ventless natural gas heater as a backup heat source or my buddy propane heater instead of electricity.
Minus the inefficiency of the inverter.
Thanks.. I know what to do now
Go pellot stove and batteries can power blower for long time.
This replaced an older wall unit that failed. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxQDiHf0Cagl2e3YNPX-bWnDMXQAL2A2Y8 The grill on the front is nice, the old unit did not have one, just the glass. Much more kid/dog friendly. Best feature is the battery operated igniter..... old one had the plunger type, which was quirky. This one fires right up with just a touch of the button. Takes the chill off a room very quickly, seems to put out more heat that the one that was there, even though they were the same BTUs. Very impressed.... so much so I bought a second one to replace the other old one even though it still works!
You will run that 500w heater over 8 hours with 2000w battery on low thermostat setting.
In emergency you would get your family sleeping bags they are rather nice. The highest rating the better. Than it be easy living. Not me I'm off the grid for the most part. Not say you need to live like me.
He did the math
It was the monster math ;)
Better to use a catalytic heater that can run a week off of just one can of propane.
i run 5 oil filled radiator heaters set on 600 watt setting during the day when solar is producing 6000 watts, then as the wattage go's down at the end of the day i switch over to propane, wood, pellet stove, witch ever is cheaper to run.
should also think about heated blankets, if all your trying to do is stay warm yourself why waste power to heat all the space instead of just your body?
wow your rich . ill not be able to have anythings like you. Are you getting rich off us watching ?
How long does your Buddy heater run on a full BBQ tank ?
It depends on the heat setting on the Mr buddy. A gallon of propane holds about 90,000 BTUs. If the heater is using 10,000 BTUs on high then it will last 9 hours for one gallon. A 5 gallon BBQ tank would last 45 hours non-stop.
When we lose power, I fire up my 5800-watt gasoline generator and it costs me about $40.00 per day to run and powers my whole house except the air conditioner.
Or get a wood stove or a pellet stove. Pair that with a BBQ and an oil lamp with a board game and you are set to ride out any storm.
propane is really the cheapest option. Wish we had other ways to heat a home that is of low expense. Fireplace of coarse...But where is the new tech at? No really much has came out in the last 30 yrs other than wind, solar, and batteries
Oh man oh man. So many things that you can run on solar but stay away from heating
No matter how you look at it, using electric heater is just a bad idea.......
Pellet stoves and mini splits are faaaaar more cost effective & are far more practical
Yeah if possible get a wood stove