Here are a few technical toys for getting and using power in an off-grid home.
Starting with the NiMH battery Charger, it holds 4 AA or AAA NiMH batteries, and charges from 120vac housepower or 12vdc car power as input. About $20 from Walmart, and came with 4 AA NiMH batteries.
That gives me power for all those battery sucking devices like flashlights, remote control vehicles my boy’s like, clocks, and caller ID phones.
Next up in the Power toolbox is my Kill-A-Watt. This 120vac, 15amp monitor can measure the volts, watts, hz, watt hours, and power factor of most AC loads in the house, RV or boat. Its indispensable in an off-grid setting, for determining how much power an item uses and for how long it runs. $30 from J&R Music World.
The last item in the picture above is the Power Center, $99 from BJ’s Wholesale. It contains a battery, a 400 watt inverter, jumper cables, air compressor, flashlight, two 12vdc power receptacles, and two 120vac receptacles. Great for portable emergency power, or, as we are using it, as a temporary UPS to keep the satellite box from losing sync and the clock radio/stereo from losing programming during inverter/generator/inverter switching. We will plug a 20 watt PV panel into it shortly, and give some real life run time/load numbers.>
powkey Portable Power Station 350W, 260Wh/70,000mAh Backup Lithium Battery, 110V Pure Sine Wave Power Bank with 2 AC Outlets, Portable Generator for Outdoors Camping Travel Hunting Emergency
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$192.98 (as of May 1, 2024 04:58 GMT +01:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Amazon Visa
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$23.00 (as of May 1, 2024 04:58 GMT +01:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)200W Portable Power Station, Powkey 120Wh/33,000mAh Power Bank with AC Outlet, 110V 6 Outputs Solar Generator External Battery Pack with LED Light for Home Use and Outdoor Camping
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31% OffAnker Power Bank Power Station 60,000mAh,Portable Outdoor Generator 87W with Smart Digital Display, Retractable Auto Lighting and SOS Mode, Home Backup(PowerCore Reserve 192Wh) for Travel, Camping
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$149.99 (as of May 1, 2024 04:58 GMT +01:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Foldable Solar Panel Charger 60W with 18V DC Output (11 Connectors) for 100W~350W Portable Power Stations Jackery/Rockpals/Flashfish/Enginstar, Portable Solar Generator for Outdoor Camping Van RV Trip
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$98.99 (as of May 1, 2024 04:58 GMT +01:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)