Electric Only Portable Generator/Power Station?
- Thread starter JRT
- Start date
What model are you thinking about? I don't see why not. A few years back, I had a transient in the slip next to mine for one day and night and they asked if they could run their portable generator for the AC (for some reason they weren't using the shore power) and I didn't even notice it running while they were there as long as I was inside my cabin. (I had my AC running, too.)
I have a Yamaha EF2000 Inverter and it is pretty quiet. I don't have a lot of use for it but it is very nice to have anyway.
I have a Yamaha EF2000 Inverter and it is pretty quiet. I don't have a lot of use for it but it is very nice to have anyway.
I'm actually talking about the pure electric generators, which are just large portable battery packs. I'm not talking about a gas powered generator. There are a few out, so not any brand yet, just curious if anyone gas fine this way. It would be a luxury for the wife and I for added comfort and enjoyment on hot days.
I guess I should call them power stations or solar generators
www.jackery.com
Mostly a thought experiment now
Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro Portable Power Station
Large Capacity: 3024Wh that can power up to 99% of outdoor appliances Ultra Fast Charging: Fully solar charged in 3-4 hours and wall charged in 2.4 hours Portable Design: Pull rod and double wheels Easily Accessible: Smart App Control Cold Friendly: Functional in temperatures up to -20°C /-4°F...
www.jackery.com
Mostly a thought experiment now
I'm not looking to save the world or anything either, I have had 2 EV since 2021, I startwith a Ford Mach-e, put 27k miles on it and went to a F150 Lightning last year for more range and to trade both the Mach-e and my Ram 1500 in on to reduce 2 car expenses for one. Living without gas and noise is soo nice and how we use the boat is just out and back so our use case is limited.
Indeed - that is the question you need to answer. My personal experience with these are that they seem to not actually have the amount of power they claim. Perhaps they state the total capacity, not the working capacity...
dj
These are just batteries with inverters right? I assume you already have batteries. You can buy an inverter for a lot less than you can buy one of these. I had a friend on a dock talking about buying one of these and when we looked at the money it turned out they were charging about twice what they should have been for a simple battery and inverter that my friend already had on his boat anyway. It seems like a couple of these companies are doing an amazing job marketing on Facebook to sell people things they don't need or already have or could easily buy for half the price. I agree they should not be called generators. They should also not be called Power stations. They should be called batteries.
Hey,
I'm not an engineer or an electrician, but sometimes I play one.
Some quick googleing found this:
How much electricity does a 12,000 BTU air conditioner use? A 12,000 BTU air conditioner uses roughly 900 watts per hour, assuming a minimum SEER rating of 13. You can achieve much more efficient performance with a better rating.
The Jackary device listed above states it has 3000 watts. So if that is actually the case it should run a 12K BTU Air conditioner for about 3 hours (900 watts per hour X 3 hours = 2700 watts).
If you wanted to do it with your existing boat bank:
So assume 900 watts / hour.
Assume 4 hours run time = 3600 watts
Watts = Volts X Amps, so Amps = Watts / volts
Your boat batteries are 12V, so the number of amps required for a 4 hour run of a 12K BTU air conditioner would be
3600 watts / 12 volts = 300 amps.
If you are using an DC to AC inverter to power the air conditioner you will lose some power in the conversion.
If you have 'regular' lead based batteries, you can safely draw them down to 50% capacity, so to provide 300 amps for air conditioning would mean you need a 600 amp battery bank.
And that doesn't include and power used for refrigeration, lights, electronics, etc.
If I've made any calculation mistakes please correct me.
Thanks,
Barry
I'm not an engineer or an electrician, but sometimes I play one.
Some quick googleing found this:
How much electricity does a 12,000 BTU air conditioner use? A 12,000 BTU air conditioner uses roughly 900 watts per hour, assuming a minimum SEER rating of 13. You can achieve much more efficient performance with a better rating.
The Jackary device listed above states it has 3000 watts. So if that is actually the case it should run a 12K BTU Air conditioner for about 3 hours (900 watts per hour X 3 hours = 2700 watts).
If you wanted to do it with your existing boat bank:
So assume 900 watts / hour.
Assume 4 hours run time = 3600 watts
Watts = Volts X Amps, so Amps = Watts / volts
Your boat batteries are 12V, so the number of amps required for a 4 hour run of a 12K BTU air conditioner would be
3600 watts / 12 volts = 300 amps.
If you are using an DC to AC inverter to power the air conditioner you will lose some power in the conversion.
If you have 'regular' lead based batteries, you can safely draw them down to 50% capacity, so to provide 300 amps for air conditioning would mean you need a 600 amp battery bank.
And that doesn't include and power used for refrigeration, lights, electronics, etc.
If I've made any calculation mistakes please correct me.
Thanks,
Barry
Here is a nice review of quiet portable generators
www.bestreviews.guide
10 Best Quiet Generators 2024 in the US | There's One Clear Winner | BestReviews.guide
BestReviews.Guide analyzes thousands of articles and customer reviews to find the top-rated products at today's lowest prices. Best products, best offers.
www.bestreviews.guide
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I own the Honda, it is amazingly quiet for a generator. I've owned a number of portable generators.
One thing you do need to check, and fix if needed, is the grounding system. The Honda does not tie the ground to neutral. That should be done. I've no idea if the others are the same or not. Easy to check with a multimeter...
dj
One thing you do need to check, and fix if needed, is the grounding system. The Honda does not tie the ground to neutral. That should be done. I've no idea if the others are the same or not. Easy to check with a multimeter...
dj