Sandy, DC Inverters, and Load?

[supplyguy]

More of a mental MacGuyver exercise than a real plan.....with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy headed our way wondering what household electronics could be run from a DC inverter from my car during a power outage? Imagining my Ford Escape" running like a generator in my driveway, an 800w DC inverter in the lighter, and a 50' heavy duty extension cord snaking into the kitchen. Wondering what I could power......lights? laptop? coffee pot? TV? Essentials. Thinking microwave, refrigerator, and wife's hair dryer are all off limits. Mind you we have never been out of power for more than an hour in 15 years here in Ashburn, VA and have a gas stove and fireplace.....but interesting to ponder. Keep responses simple.....the fact that I am posting this suggests I have limited understanding of all things electrical.

[BEEK]

things that dont require a lot of current to get them started... no electric motors 800 watts = 8 100 watt lightbulbs
small lcd tv's. coffee pot, an electric drill would be fine, but not the circular saw.. i would recommend buying a generator. i live in florida, where everyone ownes one or two. probably cant find one right now though.

[aj81spider]

A couple of things I'd be worried about. 800 watts is 66 amps at 12 volts. Apart from the alternator issue I'd think pulling 66 amps through your cigarette lighter might not be good for the fuzes (hopefully) or wiring.

[courtenay]

Good call AJ. I have a 1000watt Inverter in my fifth wheel trailer, but it's connected directly to my batteries with 4 gauge wires and then 14 - 2 household cable to the power outlets in the trailer. I'd be very concerned about pulling too much amperage through my cig lighter. No problem charging cell phones and laptops, though.
On the other hand, if you could connect the thing directly to the truck's battery rather than drawing the power through the cig lighter, you should be able to draw more power without damaging the vehicle's wiring.

[supplyguy]

Interesting. I did see one Black and Decker inverter on the web with alligator clips to connect with the battery. With buried power lines and few tall trees in Ashburn not overly concerned - won't be searching for generator......of course I just jinxed us.

[redcars]

My car has a factory built in DC inverter with 115 volt plug with a 100 watt max. I would say that would be about the max you could pull from a cigarette lighter. I would definitely get one that hooks up to the battery.

[Razooli]

Nothing electrical to suggest, but I lived in Burke during Isabel in 2003. The power was out at the county water pumping station for 3 days. Fill all the bathtubs, if only to have water to flush the toilets.

[RRoller123]

FYI, just for info and a comparative data point, I had my house wired up for an external generator last year. My electrician put in a new ~20 circuit panel separate from the main panel, and I bought a 10,000W peak, 8000W steady gasoline fired B&S generator on line. The generator was something like $400 at the time and the shipping was really cheap, like 50 bucks. The panel contains parallel circuits for the heating system, refrigerator, microwave, electric fireplace, lights in the bathrooms, entertainment center, disposal, etc etc. The cost of the panel installation was $1500, with an outdoor jack for the connection to the generator, which sits on the patio. It is portable and is easily wheeled out of the toolshed when needed.

Primarily put this system in because we have my 92 year FIL living with us and my 89 year old MIL lives close nearby and we need the security for them in the winter. So I thought it might/would be a waste of money. Last year we used it 4 times, once for 3 days straight, once for 4 days straight, once for a full day and once for a few hours. Best $2000 I ever spent, and I will get all of it back when we sell the house I am pretty sure.

[NJFIAT1981]

Sandy is here. Right now we have 50 mph winds. Predicted 75-85 mph winds by late this afternoon. Hunkered down to ride out the storm.
I too purchased a standby home generator. 17,000 kw. It,s supposed to power the whole house. The reason I say supposed is that it's sitting on a new cement pad on the side of the house. The electrician is supposed to come this week. My guess is that he is going to be one busy guy in the next few days. Not to worry. I have a portable generator and some solar panels to charge a deep cell battery I have. That's the current situation here in NJ. Be safe all.

[RRoller123]

Timing is everything, in cars and in life! Stay safe!

[baltobernie]

Ready as can be midway between Baltimore and Washington. 400' AMSL, so no worries about flooding, but surrounded by 100' trees. Fortunately, we've had an early autumn (great song, Stan!), so wind load won't be so severe. Have a NIB 7kW for well water and an air card for Internet, if we come to grief.

Did receive an e-mail from the Gerihatrics this AM, stating that the rink is open today, and lunchtime game is On

More importantly, Capt. John's Crab Run went off yesterday without a hitch; 15 cars. A great and timely distraction.

[NJFIAT1981]

Sorry Bernie,
Spent the day prepping for the storm. Got everything squared away by late afternoon. Just in time for the rain to start. Will try again next year

[dmwhiteoak]

Hunker down and stay safe boys. All I can do is send some prayers for ya. Please don't take any chances.

[RRoller123]

Power back on a few minutes ago! YeeHah!

[baltobernie]

OK here. Sporadic outages only. Took a little water thru the skylights. Lost several trees, one close to (but missing) the house. Hope the rest of you are fortunate.