Battery Backup

I have a text file with some pertinent discussions regarding battery, chargers and inverters. This is a hodgepodge of info from several of our illustrious members. I plan on using this info when/if I need to go the route you are talking about.


Here it is..

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If I were buying a battery that is not going to be continually charged like an automobile battery, I would opt for a deep cycle marine or better yet golf cart batteries. But for the application of the FE I don't think golf cart batteries will be practical. They are 6vdc each, hence you'd need 2 and they are about 70 pounds each! However you could get a usable 80+ amp hours from the pair!
Figuring using the FE which is claimed to use a mere 25 watts while running and 300 watts for 4 minute to start. I would even worry about the 4 minute start up for calculating a battery size. P=IE [P=power in watts, I=current in amps, and E=voltage (12.5vdc in this case)] therefore I=P/E, hence I=25/12.5, I=2 amps. So every hour the FE supposedly uses 2 amps or 2 amphere hours, 2AH. A deep cycle battery useful energy is about 1/3 of its total rated AH. So if you need to burn the FE for 24 hours you would need a deep cycle battery rated at 3 times that or 72 AH. That is a very common size battery, probably a group 27, which is the physical size which most cars use. But cars don't need or use a deep cycle battery. Matter of fact if you used almost any deep cycle battery for starting a car you would ruin the battery.

I suggest you get a marine deep cycle battery of about 70 to 100 AH, that is if 24 hours is enough time. If you ever plan to use the battery indoors then a gel cell or glass matt deep cycle battery is best. However, you must make sure the battery charger you plan to use has a gel cell mode. Gels are charged quite differently. They require a lower charge voltage on the high side and higher on the low side! A gel cell does not emit any explosive gasses or for that matter no gasses at all. Do not ever remove the fill caps...if you do you have just ruined the battery! The gell cell battery can be mounted in any configuration however mounting it unside down it will have less than its rated AH.

The best name brand, at a reasonable price, is the Prevailer Dry Fit. Make sure it says Dry Fit. They are made in Germany and are distributed by West Marine. There is a Prevailer (American made)out there but not anywhere as good as the Dry Fit. Exide is a depandable brand for golf cart batteries.

Try Wal-Mart or Sam's they used to carry Exide as well as other marine batteries. Interstate is good but I am not sure if they have deep cycle batteries.

Just don't use a regular car battery...I doubt it'll do what you need in the long haul. They don't like to be deep cycled, they aren't designed for that. The Prevailer Dry Fit is one of the few deep cycle batteries that can be used for starting too. I think the Rolls, and Optima can be also but these are extremely expensive.

I went through this with my sail boat but that needed about 100 AH each day. I used a water generator, the engine altenator, or two 75 watt solar panels. Or a combination of all!

Sorry to be so technical but you asked!

Peter

I originally bought a 1200 Watt inverter for about $180.00. Darn FE did not like it at all. Would shut down the inverter and make the digital screen go crazy. Tested the inverter with various instruments and it appears to work fine.
Decided to spend more money and bought a 400 watt inverter this afternoon. Lots smaller and a couple of simple battery clips to hook on the battery. Not nearly as good as unit. Of course the FE really likes it and all is well. Plan on testing the unit and seeing exactly how long the FE will run on a fully charged battery. Hopper is full of pellets and smoke is rolling out.

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Do a search for "inverter" and you'll see some good photos of what others are doing to solve the power problems. BKY has a great compliation, but the photos will help too.

I am putting two deep cycle batteries together in parallel and using a 400 watt inverter. Figure this will give me at least 35 hours without outside power. One battery would probably have done it but my last test showed about 17 hours maximum run time, hate to run out with an hour to go.

bkyard
thanks
we just happen to have a west marine near us and your response helped me figure out a back up to generator for catering
jack

No problems Jack, my response was really just a compilation of whats already here. I dont want to take undue credit. Happy to help out.

The reply from duck on 5/9 is exactly right. I used a single deep cycle marine battery last Friday during a comp and ran out of power at 11:45am on Saturday. After going through the hassle of unrolling the extention cords and tying into the provided generator I forgot about the 4 minute full on cycle for the auger. Sort of charred the BBQ Sauce on the Chicken.

That Chicken score pushed us back to 2nd overall and caused me to do a lot of thinking about the whole situation as it unfolded. I have decided that for competitions I am going to plug the FE into a UPS (Uninteruptable Power Source) system like what I have on my computer. Plug the UPS into the inverter and then clip into the battery. That way if/when the inverter sounds the low battery warning I can change the power source without effecting the cooker. That would include going to a new battery source or tying into a generator or landline.

I used my "backup" system this past weekend in Huntsville. I've got two group 31 deep cycle maring batteries in parallel. I use Tripp Lite�s APS612 3-function DC-to-AC inverter with automatic line-to-battery transfer and integrated charging system. It serves as an extended run UPS, a standalone power source or an automotive inverter. It worked great.

The inverter/charger is a Tripp Lite model# APS612

Here's a link

http://www.tripplite.com/products/product.cfm?productID=2548

GritsBoy,
How did your chiken score? Ours came in 36th must have hit a low scoring table

Wonder what the percentage of CBJs was and how many had judged under the "new" system?

Tom-Fl

Chicken came in the mid 20's. It was dissapointing, but my presentation did not look up to par because of some inconsistant pieces of chicken. Pork did come in 2nd and Brisket in 13th though.

All judges were CBJs. I would say most of them had judged under the new system.

Wow. good job. congrats. We did a 3rd in pork,12th in brisket, 15th over all.
We were happy, it was just Nina and I. The folks Blind Dog and all the rest of the wonderful folks made this one of the best.
See Ya.
Bill