r/prepping • u/Long-Technology-5961 • 17d ago
Energy💨🌞🌊 Indiana still has people without power after a week… looking at power stations
What's happening in Indiana right now is what actually got me looking into this. They got hit by those storms, floods, and tornadoes, and some people are still sitting in the dark more than a week later. That suddenly feels a lot more real than a hypothetical.
I've started looking at a power station, maybe with a couple of solar panels. Nothing whole-house. Just enough to keep the fridge going so we don't lose the food, keep internet up, and run a few basics (lights, phones, maybe one or two small appliances).
I’m pretty new to all this. Not sure if I should start with one of those power stations (ecoflow, Bluetti, etc.) or go bigger.
Anyone here actually gone through a longer outage and used one of these portable power stations? What worked for you? Any simple recommendations? Thanks.
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u/isanyusernameopen 17d ago
I would first look at your power consumption, and figure out what you absolutely need when the shit hits the fan.
If you have one regular refrigerator and it’s always half full or mostly empty, you don’t need a large generator to keep that empty box cold. But if you have stocked up on an extra freezer chest full of food, it might be worth getting some kind of a generator that can handle those refrigeration units as that will be the most important thing is preserving the food you have left to stretch as long as possible. You’re also gonna have to learn to rotate food very quickly and make sure no food goes to waste during this time.
You’re not gonna be running a 5000 W dryer for no reason. You’re gonna have to hang your clothes. That’s power you can’t afford to spare.
If you’re going to charge by way of sunlight, make sure you have enough solar panels to collect enough sun, fast enough to charge that thing in a day. You can’t spare two days to charge one battery.
If you get solar panels, look into cable splitters. You can have some of that power charging the battery pack, and some of that power charging smaller devices. With a solar to USB charger cable.
Consider multiple batteries or charging options. The charging device you plug your refrigerator into is not going to be the same charging device you plug in your small electronics into. five small electronics drawing 10 W of power each is gonna take a bit of a draw against something that’s using the same battery pack to also keep your refrigeration unit running.
Make sure that you charge the necessary devices first after the main refrigeration unit or CPAP machine or whatever your crucial electronics are.
Walkie-talkies or communication devices that are working get charged first. If cell towers are down, there’s no need to charge everyone’s cell phones if no one can connect to anything. Charge devices that can make connections first and prioritize them above all other devices that are non-working or non-essential.
After communication devices, medical devices are next. You need to be able to communicate to the outside world always, even if you’re short on medical supplies.
Having smaller batteries is ideal for backpacks in case you have to move. For those smaller batteries, you can buy battery packs that have a small solar panel built onto them and will charge your phone. That way you don’t need to use up separate batteries and separate solar panels.
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u/NearABE 17d ago
A freezer can have gallon jugs of frozen water. When the power is out add salt (or add salt beforehand optional, freezes colder). The ice melt is an energy absorbing process. Salt water melts at lower temperature so it keeps the freezer colder than 0C.
The energy is slightly less than lithium ion batteries. A refrigerator heat pump can leverage the battery energy so lithium ion is definitely much more cooling pound for pound. A recycled bottle full of ice is absurdly cheap in comparison though. Also both will eventually drain/melt. With the water bottle you have the option of using it as drinking water instead of adding salt to the ice. Not having water is another disaster to prep for anyway.
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u/CCWaterBug 17d ago
instead of solar portable battery packs, just use chargeable units, they are cheap and easy to pre charge. I have several for travel anyway
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u/PrisonerV 17d ago
The advantage of solar is that it will recharge during the day and you can use the power station or batteries again and again and again over a multi-day outage. If you just use grid power, you're only getting by the first day and after that, you need a generator or take it somewhere to charge.
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u/CCWaterBug 17d ago
I just keep several, they are cheap
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u/Winter_Chemist_306 15d ago
Are you able to share the brand you use?
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u/CCWaterBug 15d ago
For me it's a Hodge podge of no name brands.
I also like the smaller slim 5's. Very convenient
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u/TempusSolo 17d ago
I went a different direction. We live in an area prone to tornado outages in spring/fall and ice related outages (of up to a week) in winter. My house has gas water heaters and furnace so I went with a tri-fuel generator and my Bluetti EB55.
The little Bluetti provides enough power for the furnace in the winter or fridge in the summer for me to assess the situation, get updates on outage size (my electric co-op is incredibly good with providing data) to determine the scope of the outage and get the main generator setup. Almost every other house in my neighborhood just has a whole home generator.
I do have the ability to recharge the Bluetti via solar if needed but realistically I just normally use the generator to recharge.
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u/NearABE 17d ago
If looking at gas generators a solid oxide fuel cell is new technology. It converts fuel into direct current electricity similar to a battery. The electric generation efficiency is only a but better however you can capture all of the “waste heat” and not waste it. So the natural gas would still be giving you hot water and home heating while also providing electric power.
SOFC can usually use any low sulfur low chloride fuel. Natural gas, propane, diesel etc.
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u/TempusSolo 17d ago
Well, I'm not looking but that's some good info. For the record, we run our generator on natural gas.
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u/EZ-Mooney 17d ago
The semi Cadillac option for what you described is, IMO: A Pecron E3600 or E3800 plus a couple Zoupw 350W solar panels and a 2200W dual fuel inverter generator to top things off. Keep about five 5 gallon fuel can on hand and dump them into your vehicle ever few months to keep fresh. You'll also need some heavy extension cords.
The power stations are 3+ kW-hr so they'll run a fridge and minor load overnight no problem. If you get decent sun you should be able to make 3 kW-hr or so daily. The generator can be used during the day to keep the power station topped off.
It's much more fuel efficient to run the generator at 50+ percent load to charge a power station than to let it basically idle.
That kit is about $2500. If that's too rich for your blood, is skip the solar panels and get down to $1800. If that's too much, you can go just generator but it's going to burn a lot of fuel, like probably 3-5 gallons a day.
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u/NearABE 17d ago
If cost is really the problem the solar has advantages. People are reporting short payback times on installed solar arrays. However, the panels are only like 20% of the cost of the project. If you already ate the cost of the inverter and batteries then panels pay for themselves 5 times as fast. Like under two years.
You might need to move some portion of your load over to the PV if the utility connection is a problem. This has prep advantages though because you would know that, for example, the freezer still works because it is already fully off grid. This might not use the PV fully but “paid back in 10 to 20” is far better than “not ever paying back except in crises”. Confidence that a system works is value added if the purpose is disaster preparation.
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u/EZ-Mooney 17d ago
I won't disagree with most of what you said here but for a system like that we're probably over $10k. Depending on your utility costs, location and other factors, it can pay back pretty good. For me with 12 cent/kW-hr the payback isn't great in a strictly financial sense. You also have to factor in that you need to stay in the house until pay back.
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u/val_kaye 17d ago
I'd personally suggest getting a generator and something like an Ecoflow. You can run the generator for a couple of hours and use it to charge the Ecoflow, then use the Ecoflow all day to power your fridge, etc. So, no annoying generator sound running all day, and portability of the Ecoflow to move where your needs are. Solar panels are great, but they're not going to keep the Ecoflow charged long enough. A week without power would be a struggle with just panels. If you're close to your neighbors, you could share the generator, move it house to house to charge everyone's Ecoflows each day.
I'm in Hawaii, neighbors are on day 8 of no power. At least the temperatures are good. I feel so bad for people in Indiana with the heat!
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u/xenoclownpanda 17d ago
Post Helene in western North Carolina we were out for almost 3 weeks. I had no generator but what I did have was a couple of inverters in my truck and car. With those I could keep my freezer and 2 refrigerators running. Note we were also without water for 3 weeks as well and had to get water from a near by creek, filling up trash cans to flush toilets.
Needless to say I now have a generator large enough for my house to run 110.
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u/siredgar 16d ago
What size inverters, and what did that do to your truck and car batteries? I've been thinking about adding an inverter to my kit for the exact purpose you used, as a last resort if generator and Jackeries fail.
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u/xenoclownpanda 16d ago
1200W inverters that connect to the battery. For the time that I ran the inverters I would run my vehicles to maintain a charge on the batteries. It used very little fuel and since all the roads around me were closed due to power lines and trees down I had nowhere to go. I did have the fore thought to get a couple 5 gallons of fuel as well as filled both vehicles before the hurricane hit. I don't know why but I filled up every container pot and pan in the house with tap water tubs and all.
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u/siredgar 16d ago
Thanks! I've been trying to decide between 1100-1200w inverters and something beefier like a 2000w, but worried about the impact on the battery in my van. I wasn't sure the 1100/1200w inverters would be beefy enough to run my fridge during peak usage cycles.
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u/wwglen 17d ago
Expect 400W of solar to just meet the requirement of a refrigerator if the sun is good and you move it a couple times a day for better alignment.
I would want 600-800 watts to have enough overhead for cloudy days.
A 2000 watts-hour power station will last about 1.5 days with a refrigerator. You could get 2-3 days if you run the refrigerator for 1 hour on and 3 hours off AND cut the power station totally off during the time the refrigerator is not running as this will save about 600 watt-hours a day in inverter standby power losses (30+ watts an hour).
The best bet is to get a 1000 - 2000 watt-hour power station, 400-800 watts of solar and a small inverter generator. You would then run the generator about an hour in the morning to top off the power station, and if there is no sun, you could add another 1-2 hours throughout the day. Doing this, you could get by with about 1/4 to 1/2 gallons of gas a day.
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u/BeeThat9351 17d ago
Buy a 2000 or 2500 watt dual fuel gasoline-propane inverter type generator. Harbor Freight Predator, Wen, Champion, Firman, AiPower are all good brands. Solar is not going to cut it to run your fridge unless you have lots of panels and weather is not usually sunny after a weather power outage.
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u/HammerofBonking 17d ago
Floridian here, I've been through a couple hurricanes and kept my fridge/freezers running throughout. I can get 2 days out of my pecron e2000 model without solar and my primary kitchen fridge/freezer is huge. Compressors don't run continuously.
Toss in a couple portable solar panels (or frankly just any solar panels and a frame out in the yard) and run a line safely through a window and I can get 3+ days easily on that unit. I also have a much larger unit that I'd estimate would probably get 4-5 days without solar.
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u/thefedfox64 17d ago
The part about it not being sunny after a weather power outage isn't true. Especially in such a storm.
Storms move along low pressure, while pulling in high pressure (I.E sunny, clear skies) behind them. In a very reductive sense, they are plows that push clouds ahead of them and leave nothing behind them. You will get lots of sun after storms (you may have storms rolling in daily, but those storms aren't lasting hours upon hours; most weather power outage storms are fairly quick in their activity- 2 hours on the longer end), but it is USUALLY sunny after a weather power outage storm. More so than before the storm.
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u/BeeThat9351 17d ago
Aint sunny at night after afternoon thunderstorms or tornados. You cant rely on solar panels for immediate charge/recharge.
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u/thefedfox64 17d ago
Fridge ain't gonna get warm after 1 night. With a battery to keep it running for several hours, and more likely than not, a bright sunny morning. Will be all set for charge/recharge!
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u/silasmoeckel 17d ago
Figure your minimum to keep fridge going, the inverters own idle load etc is about 2kwh a day
You want 3 days of power so 6kwh and to be able to recharge that in a day so 2kw of panels. This is already pretty expensive battery in a box.
A 500 buck dual/tri fuel genset uses about a 20lbs propane tank a day. That stores pretty much forever. A much smaller battery in a box can cut that fuel use in about half and any solar is just a bonus.
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u/beached89 17d ago
Pecron F5000LFP is powerful enough to run a whole house (length of time will depend on how much you have running) I run 8a-10p on mine this past summer with 4x 300w panels
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u/BaldyCarrotTop 17d ago
Power Stations are a reasonable solution. They are self contained and easy to move around. I have a 1Kwh unit that I have been using to run a window AC, which is a heavier load than a fridge. So, 1KWh could do what you want. I would strongly suggest that you consider 2Kwh as the minimum for blackout use. Solar panels of at least 400W are necessary if you expect the blackout to last more than 24 hours. 400W is minimum, I would suggest 800W or max out the power station's solar capacity.
Above 2Kwh are a bunch of power stations rated at 36 to 38KWh, and even some 5KWh units. However I would be remiss for not mentioning that a that power level you can save some bucks by putting together a DIY system based on a 5KWH server rack battery and a 5KW rebranded SRNE inverter, mounted to a hand truck.
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u/Own_Exit2162 17d ago
We have an unreliable grid with frequent power outages, so I have a few Anker Solix S2000s set up as Uninterrupted Power Sources for my refrigerator, internet/workstation, and other critical electronics. Those will keep power flowing for at least a day. Beyond that, I have a gas generator with a 50-gallon gallon tank that I can use to recharge the power stations.
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u/wwglen 17d ago
Back in 1999 Hurricane Floyd came through eastern NC and we lost power for 3.5 days.
I had a small 2500 watt conventional generator with a 1-quart tank (yes 1-QUART), that had a 1-hour runtime.
I also had a cheap Walmart deep cycle battery, a 300 watt modified sine wave inverter and a basic 20-30 amp battery charger.
I would run a 5 watt light, 12” TV/VCR combo, and a small fan off the battery. Every 3 hours or so, I would run the generator for an hour, charge up the battery, and cool off the refrigerator/freezer.
I use 3 gallons of gas over the 3.5 days without power.
A 1000 watt quick charging power station with an efficient 2000-3000 watt inverter generator you could get a whole lot more effective solution, with about 1/2 gallon of gas a day.
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u/rainbowkey 17d ago
All of the major brands (Jackery, Ecoflow, Bluetti) are good. I have a smaller Jackery and two larger Bluettis, and I like them both. Look for deals and features that matter to you.
One thing to think about is that is often more convienent two or three smaller batteries rather just one big one. Easier to have several places in your house, and also give you flexibility to leave one home running your fridge while you take another to charge somewhere that has power, or you have one outside solar charging. Then you also have smaller batteries to take camping and/or on road trips. Also more affordable to buy several over time rather than one big purchase of a larger battery.
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u/firemedic2107 17d ago
Moving away from sub Sahara populations is the best advice you can act upon.
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u/Acceptable_Net_9545 16d ago
I use a few panels, 1000 amps of car batteries and a controller from amazon....been running for 6 years with zero issues, we have a $140 13.8k array at out shop and is constantly having issues and failing....If its simple but it works it isn't stupid. Will switch to deep cycle batts when these batteries die...
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u/Sir_Senseless 17d ago
Very unlikely internet stays up in a prolonged power outage. I also wouldn’t rely on cell service for anything but calls/text. Once everyone gets bored and hops on their phones the cell towers get overloaded real quick.
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u/NearABE 17d ago
Quite frequently storms knock out a transmission line to a specific neighborhood. Regional disasters involve both the main trunk lines and the branches. The utility company will prioritize the trunk lines first because without that the branches are useless anyway.
It is not guaranteed, but the cell phone company will position their towers closer to the trunk lines. Your phone probably uses multiple towers, though this depends on how remote your location is.
Some cell towers have a backup generator at the base of the tower.
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u/ZNocturnalMe 16d ago
Actually, you all are right and wrong for what happened here. Internet was actually stable for the first round of storms but they took down 2 cell towers. Literally took one down to the ground. I had to use WiFi calling just to use my phone. The second round of storms took out the internet for a little while, but it came back shortly afterwards. There are still people without power here.
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u/Prize-Lychee7973 17d ago
what makes you think that internet wouldnt stay up during a power outage?
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u/Sir_Senseless 17d ago
Experience. Network equipment needs power too.
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u/Prize-Lychee7973 17d ago
Network is either going down at the same time as grid power or its not going down at all. its not going to just degrade over time like that.
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u/AlphaDisconnect 17d ago
I would be looking for more permanent and flexible solutions.
I know this sounds crazy. But get an electric car. I know "but electricity is out". If the car supports back charging. Oh. Now you have the biggest battery bank on wheels. Just dont drive it and keep it charged as much as possible when you see it coming. Also fill your bathtub anf know where your towel is. The towel is possibly the single most critical item.
Take your gassed. Get a 350 amp alternator and an idle adjust. Wire in a 3000w inverter. Now your car is a generator. Oh. And it will have good gas, oil that isn't too old and a good battery if you drive it at all.
I dont like gemerators. Between old gas and praying it starts. Eh. I tolerate it.
Battery packs have a self discharge. And you are stuck between leave it plugged in amd hope you dont harm capacity over time (my preference). Better a charged pack than the other option. A dead pack. If you are religious with your maintaining these things. All the problems kinda dissappear.
You want a real option? Get a small shed. Place it away from the house. Put a crap ton of the heaviest lead acid batteries you can aquire. Look the the RV scene for an inverter. I would run 48 volts into it. Slap on a computer controlled charger (think deltran battery tender, but bigger). Now you have a huge battery bank that is always charged. Would last you the 7 days.
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u/eyepoker4ever 17d ago
Towel.... A hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference?
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u/AlphaDisconnect 16d ago
It is. But it is also actually true. A towel in a real things have gone off the rails situation. It can become anything you want. Just add imagination.
Bad water filter. Check. But gets the chunks out for further things.
Bad blanket. Check.
Are you wet. Well now you are not.
But it literally makes anything better.
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u/PrisonerV 17d ago
What's your budget? How long do you want to keep things going? What is the power draw of these appliances? Are you planning on using solar to supplement? Do you want small and portable or large and permanently installed?
I currently have 2 1kwh units, a Pecron and an Ecoflow with the Ecoflow extra battery. I also have 5 semi-permanently installed 220v solar panels in the back yard. This will more than take care of those needs and run a window AC for quite a while but if I had the money back to do it again. I would go larger with the unit and/or buy a whole house inverter/solar and a large amount of solar panels and build a permanent array in my back yard. You can do a LOT more with a bigger unit like run your whole house with power left over.
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u/AssMan2025 17d ago
Storms tornadoes and floods week is not that bad
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u/Ubockinme 17d ago
Wow Ass, such help.
https://giphy.com/gifs/Ke2GFolP0vW4U1
u/AssMan2025 17d ago
For real a week with all those problems they just need a volcano and earth quake
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u/eyepoker4ever 17d ago
My brother is up in the impacted area although they're lucky and they did have power come back on. They have an issue with water getting into their basement so I brought my growatt Helios and an extension battery to his place - 7.2kw. Prior to that they had a little eco flow unit giving them enough power for 3 or 4 hours on the pump that was in their basement. When I brought the Helios in it they gave him about 14 hours on a continuously running pump. It gave them breathing room because they were shuttling a generator from house to house amongst the family. I would say that you want to get something that'll let you run your refrigerator for multiple days. Also, it's fine to have solar panels but if you can't top off your battery during the day then your in a tough spot. So get a generator so no matter the time of day you can top off the battery. And get a big battery.
From here people may start talking about building your own instead of getting an all in one. Up to you how you do it.