You've Just Seen Your Last Blackout

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Since this inverter will draw almost 10 amps to operate a single 100 watt lightbulb, we strongly recommend buying several 20 to 30 watt compact fluorescent lights and install these in table lamps that can be quickly plugged into the inverter's outlet in the event of a power outage. Two or more shop drop lights with fluorescent lamps and long cords will come in handy if stored in your Power Station cabinet and these can be quickly unrolled and placed in other dark rooms when needed.

This power station will deliver approximately 3/4 kilowatt-hours of operating capacity at 70°F room temperature. The larger the load or colder the room, the shorter the expected run time. During testing we powered a Dell Pentium color 100 MHz laptop computer and lighting for two rooms for four hours with capaci ty to spare. By adding a second battery or using two 6 volt golf cart batteries you can double this operating time, but a portable power station having these two deep discharge batteries will be extremely heavy to move around.

Purchase a rechargeable flashlight that has an automatic ON feature when the power goes off and keep it plugged into a wall outlet next to the power station. Also keep extra fuses for the inverter in the station cabinet as it could be totally dark when the power first goes out or if you overload the inverter. To reduce inverter heat buildup, keep the hinged top open when powering loads.

For those who want to prepare for real emergencies, modify the cabinet design and add a top storage shelf or racks to hold a small canned-heat camp stove, a first aid kit, a mount for the rechargeable flashlight, and a portable battery-powered radio with a clock feature.

Detailed construction plans are available for larger back-up systems designed to power a remote home or cabin. For more information, please call 804-457-2113.

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