When did a battery become a generator? RANT

[5030]

Actually, I power my BiPap machine in the RV with a PSW inverter wired to the house batteries and the house batteries when fully charged can power the machine all night no issue with plenty of power left in the am. I have enough solar on the roof of the RV to top off the house batteries in a day or less as well.

 

[LittleBill21]

in the grand scheme of things although I disagree with wording, its not really different. you add gas to make electricity and it has to be refilled.

no different other then it has to be charged vs gas.

neither one lasts indefinitely and the battery units have more ways of being refilled.

that said, I own a pretty large one, and they are pretty limited compared to a gas generator in terms of power generated.

 

[Rmart30]

The generator part comes from being able to charge them from solar. But I agree, they should be called portable power stations and leave the word generator out.
I have a few of the smaller ones <1000w. They come in handy for recharging phones, laptops etc when needed. The larger units you are paying for convenience and simplicity. You can home build one in about a hour for half of what one of the RTU models cost and it will have more battery capacity and output.

 

[not2old]

I don't miss carbon zinc batteries one bit. Not one. I didn't like them then for their pathetic durability, and not now for their minimal capacity. Better than carrying a burning torch around, just.



Peter

In the 1950's, if someone gave one of us a toy that required batteries, mom and dad would be annoyed because they lasted just minutes and were expensive.

 

[geteh]

in the grand scheme of things although I disagree with wording, its not really different. you add gas to make electricity and it has to be refilled.

no different other then it has to be charged vs gas.

neither one lasts indefinitely and the battery units have more ways of being refilled.

that said, I own a pretty large one, and they are pretty limited compared to a gas generator in terms of power generated.
I have a few of the smaller ones <1000w. They come in handy for recharging phones, laptops etc when needed. The larger units you are paying for convenience and simplicity. You can home build one in about a hour for half of what one of the RTU models cost and it will have more battery capacity and output. check out https://zoroto.watch/

I have been offered a non-inverter 2.8kw generator to keep as stand by to run a few house items when required. I'm not confident it would not damage sensitive electricals. The guy offering says it will be OK if using surge protector extension leads for the items I'm concerned about (TV, fridge & freezer to name a few). Am I worrying over nothing? Would the extension make it safer?

 

[hayden]

It's advertising and selling. They are working off of well know language, and what in conjures in people minds, not what it actually means. A "generator" is a portable thing that you plug stuff into and to make it run. Everything else is just details. Heck, a "generator" isn't a generator either, it's an alternator.

I dislike how they are marketed too, but I recently sold my Honda 3000EU and replaced it with a battery/inverter power pack. It is SOOOO much better than the Honda for my use.

I never use it for continuous power, only as portable power for short term, off-site work. So the length of time that the batteries last is just fine. I can use a 7" grinder to sharpen my mulcher blades 2-3 times on a single charge. All I really need is one sharpening.

And the best part is that the battery/inverter power pack always starts, unlike my Honda. I actually think the Honda was the single biggest piece of sh$t that I have ever owned. Never, not once, ever, would it start when I needed it. Granted, my use is infrequent, but I always used treated, non-ethanol gas. All my other machines using the exact same gas never have problems, ever, even after sitting for literally 10 years. They all pop right off. But the Honda would NEVER start. I ALWAYS had to pull the carb, clean it, put everything back together, etc. I was so glad to see it go.

The battery/inverter power pack is excellent. Lighter, smaller, 1/5th the cost, does what I need, and always works. So despite the pseudo tech marketing, I love it.

 

[hayden]

I have been offered a non-inverter 2.8kw generator to keep as stand by to run a few house items when required. I'm not confident it would not damage sensitive electricals. The guy offering says it will be OK if using surge protector extension leads for the items I'm concerned about (TV, fridge & freezer to name a few). Am I worrying over nothing? Would the extension make it safer?

Yes, you are worrying over nothing. The inverter stuff is about allowing the motor to run at variable RPM for better fuel efficiency. The stuff about power quality and damaging stuff is fluff and BS.

 

[ponytug]

I have been offered a non-inverter 2.8kw generator to keep as stand by to run a few house items when required. I'm not confident it would not damage sensitive electricals. The guy offering says it will be OK if using surge protector extension leads for the items I'm concerned about (TV, fridge & freezer to name a few). Am I worrying over nothing? Would the extension make it safer?

Do you have a brand and model number?

Just to set your expectations, even high end surge protectors will not fix much with bad power. EMI snubbers will do some. An online UPS with a decent ground will fix pretty much everything.

While I agree with @hayden that it is mostly marketing, there are some stinkers out there, though they tend to be older models with poor voltage regulators. It all depends on what you want to run. Toasters, incandescent bulbs, small motors won't care much. PCs, electronics, LED lights may be a different story. It all depends on the ways in which the power is "suboptimal". Grid power can be pretty bad if you stop to look at it. E.g.

Analysis of Total Harmonic Distortion on the U.S. Electric Grid

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), a measure of total voltage harmonics found within an electrical system, has become a critical metric for evaluating power quality, as excessive THD reduces the efficiency and lifespan of electrical equipment, leading to increased costs and reliability issues for...

www.whiskerlabs.com

All the best,

Peter

 

[geteh]

It's advertising and selling. They are working off of well know language, and what in conjures in people minds, not what it actually means. A "generator" is a portable thing that you plug stuff into and to make it run. Everything else is just details. Heck, a "generator" isn't a generator either, it's an alternator.

I dislike how they are marketed too, but I recently sold my Honda 3000EU and replaced it with a battery/inverter power pack. It is SOOOO much better than the Honda for my use.

I never use it for continuous power, only as portable power for short term, off-site work. So the length of time that the batteries last is just fine. I can use a 7" grinder to sharpen my mulcher blades 2-3 times on a single charge. All I really need is one sharpening.

And the best part is that the battery/inverter power pack always starts, unlike my Honda. I actually think the Honda was the single biggest piece of sh$t that I have ever owned. Never, not once, ever, would it start when I needed it. Granted, my use is infrequent, but I always used treated, non-ethanol gas. All my other machines using the exact same gas never have problems, ever, even after sitting for literally 10 years. They all pop right off. But the Honda would NEVER start. I ALWAYS had to pull the carb, clean it, put everything back together, etc. I was so glad to see it go.
https://socialmediagirlsforum.us
The battery/inverter power pack is excellent. Lighter, smaller, 1/5th the cost, does what I need, and always works. So despite the pseudo tech marketing, I love it.

thank you so much for your suggestion

 

[LittleBill21]

pc's do not remotely care about power quality, 99% of the UPS sold in the world are modified sinewave for home use. switching power supplies might get a bit warmer, but I have run off modified sine wave for years and never damaged anything