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We will be camping in the VIP section but we do not have access to a generator. Does anyone have any ideas about how to get power for fans, Christmas lights, etc? Does anyone know if there is such a thing as a battery operated power source (something that you can plug thing into?
Post by sparklybecca on May 20, 2007 16:23:29 GMT -5
yea you arent gonna be able to plug things in at roo - cept maybe for a few minutes in your car, and my friend was able to charge his cell phone at a pod last year for a few min i think you can get battery operated christmas lights AND fans
There are battery operated power sources but they don't provide a lot of juice and won't last long, certainly not a 4 day weekend. Your best bet if you're dead set on AC appliances is an inverter that plugs in your car cigarette lighter. You will need to run the car to not run the car battery down.
I have an idea consisting of a jump battery and an inverter, but I doubt it will last long. I have it hooked up powering a 100w lightbulb at the moment, just for testing purposes. I will run it to empty, recharge it to full, then run it to empty again and report on the results.
But I've heard voices not in the head Out in the air they called ahead Through ripped out speakers Through thick and thin They found a shelter Under my skin -Evgeny Aleksandrovitch Nikolaev
Realize that 100W is less than one amp @ 120V. Check and see what amperage the appliances you want to use pull and divide by that and that might give you a rough idea.
two marine deep cell batteries hooked up in parallel (positive to positive / negative to negative) to an inverter will provide enough power to run a couple of AC fans at night in the tents.
Post by freedomofmusic on May 20, 2007 21:35:38 GMT -5
The jump battery (12 volt DC power supply) is nice because it is so convenient to use. I got mine at Costco (see photo) for about $50. It is easy to carry and use. I got my 400 watt inverter at Target for about $40. I've used both all weekend for lower powered "plug in" electronics, like a boom box and christmas lights. A large fan can run off it for just a few hours. Higher wattage appliances like a hair dryer or coffee maker would probably not last very long, and they would also require a higher wattage inverter that costs more.
Thanks all for your ideas....I ended up buying battery operated christmas lights....then I found a generator for rental. Robin Rentals has some good deals if you have one near you.
Question though....i read somehting that said the generator limit was 1.5kW and the one I have will be 3kW. anyone see a problem with that? We will not be running it all the time...just for fans and misc. stuff.
Post by masshysteria on May 21, 2007 16:31:03 GMT -5
The only thing is that generators are pretty loud and I really would not want to be camped near someone with one running for long long periods of time. That is just me though and basing it off of how loud my parents is which is a few years old now.
"That's the big thing about education. People can be book smart, but not really intelligent about anything else. A lot of times they just taking in all this information and regurgitate it. It's much more important to process it and personalize it. To apply it to your world, to your life. You have to walk the walk, or you can't really report about it honestly."
What do you need the generator for? You will not need a 3kw generator for Christmas lights and charging batteries or a fan. The only time you will need a 3kw is if you have air conditioning. A <1.5 kw will be fine.
See if you can rent a Honda or Yamaha, they are very quiet. Look for a dealer that sells Honda and ask if they rent them. I have a Honda EU3000is, you can stand next to it while it is running and have a conversation. It runs under 60 db under full load. www.hondapowerequipment.com/gensup.asp
A new EU1000is will run somewhere around $650, EU2000is around $1,000 and a EU3000is is around $1,800 Check Mayberry Sales or Wise Sales for generators.
I understand all the comments about noise...trust me, I wouldn't want to hear it either and will be sure to be aware of the annoyance for neighbors.
The reason we are using the 3kw one is b/c we can't find a smaller one anywhere (for rent). I will keep looking for those Honda ones. thanks for the input
The small, low amp little jump battery kit I have would only run the 100w lightbulb for under an hour after a full charge. Cheap little thing isn't near as big as the one freedom posted above. I don't think I will need any electricity at 'roo, but the idea of building my own battery-powered ac supply is interesting to play with.
But I've heard voices not in the head Out in the air they called ahead Through ripped out speakers Through thick and thin They found a shelter Under my skin -Evgeny Aleksandrovitch Nikolaev
If you have an RV, I'd be surprised if you don't have some type of auxiliary battery system installed. These are usually wired into your car's alternator (along with the brake and taillights while driving) so you charge the battery while the car is running, then it disconnects when you turn the car off so you don't drain the starting battery.
If so, you can easily run small lights and fans either directly off DC (available at any RV shop) or AC (like your home sockets) if you have an inverter (also sold at RV shops, camping stores, auto stores, etc). A 400W Inverter will do fine for most small appliances (not anything that gets really hot like a coffee maker, hairdryer, etc). Larger inverters (1200W+) may power bigger appliances but the inverters use power themselves so don't buy more than you need.
Here's what you need to know about energy usage: Your battery should be rated in AMP hours. A large, HEAVY, marine type deep cycle battery may have as many as 125 Amp hours. The small jump batteries are probably 25 Amp Hours. 125 Amp hours can run a 1 amp power draw for 125 hours, or a 12.5 amp power draw for 10 hours, 125 amp power draw for 1 hour, etc...
Also, on a 12V battery; 1 amp equals Watts/12 (A=W/V). So a 100W light bulb uses 8.33 amps. Thats a ton compared to the amount of light it puts out. Why? because the rest of the energy is transformed into heat. even with a very large 12V battery, a 100W bulb will COMPLETELY kill the battery in 15 hours. Generally speaking, most batteries shouldn't be discharged more than 50% so you really only get about 7.5 hours.
A florescent bulb only uses about 30W to produce the same amount of light.
The point of this very long rant on energy? um, um...
Change your household bulbs, reduce your energy usage and your corresponding carbon footprint on this earth... ;D
either that or I need to stop obsessing about Bonnaroo and get some sleep. I mean I only have 21 Days, 1 Hour, 10 Minutes and 35, 34, 33, 32....to bank up the sleep hours
I would definitely not bring a standard 3kw generator to 'Roo...that whing will be way loud. Your neighbors won't be happy and the 'Roo folks mighask you to quiet that down. I have a 5kw that i use when we have blackouts and that thing is loud - even with the windows shut and the TV on! Home Depot sells an 1800w Coleman for around $400. MDW just found a generator at Odd Job Lot that rated at 70Db which is approx the same as a loud conversation, for about $200. I'll check it out tonight. The Hondas are rated at 60Db which is normal conversation...but they are really expensive to buy. Bug's idea to rent one from a Honda dealer is good - but when I checked rental's it was going to cost as much to buy one...
"And no-one showed us to the land And no-one knows the where or whys But something stirs and something tries And starts to climb towards the light" Pink Floyd - Echoes - Meddle
Post by fiveleavesleft on May 24, 2007 12:51:43 GMT -5
energizer makes battery powered cell phone chargers for nokia, motorola, and samsung phones (possibly other brands as well). i got one at Giant for $15 i think they're normally $25 tho
^ I bought that cell phone charger for my LG phone and it did not work, so I took it back. My advice is that you try it before you leave the parking lot. It might save you a trip back.
