Building A Battery Backup Power System

Building A Battery Backup Power System

After the recent power outage I had decided I would not procrastinate building my Battery backup system any longer. I had the money set aside for it for weeks but kept putting it off. While the power outage didn’t last very long it was the kick in the ass I needed. The truth is that it will take longer write this article than it did to put together the system. Like I do with most things I do I tried to find the sweet spot of cheap, easy and most bang for your buck. Lets get down to building a Battery Backup!

The Supplies

For the Battery Backup supplies I bought everything from the Walmart down the street from me. I have my issue where I like to buy things locally, you could probably source these items off the internet and save a few bucks. I would highly recommend going over to Battery 1234  get the videos and listen to the podcast that Steven Harris did on The Survival Podcast. These are the Battery Backup items I chose based on his recommendations, local availability and the my power needs.

• Everstart 92 Marine battery
• Schumacher 100 amp battery charger/ maintainer
• Schumacher 750 watt power inverter
• A fifty Foot extension cord
• A power strip
• 25 foot long jumper cables
• A plastic storage box to house it all.

Putting it Together

This took no time at all to build my Battery Backup. First I found an empty corner of the my living room with an unused power outlet. I drilled two holes in the box, probably add a third hole to a second extension cord. Put the battery in the box in the opposite side that you drilled the holes. The charger in the other side with the power cord going out one of the holes, clamp the charger onto the big poles on the battery, making sure that you match polarity. Next add the power inverter, clamp the inverter onto the little poles on the battery. Run the male end of the extension cord through the second hole in the box and plug into the inverter. I rolled up the rest of the cord and then set it into the box. That’s the whole process put your lid on and forget it until you need it. I tested the Battery Backup to make sure that it worked. I plugged in a fan and it ran perfectly.

Final Thoughts

The only two things in the Battery Backup I debated about were the battery. I thought about getting two batteries. The inverter I also struggled with. I decided that I only needed one battery for my power needs. I mostly want to run some lights, and charge my phone and laptop. Maybe run the tv for a little bit and run the fridge for an hour at a time to keep it going. Next was the inverter, I was really looking for an 800 watt and they only carried 750 watt ones. I’m not sure how well it will preform until I have a chance to really use it. (Future Edit. I now only have a mini fridge in my tiny house. So This system can easily power the mini fridge. ) The long jumper cables I got were to recharge the battery during a long power outage using my car. Since I’m in an apartment using a generator is not really an option. The battery is quiet and unnoticeable. This Battery Backup system will work for me and my small energy needs you will need to research and build the system to met your needs.

What do you do for backup power? Batteries, Gennie, Solar? Let me know in the comments!