FantasticFauna
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada, eh!
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I was wondering if anyone has any experience with using one of those battery power boxes that can give your car battery a boost, or run AC/DC appliances off it. Some even have a compressor. I'm wondering how effective one of those units would be powering a box fan to cool the tent at night. DW is pregnant and doesn't take to the heat well. (or at least she didn't with previous pregnancies)
Any input is greatly appreciated.
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Hi,
I think you are talking about a Xantrax 400 watt portable battery and inverter. The one I bought at Sears also has a built-in 12 volt air compressor that can refill a car tire OK, but would take a long time to fill a RV tire to 80 PSI.
I used mine to run a small vacuum cleaner when I was cleaning out drain lines on A/C units while on a large rooftop. It was about 300 feet square, with very few 120 volt receptacles. I would use the wet/dry vac to clean out the drain lines or vacuume out the dust from the units.
Yes it will run a box fan - but for how long? I suggest running it on low speed, because high sped it will run the battery dead faster. I normally recharged mine by plugging it into the cigarette lighter in the worktruck. The small wires allowed less than the 15 amps maximum the fuse was good for.
You can try it at home, and see how many hours it will run. You might need to bring along another battery to last all night.
Another thought is to bring along a couple of car batteries and a portable inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter. They also have battery clips.
You can get a portable inverter at Costco for only $30 that is rated at 500 watts, and will also run the box fan. It will probably run the fan about 6-8 hours before it is dead. Then you will need to recharge the battery again.
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tplife69
SoCal
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We have a WAGAN POWER DOME. It cost about $70 at CostCo and includes a 400W inverter. There are two AC outlets, two DC outlets, a 5-LED lamp and an air compressor. I'm pretty happy with its ability to provide AC power for my Boombox over a weekend campout before needing a recharge. You can see it at:
http://www.wagan.com/htmls/detail-2354.html
* This post was
edited 05/06/08 09:35am by tplife69 *
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Peg Leg
Anderson, IN
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I work part time at a auto auction. We've had at least 4 different brands of jump boxes and none of them lasted very long. We went back to jumper cables. They might last longer in a lighter duty application but I think you'd be money ahead getting a deep cycle battery and a 12 volt fan.
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FantasticFauna
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada, eh!
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I forgot to mention that this is for car camping in a tent. That was some things I was reading, that the battery in those units don't last long, as in won't take a new charge after a short while. I have an inverter already, so maybe a marine battery in a battery box with the inverter plugged in would be a better buy? But then there's the task of re-charging the battery.....
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Ramblin_Mo
Mid-Missouri
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FantasticFauna wrote:I was wondering if anyone has any experience with using one of those battery power boxes that can give your car battery a boost, or run AC/DC appliances off it. Some even have a compressor. I'm wondering how effective one of those units would be powering a box fan to cool the tent at night. DW is pregnant and doesn't take to the heat well. (or at least she didn't with previous pregnancies)
Any input is greatly appreciated.
I bought one of these recently. I have not used it in the field yet. Sealed, non-spillable 28 amp hour AGM battery. 600 watt inverter.
Duracell DPP-600HD Powerpack 600
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TKHMWK
28 amp hour seems to be the best amp hour rating for a portable version of these. It is a re-branded Xantrex 600. Xantrex has a larger one, but I don't think it is practical for camping as it comes with it's own wheeled cart to move it around.
I got about 5 hours out of it using a small portable koolatron cooler using 4.5 amp draw. Should re-charge in about 3 hours hooked up to your car 12 volt when ->on the road<-. It takes a very long time to re-charge via 120 volt ac. Initial charge via AC takes about 30 hours. Faster charging after the initial charge.
Reports of the unit only being good for about 200 charge/re-charge cycles.
One thing I really dislike about it is there is a alarm that only functions when the inverter turned on. This prevents discharge below the safe level. You can hook up a 12 volt appliance to it, but without the inverter turned on, the alarm will not sound and you run the risk of reducing the life of the battery by dis-charging too much and damaging the battery.
I kind like the idea of the alarm, but I'd like it to work without the inverter turned on and I'd like the alarm to be less obnoxious. I'd also like the unit to just shut down without the alarm going off. I don't think that is an option unless someone has found a hack.
Here is one of the better 12 volt fans according to raving reviews. I'd like to find one with about a 2 amp draw. Not sure if the endlessbreeze fan quite gets there. More research is needed. (Late edit - From an Amazon review. Current draw is around 1 amp, 1.5 amps, and 2.6 amps for the 3 speeds.)
http://www.amazon.com/Fan-tastic-Vent-Endless-Breeze-12V/dp/B0000AY2Z6/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1210042836&sr=8-1
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tplife69
SoCal
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Another way to recharge these boosters by DC in a faster manner than a cigarette lighter is to connect the jumper cables to the charging battery and turn the safety off (if it has one). You can also use a low-draw device like a boombox during this style of charging as the batteries are connected in parallel. I like the Xantrex 600, but it's too big, too heavy, and too expensive for my camping use. I wouldn't worry too much about longevity with these boosters: a lead acid battery is a lead acid battery, you're simply buying more ampre hour capacity. These boosters are no different than car batteries, they're simply smaller and easier to carry. I travel with motorhome people periodically, and they all have these boosters to start their motorhomes when the coach batteries run down from infrequent use during storage. The secret is to charge them periodically as the manual states. I'm not a battery salesman, just an organic chemist.
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Vapor_Trails
Yucaipa, CA
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Joined: 09/29/2004
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My dad and my brother each have these things. I have seen them in action many times. For less money I would get a RV deep cycle battery and a 400 watt inverter.
Edit for spelling...
* This post was
edited 05/06/08 04:23pm by Vapor_Trails *
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tplife69
SoCal
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Vapor_Trails wrote:My dad and my brother each have these things. I have seen them in action many times. For less money I would get a RV deep cycle battery and a 400 watt inverter.
Edit for spelling...
Where can I get a deep cycle battery and an inverter for $70.00? I'm getting my wallet out right now! 
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Vapor_Trails
Yucaipa, CA
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tplife69 wrote:Vapor_Trails wrote:My dad and my brother each have these things. I have seen them in action many times. For less money I would get a RV deep cycle battery and a 400 watt inverter.
Edit for spelling...
Where can I get a deep cycle battery and an inverter for $70.00? I'm getting my wallet out right now! Wow! They're down to $70? I think they were over a hundred last time I looked at them. The price has come down for sure. But, I think I paid about 50 or 60 bucks each for two group 24 RV batts from Walmart. And my 400 watt inverter from the auto parts store was on sale for $20...
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