Back-up power source

During last week’s power outage, I mentioned in passing how we used our Bluetti portable power station to power the refrigerator and chest freezer.

Several readers asked about this unit, so I figured now’s a good time to dive into it.

We purchased this unit a couple years ago, after we moved here and realized how fragile the power system is in this area. Anything seems to knock the electricity out: a windy day, a snowfall, a Tuesday. The longest it’s been off was three days, and fortunately that outage came in deep winter when the chest freezer (which is outside on the porch) was in no danger of defrosting; all we had to do was crack the lid open and let the cold air flow in. During that outage, we also emptied the contents of the refrigerator and either stored things outside, or put them in ice chests on the porch.

But of course, not all power outages fall conveniently in the winter, so we started sourcing portable power units that would allow us to keep the contents of the freezer frozen, at least long enough for me to can everything up (in the event of a long-term outage).

Don’s good at research, so he investigated a number of options and settled on the Bluetti for a number of reasons.

What we wanted was something strong enough to power the freezer and fridge for about an hour once or twice a day (depending on whether the weather is warm or cold). Assuming the doors of these appliances stay closed, that should do it to keep the food from going bad. We also wanted a unit that could be recharged in a number of ways: electricity (wall outlet), generator, solar (via panels and a PV charging cable), even via a car cigarette lighter. The Bluetti fills all these requirements.

We purchased the Bluetti AC200Max for about $1500. The user’s manual says battery expansion packs are available for this unit, though we didn’t purchase those. We keep the unit charged at all times since, as noted, we never know when the power will go out. It’s worth noting this unit weighs 62 pounds, so it’s heavy.

The user’s manual indicates the Bluetti can be used to power electrical items with 2200 watts or less of power requirements. Our fridge takes about 130 watts; the chest freezer takes about 110 watts. The user manual indicates it will power a 90-watt refrigerator for 17 to 19 hours nonstop, if needed.

During power outages, we don’t waste the Bluetti’s electricity on anything but the chest freezer and the fridge. We don’t need it to power lights, heat, or anything else. (For lights, we use kerosene lamps and battery lights; for heat we have our wood cookstove; for my laptop on days I’m working, I have a rechargeable 12-volt battery backup and wireless hotspot for internet.)

For a long-term (and as-yet undone) project, we also have some solar panels. These were an incredibly lucky find on the local Facebook buy-and-sell. An older man was moving and wanted to sell his seven 100-watt panels, all of which are in excellent shape and in working order. We got them for the amazing price of $300. And then, as if that wasn’t incredible enough, the seller threw in seven 12-volt deep-cycle batteries for free! (We later purchased a charge controller separately.)

Right now the solar panels are stored in the barn. Don keeps the deep-cycle batteries charged at all times, which means that (if necessary) we can connect those batteries to the Bluetti, thus extending its longevity. A project we hope to tackle this summer (or maybe next) is to install the solar panels permanently, and have them available to charge the Bluetti as needed.

So there you go. That’s our back-up power source.