running a house from car batteries for the electrical idiot

[Marvo]

Yep, golf cart batteries would be deep cycle as would fork-lift batteries, both would be suitable but I found that batteries made/marketed for a specific purpose were inexplicably more expensive that a general deep cycle battery of exactly the same specification.

The cheapest decent quality deep cycle batteries I could lay my hands on at the time were Trojan T105 which are a wet lead acid type. I installed 4 of them in series to give me the 24VDC that the inverter required. I've had them now for about 4 years and they've seen about 200 full cycles and maybe 25 partial discharge cycles and they're still in great condition. We had a planned power outage the other day that was for 6 hours and the system ran the entire time and still had about 30% left in reserve when the power came back on. Finger crossed they last another 4 years without problems.

 

[pirate]

Good info there, thanks Marvo!
To be fair, I thought the OP was looking for a simple, compact and cheap way to get some light when the mains failed for a couple of hours...
now I think she could run a call centre on a PP3!

 

[static zap]

(...Was PP9 the bigger one for fake Wooden Fidelity radios ? --Blast from past)

 

[pirate]

Yup, PP9 was the big fella! Think it had 2 spring terminals. Heavy beast ...

 

[Adam W]

Yup, PP9 was the big fella! Think it had 2 spring terminals. Heavy beast ...

The "lantern battery", which I remember from my youth is what they used in those flashing beacons they have on roadworks.

 

[pirate]

Think I'm getting confused...
the PP9 had snap terminals like the PP3
this is the chap with the springs...

and is the "lantern" type, iirc...
I had a flashlight that took 2 of these. It was very heavy, and very bright for about, oh, 5 minutes, before it started to dim. Things have come a long way with battery technology and LEDs!
PP1, PP7 and PP9 were all 9v with snap connectors.
There was another one, which was rectangular, and had screw-on connectors but I cannot recall what it was called.

 

[pirate]

Well, clearly I am at a loose end today!

 

[pirate]

"There was another one, which was rectangular, and had screw-on connectors but I cannot recall what it was called."
Oh well, here you go...it was also called a lantern battery.

 

[Adam W]

Bit before my time but you used to need a dual voltage 90v/1.5v battery to run portable radios.
According to t'internet they stopped making them in the 60s.

A decorator I used to work with found one in his shed. It had a battery clip on it so I tried to get it working by sticking 10 PP3s together, but let the smoke out.

 

[static zap]

Ahh memories tongue testing batteries ,3R12 - 4.5V
with long and short brassy strips ..friendlier than PP3 !
(3R12...May be new name .. )

 

[pirate]

Ah, tongue testing batteries...it's like other things...you know you shouldn't really...but you go ahead anyway!

 

[MDJ]

Ah, tongue testing batteries...it's like other things...you know you shouldn't really...but you go ahead anyway!

You mean like Mc'ewans Ale?

 

[pirate]

Aye, McEwan's Pale Ale...available from my local C0-op when I was a teenager at 8p/can! ...and that's where the rot set in...

 

[pirate]

Remember the 1289? Used in those flat torches and also in the lamps on your bike?

Also used in the Electronic Engineer kits (anyone remember those?). You could build a radio or an alarm etc, putting the components onto a perforated board with spring-clips.

 

[pirate]

Crikey, there you go!

That's me in the corner! (As REM were wont to sing...)

 

[static zap]

1289 must be the one + more affordable PP6.
Just started to learn names then C,D,AAs came in !

 

[Leyland30]

OP DC is the future, as already suggested; make sure your using LED lamps, the 12v twin pin MR16 ones will be most cost effective. I’d also suggest you get a deep cell leisure battery rather than using a standard car starter battery. Also, don’t try using this system for any space or water heating, low load applications only. Good luck.