A way to use a car battery for power?

[Turnip]

Say I have, like, 3 car batteries laying around and want to take those to Burning Man to power various things in my camp.

1. Is that even practical?
2. Is it even possible to connect the car battery to things in order to power them?
3. Most importantly, how?




I'm trying to figure out if this might be a somewhat reliable alternative to finding a generator.

[ygmir]

Say I have, like, 3 car batteries laying around and want to take those to Burning Man to power various things in my camp.

1. Is that even practical?
2. Is it even possible to connect the car battery to things in order to power them?
3. Most importantly, how?




I'm trying to figure out if this might be a somewhat reliable alternative to finding a generator.

1.yes
2.yes
3.I'd use wire




all this, though,
depends on what you want to power........and, what voltage that is......
and, of course, depending on the power draw, they'll last a certain time.........

more precise questions may be easier to answer.......

[phil]

I'm happy to say this is a frequently asked question:
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=23902
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=24036
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=23434
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=23254
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=19047
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=20436

from a search on this topic. Maybe these will get you started on more specific questions or provide all your answers.

[gyre]

I just located Lithium phosphate car batteries if anyone is interested.
Very light.

[theCryptofishist]

How llong have they been sitting around? They may be past useful. Or not.

[Captain Goddammit]

Yes you can power whatever you want with car batteries, but -
Ygmir and Crypto have hit the two biggest things to consider: Exactly what do you want to power, and what condition are the batteries in?

12 volt DC stuff can be connected directly to the battery, 120 volt AC "house current" stuff can be plugged in by using a power inverter, a cool gizmachi that connects to your battery and converts the output and provides you with a home-style electrical outlet.
How long you can operate depends on how much power you draw and how big/what condition your batteries are.

You can recharge your batteries from your car with a set of jumper cables, but it'll take a lot of idling and use a lot of gas. That's when generators start looking good.

[Sail Man]

Check out this link http://www.ae-zone.org/

What are the amp ratings of the batteries? Are they dry cell or wet cell, and if wet are the cells filled? How old are they? How were they stored, and was a charge placed on them periodically?
What will be the amperage's your hooking up to them? Add them up and it will give you an idea of how long the battery will last.
Inverters work, but you lose power in the translation, try to stick with 12 volt devices, i.e. blender a very important device, mind you
The Captains right about generators, I dont have experience with them but I hear the Hondas are really quiet and dependable. When my budget allows...
If your gonna hook up lighting, I'd suggest LED, very low amp draw. If your planning on hooking up music, I'd suggest drums. 0 amp draw, and they are all the rage at Burning Man. Plus, your neighbors will love you for it