Minimalist lighting for long duration power outage

[Rick Law]

This was originally a discussion from another forum about emergency light for power outage.  A forum member there asked me to show some photos of my extended outage set up.  Since they do not allow photo upload, so I decide to take the conversation about the photos over here to this forum.

Attached are the pictures of my minimalist set up for long duration power outage emergency lights.  The lights are not for "normal" few hour long power out, but for survival lights in long outages like the storm Sandy (11+days, no gasoline, no stores, roads closed for days) and the Halloween storm a couple of years before Sandy (8+days outage with 6-12 inch snow/ice).  Sandy caused >30 days outage in some areas within 1/2 hour drive from my house.   My solution is from my experience of Sandy and the Halloween storm.  The solution is not high-tech but minimalist set up for endurance.

[Photo 1]


I have three people in my family, so my set up has three-count for everything.  As these are for emergency, and I hate to put a lot of money into something that I hope I never touch, so they are mostly done with existing stuff I have at hand.  The advantage is that since most are stuff I have at hand and are in used, so I know most of the stuff are in a working state.

Along with lab bench testing, the solution was "field tested" with a 3-5 days outage and another outage of the couple-of-days type.

(1) Eating/Cooking/Cleaning lights

On the top right (photo1) are three RV/boat G4 ceiling lights wired to CLA (cigarette lighter adaptor) using 8 feet of speaker-wires.  Note that they are "recovered" CLA from cell-phone chargers.  I have a couple of splitters to allow 2 G4's to be connected to a CLA socket.

Power come from a pair of typical car-starter/booster SLA packs each with built in CLA out, jump cable clip, and LED power indicator.   The third one is a UPS type battery with CLA (5amp) attached.

For "installing", I use painter's masking tape and tape it high up on the walls.  Painter's tape gives me a very firm tape-down but can be easily removed with residue.  Just one of this RV lights is adequate for cooking/cleaning/eating, but I usually use two to reduce shadows.

(2) Since what gets me during the long outage is the total darkness, I what made I called my "Forever Lights".  They are on the right of photo 1 -- Calling it Forever Light is easier than telling my wife to bring me that two-box-thing with the white plugs.  They are on the right side of the photo - the ones with a pair of 2xAA case (with switch) Velcro back-to-back and with four LEDs wired as two pairs of two so it can aim in multiple directions.

[Photo 2]

Photo 2 has a better view of the inside of a "forever light" - and the Toshiba laptop power bricks for rapid charging.

The "forever lights" are simple 3xAA ballasted to <10mA on low and 70-80mA on high switch selectable.  Using a pair of 2xAA battery case velcro back to back, it takes 3xAA and the 4th slot is used for the ballast (trimpot/VR).  The switch on the box with VR is On/Off and the switch on the other 2AA box is for Hi/Low.  I keep 2 sets of Eneloop on stand-by for each of the 3 "Forever Light" - that is 18 cells in reserve.  The silver batteries shown (in photo2) are Eneloop Glitter edition.  At the start of an outage, I will be on my 20+ Energizers.  I can afford to be lavish and set the LOW higher at 20mA.  When I reach for my reserved Eneloops, that is the time when I lower the LOW to 10mA or below.

Unlike store-purchased stuff, this is tuned for endurance.  No led driver or anything fancy.  No power wasted except to the ballast.  Just a pair of these on HI would be adequate for cooking/cleaning/eating incase my SLA's are pooped.  On 10mA LOW, a set of 3AA (2000mAH) would last at least 200 hours (current draw lowers as battery drains).

(3) Since the CLA were recovered from phone chargers, the existing buck boards were remade (bottom of photo 2) as boost for the 3xAA packs to power the RV lights in without dragging around the SLA's. This was initially targeted as (better than 2AA minimag) lighting for connecting up the SLA RV lights and for connecting the SLA for charging.  But I found it useful for "in a pinch" or during early parts of an outage when I can afford to be lavish - making shaving a bit easier.  I have since changed that to LM2577 boost, and housed them in clear (CamCorder) video tape box.  This boost solution is kind of a 5th wheel just to give me options.  Boosting is awful inefficient but I kept it as option since it is already made.  I have since added 18650 battery holders to them so I can use 18650 or my 3xAA.  Recently I purchased some 18650 flashlights as replacement for my three 2xAA MiniMags.  The 18650 flashlights will likely displace my boost solution is making less and less sense other than it is kind of fun to use.  I like that wide spread light better than the battery's narrow beam.  Very useful when I have to check under the hood of the car or look for something misplaced inside the car.

(4)  For no-rain no-snow fast-recharge, I use what I called "open-hood method" - I connected the two car-starter/booster jumper cable to the car AFTER the car is started and let it run for 15-20 minutes.  That is enough juice to light the 6 G4's for a few days.  While the car is running, all my CLA chargers can be working; and the CLA-to-CLA cable can charge my 3rd SLA from the CLA on the car jumper/booster pack.

[photo 3]


(5) For fast charging during rain or snow (can't do the open-hood), I do what I called a "power visit".  I drive to the library or coffee shop few towns away with power, or drive to the in-laws. I use my 15V 3Amp (and 15V 4Amp) Toshiba laptop power bricks converted to a CLA Vout plug and 5.1mm Vout seen in photo2.  I can pump 3A into the SLA with the power bricks, and with a CLA volt meter, once the battery is back up to 14V (1-2hours depending on how low), I switch back to slow charging with the stock charger.  At the in-laws, I use my CC/CV with my 19.5V brick and I can pump in 3A unattended.  At the library, I cannot use my CC/CV boards (makes them nervous). I also don't use a DMM but instead a CLA volt meter for the same reason.

The white cable is a CLA with both a male and female 5.1mm plug.  The 5.1mm are used for RV/G4 as light splitter or as power-in for charging.  You can see the CLA volt meter sitting on the white cable.

To fast charge the 3xAA "forever light", I installed a power-out (white CPU fan socket/plug).  When I am at a power-visit, I use my 3xAA serial charge cable (lower right hand corner of photo 3, red+purple cable).  They serialize all three packs and inside the pack, 3xAA serial.  I use my 13.5V 800mA power brick to charge the 9AA in serial.  Proven to be able to pump 600-800mA into the AA's.  The "power visits" are shorter than the three+ hours it takes to fully charge an empty cell, so over charging is not a concert.

(6) Lastly, both of my "normal" battery chargers are CLA enabled.  The LaCrosse BC700 for NiMH, and the Opus BT-C3400 (Lithium, NiMH).  I can connect them in the car while I am doing my "open hood" charging, or cross charge them from my SLA's.

[Vgkid]

Thanks for the post, it was informative.

[NiHaoMike]

You can use a stepper motor as a small generator. Just add a knob to make it easy to turn and you can run LEDs directly off it.

[Rick Law]

You can use a stepper motor as a small generator. Just add a knob to make it easy to turn and you can run LEDs directly off it.

Not too far from what I had to do.

During Sandy, I was caught with my pants down.  My 20+ AA's had a combined of about 1 to 2 hours on my 2AA MiniMag.  (I had another 15-20 primary AA's, which at the time I couldn't find in the dark - the storage area was not bright even in daylight.).

After that, I had to use the hand-cranked emergency radio with a lone LED light.  By about the end of the first week, that crank handle broke.

Since then, total darkness really gets me.  So my #1 priority was to find some ways to avoid total darkness.

[ez24]

My max time was 5 days and it was not pleasant.  My solution is I bought a D cell power LED lantern and always have a pack of D cells from Costco ( I buy one pack a year).  I think it can go 12 hours on low.

Plus I have dozens of AA batteries of all kinds and I guess by now dozens of LED flashlights.

But I wish I had a house generator.

We (in San Diego, CA, USA) just had a 1 1/2 outage at peak high temps and my dog came in from outside panting from the heat and screaming (he is a screamer) from the heat.  I had to give him ice baths.  SO anyway a 12v battery fan is in my Amazon cart now.

Buying a pack of batteries once a year from Costco is not too much of a burden.

[NiHaoMike]

The nice part about the stepper motor generator is its simplicity. No batteries of any kind to maintain and really not much to go wrong.

In my experience, the three cell flashlights will stay lit far longer than most two cell flashlights as they just have a simple resistor or at most a LDO controlling the current, not a boost converter that tries to hold a constant brightness.

[mzzj]

The lights are not for "normal" few hour long power out, but for survival lights in long outages like the storm Sandy (11+days, no gasoline, no stores, roads closed for days) and the Halloween storm a couple of years before Sandy (8+days outage with 6-12 inch snow/ice).  Sandy caused >30 days outage in some areas within 1/2 hour drive from my house.   My solution is from my experience of Sandy and the Halloween storm.  The solution is not high-tech but minimalist set up for endurance.

In extreme cases you can get along with truly microscopic power.  I can read a book with one cree XM-L led running at 20uA. Powered with 3x energizer AA lithiums that will give you a 20 year runtime.
Need something more powerfull to find the book though.   

I have been also thinking of survival in similar situations but for me the heating would be a number 1 problem. In summer we don't need heating or lightning, just shades to block the light when we sleep...
For heating we rely on electricity. Fireplace is mostly unused and I think I would have enough firewood for 4 days tops. Luckily we don't have bad snowstorms, 1 day road blockage would be already exeptional. 

[con-f-use]

Lanterns and (more so) candles are a fire hazard, especially in an earthquake.

[Fungus]

I have been also thinking of survival in similar situations but for me the heating would be a number 1 problem.

Isn't that what clothes are for?

As for lighting: You can buy big boxes of batteries.

Those LED headlamp things usually have a low power mode that lets them go for hundreds of hours.

eg. Random web search gives: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Best-Headlamp - 200 hours lifetime? No problem.

One of those and a big box of batteries could keep you going for years.

[djQUAN]

We have a 1kW off grid system at home so power is not really an issue during outages. But if necessary, or when I need power away from home, I made this.

It uses twelve 15Ah LiFePO4 cells wired for 12.8V 45Ah,
built in 3a solar charge controller. Two outputs (one 15A cig lighter, one 15A binding post)
all inside a waterproof Pelican clone case.

An external 40W folding PV for recharging.

I can use an external inverter or use DC directly.

I use it everyday for a DC electric fan and charging my flashlight or bikelight battery pack just so it gets used (get back some of the money I spent on it, PV sits on the roof) and is often kept at or near 100%SOC for emergencies.

[Lightages]

With the price of small solar chargers now, what is the point of disposable batteries? If there is a local disaster that takes out the grid for a long time, good luck finding fuel or batteries. It is much better to have self renewable energy like solar cell chargers and/or hand cranked generators. It is cheaper in the long run too. Martin Lorton has been doing some extensive tests on solar charter packs.

I have a 3kW of solar panels, 24kWh of batteries and a 4500W inverter. The batteries are near the end of their life but I have another year with them. New AGM batteries with my use last around 6 years. I think that is the best way to ride out local power problems. I don't have any!

[ez24]

Candles? Hurricane lantern? When did they go out of fashion?

When they burned down everything they were in.

[Rick Law]

...
But I wish I had a house generator.
...

In the case of Sandy, it was no help since gasoline was not available in the area.  Per overhearing a stranded motorist call to AAA (Auto club).  Closest confirmed availability of gasoline was 40+ miles away.

That aside, as it turned out, most of those generator are not "simply pull out on emergency and off you go."  The generator needs to be drained and cleaned after use, or run once a month to avoid the clog.  I don't have one so I cannot confirm the details; but My in-law got caught with that problem during a different outage - the darn thing wouldn't start because of improper preparation prior to (re)storage.

Advice from other is, apart from emergency fuel, keep a can of carburetor cleaner with the "emergency kit." 

[dom0]

In extreme cases you can get along with truly microscopic power.  I can read a book with one cree XM-L led running at 20uA. Powered with 3x energizer AA lithiums that will give you a 20 year runtime.
Need something more powerfull to find the book though.   

In some circuits I use LEDs to bias stuff and I'm always surprised how bright some LEDs are, even when they're just running at micro-watts.

[Rick Law]

I have been also thinking of survival in similar situations but for me the heating would be a number 1 problem.

Isn't that what clothes are for?

As for lighting: You can buy big boxes of batteries.

Those LED headlamp things usually have a low power mode that lets them go for hundreds of hours.

eg. Random web search gives: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Best-Headlamp - 200 hours lifetime? No problem.

One of those and a big box of batteries could keep you going for years.

re: (mzzj  I have been also thinking of survival in similar situations but for me the heating would be a number 1 problem.
Now that I have lights, heat is my main concern.  Lucky for me, my natural gas works.  Cooking and oven baking gives me some heat but hardly enough.

re: "Isn't that what clothes are for?"
Clothing solves the problem part way, but house freezing causes other problems.  Apart from cracking wall joints and other annoying thing, the worst is frozen water pipe.  I just finished repaired/repainted the dry wall thus completed the repair of frozen pipes from another (winter before last) 5+ days power outage.  The burst fixed was done shortly after the outage, but I stopped before the wall finishing just so I can check if my repair survived a full freezing winter before I close up the wall.
Words from just one single experience:  The burst may not become apparent when it froze.  It was when it melts.  When warmth return and the melting of the frozen pipe eventually melt to the burst part and broke the ice-plug.  I heard this BANG!  Then another...
Another interesting thing:  Finding where it broke inside the dry wall was hard.  The wire/pipe detection tools from home depot didn't work since the pipe was on the far-side of the dry wall.  It gave me positions that is obviously wrong.  It occur to me to find the wettest part using my DMM.  That works!  I narrow down to the (biggest) burst to within 2 inches using my UT-61E.

re: As for lighting: You can buy... ... ...
Part of the fun of being an EE-hobbyist with is to make useful things.  So I took that opportunity to get some self gratification.

[mzzj]

With the price of small solar chargers now, what is the point of disposable batteries? If there is a local disaster that takes out the grid for a long time, good luck finding fuel or batteries. It is much better to have self renewable energy like solar cell chargers and/or hand cranked generators. It is cheaper in the long run too. Martin Lorton has been doing some extensive tests on solar charter packs.

I have a 3kW of solar panels, 24kWh of batteries and a 4500W inverter. The batteries are near the end of their life but I have another year with them. New AGM batteries with my use last around 6 years. I think that is the best way to ride out local power problems. I don't have any!

So you would recommend renewable solar power for backup use in case of snowstorm or hurricane? 
Up here we wont get much sunshine in winter months or if at all. Snowstorm wouldn't make it any bettter.

Fungus:
Yeah, I can keep myself alive but like Rick already said freezing pipes are a problem. Not a life-threatening problem but very expensive though.
I Have undo jacket + extreme weather undo sleeping bag and I am probably good down to -30 degrees. 
 But have 800++ meters/yards of plastic pipe inside the concrete floor slab and I wouldn't like if it freezes and breaks!

[Rick Law]

With the price of small solar chargers now, what is the point of disposable batteries? If there is a local disaster that takes out the grid for a long time, good luck finding fuel or batteries. It is much better to have self renewable energy like solar cell chargers and/or hand cranked generators. It is cheaper in the long run too. Martin Lorton has been doing some extensive tests on solar charter packs.

I have a 3kW of solar panels, 24kWh of batteries and a 4500W inverter. The batteries are near the end of their life but I have another year with them. New AGM batteries with my use last around 6 years. I think that is the best way to ride out local power problems. I don't have any!

Not very useful during winter.  During winter outages, houses with the solar panels are as light-less as the one next to it.

It takes many days of sunshine to melt the roof ice/snow.  A few inches of snow can leave the roof top covered for weeks or months.  During the Halloween storm, it started with 6-8 inches of snow.  The snow-ice-snow layers took months to melt.  Sandy didn't start with that much snow but enough to "fully cover".  It was also followed by cloudy days, so for weeks, what was on the roof stayed there.

I did consider a small mobile panel - one that I can keep indoor and take out when the sun is out.  But back-of-envelope evaluation is that I wont be able to charge much of anything with a small panel under that limited winter sun.

[mtdoc]

Not very useful during winter.  During winter outages, houses with the solar panels are as light-less as the one next to it.

Not true. Unless one lives above the Arctic Circle - winter sun produces real power even for those in the snow belt.  Snow can be brushed off of panels (I do this)

I know people who live in Canada and the Northern US who tilt their panels vertical and facing South in the winter.  Snow does not accumulate on the panels and they benefit from reflection of light off of snow.

In most places snow storms last a few days at most and are generally followed by clear, cold days - ideal for producing solar power.  As long as your battery bank is large enough (or you have a generator or wind or hydro) you can and should (if your system is properly designed) be able to tolerate a few days without sun.

Solar panels are so cheap now many people are over-sizing their arrays - specifically to provide sufficient power regardless of the length of the day or cloudy skies.

[Rick Law]

...
Fungus:
Yeah, I can keep myself alive but like Rick already said freezing pipes are a problem. Not a life-threatening problem but very expensive though.
...

I can attest to that!  Not just the pipe itself but the damages it caused.  Just one bloody meter/yard of pipe with 3 burst!  Very expensive indeed and lots of work.

[Rick Law]

Not very useful during winter.  During winter outages, houses with the solar panels are as light-less as the one next to it.

Not true. Unless one lives above the Arctic Circle - winter sun produces real power even for those in the snow belt.  Snow can be brushed off of panels (I do this)

I know people who live in Canada and the Northern US who tilt their panels vertical and facing South in the winter.  Snow does not accumulate on the panels and they benefit from reflection of light off of snow.

In most places snow storms last a few days at most and are generally followed by clear, cold days - ideal for producing solar power.  As long as your battery bank is large enough (or you have a generator or wind or hydro) you can and should (if your system is properly designed) be able to tolerate a few days without sun.

Solar panels are so cheap now many people are over-sizing their arrays - specifically to provide sufficient power regardless of the length of the day or cloudy skies.

[Rick Law]

Not very useful during winter.  During winter outages, houses with the solar panels are as light-less as the one next to it.

Not true. Unless one lives above the Arctic Circle - winter sun produces real power even for those in the snow belt.  Snow can be brushed off of panels (I do this)

I know people who live in Canada and the Northern US who tilt their panels vertical and facing South in the winter.  Snow does not accumulate on the panels and they benefit from reflection of light off of snow.

In most places snow storms last a few days at most and are generally followed by clear, cold days - ideal for producing solar power.  As long as your battery bank is large enough (or you have a generator or wind or hydro) you can and should (if your system is properly designed) be able to tolerate a few days without sun.

Solar panels are so cheap now many people are over-sizing their arrays - specifically to provide sufficient power regardless of the length of the day or cloudy skies.

Most solar panel in my region are not vertical but fix-mounted on roof tops.  Most roof tops in my area are 2+ floors above ground.

Mine is 3 floors (35-40 feet-ish) since the basement is mostly above ground.  I can't even get to my gutters to clean it let alone getting all the way to the roof to brush off anything.  Most of my neighbors are in similar situation.

In this region (New Jersey), the solar panel equipped houses are as light-less as the one next to it during a winter outage.  The only houses with light come with the audio confirmation of a running generator.

[mtdoc]

The vast majority of  residential solar installations are strict grid tied.  Summer or winter - when the grid is down - they have no power.

[Fungus]

But have 800++ meters/yards of plastic pipe inside the concrete floor slab and I wouldn't like if it freezes and breaks!

Install a tap to empty it?

[Rick Law]

The vast majority of  residential solar installations are strict grid tied.  Summer or winter - when the grid is down - they have no power.

Then what is the point of suggesting it as a backup to the grid? [Edit: removed - it sounds too combative.]

Then for sure it is not appropriate to use as backup to the grid.

[mzzj]

But have 800++ meters/yards of plastic pipe inside the concrete floor slab and I wouldn't like if it freezes and breaks!

Install a tap to empty it?

I guess you have never seen underfloor heating system manifolds?