Backup power supply. Backup power for a private house from a battery

Maybe somewhere in Europe the supply of electricity is stable, there are no accidents on the power grid, and if they do, they are eliminated within a few minutes. And we live in Russia, and after a freezing rain, we can sit without electricity for three to four weeks, while teams of electricians will splice broken wires of power lines, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations will remove blockages and restore infrastructure.

And therefore, backup power supply at home in Russia is not a whim of the homeowner, but a vital necessity. In order to understand in which direction to dig, which backup power sources to choose, and what parameters they should have, it is necessary, first, to consider situations in which a typical owner may be without electricity.

When you may need backup power at home

According to the duration, the periods of power outage can be divided into 4 groups, each with its own characteristics:

Micro - power outages due to breakdowns on the line or short-term voltage sag. These outages can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Then the power supply is restored, however, all consumers in the house can be turned off (the settings of the volatile memory in the devices are lost, the circulation pumps are turned off, and the control panels of the heat generators are also turned off).
Short-term power outages due to a shutdown at the PTS (burnout of fusible links due to overloads on the line, due to a short circuit on power lines of 0.4 kVA, line shutdown for short-term work). Since the “calamity of the disaster” is local, service departments are not in a particular hurry to go to eliminate the accident. Shutdown period 1-12 hours.
Medium-term power outages due to large accidents on power lines, due to an accident on high-voltage power lines, due to accidents initiated by third parties during work (cable damage during utility or gas services). They try to eliminate such accidents as quickly as possible, but due to the amount of work, the shutdown period is 12-24 hours.
Long-term power outages due to natural disasters (massive damage to power lines and transformer substations during hurricane winds, freezing rain, flooding). All the forces of public utilities and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are rushed to eliminate such accidents, but due to the scale of the destruction and the large area of work, the shutdown time can be up to 3-4 weeks.

Depending on which of the situations listed above is typical for your area of residence, you should think about how to solve this issue and organize a backup power supply at home - choose a scheme and select devices.

Backup power supply at home - choose backup power sources

Consider for each period of power outage the most optimal backup sources of power supply:

For micro - outages for a period of several seconds to several minutes to power devices vital to your home (burner and automation, circulation pump, smart home systems), the simplest uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with a standard battery (battery) capable of holding the load is suitable according to the declared specifications. The main requirement for the UPS is a pure sine wave (output voltage form) at the output to power the circulation pump and modern boiler automation.
For short-term power outages of up to 12 hours, the best solution would be a system that runs an uninterruptible power supply and several connected batteries of sufficient capacity to power your devices for up to 12 hours. This will require an uninterruptible power supply that can charge and be powered by external batteries. Get ready to increase the total capacity of your batteries up to 200-400 Ah.
For a medium-term power outage for up to 24-48 hours, you will definitely need a generator - gasoline or diesel. Only a generator will be able to keep your emergency system running for that long. Most of the time, the backup power supply at home comes from a UPS with a battery, and every 4-6 hours you start a gasoline generator and charge batteries, and also power everything offline. Such a backup power supply system has an undeniable plus - it works much more economically than constant power from a gas generator.
In case of a long power outage, the backup power supply of the house comes from the same bundle “UPS plus battery plus generator”. However, it is worth thinking in advance about having enough fuel for the generator - gasoline or diesel fuel, depending on the type of generator.

Why not just run a generator during outages or just have a battery with an inverter?

It is possible so, but these schemes have disadvantages that the backup power supply system “UPS plus battery plus generator” lacks.

With shutdown periods of more than a day, a generator will still be required to maintain the backup power supply system “in good shape”.

If there is no UPS in the system, then during a shutdown, if the owner does not have time to react in time, the heating system on the TT boiler can go “out of order”. The combustion will continue in the furnace and the temperature without circulation of the coolant will increase.

There is a local overheating of the heating system, which, even with a safety group, will easily “boil” the boiler. The boiler and boiler piping will suffer if it is not made of metal.

As for a system without a generator, using only backup batteries, the life of such a system is limited by the capacity of the batteries. If you do not have a generator, then after the energy in the batteries is exhausted, you will have nothing to charge them with, and the vital devices in your home will be de-energized.

As for the generator, when used with a UPS that gives a “pure sine” at the output, you can use any - even with an approximation of a sinusoid, even with a meander.

The inverter generator will allow you to directly connect devices that require a "pure sine" at the output of the generator or UPS.

If you want to power other devices directly from the generator, you should choose an inverter generator. Its cost is not much different from the usual one, but the inverter generator produces a voltage in the form of a sinusoid at the output, which is “to the liking” of all modern electronic devices and.

Nothing can be worse than blackouts in the winter. Any of the suburban residents sooner or later faces a situation when the lights go out, the well pump stops pumping water, and the heating system batteries cool down before our eyes. Time to use the backup power!

But there is another solution to the problem of power outages: the back-up power system at home, or PSA for short.

For the correct choice of such a power supply system, it is necessary to understand how it differs from an autonomous power supply system (SAP).

Andrey-AA, New Moscow.

PSA is used when connected to the main power grid. When the main power is turned off, the backup power supply "picks up" the main consumers of electricity: borehole pump, boiler, refrigerator, computer, TV and other electrical equipment.SAP is the main power supply system for the home, used in the complete absence of the main electrical network.

We turn to the choice of a backup power system. According to Andrey-AA, there are 4 main types of backup power for the home.

If the network is switched off for a short time, but for a total of more than 10 hours per month, then a system consisting of an inverter, a charger and a battery pack charged from the network will be optimal.

An inverter is a DC converter from batteries into an alternating single-phase voltage of 220V, from which the equipment in the house operates.

If the network is turned off for less than 10 hours a month, then a system of an electric generator with an internal combustion engine (ICE) equipped with an automatic start system is more profitable.
If the network is disconnected frequently and for a long time, or when the voltage in the network is too low, then a system consisting of a generator, a battery pack, a charger and an inverter is optimal.

Autonomous power supply systems are built on a similar principle, but they are subject to higher power requirements.

If the required power can be limited to 1-1.5 kW, then a car with an inverter connected to it can be used as a backup power system.

Let's take a closer look at the third option. User with nickname galaxy456 offers a step-by-step plan for creating a budget backup power system for the home.

1 Two cables from the utility room are brought into the electrical panel. The first cable is needed to supply electricity to the inverter. The second is to transfer electricity from the inverter to the house.

galaxy456

I have a small shield mounted on the street, in which an automatic reserve input scheme is implemented, or ATS for short.

AVR is an automatic switch of one load to two supply lines - main and reserve.

2 We put an inverter, batteries in the utility room and switch all devices.

There are two main types of inverters - with a sine output (the best option) and with the so-called "modified sine". If the inverter produces a “modified sine”, then some devices, when connected to it, may fail due to the high level of frequency harmonics in the power supply - 150Hz, 250Hz, 350Hz, etc.

In the event of a power outage, such a system works as follows. ATS independently and quickly - so that the devices do not have time to turn off, switches power from the main to the backup.

Now all connected energy consumers continue to work from batteries and the inverter. If there is no power supply for more than 5-6 hours, then, without waiting for the batteries to be completely discharged (this greatly reduces their service life), to continue uninterrupted power supply, you must manually start the generator.

There are backup power systems with automatic start of the generator, installed in a heated utility room and equipped with forced exhaust gases. The main disadvantage of such PSAs is their high price.

galaxy456

After starting the generator, the inverter transfers the load to power the devices from it and at the same time starts charging the batteries. Thus, the operating time of the system is extended and the motor resource of the generator is saved, because. it does not work continuously.

It must be remembered that the generator should be started after the battery capacity has been used up by about 30-60%.

Any, even the most advanced and expensive backup power system, first of all, teaches you to save energy in the house, because. the operating time of the backup power supply system at home directly depends on this.

Forum members advise:

Replace all the light bulbs in your home with energy efficient ones.
lay a second, backup power line, to which, in the event of a power outage, you can connect the most necessary equipment in the house;
how to insulate the house to reduce heating costs;
when the backup power system is operating, do not use powerful electrical appliances: iron, electric kettle, vacuum cleaner.

Andrey-AA

Turning on a hair dryer, kettle or iron for 3-7 minutes will not drain the batteries much, but it is better not to allow ironing or working with a powerful power tool.

To build a PSA, the load in the house can be divided into three parts:

Heating.
Water heating devices.
Devices that require mandatory backup power, namely:

lighting;
heating circulation pumps;
borehole pump and pumping station;
a computer;
refrigerator, TV, Internet.

Also, a car can be used as a backup power system. For this you need:

Purchase an inverter with a sinusoidal output for 12-220 V with a power of up to 2 kW with protection against overcurrent or overpower.

Users of the FORUMHOUSE website can learn how to make a power system on their own. All information on the calculation is collected in this diary. Automatic "from A to Z" is described in this topic.

And this video shows how an inverter and battery pack can increase the electrical power in the house.

To create an uninterrupted power supply and organize a highly efficient heating system, you need to buy a UPS for your home (uninterruptible power supply for your home). There are several types of uninterruptible power supplies for the home, which differ in their work.

The purpose of the UPS for the home

The main purpose of the UPS for the home is considered to be the supply of electricity to residential premises in the event of a power outage or emergency blackout of the central line. When voltage is supplied to the main network line, the UPS for a private house will automatically supply power again, power can be supplied to all consumers or selectively. These uninterruptible power supplies for the home are equipped with special protection against voltage fluctuations in the network and allow it to stabilize.

Types of UPS for home

Backup uninterruptible power supply for the home - the price of the device is affordable. High efficiency is guaranteed, but the heat dissipation is small. Disadvantages include slow switching from mains to battery, poor quality input and output noise filters, power cuts at small power surges.
Line-interactive power supply source - fast switching with automatic mode of voltage regulation in the network. You can buy such an uninterruptible power supply for the home at a higher price, since all its blocks and components are made of high-quality material.
Online UPS is the most expensive type of uninterruptible power supply. It is used at critical sites in the industry, where a special quality of power supply is required. Switching from power supplies occurs instantly.

Features of uninterruptible power supplies for the home

All uninterruptible power supplies for the home differ in the type of execution.

If the UPS is low-power, then small batteries are located along with the inverter and charger. The advantage of the models is their small size and mobility, and the disadvantage is that batteries need to be replaced with similar ones that are rarely found on sale.

UPS with external battery - Batteries can be easily moved to a room with a constant temperature, because the batteries do not withstand temperature fluctuations.

UPS device for a private house

All uninterruptible power supplies for a private house contain certain blocks:

input filter;
batteries;
electric rectifier;
charger;
inverter;
frame;
control devices;
switching connectors;
PSU output circuits.

Operating principle

The operation of an uninterruptible power supply for the home consists of the following actions:

with the help of a rectifier, the mains voltage is converted into alternating voltage;
converted direct current is used for battery charging and inverter power;
the rectifier recharges the batteries that power the inverter when it is turned off;
The inverter supplies 220V to the mains.

Criteria for choosing a UPS for the home

In order to choose the right uninterruptible power supply for a private house, you need to add up all the power used by the devices and add 20%. This way you can get the maximum power consumption. Even if not all household appliances turn on at the same time, it is still better to choose uninterruptible power supplies for the home with a margin for the future.

Uninterruptibles for boilers

When a UPS is installed in the house for all consumers, it is not necessary to purchase a separate uninterruptible power supply for the boiler. The price of the UPS is quite high, so not everyone can buy an uninterruptible power supply for the home. In such cases, you can purchase a UPS specifically for a gas boiler. When buying, you must follow the above criteria, as well as pay attention to the power consumed by the boiler and pumps.

Almost every owner of suburban real estate faces the need to organize backup power. And there are several reasons for this: deterioration of communications, intensive development in the microdistrict, discrepancy between the characteristics of the substation and the increased needs, and a number of others. This causes systematic (sometimes for a long time) power outages, its constant surges or phase imbalances. A problem familiar to many.

In such conditions, it's not enough to talk about the guaranteed service life of various (and sometimes very expensive) household appliances; many of them do not turn on at all. For example, an imported gas boiler, which is quite popular with "private traders", is very demanding on the quality of the voltage. "Foreign inventors" can't even imagine that such misunderstandings are possible with electricity. And if the protection works and he “gets up” in winter, with our frosts, then this is a real emergency.

With the expediency of redundancy for energy supply, everything is clear. But here's how best to do it and what to consider, we will consider in detail.

This implies the period for which it is necessary to organize an independent power supply to the site. Some devices are designed for long-term continuous operation (water-cooled gasoline engines), others require a systematic stop (the same air-cooled gasoline engines).

By the way, some specialized companies offer services for connecting directly to power lines (bypassing the local substation). Sometimes it is simply impossible to organize energy supply in a different way. For this, either a cable laid in a trench or an overhead line stretched to the site is used. If this organization has the appropriate license, and it takes care of all the paperwork for obtaining permits, then this is a great option.

The disadvantage is the cost of the work, since you will have to install your own substation. Although there is a way out - to "cooperate" with neighbors who experience the same inconvenience in energy supply. But there is also a tangible "plus" - power outages are excluded, and its quality will meet all standards.

What devices need to be "powered"

approximate power

Further criteria for selecting an energy source will depend on this. Naturally, you should focus on those that should work constantly. For example, the same boiler, refrigerator, freezer. Each owner must make a list of all products that must be permanently turned on.

Voltage type

Most household units consume 1-phase 220 V. But there are also those that need 3 f. This must be taken into account if they are also constantly used. But such products are quite rare.

Source power

According to approximate estimates of experts, you need to focus on a maximum of 20 kW. For a country house (if it is not a palace stuffed with various devices) it is quite enough. But this is for the all inclusive option. Perhaps the unit is enough for 4 kW. For example - if the boiler (together with the pump), the refrigerator and the TV + lighting work at the same time, then no more than 2 - 2.5 kW will be needed. If the water supply system is autonomous, then the pumping station will periodically turn on. Its power must also be taken into account.

In addition, it must be taken into account that some household appliances are characterized by a large starting current. For example, in an electric meat grinder, it exceeds the nominal value by 6–7 times. In addition, there should be a calculation for the future. Perhaps something else will be purchased, and also with a mandatory permanent inclusion. It is also necessary to make a “reserve” for the generator itself, since it should not work at the limit. Optimum loading - no more than 80%.

Summarize. As you can see, there are quite a few nuances. Therefore, it is necessary to determine all “products” (including lighting devices in the adjacent territory, automation, alarm systems, etc.) that must be provided with uninterrupted power at any time and calculate their total power. The resulting value must be multiplied by 1.5. Here, according to this parameter, and select a power plant.

Type of fuel

It can be gas, diesel fuel (solar), gasoline. Everyone determines for himself what is more convenient (and cheaper) to work with.

Installation location

It determines both the dimensions of the power source and its design features. For example, diesel smokes more, so a high-quality "hood" is needed. Units without a casing are “noisy”, therefore, they are more suitable for placement in outbuildings (outbuildings).

If it is planned to install a backup unit on the street, then you need to pay attention to the method of starting it (manual or automatic, from the battery).

Features of backup power supplies

gas generators

If the house is gasified, then this is the best option. Fuel for such a device is the cheapest. The power of most of these products starts from 7 kW, which is quite enough for a country house with periodic power outages in the network.

The approximate cost is 180,000 rubles. But if you consider how much will be saved on fuel (compared to gasoline or solarium) for the entire period of operation, then the price is quite acceptable. In addition, there are almost no harmful emissions.

Petrol generators

The most common type of devices for backup power supply. This is partly because we are better versed in these engines than in diesel ones. Indeed, many owners of country houses have a personal car, therefore, there is at least a general concept of the principle of work. In addition, they are easier to maintain.

Diesel units

This name refers to several varieties of such "equipment" - diesel generators, diesel stations, and so on. An indisputable advantage is the possibility of long-term (non-stop) operation. In addition, there are no gasoline vapors that require special fire safety measures.

We have given only the most common devices for organizing reservations. But there are a number of others, which, although they are used less often, are also worthy of attention. For example, UPS, solar panels, inverter systems.

Output

Practice shows that regardless of the way to solve the problem of redundant power supply system, it is still necessary to have a backup generator. According to the reviews of most owners of country houses, gasoline units are more convenient both in terms of operation and repair. For example, they can always be refueled directly from the car tank.

When deciding on the organization of backup power supply, you should not be guided by someone else's opinion, focus on friends or neighbors. The main "tip" is your own house and the property located in it (first of all, technical devices and the location of lighting fixtures). They determine the feasibility of acquiring a particular unit.

It should be taken into account that UPS, solar panels are of limited use both in terms of time and connected devices (circuits). Their kit includes batteries, and they require constant attention (condition monitoring, recharging). In addition, modern batteries (unlike the "old" models, in which individual cells could be replaced) cannot be repaired.

If funds are available, it is advisable to mount a more complex, but reliable combined redundancy scheme. For example, turning on the emergency power supply from the UPS, followed by automatic start of the diesel engine. This is more expensive, but power outages are excluded.