Prairie Rose:
Many battery packs can simply be disassembled and the batteries removed from them and replaced. Then one puts new batteries in. Most of the cordless tool packs use standard (ie easily available) 18650 Lithium cells.
Here’s a video of someone doing that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91e9ZEGWulc
There are serious risks if you don’t know what you’re doing.
For that reason, there are businesses open to do just that for you.
If yo’ure in the USA, there’s Interstate:
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/all-battery-centers/products-services/battery-rebuild-service
For you Canadians out there, there’s Nica Power:
https://www.nicapower.com/
Ignore the “Nica” name, they do all kinds of batteries
Is continuous draw a relative term? I mean, I’ve never seen a fridge or freezer that runs non-stop.
Fifty Years At The Edge Of The Northern Wilderness…
I’m rather fond of my gas powered chain saws and no ethanol gas supply that seems to run them summer after summer. I say summer because when things froze up north I went south. Now I farm in the south and have heated with wood alone for a dozen years below the Mason-Dixon line. At some points it was sufficient to just heat the rooms with water pipes and move the child’s bed to one of those areas. A six foot two person crosscut (with a spare blade) will fell very old large pines in the north and a large bow saw is a one person tool to lop off logs. A sledge and wedges is all that is needed to split logs. I sure save time with my gas splitter!
Yes, I’m using a tractor in the garden with a 7.5 foot tiller in the early spring, and I plant my rows widely spaced so the 30" Honda gas tiller fits between rows. The deer used to eat all my corn and ruin my beans; but 12’-8" pressure treated pulling posts with a bag of cement in the 3.5 foot holes, 11 strands of class three galvanized high tensile steel going up 98" with alternate rows electrified (solar charger), and gates atop gates insure no deer footprints in the garden.
Electricity is Wonderfull to have even if it is 32V dc stored in 16 two-volt cells wired in series. We used to have 32V dc lights, radio, toaster, washer (agitator with hand crank ringer,) converter, and an assortment of hand tools up north. Kerosine lamps beat whale blubber and a kerosine fridge can make ice from fire. Primitive refrigeration can be a glass jar in the spring. I’m learning!
Oh, if you are living while others are starving it could get real. The people of Canada were reminded in the past few days that their guns are for hunting, ONLY! Their government stole two from me in the past. I’m reminded of the Charlton Heston quote “…from my cold dead hands!” I’ve skinned two bears in one day and the last I shot was with a shotgun loaded with one round of #6. A man will do what he has to do!
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“the last I shot was with a shotgun loaded with one round of #6 . A man will do what he has to do!”
Hat tip to you, sir.
Heard a story once where a timber faller got in between a sow and her cub. He killed her with his falling axe.
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Tool battery packs typically contain standard 18650 rechargeable cells. Those cells can be replaced, without a lot of skill if you’re comfortable around electricity.
Here’s a good example of how to do that on a Dewalt 20V battery:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91e9ZEGWulc
It’s mostly a matter of disconnecting and removing the old cells, inserting new ones and spot welding them together using nickel connector strip. You don’t need a powerful spot welder to do this. You can buy cheap, battery-powered spot welders for $USD 50.00
There are risks involved if you’re not careful. If you’re not comfortable around electrical gear, or you’d rather someone else did the work, there are many companies that rebuild batteries:
In the USA:
Interstate Batteries Rebuilding Service
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/all-battery-centers/products-services/battery-rebuild-service
In Canada:
NICA Power
www.nicapower.com
Chan’s Battery
http://www.chansbattery.ca/
Sounds as if you are going to be a valuable neighbor to someone.
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Electric Stihl
I have the Stihl electric chainsaw and the electric stihl weedwacker with exchangeable tools KMA 135 R all batteries are interchangeable. Bought extra. I don’t recommend the chainsaw for extended use. 20min or so continued use, battery charge is 30 minutes. I have a battery Mikita drills, saws. Mostly for convenience, lots of batteries. Cords are combersome. Spend a little bit, have extra batteries so you can use during poser outage. Thanks for the post
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Mots isn’t reading here anymore? He’s now doing hamradio he wrote a few months ago.
Mots will agree with ‘the battery is the heart of the system’ (or the powerstation)? https://youtu.be/fFHn_xoMsAs 2.00
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Biggest Threat To The Grid Isn’t Cyber Attacks, It’s Space Weather
Everyone should add space weather to the top of the list of events that will bring down the grid. Ben Davidson, owner of the Suspicious 0bservers YouTube channel, several books (like weatherman’s guide to the sun) and peer related papers on electro quakes and other space weather works, has very well established that due to the current magnetic reversal and field weakening at Earth, weaker solar activity such as flares, filament eruptions, and fast solar wind from coronal holes can cause severe geomagnetic storms, electrical fires, and grid disruption much more easily.
Now that we’re in solar cycle 25, a solar maximum period where sunspot activity peaks, there is a precedent to be watching the sun, identifying risk, and making preparations. There’s so much more to say re: this topic, watching a few of Ben’s videos would be strongly recommended, but at the very least please just add solar activity (space weather) to the list of threats to the grid, and human health.
Cheers
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Very Timely Article
I’ve actually been contemplating this for a while. If there is an extended grid down situation or SHTF would gas powered tools/equip or batter/electric powered with solar and/or gas generator work better / last longer.
I’m still not sure where I’m at with it but it’s nice to read about other peoples experiences and learn from their mistakes / successes.
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Anticipating by cutting the cord is an option. Why wait for a ‘grid down’? what’s wrong with being your ‘own banker’?
For The Power Center Noobs Just Getting Started, Just Released: Bluetti Eb3a, 600w/268wh
Just FYI to add to my previous post, I just got a Bluetti email yesterday stating they are introducing a new small 10-pound model loaded with the latest features and discounted from $299 to $249 (+ $10 discount code -> $239) on sale for the next week.
https://www.bluettipower.com/products/bluetti-eb3a-portable-power-station
https://peakprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot-2022-06-16-at-01-59-56-BLUETTI-EB3A-Portable-Power-Station-600W-268Wh-1655344828.733.png
Good review by vlogger HoboTech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vxTRkWui_g
BTW, the EB3A has 1/4 the output that Samantha recommends for outdoor use around the farm (600W vs 2000W), but still a good power center for folks who are just getting started and trying to figure out what their actual needs are before dropping a few grand on a higher capacity solar generator / power station.
Also, Bluetti’s portable solar panels are a tad pricey, so I’d recommend a cheaper one that would pair up with the EB3A, that being a Baldr 120w:
https://togopower.com/collections/solar-panel/products/baldr-portable-solar-panel-120w
I do own this solar panel and it works well with my older Jackery 240 and even has USB-A and USB-C outputs on the back of the panel. The primary Baldr 120w panel output wires are Anderson connectors, but comes with addition 2 cables adapters to connect the output anderson connectors to a MC-4 connectors (as typically seen on solar panel output wires) and to a DC7909 plug (which is the DC charging input for Bluetti, Jackery, and possibly others. The DC7909 charging plug has a 7.9mm outer barrel with a 0.9mm inner pin). BTW, Anderson connectors are popular in the Ham community and adapter wires can easily be fabbed up to power your other 12v needs.
Another note on solar panels, if you got a spare 200-400w aluminum frame commercial panel sitting around you could use it as well. You’d just need to tip back some so the sun angle is less and not trip the 200w max input limiter on the EB3A. These panels would also suitable for winter time with the sun lower on the horizon.
Hi all, I am considering installing something like a Generac, that is connected to the natural gas - in the event of a blackout. Any thoughts on that?
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Suggest gasoline or LPG.
Overwhelmed On First Reading
Samantha, thanks for publishing this info. I read it in June but was completely overwhelmed, even with the pics, not understanding how these things work. I see I have a place to start researching using the links and your advice.
Search Ebay for In-Car Power Tool Battery Charger M18 & M12 DC Vehicle Cigarette Plug Milwaukee
I have one.