Has anyone successfully set up some kind of backup power system for a dryer?

Power outages due to strongs winds and trees are far to common in my area.

I got lucky not long ago as I had just finished last coat and we lost power. Was able to rotate by hand :-(

Was thinking of a battery system that would kick in if power went out?

Cheers

Adam

Set up to run on DC all the time with charger on, then if you have loss you have a cheaper UPS system, (uninterrupted power source ).

A DC motor with a car battery a series resistor to set the speed of motor , an a car battery charger to keep it charges up , use as a PRIMARY an will work when the power goes off , not sure how long it will work have to time it a couple of times , if not sufficient time have a second battery charged up ready to switch out . other ways to do it but ? take more money to set it up , you could have a small generator ,
but for cost a car battery an charger should work with DC motor to drive the dryer , just an Idea to try .

William Sidney
AK

Flexcoat sells a battery powered dryer. I have one and have used it for well over a dozen years and only replace the AAA batteries about every 2 years. Often running it overnight.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2019 03:51PM by Phil Erickson.

Hi Adam. I'm also located in an area that is subject to power outages. I have a drying rack that often has 8 rods turning at the same time so you can imagine the havoc caused by an outage. I purchased a power bank that is designed for computers. It's made by "Minute Man" and is the "Entrust Series" ETR1500. It will run 8 drying motors for several hours. It also has an audible alarm that triggers when the power goes out. Saved me on several occasions!
Brian

Adam
If you had access to a 12 volt dc or 24volt dc motor with a speed control this could be easily done with any security system low voltage power supply / battery charger. The power supply would provide constant dc voltage available to the motor with a low voltage transformer plugged into a 120 volt ac outlet. When the 120 volt ac power is interrupted the power supply would automatically switch over battery backup dc power and would run the motor until the battery is depleted. The battery is constantly being charged and available for backup power. This may may sound a little complicated, but it really is not. It would require a power supply / charger, a ac transformer, and a battery, and all can be purchased over the counter. (this is how all security alarm systems are powered with battery backup). A small setup would cheaply back you up for several hours and with a more elaborate setup could possibly back you up for several days depending on the battery amp hour size.
Rog

Awesome thanks for the advice guys!

Great ideas to look at.

I might try the basic set up of 12v to converter and run the dryers off that as an uninterrupted power source.

My deep cycle batteries on the boat are due for removal soon and these would be perfect. 150AH combined should be plenty to run drying motors or a light and lathe if needed.

Cheers

Adam

Adam,
It is not very efficient to use a converter to change 12 volts to 110volts if that is what you are thinking.

Rather, it is much simpler and a cleaner setup if you use either a 12 volt or a 24 volt motor - rather than using a 110v motor - if that is what you are using.

But, in any event, you certainly do not need to go to a 150ah battery if you are only going to be using it for a dryer. A 12 volt dryer motor only uses about .2 amps. So, a small 4 amp hour battery would run the drying motor for 80 hours.

Best wishes.

Roger if the man has a good battery on hand why buy a new one when you have a service one on hand , granter it is an over kill but cheep , as I see it could be wrong

William Sidney
AK

Just get a computer UPS. It is the simple way to do it. You can use it for multiple devices then. You can get a whole unit for the price of a car battery and then you don't have to modify equipment or get inverters and such. Remember KISS

Bill,
In a word, bulk, size and space.

A 150 ah battery is 10 inches by 18 inches and weighs 60 lbs.

A 4 amp battery is 3 inches by 8 inches and weighs 4 lbs.

Of course, if you have the room etc. for the larger battery there is certainly nothing wrong with using it. As long as the battery is reasonably good, it will work fine.

--
Jacob,
By the way, if you are using a 12 volt motor on the dryer, you can just use a small 4 amp battery and a trickle charger and you are done. Leave the trickle charger on the battery any time that you are going to be using the dryer for a while and connect the dryer motor to the 4 amp battery and you are done. The 4 amp battery or a riding mower battery is $20 and a trickle charge is about $10. Done.

Best wishes.

Roger I was looking at cost to set up , out of pocket & use what was there , not the size, different idea

William Sidney
AK