[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference terri::cars_uk

Title:Cars in the UK
Notice:Please read new conference charter 1.70
Moderator:COMICS::SHELLEYELD
Created:Sun Mar 06 1994
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2584
Total number of notes:63384

941.0. "Mains electricity from your car" by EARWIG::SUGDEN (Schhhhhh.......) Mon Jan 29 1990 09:03

    Is your mains electricity back on yet?  Mine isn't. Which has led me to
    think about the next power cut...
    
    I have a gas supply and gas central heating which needs very little
    mains power to run it. I have a car outside not doing anything. I can
    isolate the entire domestic electricity system from the mains by means
    of the circiut breaker or juct the central heating from the rest by
    taking the plug out.
    
    Clearly there is the possibility of generating 240 volts ac from the
    car in sufficient quantity to run the heating and a couple of lights.
    
    Does anyone have the necessary knowledge or the actual equipment? I
    would like to be set up ready for the next round of power cuts.
    
    Rob
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
941.1FORTY2::BETTSSafety FastMon Jan 29 1990 09:155
    
    Buy yourself a small (1 or 1.5 KWH) Generator - you'll do your car
    less harm.
    
    Bi||.
941.2Car for mains power not worth it.VANISH::BROWNMMon Jan 29 1990 10:0316
>    Buy yourself a small (1 or 1.5 KWH) Generator - you'll do your car
>    less harm.
>    
>    Bi||.                                           
>
Agreed - it'll be cheaper too I expect.

You'd need to build a mains inverter to get the 240V from the car.  This will 
be fairly expensive if you want 50Hz sine wave output.  Beware that many 
inverters give square wave output which is not alwuays suitable for the 
equipment you might be powering.

Car engines are very inefficient at low power so you'd be using a lot of 
petrol to generate your electricity.

Mike.
941.3UKCSSE::RDAVIESLive long and prosperMon Jan 29 1990 12:218
    Your boiler probably has a transformer in it to convert the mains to
    approx 12v for the gas solenoid, so you could probably get around that
    quite easilly. However you need a reasonably good sine wave to drive
    the pump.
    
    
    Another vote for a generator.
    Richard
941.4Eeeeeasy !CURRNT::PREECEAtonal apples and amplified heat...Mon Jan 29 1990 15:1915
>        Your boiler probably has a transformer in it to convert the mains to
>    approx 12v for the gas solenoid, so you could probably get around that
>    quite easilly. However you need a reasonably good sine wave to drive
>    the pump.
 
    
    12V won't drive the clock, though !
    
    Left over from a long-dead project, I have a 12v->240v 50Hz inverter,
    and I've tried running my heating from a car battery - no sweat.
    
    Maybe we should move this to ELECTRO_HOBBY ?
    
    Ian