Successful Clarity Back-up Power

[Landshark]

Far more fuel efficient than my gas guzzling Champion 7500watt generator.

My 10 circuit transfer switch doesn't power any 240v appliances..

The information that I provided was intended to demonstrate that a 7000w generator and a 2000w generator running the same load will both consume approximately the same amount of fuel.

Budget, Chinese models may differ from quality units. I wouldn’t know.

Do you honestly expect a 2000w generator to provide power to 10 circuits? Don’t exceed 180w per circuit.

 

[The Gadgeteer]

During a rare power failure I can run most of 120 volt circuits in my house through a transfer switch and a 1600 (2000 surge) watt inverter Yamaha generator with power to spare. It was about $1000 but cheap inverter generators can be had for half as much. A gallon of gas can last 8 hours. Boiler Furnace is gas (circulator pump is only 90 watts) and water heater is also gas all lights are LED. Now that I have the Clarity I can also use my true sine wave 1500/3000 watt inverter. I don’t see any reason why I can not connect that to the transfer switch but I will do some research first.

 

[George Behrman]

Terminals: Wherever on or immediately adjacent to the 12V battery you can find a solid point of contact with plenty of surface area. There may be a more clever location elsewhere, but I was just aiming for underneath the two main nuts that hold the main wires onto the battery. There is enough threads above that and a bit of room, so a lug should fit stacked with the car's lugs.

Order: Doesn't really matter, just connect to the inverter first and turn the inverter off before connecting and use an inline fuse near the battery just in case. I've heard reccomendations to do the negative first so you can't connect the other cable to the chassis (which is all on the negative terminal), but if the inverter is switched off it shouldn't matter.

Refrigerator, Clarity is just about the right size. Sump pump, if it's a ¼ HP or smaller one that only draws a few hundred watts, should also be fine.

Heater, though, not going to happen, you need to buy a larger dedicated generator for that. And that'll be true regardless of whether it's a portable resistance heater (probably ~1200W) or the blower on a central gas furnace. Or use a catalytic propane heater, but I hear those stink, somewhat literally.

The Clarity is a great solution for rare/catastrophe-level emergency power, but only for small loads.

 

[George Behrman]

I'm curious if anyone has figured out a good (or even acceptable) solution for connecting the inverter to the battery. Are you suggesting connecting to the nuts that tighten down the lugs? The battery terminals look too short to add another connector.
I notice that in the manual for jump starting the car you are supposed to connect the negative to the power system mounting bolt. Does anyone know if this would work for use with an inverter? The mounting bolt has more than enough thread left on it to mount a cable. I also like the idea of using the Andersen connector as a quick release and being able to leave the connections on the battery (except for when going in for service).

 

[Emagin]

@M.M. do you have any pix or more info on this setup, how has it been working since?
I'm in CA and expecting more PG&E high wind power shutoffs, and want to do similar setup.

I was using a somewhat oversized Samlex 1500W pure-sine inverter with 2/0 cables that I screwed on to the extra-long 12V battery posts; the post for the power cable on the positive terminal and the battery clamp on the negative terminal, each with an appropriate nut. It looked a little kludgy, and I couldn't get all the threads on the nut down onto the bolt, but was a solid enough connection, and when I spot checked repeatedly the points of contact weren't even warm to the touch at the relatively low loads I had it under.

 

[The Gadgeteer]

I have used large clamps to connect to the battery, like the type used with super heavy duty jumper cables, to connect my true sine wave inverter to the Clarity’s 12 volt battery to powered my house’s 120v circuits using the transfer switch I set up originally for the generator.

Even though this setup has worked fine a handful of times, I have never had a need that lasted more than 2 hours or more than 900 watts at a time.

 

[sabasc]

lock

Variant on this procedure:
0. Have your key fob with metal key.
1. Get out of the car with driver window down and the car on. Close the door.
2. Locate the lock button looking down through the open window. Be ready to push it!
3. Pull up the driver window toggle.
4. While the window is coming up, press the lock button (and get out of the way while the window comes up).
5. Profit.
p.s.
You'll have to unlock the door with the metal key.