I hooked up this 5000 BTU window unit AC to some 100 amp hour LiFePO4 batteries to see how long it will run. Check out if it even worked and for how long. Check out the batteries here: amzn.to/4dqVaWh
The capacity of the battery is 100 Amp-Hours x 12.8 Volts = 1,280 Watt-Hours. If the Air Conditioner pulls 500 Watts average-continuous at 120 volts, then 1,280 Watt-Hours/500 Watts = 2.56 hours. Realistically however, the unit will only run for a little over 2 hours, because when the battery gets really low, it won't be able to handle the 20 seconds of surge current every time the compressor turns on (that is, if the compressor cycles). If you add a huge capacitor to accommodate the 20-second compressor start-up surges (the cap fills up between compressor starts, and is there to assist with surge current when the compressor re-starts), then things might run a tad longer. But based on the calculations, I'd say 2.2 hours is about the maximum limit you should expect.
Great info. I think that is basically what a soft start does, but they are more than the AC unit is so they are hard to justify for something like this. I have been thinking about putting them on the ACs in my RV, but I have enough battery and solar power so I am not sure it's even worth it. Thanks for the comment.
theoretically, it can run 2.56 hours but that is when the battery is complyely drained. lipo batts should only be drained up to 50%, so you can only run to 1.8 hrs.
You also have to factor in the inverter conversion loss, typical inverter has about 85 ~ 90% efficiency, so to if 500W is being from from the output of the inverter, then the DC input power that the inverter will be pulling from the batteries is about 555W (@90% eff) this is the number you will be using to get more accurate run time from your battery.
Some are saying I did not say enough or go into detail enough and others are complaining I talked too much. Just shows how the world is divided. It is what it is. Enjoy.
Back in 2022 the smallest Inverter AC I could find was the LG LW8022IVSM 8k BTU Dual Inverter. On lowest fan speed, it never uses more than 500 watts. LG now offers the LW6023IVSM 6k BTU. I'm keeping my 8k unit: It is quiet enough to sleep with it running, as it gradually ramps the compressor up & down.
I have 5000 BTU Frigidaire in my shed I'm in Phoenix wanted to keep it at 85 or 90 but highest it would go was 85. We keep stock for our eBay business in there. My first attempt was two 250 watt used solar panels Epever charge controller 12V 100AH lithium battery and 1500 watt inverter. When I first got it the temp outside was about 85F to 90F it would run 8 hours the AC unit pulled about 400 watts. When it got to 115F outside now the window AC was pulling 1000 watts of power. Yes lot more power when it's that hot out I can run about 4-5 hours if panels have full sun which is from about 8am to 1pm neighbor tree shades one panel. My Epever puts out about 29 amps at 12V into the battery but the window AC is pulling 800-1000 watts of power by 10am. It runs longer then I thought it would. Now I'm building version 2 which is 4800 watts of solar, EG4-6000XP AIO inverter, 15k watt 280ah DIY 48V battery pack. It's going in the garage instead of the shed. Working on a mini split for the garage just about done ill start on the panels. Until then I have to swap the AC over to grid power using a long extension cable from the house. The window unit runs 24/7 for weeks and weeks from June-September I'm surprised how long it has held up some times when I shut it down to move the plug over I can hear the refrigerant boiling. If it dies replace it with another one I don't think it will die only cost me $139 at Home Depot.
Great info, thanks. I know what you mean on the temps and wattage. Mine has held up fine for over 10 years and used for probably 9 months of the year. I got this for $99 at Home Depot and it's been great. This unit has outlasted the main 5 ton AC unit in our home. I plan to keep it as long as it will run.
If you combine a small battery with big capasitor (1farad for example) you can run a fridge or AC on a smaller battery as the capacitor will take care of the upstart surge that is typically 1500w.
It's not Amp-age, it's Amp-Err-Age. 'Ampage' is not a thing. Great demonstration though. I would like to see what kind of inverter you were using because most amateurs will look at this and think it is a direct connection to the battery. Also a closer view of the meter would help.
Thanks. I will work on that for the next video. Sadly I know the right term and spelling, but my mouth will not say it. I will work on that too. Thanks for the pointers and feedback.
@SeidelRanch Truthfully, I agree with chatgpt1111.... It was bugging me through the whole video. I will say this... you are quite the honorable man by not getting all butt-hurt when called out for it. 😂 Otherwise, good video.
For all the needlessly picky and spell/grammar checkers. It's very petty for one, it also tends to bring to light ones own insecurities. But one of the main reasons I don't spell/grammer check on discussion boards is the next thing you know, the spell checker themselves misspells, uses wrong grammar or messes something up and posters have a regular laugh in over the timing of their mistake...very embarrassing. And I can assure you someone will follow the spell checker around looking for their mistakes. That's not to mention everyone messes those things up at one time or another, big deal. Lastly, all you who don't let those type things even phase you, thanks for being the class act that you are...always does my heart good to see even huge mistakes overlooked completely by most...like it's not even there. I'm proud to share the planet with such people.
Thanks. Well said. Yeah, we all need to get along and work together instead of tear everyone down. That said, I try to have thick skin. The internet is full of trolls.
I like HAIER A/Cs, for one they are nice and quiet...I have this Haier in my living room thats probably 20 years old, and she is big , quiet, and most of all cools like she suppose to cool, as long as you do your part in weekly cleaning the filter.
Why is it always the trolls that comment? I liked it. Forget the people that seem to have personal issues with their life. Keep these useful videos coming.
I just did a similar experiment with a 100 AH battery to an old Frigidaire unit using a modified sine wave inverter to see how that worked. I noticed that you are using pretty small wires for your battery connections, which may be the problem with the surge on start. You should be using 00 wire at least. I did have an issue with my set up using the modified sine wave inverter. The AC unit had a thermal overload on a 95 degree day, after about one hour. I plan to repeat the test with my pure sine wave inverter and do not expect any problems. Good topic and video.
Thanks. I think the wires are ok, because using the same wires with 2 batteries works fine. But, I will try it again with some 1/0 wires I have to see if it makes any differance.
This was very helpful. I have a 5000 btu window unit that I ran off a Ryobi 40v inverter/generator. With 4 Ryobi 40v batteries, with two 7.5 AH batteries and two 4 AH batteries, it ran for 2 hours. Curious why the 100ah would run for the same amount of time? I would think the 100ah would be 4 times more power capacity than my Ryobi 40v setup.
Great vid, I always wanted to know how this combo would work. Currently, LI bats are now available for engine start, they have different parameters but will handle the surge. Thanks again for the video.
Both these last two Masseys was excellent. The 1800 took a little more fiddling. And until put to the pull did not fully cooperate. It just needed worked to get over it's rest. The divider valve and the orbital thingy needed some love, but I think that was mostly the divider o-rings. To stop fluid loss and actually steer. I think they both look great now that JT has given them a face lift. Possibly they will both outlive JT unless he lives to 90 which I am very much hoping. Maybe he will still be running them both in the field 30 years from now. Which he deserves highly. Good work JT.
This is sort of what I'm looking for: I have a LG portable AC LP0721WSR , 7000btu , Rated current 10.9A , we only want to use in our small BR in Florida when the power goes out & I am trying to find out WHAT SETUP, batteries & other equipment do I need to run such for a minimum of 8 hours and then HOW & WITH WHAT can I recharge them using a generator during the day?
Here's my set up; 5000 BTU midea AC, eight 100 amp hour 12 volt lithium iron phosphate batteries, LOW frequency inverter, LVYUAN brand, 5 kw. From Amazon, and 2 kw of solar This works for us. I have had two good quality high frequency inverters fail, for inductive loads like AC or motors, low frequency is essential. I'd invest in batteries first and add solar later as funds allow, as you can recharge batteries from a little generator quickly. Best of luck
I know amperage matters. I explain that in the video. It's not misleading if it's addressed in the video. I get this question and wanted to answer it the way people think of it. Most basic 100ah batteries can't.
@SeidelRanch You don't get it. Pronunciation is my point. It's like someone mis pronouncing your name incorrectly. It doesn't matter at the end of the day, but it's still annoying 😒
Cooling from 85°f to 75°f is not the issue. What is the external ambient temperature? Cooling the interior from 85°F to 75°F is not the same on an 85° day as it is on a °105° day.
Yeah, I think that was the issue here. The room was already cooled, but it was hot outside so the unit had to work pretty hard to just keep it that way. This is a 2nd unit in my office to help on very hot days. It usually does great, but I keep it on 72 to 75 and have both ACs running. This time I was pushing it pretty hard.
Exactly, won't be possible unless the building envelope is highly engineered to keep that 35 to 40 degree difference...the cooling unit would not stop working to do it
Try it with a reasonably new unit and in the size of room the AC is rated...5k BTU preferable. Also, set it to around 75f instead of full throttle. Be interesting to compare the numbers. 1/100Ah battery would make it somewhat less confusing. Thanks for the test. Also, those are just suggestions... I realize you may not have all those specs just lying around waiting to be tested
No, great suggestions. Thanks. I have another unit that is still in the box that I want to try and see what happens. I am hoping the peak draw is much lower than this one.
Running 1.6 devanti window aircon cooling only with in ten minutes van was cold. Using LVYUAN 3000watt soft start inverter and 340 amp/hour lithium batteries that are about 8 years old with 1400 watt solar panels which also are old--240volt
So a 3000 dollar 24v system cooled of a 20 sq ft area ? Wow so impressive. Btw link some photos of a 1400W solar panel group on a van, gotta see how that magic was done.
@@leeinwis not $3000 cost -not known done over a period of time was my 2nd shot at doing this --the big change was the inverter being soft start and moving from 2500 inverter to 3000 watt inverter for $215 aus dollars also i run a 240 volt domestic freezer plus 240 volt domestic fridge lights ,computer etc
Why don’t you put a 1 farid capacitor between the inverter and the battery? That should absorb any surge that is created by the compressor kicking on. That’s what’s used in audio competitions because the subs have that sudden surge between beets.
Interesting test. I will say if I was trying to run ac off solar/ batteries I would spring for a inverter driven mini split. They are light years ahead of a window unit. Not only get rid of the surge but also get about twice the cooling for the energy expended. So an 8000btu mini split will take less power to run than a 5000btu window unit. Your wording suggests you think that setting the thermostat lower will make it cool faster. The thermostat is just a switch. If the temperature is above setpoint the unit is on. A lot of people seem to think setting the thermostat lower will make the ac cool faster even you don't so thought it was worth mentioning. SEER rating =btus of heat removed per wh. Most mini splits are around 21. That window unit is around 9.75 seer . So burns more than twice the energy to do the same job
I have a mini split, but not an inverter mini split. The mini split is WAY better than the window unit, but it's still working so I don't want to toss it. I set it lower to make sure the compressor would at least cycle on for the test. In this case it never stopped. It's not going to cool "faster", but it will keep it cooling and not cycling over and over.
What backup battery for high power units like aircond and heaters are hardly practical. Use a generator instead! High power units causes quick degradation of any known battery backup system! Use for lights, fans, TV and perhaps fridge is most suitable! I had calculated costings as the worst case is the expensive battery prices is still not viable for any High power appliances!
A 24v inverter would be cool, but I don't have one. The wire size is fine since they still ran the AC with the second battery. They do not even get warm. Of course 48 volt would be even better. I was just trying to test the ability to run that AC on battery.
The way it determines whether to turn the compressor on or off is very primitive and the temperature sensor which is just placed on the coil is not accurate at all. Perhaps we could add DIY control unit to take more factors out of the ac unit into consideration to turn compressor on or off. Then the battery can last much longer.
@@SeidelRanch I purchased a Midea 12,000 BTU from sam's club for $300. Incredible efficient, quiet, has a remote control. The u line is even more quiet but more expensive. This inverter technology is the answer to energy efficiency!
It might destroy the inverter. A 350w. Aircon. Can kill a 2,000 w inverter. Probably not right away in time it will. An inverter aircon it's plug and play. No headache
I guessed 2 hours 30 min for one 100A lifePo4 battery if you cheated with capacitor (or as you did another battery) to get it running as one battery can not get AC or fridge started alone.
That I will be doing. These are the lead wires that came with the inverter, but I do think they are too small and may help the batteries handle the peak draw better.
I don't have one, but want to get one and try that. I hear those really help take the heavy draw off of the batteries and help them last longer. Looking for a good one now.
Running, yes. It will run well below 1000 watts. Compressor start up though gets in the 2000-3000 watts range on this AC. Others I have are close but lower, some more like 1500 watts.
So whats the point of this experiment the wattage lost when using a battery is always lower than the wattage used to recharge the battery! And even more energy is lost to generate the charge thus it's more efficient to run high amperage equipment off of a generator. I have a remote cabin that I run lites and radio, 120 ah lead acid battery to a 120 ac inverter. I turn the inverter on about 6:00 pm till about 8:00 am. Each lite draws about 14 watts, radio 5, cd player 15 and bass amp 35 or 40 watts. If I go three days without charging, the inverter might shutdown and charging might take about 2.5 hours to charge using much gasoline. (I have a special charger that can charge a deep cycle battery as fast as possible without excessive plate degradation.) If I go three or two days before charging I've discovered the battery degrades quicker and wears out quicker. By charging it once aday, charging time takes between an hour to twenty minutes. My new ritual is to practice the bass while the generator is charging the batteries, so the amp and cabin are electrified by the generator while charging. Don't tell me about solar cells. The thousands of dollars to match the amperage isn't practical at a remote cabin. A hundred dollar solar bank from harbor freight we bought will charge a battery maybe in about ten hours, IF you keep angling the panels to the sun, WHEN there's sun.
We mix both. This was just a test to answer some questions about battery capacity and AC unit load. We also have an off grid cabin in the mountains of CO where there is no electric lines for miles. I use solar panels, wind power and multiple gas generators there. They all have a purpose. We did start with the generators because they were the cheapest to get going and produce the most reliable energy. We added solar and recently a wind turbine to cut down on the noise and gas usage. It's a balance.
@@SeidelRanch , Thanks for your response. Perhaps I wasn't quite gracious in my comment. I might consider additional power sources other than gas generators in the future.
True, but the intent was to try and do it with 100, but it would not work on this one. I am going to try it again with a better setup and see if I can get 1 battery to do it.
@@MicMaine The way he titled his video can not be answered without the voltage making the question pointless as a title of a video in the context of what a viewer needs to know to decide if the video is relevant for them and their diy projects. You can call it critiquing everything or maybe the more sane explanation is purely mathematical in that Volts * Amps = Watts and Volts * Amphours = Watthours. Kind of hard to argue the math. A 12v 100amphour battery has 1200 watthours of power in it. You could give some wiggle room from this figure depending on the exact chemistry of battery being used and how many cells are in series of that chemistry. Often anything 11 to 14v is considered a 12v system, give or take. a 48v 100amphour battery has 4800 watthours of power in it. It will run any load the 12v battery above will run, assuming the appropriate inverter is used, roughly 4x longer while requiring thinner copper cabling/wire to do the job. A 4x difference that a potential viewer can't ascertain by the way the video is titled.
@HutchinsonJC so now every creator has to include every detail in the title??! 🤣🤣😅😅 when you watch it, he goes further in depth. This solar and battery community is weird cause all yall seem to do is nitpick at everyone's work and how they got it done
Keep in mind Haier is a Chinese product, I really doubt that you're getting 5,000 btu. It's most likely 3,500 btu or so. Chinese made batteries also seldom produce the amp hours they claim, sometimes dramatically less.
You should research terms and subject matter more before making a video like this. Almost 80% of what you try to say or explain is incorrect. also the title should be changed to a pair of 100ah
Can you explain what you mean? I am always open to learning from those more knowledgeable than myself. The point of the title is that you probably can't run an AC off of a 100ah battery unless it's one of the few that can peak over 250-300 amps.
@@SeidelRanch you shouldn't be running over 0.2C if you care about the health of batteries. Start from watts and work backwards. At 500W you would want at least a 2500Wh bank to be able to run this. None of this basic knowledge was mentioned in the video, you just said "it's at about 0.2C" but didn't explain what that means in lamens terms
@@sladesmith6377 Thanks. I tired to cover as much as I could without making a 2 hour video. There will always be things to pick at on anything. To my defence though, it was about how long would a small ac unit run on 100ah and not what's the best way to run this and how many batteries do you really need to do it best. Personally I would want way more batteries if I was going to run this ac all the time on battery. I have over 15 KWh of battery capacity in my RV now and I still want to double that just for a 1000 - 1500 watt average load.
If you meant "2x 100ah - 4.75 hr. 1x 100ah - 2 hr", then yes. The 2 batteries will help with the surge and get more out of the battery. I am now playing with my batteries to see which one(s) I have that will run this by themselves. Not many will but I think I have one or two that surge pretty high.
Thanks. Yeah, I talk a little too much. That is with a lot cut out. The crazy thing is I hear comments both ways; You talk too much or you don't explain it enough. Thanks for the feedback though.
