Radio station backup

[BIMU]

I have a radio station in Uganda E. Africa that pulls 1500 watts (230v). I want to get some sealed 200 amp batteries with a 3000 watt triplite inverter to run the station for 18 hours every other day. We get power 24 on/24 off. The station is 50 feet from where the batteries will be. How many batteries will I need? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I have a radio station in Uganda E. Africa that pulls 1500 watts (230v). I want to get some sealed 200 amp batteries with a 3000 watt triplite inverter to run the station for 18 hours every other day. We get power 24 on/24 off. The station is 50 feet from where the batteries will be. How many batteries will I need? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

1500W at 12V is 1500/12 = 125A, assuming your batteries and inverter are 12V?. So a 200AH battery should probably manage about an hour or so?, because of drop in performance at high currents and losses in the inverter. So for 18 hours you need at least 18 of them! - and preferably more!.

 

[zevon8]

I would think a small diesel generator would be simpler/cheaper to run in this application. Until cities here passed bylaws preventing "idling" engines a few years ago, we regularily used small single cylinder diesel generators running emergency highway signs. Often the generator would run for several days at a time.