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Question about batterys for making your smoker portable..

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Frog

Got Wood.
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I have a question.. i have a GMG and want to take it camping with me, only problem is when i bring my truck i tend to use it to dock/undock the boat or jet skis, go to store etc. so i wouldn't be able to leave my truck stationed for Long periods of time. I already bought a 700Watt inverter, People say buy a Deep cycle battery, now my main question is is there a certain size i need or does any deep cycle work? should i look for a bigger size/smaller size etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I also have one of these http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...p-peak-jumpstarter-peak_10110320-p#fragment-1 Will it work for long periods of time? im just trying to cover my basics for memorial day weekend since ill be doing alot of cooking :)
 
Reccommend you disconnect the hot rod so it doesn't drain the battery and ignite the unit manually instead. The units themselves require very little power to operate once the igntition sequence is complete.
 
I ran a Google search and there's a thread on the pelletheads forum that's probably got your answer. ;)
 
ckelly said:
Reccommend you disconnect the hot rod so it doesn't drain the battery and ignite the unit manually instead. The units themselves require very little power to operate once the igntition sequence is complete.
Click to expand...

The igniter on most pellet grill/smokers are only on for 5 minutes and draw 400W. That's almost nothing since it's on for such a short time.

To frog, there are several threads on here discussing this.

There is a Google search near the bottom of the page that you can use. Search for inverter or something similar and you'll find those threads.
 
I used the search but i couldn't find the Size/type of battery beside it just saying "deep cycle". Im trying to figure out what is best battery, there are multiple options such as motorcycle,atv,lawn and garden, car etc.. all are different sizes im assuming each would only do so many hours of cooking before its dead. So what would be the best option be?
 
Rv/marine deep cycle battery they look bigger than a regular battery and a made for trudging along.... You can go to any auto parts store and get one
 
Frog said:
I used the search but i couldn't find the Size/type of battery beside it just saying "deep cycle". Im trying to figure out what is best battery, there are multiple options such as motorcycle,atv,lawn and garden, car etc.. all are different sizes im assuming each would only do so many hours of cooking before its dead. So what would be the best option be?
Click to expand...

The biggest you can buy?

I use a group 31 deep cycle, which is 105 amp hours. But, most batteries drop below a usable voltage at about 75% of capacity, so make that approx. 78AH.

Now... What does that mean? :-D

Most pellet cookers use about 50W when running without the ignitor on. At 110V that's .45 amps, so that's what the cooker will draw from the output of the inverter. But, the input of the inverter is what we care about to figure battery life. at 13.8V (normal battery output) that's 3.6A. Plus, the inverter isn't 100% efficient, so add 10% as a fudge factor, so call it just under 4A.

The ignitor uses 400W, or approx 30A at 13.8V, but it's only on for 5 minutes, to that's 2.4AH, so it really doesn't reduce you run time by much.

Now, back to our battery. Is can supply 75AH of power before needing a recharge, so at 4A, that's 75/4 = 18.75 hours, - the 2.4AH that the ignitor used, so you can run for approx. 16.35 hours.

YMMV.

:becky:

Also, anything else like a guru running off of the inverter or directly off of the battery will reduce that.
 
bigdogphin said:
Rv/marine deep cycle battery they look bigger than a regular battery and a made for trudging along.... You can go to any auto parts store and get one
Click to expand...

by chance do you know if size/CCAs matter? ive found sizes U1 and sizes 24 thru 31.
 
A Yoder YS640 draws about 240 watts during ignition and about 30 watts constant after that, but, the inverters fan, when it cycles on and off, also draws wattage. In my case, the wattage draw jumps to about 50 watts everytime the fan cycles on and off.

Deep-cycle batteries are rated by Reserve Capacity (RC). The larger the battery, normally the larger the RC. The Sams Club Group 27 deep-cycle battery I bought is rated at 180 RC. Put 2 of these together in parallel and you get 360 RC. Google for the math once you figure out what your cooker draws for wattage/amperage, and you should be able to estimate an approximate runtime for your setup. I can tell you that in my case, with one battery, doing long cooks for 3 days, the battery I have won't do it.
 
For what it's worth, I run my Traeger Lil' Tex on a group 27 & a 400W Inverter with no problems. I've never run it long enough to see how long it will go but it's handled all my needs... I do let it light itself as well. I've seen where others disconnect the igniter and light it manually to save the battery. YMMV.

 
Dan - 3eyzbbq said:
:razz: Love the "approx." and then a number like .35. Made me laugh.

You have more patience then me. I just bought a generator instead.
Click to expand...

Well... I guess that's the engineer in me :)

I have a generator as well, but it's a bit of a pain to refuel. The Honda EU3000 Handi runs about 7 hours on a tank, so having a battery and an inverter with a built in auto transfer switch allows me to run off of comp power and automatically switch to the battery if power drops.
 
Ron_L said:
, so having a battery and an inverter with a built in auto transfer switch allows me to run off of comp power and automatically switch to the battery if power drops.
Click to expand...

NOW your talking my language. If you get a chance, please shoot me an email to dan@3eyzbbq.com and explain how I can set the auto transfer up.
 
Would it be possible to run off the 12V battery/Inverter combo and have a battery charger connected so if/when the power goes off it just runs on battery? Never tried it so I'm asking... Cheers!!!
 
hamiltont said:
Would it be possible to run off the 12V battery/Inverter combo and have a battery charger connected so if/when the power goes off it just runs on battery? Never tried it so I'm asking... Cheers!!!
Click to expand...

I believe this i what you are asking to do:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV5suWI_KqY"]12v power Inverter connected to a battery charger running a 500 watt appliance - YouTube[/ame]
 
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