The Texas BBQ Forum

Im cooking a comp that does not provide electrical hook-ups, im planning on running three Tragers (1 pro 34 and 2 lil tex), anyone have some advice as to what i will need to run these grills?

Figure 450W for startup and 200W for running.
Depending on how you want to power these you can unplug the hotrod and start the fire with gelled alcohol.
I have used a car battery and inverter before.
If you use a generator use an inverter generator.

Papa Tom wrote:Figure 450W for startup and 200W for running.
Depending on how you want to power these you can unplug the hotrod and start the fire with gelled alcohol.
I have used a car battery and inverter before.
If you use a generator use an inverter generator.

I want to run them just like if i was at my house. So would It be best to run each grill off its own battery and inventer? I know i could hook up a generator but i would like to keep the noise down.

Drewlooker wrote:

Papa Tom wrote:Figure 450W for startup and 200W for running.
Depending on how you want to power these you can unplug the hotrod and start the fire with gelled alcohol.
I have used a car battery and inverter before.
If you use a generator use an inverter generator.

I want to run them just like if i was at my house. So would It be best to run each grill off its own battery and inventer? I know i could hook up a generator but i would like to keep the noise down.

Inverter generators tend to be very quiet.
I don't know the efficiency of the inverters so figure the amp hour total you would need in battery power.
Watts =E x I (volts times current) so 450 Watts = 37.5 amps, 200 watts = 16.7 amps @ 12V.
Startup is usually 4 minutes and run time depends on what you are cooking.
Be sure to include the loss of the inverter.
Add it all up and you can determine the amp hours of battery required and determine how many or size of batteries needed.

To run 3 cookers I would lean toward a generator.

Papa Tom wrote:

Drewlooker wrote:

Papa Tom wrote:Figure 450W for startup and 200W for running.
Depending on how you want to power these you can unplug the hotrod and start the fire with gelled alcohol.
I have used a car battery and inverter before.
If you use a generator use an inverter generator.

I want to run them just like if i was at my house. So would It be best to run each grill off its own battery and inventer? I know i could hook up a generator but i would like to keep the noise down.

Inverter generators tend to be very quiet.
I don't know the efficiency of the inverters so figure the amp hour total you would need in battery power.
Watts =E x I (volts times current) so 450 Watts = 37.5 amps, 200 watts = 16.7 amps @ 12V.
Startup is usually 4 minutes and run time depends on what you are cooking.
Be sure to include the loss of the inverter.
Add it all up and you can determine the amp hours of battery required and determine how many or size of batteries needed.

To run 3 cookers I would lean toward a generator.

2000 watt inverter generator be sufficient for all three?

Oh yeah really if you stared the cookers one at a time 1000 W would suffice.
I've shopped though and 2000W makes more sense for the price difference.

I bought a cheap 1000W inverter generator from Sam's when I ran pellet grills and it worked fine. I only ran two but I had an induction hot plate I ran on low also. Black Max is the brand.

if worse comes to worse, can you just pump wood splits into that thing?

rb

I run my fec100 off an inverter. Sometimes power at comps is iffy at best. On year cooking in San Antonio livestock show cookoff, the provided power got switched from 110 to 220. It blew boards an a few pellet poopers and fried some rv power converters. You sound like you need a portable power station. Get a 60q cube icechest. It's the one with wheels. Get a couple 75ah sla batteries. Always use sealed batteries. Mount in your icechest along with power inverter. If you want to get fancy, mount plugs on the outside of the icechest. You can mount a battery charger inside too. You can even add ventilation and cooling fans. I used to make ice chest radios and it's pretty much the same thing.

Im going to play it safe and just go with a generator, the event does not provide power.