Portable power?

[illking]

I finally have an apt with a garage! (This is hard to come by in Los Angeles and stilll have cheap rent) but it has no power. I work all day and would love to come home pop a spaten

and dig into my bike, but lately i end up spilling my beer and losing bolts in the dim flashlight illuminated garage. Its too far from an outlet to run an extension chord and I cant afford a quiet generator. Does anyone have any cheap cleaver suggestions. Im just looking to run some shoplights

 

[brewtown16]

alot of times i used a power inverter from my truck. but how far IS far? you could so make a 100 foot extension cord, no problem...

 

[illking]

its too far for an extension cord theres an apt building between mine and the garage. i thought about running it from my truck but its kinda loud and stinky 77 international scout so i doubt my nieghbors would like that late at night

 

[johnson_steve]

yum, Optimator! great beer. I personally use a long extension cord and a powerstrip, you can get or make them as long as you need and then you can plug tools in too. maybe a power inverter and a battery (in or out out a vehicle.) or if you just want some cheap and simple light how about an oil lamp?

 

[Tim]

I sounds like you'd need a few hundred feet of cord, which of course would be nuts.

So this garage is nowhere near ANY power sources, yours or otherwise?

One option might be a few old car batteries wired up with some 12v lighting. You might be able to rig up some solar charging on the system? They sell those solar panels for charging your car's battery - might work charging the batteries all day? Hook up some old car headlights for lighting to the 12v system? Thinking of something you could piece together with mostly junk (i.e. old car batteries and headlights) with a minimum investment in a solar charger.

Or of course yes, the oil lamp - a Coleman camping lantern or the like.

 

[illking]

in case anyone was in the same boat as me i found an affordable solution. Die Hard 1150 from sears about $ 97 its a battery with a built in inverter and compressor/jumper cables enough juice to light up the garage probably wont last long using anything more powerful than a couple of lights anyways just thought id share

 

[dirtywhiteboy]

Out at my bosses cabin...he uses a forklift battery.....one of the 10 cell 12v deals. Roughly 24" tall, 42"long and 14" wide. Its around that size...the measurements arent exact..just guestimates. But it runs everything thru an inverter and is charged with a set of solar panels that sit out back facing south. Its enouch juice to run a couple lights, a convection oven and a little tv/dvd combo thinger as well as a mini fridge......

 

[scum]

I second the Coleman camp light. 8) Hang it from the ceiling, it will be plenty bright.