Looking for a battery pack that I can plug into like an outlet?

Question

The centerpieces I want for my wedding would need to be plugged in, but we obviously can't have wires running from each table to the wall. Is there any sort of a battery pack that you can charge up and then plug into? At this point, size and cost are minimal considerations, i really just want to know what exists.

Thanks!!!

Answer 1

Probably the easiest thing would be to use a computer UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply). They have batteries in them, that once charged, will output 120VAC for a period of time. That period depends on how many watts you're using and the size of the batteries in the UPS. If this is for some LED lights, most would last quite a while. If this is for a fountain motor or something like that, they probably wouldn't last very long. You'd have to have the UPS's plugged in for a day or two to charge up before you took them to the wedding and plugged in the centerpiece. Make sure you find one that will let you turn off all audible alarms! UPS's can be expensive, and you don't really need all of the things they do (filter power, log problems, etc.). You could probably find a school or charity to donate them to after the wedding, or even give them away as gifts for your guests -- almost everyone can use something like that because they come in handy during a power outage or natural disaster.

The APC site has a wide variety of options and their products are available at many retailers...

As a second option, if you know someone who is handy with wires, you could hook up 12V sealed lead-acid batteries to a car power inverter. It would probably be cheaper overall and you could size the batteries to whatever you need. You'd be stuck with what's left, though -- and that sounds like a LOT of batteries, power inverters, and chargers.