why don't our homes in the US come standard with DC power outlets and a large rechargable battery w/ generator

Question

don't steal my idea, this is considered "in writing" and I said it first.

I think it would be a very useful addition to homes since most of our electronics require DC power. Just about anything you plug into the wall that has a big black box on the cord is taking the 120V AC voltage from the electric companies and turning it into a much lower 6V to 24V DC power. This could be avoided by having a self contained power source in the basement with a gas powered generator.
Think about it. with our homes battery powered, a 'power-out' could shut down your neighborhood and you still have your DC powered electronics. your laptops, cable modems, routers, etc will still be working.
My home uses a cable modem that also takes care of my phone line. in a blackout, I loose my telephone. But not if it has a battery backup. They already make battery backups but why not have it central to the house. and with gasolene recharging it you have that power in case of emergencies.

Answer 1

I think you're on to something here. yes Edison tried it back in the day, but today we have much better technology.
yes, DC current looses voltage over long distances, but I think in a home that wouldn't be a problem. Don't put the generator inside, put it outside next to your AC generator. use both, have both types of outlets in every room. get yourself some DC to DC power adapters for your high tech electronics. work on a way to select the voltage you're looking for in each room. Make the battery BIG so that having the generator run through a few gallons of gas will charge it and then some. have a power meter in the kitchen letting the family know how much charge is left. make this battery like 1gigaAmphours if that's possible. you can then use inverters to power a lamp or fridge. I wouldn't use things like hair dryers, microwaves, ovens, etc, or it will drain that battery fast. keep the questions coming dude.

Answer 2

Sorry man, your idea has been taken already... they are called uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). They can seamlessly keep your computer and other similar electronics online with a battery backup until power is restored. For longer outages, most folks use an outdoor AC generator to power critical components (fridge, freezer, heating, maybe computer/modem).

Also, your DC power outlets idea would not work logistically. Your modem and computer do indeed have power supply cords that convert 120 VAC into some DC voltage. So, in order to use your special DC outlets during an emergency, you would have to unplug the devices from the normal outlets, attach a special DC-DC cord, and then plug the device into the emergency DC outlets. So, this would be quite the headache and would also mean downtime while you switch over; by comparison a UPS would have no downtime. Also you have to figure in the additional complexity of installing emergency DC outlets in a home (more confusion for electricians and homeowners).

Finally, a gas-powered generator in the basement isn't the best idea since internal combustion engines give off carbon monoxide. People have died from using products such as gas-powered pressure washers in enclosed areas. In fact, a fairly common way to commit suicide is to leave your car engine idle in an enclosed garage.

So... I propose sticking with the status quo here. AC outlets for all, and UPS devices for those that need emergency backup power for their computers (in your case to keep your phone service as well).

edit: Oops, you did mention that you know that battery backups exist already. Still, the points that I and others have made still stand.

Answer 3

Sounds logical - but I still have to pee in your cornflakes.

1) Many other appliances (besides electronic devices) need the extra voltage to keep the amperage at a reasonable level - dryers, ovens, refrigeration and air conditioning, power tools and so on). Remember, Power equals the voltage times the amperage (P=IE), hence, on 12 volts, for instance, the amperage goes up by a factor of 10 and that's going to take some pretty hefty wiring to handle the load without overheating.
2) Back up emergency power supplies aren't any where near as efficient as centralized power plants. They are also already readily available for emergencies.
3) Electronic devices often use several different DC voltages - which is easily obtained from AC with multi tap transformers.
4) You would be still be in the dark assuming your lighting was standard 120.
5) A much better plan would be a standard back up generator and an automatic switch over box when the power shuts down.

Hard to say how many new home owners would spring for the extra expense of a back up system - but who knows, maybe quite a few.

Answer 4

For one, DC requires that electrons be circulated through the full length of wire. AC only requires a push-pull, back and fourth, just a little bit. All the adjacent electrons follow suit and create a pulse.

Furthermore, DC can't be transformed. So you'd have to have a 12 volt, 9 volt, six volt, or 5-volt plug for your various electronics, or an inverter on every device to change it to transformable AC then back to a desired volt/amp rating.

If you were working with substantial amps, you'd have to have very thick wire, because amps create heat. Notice that household wire is 14 to 12 gauge, carries 120v at 15 to 20 amps? The wires to your car battery only carry 12 v. at 16 amps, but yet the wire is huge in comparison.

AC is the most efficient way to move electricity over distances with minimal voltage loss; from there it can be easily converted to whichever voltage or amps one wishes.

DC doesn't travel well. Check out Tesla for more info on how he and Westinghouse beat out Edison and GE in regards to electrical transmission.

Answer 5

This is an excellent question and I want to give you just a really brief bit of back ground if I may before answering your question. First, the idea you have was also shared by none other than Thomas Edison. What you are saying is exactly what he wanted and tried to do. Unfortunately the equipment back then was so big and all of the components were a maintenance nightmare, this is why AC eventually won out. Today the idea still makes sense but on a more limited basis, say a home or a business, possibly a small community. The cost alone involved in changing the equipment would make wide spread changing over nearly impossible.

Answer 6

Don't worry,It is not an original idea.It was actually tried, by George Westinghouse at the same time Edison was trying A/C. The problem with DC is that it does not go as far down a wire for a given voltage as A/C.It would take more power plants and transformers to use DC.

Answer 7

During a power outage, people's priorities are NOT being able to use their computer or routers etc. They want the refrigerator and furnace to work first, and precious few of them use DC.

AC generators are incredibly more effective because they get EVERYTHING running just like it was before the power failure. That's why they're so prevalent. It's quite apparent you've never tried to sleep with an internal combustion engine running in the basement...(!)

PLEASE don't loose any sleep over someone stealing your idea...!

Answer 8

Actually, most of our electornics use AC. For example:

Lights
Ovens
Stoves
Washing Machines
Cloths Driers
Hair Driers
Fans
Air Conditioners
Heaters (if they are electric)

Some like televisions and computers use both AC and DC. These take the AC current and convert a part of it to DC.

Answer 9

DC current quickly loses strength as it travels through long transmission wires. AC current loses strength at a much lower rate.

Answer 10

Cuz the US sux.