I need to get a power supply into a detatched garage.
Minimum I need is enough to run some lights and with modern LED lights I’d imagine it would run pretty well with a 12v camper van set up and leisure battery.
Ideally I’d like the ability to run a Kickr turbo trainer in the garage so it would need 240v with an inverter.

Has anyone used a set up like this before and if so what did you use?

It looks like running power from the hose won’t be an option and as much as I’d like a Tesla Power Wall and solar panels there no way I can afford it!

Any suggestions?

How about power the lights [/i]with the turbo trainer? 😉

Running a light is fine, but the resistance for the turbo trainer is going to match your power output. 200-odd watts is a lot to ask of a battery setup without spending a lot.

How about power the lights [/i]with the turbo trainer?

I like your thinking there 😆

Running a light is fine, but the resistance for the turbo trainer is going to match your power output. 200-odd watts is a lot to ask of a battery setup without spending a lot.

Are you sure about that?
Just looking on the Wahoo website and it says that the Kickr Power adaptor is 12v DC output at 5 amps then it says Max 60 Watts.

It all depends on your use, (obviously).

However, a 100w system with controller and charger might cope?

100w system £110

200w system might be better £220

Then just get a 100w inverter, not sure about the trainer power requirement question mind.

Why can’t you just run power from the house?

How about a car battery and just take it into the house every few months to charge it? Adding solar would be pretty easy though. Most electronic stuff runs from a lower voltage with an adapter. Probably more efficient to get a dc-dc converter.

That said, longer term proper power from the house is better. Worth putting more effort into that.

That said, longer term proper power from the house is better. Worth putting more effort into that.

From looking into it so far it seems that it’s going to be prohibitively expensive to run power from the house to the garage. I still need to check a couple of things out and speak to a couple of people but it looks like it’s not really going to be an option sadly.

Are you sure about that?
Just looking on the Wahoo website and it says that the Kickr Power adaptor is 12v DC output at 5 amps then it says Max 60 Watts.

Maybe I don’t understand how they work, but I thought they were an electromagnetic brake. If I’m riding at a steady 200w for an hour surely 200w must be provided to the brake to provide the resistance?

Edit: quick look suggests they describe them as using a motor, so I guess they add resistance to the motor that produces heat. That makes sense, so I guess you’ve got it right. A battery setup should work.

As an aside, if something has a 12v DC adapter you don’t need an inverter to go up to 240v, just go straight to the battery (without the adapter).

Simplest solution might be to chop in the Kickr, get a Tacx Bushido and run lights off a battery.

As mentioned up there, do it all as a DC system and you don’t lose anything in converting from Dc to AC back to DC again. 12v DC is nice and easy and there’s lots of 12v DC LEDs out there.

Might be a daft question but do you have a spot for the solar panel(s) that faces the right way and is not shaded?

I don’t know if the OP’s problem is simply distance (not going over a road etc) but-

Proper wiring can be expensive: steel wire armoured cable, consumer units etc. But there’s not a lot wrong with dragging a looong extension cable from the nearest 13a socket when you need a bit of power in there with you.

Make sure the cable is nice and thick to avoid voltage drop, and if said extension is on a reel, unroll it all before switching on. A rolled up spool acts as an induction loop and it can get mighty hot.

I think the Tacx Neo can be run without power too, if that’s any help…

No resistance on my Tacx Neo without a power supply, so I’d be surprised if it works without power.

Interesting, I’ve read a couple of reviews that said it works without power, just doesn’t do the downhill thing.

How far away is the garage from the house ? Local leccy quote ?

… if said extension is on a reel, unroll it all …

And choose a flexible cable carefully, some won’t survive being unrolled and rolled up again in low temps. Many will have a low operating temp, but that isn’t the same as an installation temp

The issue with running power to the garage will be cost and that the cable would need to run under a path which isn’t mine so not sure about digging it up to run cables below it.
Still need to look into it a bit more though as it would be the best solution.

After looking into power options for the Kickr a bit more it appears that they can be run from a car battery. Another option seems to be a 12v Ring rechargeable powerpack which will also run it.

According to a piece on DC Rainmaker, Team Sky use motorbike batteries to power theirs for warmups:

View post on imgur.com

Motorbike or car battery is the easy option. Just bring it in to charge. You could even buy two and keep one ready and swap regularly.

Running a cable under a shared path, especially on land you don’t own, adds a lot of complications to that option.

Running a cable under a shared path, especially on land you don’t own, adds a lot of complications to that option.

This is my main concern. It’s a hardly used path that links residents back gardens to the garages so would only be used by I think 3 or 4 houses and doesn’t look like it’s used that often but as you say it could add complications especially as the communal areas are managed by a management company rather than a council etc.

I think a solar set-up to run lights along with charging the motorbike battery is going to be the way forward.

Having checked, the garage roof is south facing and won’t be overshadowed by anything so should be idea for fitting the panels to.

Why not try the suggested inexpensive car battery solution to see how that works out before going to the expense of a solar setup? It sounds like your remote garage could be a security risk as well.

You are going to need a battery anyway even if you end up going down the solar route. You might want to consider buying a deep cycle battery (not car) first and using that.

It would be a deep cycle battery I’d go for rather than a car one. If it’s anything like my van it would be more than enough for the lights, just need to check figures for the Kickr as well.
The garage isn’t too remote so it’ll be getting security cameras etc which will work on the house wifi and locks. Lots of locks!

Have a look at narrow boat systems at chandlers etc as these provide power to charge leisure batteries and run things like fridges simultaneously. You can get flexible ones you can adhere to surfaces too, rather than rigid ones. No idea about cost though!

What you propose would work during the day

but you start with an inverter you wont get long on anything 240 at night in the winter…..

based on having 2 x 130ah leisure batteries and 2 x 120watt solar panels through an mppt controller anything 240 through the inverter tanks the batteries pretty quickly .

Do remmeber a 12v battery is pretty much dead when it reads 12v. take it down into the 11s and your doing irreparable damage and it wont hold as much charge the next time hence i suggest NOT just buying a deep cycle battery and using it till it goes “flat by eye” – ie things start not working…. bythen its too late.

From what I understand so far, the Kickr will work with 12V DC so no need for an inverter, it should just run straight off the battery. I’ve no idea yet how much it would take out of the battery and whether or not it would be suitable for 1.5h sessions.

For lights it would also be 12V LED’s so very little power needed for them.