Running a household fan on a car battery?

[shoiji]

Am jumping off from a thread about rolling blackouts.

Has anyone used a car battery in an emergency to run a household fan. I am just thinking I should be prepared in case the electric goes out and it is crazy hot outside. I need ac due to health and thought this might be an idea.

Any suggestions or better ideas.

I found this information:

How to Run a Household Fan on a Car Battery | eHow.com

Thought this might be a good idea to have a car battery and adapter around in case of emergency. The only thing that runs on gas is the heat which has an electric starter.

I live in an apartment so need something small and practical that will not get me in trouble with the complex management.

[savvy_sniper]

I posted on the other thread. Check into battery operated fans. Also look into "cooling stations" in your area - libraries, malls, etc. for temporary relief.

[Debbie-cat]

You can run it for short periods of time. DO NOT charge the battery though in the house. They will leak hydrogen gas which is very explosive. Also make sure your battery is level so no acid leaks out. You will needs a inverter to run a fan hooked up to a battery. A fan will last about 1-3 hours on a battery charge. HTH!

[imagine]

You brought back a happy memory. My father hooked up a solar panel to charge car batteries to run the electric sump pump in the basement. I think it could run other things to in an emergency. He explained it to me once and taught me how to make sure it was running safely but I do not think I understand it well enough to explain it. I sure wish I had listened better when he was alive.

[shoiji]

Thanks Debbie-cat. Will nix this idea then. Sounds just a little (way) to dangerous. Maybe I can find something more benign. Will look into the portable fans that fun on regular batteries. Just thinking mostly about times at night. Also will look into something possibly solar.