Portable/Battery Powered Heatlamp?

[Mr.Dragon]

So we've been having some pretty stormy weather here in Los Angeles. And it got me thinking of setting up an emergency bag for Mr. Dragon. Obviously some food and water, but what about heat? I don't have a generator so I was thinking of getting a portable heat lamp? Something battery powered I guess? But I can't find anything online.
Any suggestions on a battery powered heat lamp or how to keep him warm in case of an emergency?
Thank you in advance!
(I've attached pictures of Mr Dragon just for cuteness effect)

 

[NickAVD]

I think that an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from a computer will suit you. You can easily choose the one that suits you in size and power.

 

[xp29]

Our power was out night before last. It went out at 11:30 pm. I sat in the car (outside, not in the garage. That's a good way to die from carbon monoxide) until 9:30 the next morning. We do what we have to to keep them safe. But i agree a back up would be a good idea.

 

[Mr.Dragon]

I think that an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) from a computer will suit you. You can easily choose the one that suits you in size and power.

So a UPS is like a battery pack that charges through the wall? And if the power goes out then it just turns the battery on and the lights stay on?
What do I look for to check how long it will last on the battery? Do you know?

 

[NickAVD]

So a UPS is like a battery pack that charges through the wall? And if the power goes out then it just turns the battery on and the lights stay on?
What do I look for to check how long it will last on the battery? Do you know?

Yes, you can calculate the UPS operating time for your lamp.
Each UPS has rated power in VA (the more power, the more expensive and larger the power supply).
You can determine the opening hours using the APC website
Scroll down and find specification for UPS (APC Back-UPS, 500VA for example)
Set the power of your lamp in the field and you can see the battery life.

Yes, the battery life is about one hour, but this is enough to wait out a temporary power outage in the house.
For longer power outages, it is necessary to have either powerful batteries or a diesel generator that can operate for a day or more.

 

[CooperDragon]

These aren't cheap in higher capacities as mentioned, but they are nice to have for short/intermittent outages. I have an APC and it's usually good for keeping a basking light running for a few hours. Not much help during extended outages though, so good to have some 72hr heat packs on hand in case a longer emergency occurs.

 

[magicmagni]

Living in a rural California comminity for almost 20 years, I am no stranger to loosing power. On average I would loose power for about 65 days a year.. The worse was no power for 15 days in a row, but one time I had to evacuate for a month due to the CA wildfires and had to leave my animals behind.. although I was allowed to come back every few days to check on them..

In my experience in general the reptiles are fine at cooler temps for a period of time... their bodies just "pause" so no food since they can't digest. Maybe offer water by dripping some on the nose to see if they'll take it, but your dragon won't starve to death and if kept cool will not dehydrate as fast. Just keep them from getting below extreme temps like below 55. For an evacutation situation perhaps a tote with a clamp lamp on top that you can plug in at a hotel to warm him up a bit. Also just your car heater will keep them from getting too cold.. but in LA..probably not as much a concern compaired to someone in Alaska.

At home if being without power for over 3-4 days is a reality for you then having a generator is going to be best (It can run your fridge too and keep your food from spoiling!) But these can work nicly too...

Jackery Solar Generator 1000

The Solar Generator 1000 converts sun rays into portable power for home & outdoor use. It consists of Explorer 1000 + 2 x SolarSaga 100W. Ideal for versatility.

www.jackery.com

And for extra you can hook solar panels up to them too to extend run time.

Another alternative is to use your car as a generator.. you can get one of these DC to AC power converters..

https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/sli-=-accessory/accessory/duracell/slc10131

You just hook it up to your car battery and then let your car idle or else you get dead battery. Run a long extention into the house to power stuff that way. Some of them do up to 1000W which gives you a lot of options.

 

[Mr.Dragon]

These aren't cheap in higher capacities as mentioned, but they are nice to have for short/intermittent outages. I have an APC and it's usually good for keeping a basking light running for a few hours. Not much help during extended outages though, so good to have some 72hr heat packs on hand in case a longer emergency occurs.

Yeah I'm looking to set up an emergency to go bag so I wanted a battery powered heat lamp or something for a longer time.
When you say heat packs you mean regular heat packs that a human would use for muscle pains? They wouldn't burn him? Or would they even keep him warm since reptiles can't warm up through their skin?

 

[Mr.Dragon]

Living in a rural California comminity for almost 20 years, I am no stranger to loosing power. On average I would loose power for about 65 days a year.. The worse was no power for 15 days in a row, but one time I had to evacuate for a month due to the CA wildfires and had to leave my animals behind.. although I was allowed to come back every few days to check on them..

In my experience in general the reptiles are fine at cooler temps for a period of time... their bodies just "pause" so no food since they can't digest. Maybe offer water by dripping some on the nose to see if they'll take it, but your dragon won't starve to death and if kept cool will not dehydrate as fast. Just keep them from getting below extreme temps like below 55. For an evacutation situation perhaps a tote with a clamp lamp on top that you can plug in at a hotel to warm him up a bit. Also just your car heater will keep them from getting too cold.. but in LA..probably not as much a concern compaired to someone in Alaska.

At home if being without power for over 3-4 days is a reality for you then having a generator is going to be best (It can run your fridge too and keep your food from spoiling!) But these can work nicly too...

Jackery Solar Generator 1000

The Solar Generator 1000 converts sun rays into portable power for home & outdoor use. It consists of Explorer 1000 + 2 x SolarSaga 100W. Ideal for versatility.

www.jackery.com

And for extra you can hook solar panels up to them too to extend run time.

Another alternative is to use your car as a generator.. you can get one of these DC to AC power converters..

https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/sli-=-accessory/accessory/duracell/slc10131

You just hook it up to your car battery and then let your car idle or else you get dead battery. Run a long extention into the house to power stuff that way. Some of them do up to 1000W which gives you a lot of options.

Perfect! This Information is awesome, just what i was looking for! Thank you, super helpful!!

 

[magicmagni]

Right on.. I'm happy to help. I've used the UPS too for my fishtanks just to keep filters running etc.. but I don't usually get more than 6 hours at most and the lead acid batteries don't last too many years until they need to be replaced. Costo has the Jackery (or something like that) for good deal. At least those are LFP batteries or perhaps Lithium (I can't remember) but either are way longer lasting.

I still like the inverter with the car idea.. I ended up just doing that more than anything, before I got the generator and then finally just bit the bullet and got some Tesla Powerwalls to power up the whole house with rooftop solar.. then I could run my whole house off grid for a whole week usually and my power bill went from $600 to $10 a month so that was nice ;-)

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah I'm looking to set up an emergency to go bag so I wanted a battery powered heat lamp or something for a longer time.
When you say heat packs you mean regular heat packs that a human would use for muscle pains? They wouldn't burn him? Or would they even keep him warm since reptiles can't warm up through their skin?

No the human hand warmers. There are reptile shipping warmers that don't burn as hot and will last for days. I've used them on camping trips to keep my guy warm overnight and they really did keep warm for 2-3 days. The ones I have are in a green bag and made by uniheat.

 

[Mr.Dragon]

Oooooh okay awesome!! Thank you, ill look into getting some of those for an emergency bag! Thank you!!!

No the human hand warmers. There are reptile shipping warmers that don't burn as hot and will last for days. I've used them on camping trips to keep my guy warm overnight and they really did keep warm for 2-3 days. The ones I have are in a green bag and made by uniheat.

 

[Mr.Dragon]

Oooooh okay awesome!! Thank you, ill look into getting some of those for an emergency bag! Thank you!!!

No the human hand warmers. There are reptile shipping warmers that don't burn as hot and will last for days. I've used them on camping trips to keep my guy warm overnight and they really did keep warm for 2-3 days. The ones I have are in a green bag and made by uniheat.

This one?

 

[CooperDragon]

Yeah that's what I keep in my travel kit and emergency stash.