Batteries as building weights

fredvon4 Sun Nov 27, 2016 10:09 am

Back story:

Bought this rural home in 94 and in Texas were are on a Electric Power Co-Op...cheap but with issues

I am a Large/small Engine, Computer, and HAM Radio Nerd and wife is (better than I) very electronics savy... especially where she adapts computer power to her sewing and quilting hobby

Back to the el cheapo electric Co-Op.... unreliable is a understatement...We have 220/110VAC that is anywhere from 101 VAC to 132 VAC as measured by Multimeter RMS at the outlet ---with semi frequent outages ranging from .05 seconds to 4 days...the norm being several minutes

Early on, we occasionally LOST (with zero compensation) a lot of electronic gear to the brown out, or over voltage, sags and spikes...MODEMS, Answering machines, Dishwasher, Dryer, TVs, desktop computers, incandescent lights, garage door openers...etc....ect..

I never could find a WHOLE Home Surge suppressor or Uninterruptible Power supply with enough OOOMPH to handle the entier estate...(That we could afford) so I invested heavily in individual UPS devices...mostly Tripp-Lite brand (big $$$)

Most of these have a Gel Cell 12VDC 7 AH battery that needs replacing every few years. I have a schedule and prefer internet ON SALE FREE shipping protocol.... Cyber Monday seems to be the best bet for me needing 15 Batteries and I find the same size in 9AH are usually a great value....

This leaves me with a lot of, still good bats, to dispose...

Building weights... The point

In Forum build logs I see every thing from Phone books, pantry soup cans, Barbell lifting weights, cut bar steel, lead shot, divers weights, bricks, etc...

I still recycle many of these batteries, but I do hold several back (7~10) to use as building weights...

Perhaps you have a good, near free, building weight idea too ---to share.....