UPS charging during blackouts

[Torrentwolf]

Ok, my family just went through a blackout for three days straight. No power, no refrigerator, no heating, everything was dead. Our worst problem was not having our cell phones for communication (Towers were still working for a while) as they were quickly depleted of power. Now I've considered getting a UPS before but never got around to it and after some research I'm confused on how long they last. I understand based on what you are running on them and how much power they are drawing a USP can deplete at different rates. But I keep seeing conflicting information on the subject especially if people are using the exact same set up. What we want to do is set up a USP to charge cell phones when they get too low and recharge flashlights during these emergencies. My questions are:

 

1. How many times could we charge our cell phones? (We have 1 Samsung Galaxy S5, an IPhone 5 and an old Blackberry)

 

2. How to calculate how much power each device needs (a flashlight, cell phone or any device) to charge it fully?

 

I understand there might be alternatives but at this moment we're looking at several and want some clarity on this option please.

[ProjectBox153]

Do you have outages enough to have the need for a full UPS? I just have a few of those little portable USB chargers that I've gotten on clearance always charged up in case I need them. 

[Jbonn386]

Yeah for a cellphone charging i would probably suggest looking into a power bank.

 

I use a UPS at my house so when i lose power i can safety shut down my computer and still keep my internet running for another 3 hours after.

[Electronics Wizardy]

For a power outage you want a powerbank or a generator. A UPS is normally made for less than one hour of ac power and then the computers go to generator or get turned off. 

 

Normally a UPS is pretty inefficent at low loads, so a power bank can charge your phone many more times with the same size battery.

 

If long power outages are a problem id look into a generator.

[knightslugger]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

If long power outages are a problem  possibility id look into a generator.

everyone should have backup power. It's not just the cellphones that go bad (think of the milk in the refrigerator, the meat in the freezer, the water in the basement).

[Windows7ge]

I'd opt for a powerbank. A UPS is preferable for desktops or servers when the area is frequent to power outages/brownouts or the equipment can't handle sudden power loss without risking possible damage/loss of data. A UPS would just be overkill for that application.

[W-L]

41 minutes ago, Torrentwolf said:

-SNIP-

As many have recommended for cellphones and low voltage devices getting a power bank or ones that even have variable voltage range would be a better option as having to convert from DC (battery) to AC back to DC (power adapter) would induce a large amount of loss.  

[samcool55]

For phones, just get a bunch of powerbanks. You can get a bunch of LED USB thingy whatever that can easily run from a powerbank for hours.

If you want to go full survival you might want to get a bunch of 5V solar panels.

[AngryBeaver]

For the price of a decent sized UPS... you could just get a cheap generator. Then you are only limited to the amount of gas you have for how long it can power those devices.