How Long Will It Run

How long will an Anker SOLIX C300 DC run a gas combi boiler?

It will not. A gas combi boiler draws 85 W and the Anker SOLIX C300 DC's inverter is rated at 0 W, so the station will refuse the load rather than run it slowly. Capacity is irrelevant here — you need a bigger inverter, not a bigger battery.

The gas makes the heat, so a battery only has to run the fan, pump and controls. Most boilers are wired into a fused spur rather than a plug, and some will not light on a station’s ungrounded output — read the boiler guide before relying on it.

Before you rely on it

The battery is the easy part. Most boilers are wired into a fused spur with no plug, and some will not light on a station's floating output because they sense the flame through earth. The boiler guide explains both problems and who can fix them.

The numbers

Anker SOLIX C300 DC · 288 Wh · new pack at 20 °C, 10% reserve
SetupAverage drawCautiousTypicalBest case
1 × gas combi boiler, UK 230 V51 W———
2 × gas combi boiler, UK 230 V102 W———
1 × gas combi boiler, US 120 V51 W———
  • Usable energy: 209 Wh of the 288 Wh on the box, after chemistry, inverter losses and the reserve.
  • To keep it going for a full 24 hours you would need about 1,684 Wh of rated capacity — 5.8× this station.
  • Start-up: the gas combi boiler asks for 85 W at switch-on against this station's 0 W peak — not enough.

Buy the Anker SOLIX C300 DC

Where to buy

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If this is for a power cut

Heating is what a battery does worst. In a power cut, warming people rather than rooms goes much further, and none of this needs a socket.

Without a power station: a 20,000 mAh power bank runs a USB heated throw for about 7 h 24 min. See the power bank numbers.

Hot water bottle and a vacuum flask. Boil water while you still can, keep it hot in a flask, and refill the bottle through the night.

Look for: A bottle made to BS 1970 in the UK, and a flask of a litre or more.

Hand warmers. Air-activated packs give hours of heat with no power at all, and a pocketful helps children and older relatives.

Look for: Long-duration packs, and the expiry date on bulk boxes.

Battery carbon monoxide alarm. Anything burning fuel indoors, a boiler relit after an outage included, can produce carbon monoxide you cannot see or smell.

Look for: A sealed long-life battery and EN 50291 certification in the UK (UL 2034 in the US).

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More: How to keep warm in a power cut, and the power cut essentials list (US edition).

What changes the answer

If instead…Typical runtimeChange
The pack is two years old—-8%
The pack is five years old—-20%
It is −10 °C outside—-15%
You run it flat, no reserve—+11%
You keep 20% back—-11%

If you need it to run longer

These run a gas combi boiler for at least twice as long as the Anker SOLIX C300 DC does, cheapest first.

StationWhTypicalIndicative price
Jackery Explorer 1000 v21,07012 h 45 min£419 / $549
UGREEN PowerRoam 6006808 h 14 min£449 / $499
Bluetti EB70S7168 h 32 min£449 / $429
Bluetti AC707689 h 9 min£449 / $359

The cheapest step up: Jackery Explorer 1000 v2

Amazon and approved-programme links are affiliate links; the site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Links marked “official site” are untracked. Prices and stock change constantly — check before you buy.

Smaller options that still work

StationWhTypicalWeightIndicative price
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus2863 h 28 min4.7 kg£219 / $269
Bluetti EB3A2683 h 15 min4.6 kg£199 / $219
Jackery Explorer 240 v22563 h 13 min3.6 kg£209 / $249
EcoFlow RIVER 22563 h 9 min3.5 kg£209 / $199