How Long Will It Run

How long will a Jackery Explorer 240 v2 run a gas combi boiler?

About 3.2 hours — 3 h 13 min typically, from 3 h 1 min in the worst case to 3 h 24 min at best. That assumes a gas combi boiler pulling 85 W for 60% of the time (average 51 W), plus the station's 7 W AC mains socket overhead — 58 W in total out of 186 usable watt-hours.

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

Jackery Explorer 240 v2 · 256 Wh · new pack at 20 °C, 10% reserve
SetupAverage drawCautiousTypicalBest case
1 × gas combi boiler, UK 230 V58 W3 h 1 min3 h 13 min3 h 24 min
2 × gas combi boiler, UK 230 V109 W1 h 37 min1 h 43 min1 h 49 min
1 × gas combi boiler, US 120 V58 W3 h 1 min3 h 13 min3 h 24 min
  • 0.4 nights of eight hours, or 0.13 days of continuous running.
  • Usable energy: 186 Wh of the 256 Wh on the box, after chemistry, inverter losses and the reserve.
  • To keep it going for a full 24 hours you would need about 1,915 Wh of rated capacity — 7.5× this station.
  • Start-up: the gas combi boiler asks for 85 W at switch-on against this station's 600 W peak — comfortable.

Buy the Jackery Explorer 240 v2

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 old2 h 57 min-8%
The pack is five years old2 h 34 min-20%
It is −10 °C outside2 h 44 min-15%
You run it flat, no reserve3 h 34 min+11%
You keep 20% back2 h 51 min-11%

If you need it to run longer

These run a gas combi boiler for at least twice as long as the Jackery Explorer 240 v2 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 32453 h 1 min3.6 kg£169 / $179
Bluetti AC2A2042 h 31 min3.6 kg£149 / $149