Inergy Solar Generator

[Almost There]

  My biggest reason to get this is the size and weight and simplicity Do you think a private person could make something similar for me, that is lightweight and simple like this?

To answer that question -

Where are you located?
What kind of budget do you have for this.
What exactly do you need to power.
What are your  lifting limitations both in terms of weight and wing span.
What are you driving and do you plan on keeping it.

As to that generator that is in the garage, either return it or if not possible you have two choices - have it outfitted on wheels so that you can move it to the door opening for home use or sell it and get something that you CAN use. I understand needing power after a storm but sitting in a box isn't doing you any good at all.

 

[GotSmart]

Hello,
Found my new solar generator. Pricey but well worth it I think. I'm disabled so this will help A LOT on the road. Spoke with them at length today and I've never experienced such good customer service. Thanks Jared! They also have financing available. I'm going to use this for back up in my house and then in my RV. 

Anyone have any experience with this generator or company? I was VERY impressed with the size, weight and overall quality of this generator so I'm gonna pony up and buy it as I do not want to hassle of buying all the stuff that goes with solar power. 




https://www.inergysolar.com/product/kodiak/

This is in the  catigory of ~~~ If It Sounds Too Good To Be Real ~~~ It Is.  

Charging with AC (wall) Charger The provided AC (wall) charger charges the Kodiak at 110 Volts AC/60W taking approximately 10 hours to fully recharge the Kodiak.

To charge it, you must ~  1)  PLUG IT IN YOUR HOUSE for 10 hours

Charging with Car Charger Using a car’s DC charge port at 240W will fully recharge the Kodiak in approximately five (5) hours. Connect Car Charger to either 12V DC Universal Car Socket.

2)  PLUG IT INTO  20 AMP CIRCUIT FOR 5 HOURS  (Draining the starter battery) 

Charging with External Batteries The Kodiak provides a set of external battery bank connectors with both input and output capabilities to be used with external lead acid batteries (sold separately).

3)  BUILD A SOLAR STORAGE SYSTEM TO CHARGE UP THE $1,749.99 POWER PACK!

There is much less than 20 lbs of battery here. 

Similar power packs start at less than $100.

This is a complete rip off.

 

[SoulRaven]

Hi Hopeful, 

As someone who is fairly new to this technology myself, I can personally confirm that you have received answers from some of the most knowledgeable people on this forum.  I know a few of them personally and have been helped immensely by several of them.  One person physically  helped me set my system up.  Also, I personally am convinced that it is unwise to purchase something from someone because they are a "good guy"... at the price tag mentioned, I would be St Francis of Assissi.  And a very happy dude.  

I highly recommend that you listen to the help provided , and see if you can find a real workable solution that is affordable for you.   

My $0.02 ...

I wish you much success,

Pat

 

[caretaker]

dear hopeful, please don't buy that thing, their numbers are a lie. i might be wrong about this but if i read their ad right, they say that it will power a reefer for 6 hours, not a chance, will power a frig for probably 15 mins. if that. remember if you are using it for a power out situation you need something that makes power, not just stores it, think honda genny, your fridge is going to be your biggest draw, but you don't need to keep it plugged in continuously, in other words plug it in for a while to keep it cold and then un plug it to run something else. i know that sounds inconvenient but that way you don't need to buy for max load just your single biggest load. i would think that if you took the money you would pay for that plus the money you can get for the one in the box you can get a 2000 watt honda or something similar, which would be more then enough for your needs. and they are very simple and easy to use. all you would need to do is keep a gallon of stabilized fuel around.

 

[Canine]

To answer that question -

Where are you located?
What kind of budget do you have for this.
What exactly do you need to power.
What are your  lifting limitations both in terms of weight and wing span.
What are you driving and do you plan on keeping it.

As to that generator that is in the garage, either return it or if not possible you have two choices - have it outfitted on wheels so that you can move it to the door opening for home use or sell it and get something that you CAN use. I understand needing power after a storm but sitting in a box isn't doing you any good at all.


Oh my... thank you all SOOOOOO much.  I'll try to answer your questions the best my putty brain can these days.

1. I'm in central Florida, Spacecoast. I'm buying a cargo trailer  and converting it, hopefully within the year. Taking in real slow so I can pay cash for everything and understand it all as I progress with the build and finding carpenters, plumbers, electricians..... and so on. I've become very discouraged with RVs because the new ones seem so flimsy and same old floor plan and the old ones need so much work. 

2. I don't want to spend any more than 2k on solar over time.  Buying parts as I go I guess. Didn't want to do it that way but seems as though I  will be better off according to you all. I suppose this is a better way of learning about Solar I guess. Just need to figure out the lack of wattage in my brain. LOL  I do need to at least get something set up in my house before the hurricane season starts as we cannot be without power again. Luckily I am moving to a cooler climate just to avoid heat and stupid hurricanes but that won't happen for a while. 

3. My biggest need for power is to power fan and AC (if possible). Micro and fridge I can live without.   The reason why this is so important to me is because only half my body regulates body temperature so the other half has to work twice as hard to stay cool and warm.  I overheat within 3 to 5  minutes  or so and it is life threatening-so if I cannot figure the solar out, I will not be able to travel. This will make or break my travel plans, thus I"m willing spend more than I normally would for a generator. 

4. My limitations for lifting is I shouldn't at all on one side and very little on the other.  Again, if I lift something and move my arm just the right way, my heart goes into a bad rhythm. So that 20lb lithium batter was likely the max  I could try to lift and I was planning on putting that on a roller they were going to include for free. My wingspan is zero on my bad side without significant complications  and  a little on my less crappy side. I do try to use my arms but I have to be extremely careful for many reasons. 

5. I don't have my rig yet, I'm still trying to figure it all out. I'm leaning towards a cargo trailer so I can get exactly what I want. But then again, that may change.  :s I've thought about Tent camping a lot but then saw a video on bears. LOL 

6. The one I have sitting in my garage still in the box is so heavy, I can't even push it with my legs. It comes with a roller but I can't get it out of the box to put it on the roller. LOL  It's is useless to me at this point so I'm gonna sell it. 

 

[Canine]

So I'm currently looking up charge controller because I know I need one for solar but WTF there are hundreds of different ones Urggg.

 

[caretaker]

dear hopeful, cool, now we have better info, face it your going to need help, but your starting out right. your doing your research first, you will want solar and for the money you were talking about you can get a real nice setup. do you have must have med equipt.? like cpap, fridge for meds. ect. if so thats your baseline. better to go more panels less batts. and add as needed. the cool thing is the better your research the more you save. also their are places all over  FL. that has what you need,meaning you can drive to pick up, saving LOTS of dough. plus when your ready there are lots of people here to help, your not alone.

 

[Trebor English]

I am in Melbourne, Space Coast. I can physically lend a hand. PM me with contact information. I can go to Sam's and get batteries or arrange for an easy to start up widow air conditioner.

 

[jimindenver]

$2000 would either be more equipment than you could fit on/in a cargo trailer or a lot of over priced stuff.

 

[Almost There]

Aside from the solar, which can definitely be worked out, I'd suggest that you plan on a permanently placed generator, maybe on the tongue of the trailer, so you don't have to lift it, ever. You'll still have to fill it, but you can use small gas cans, just lots of them.

With the need of good a/c at any time being a vital necessity, I wouldn't trust going it alone on just solar. For right now, IMO, I'd be looking more at having a good electrical system that can handle all the a/c your body needs than anything else.

One question I have for you - have you ever disconnected and hooked up a trailer before? I ask this because it sounds like with your physical limitations, it might be more of a problem than you are counting on. I'd hate to see you get all kinds of money in to a cargo trailer conversion and then find out that you can't deal with it.

I know that most RV's are made of cheap materials but there are some out there that use a fiberglass shell or the regular metal body shell and only the interior is built out. A Chinook or a Roadtrek might be a possibility for you. Solid exterior and roof, large enough for one, built in generator for a/c and no hooking up anything.

Understand that a manufactured RV is the absolute last thing that I ever recommend to anyone around here.... but in your case it just might be what you need to get you on the road.

 

[jimindenver]

I have to agree, a small motor home with a built in generator would be idea. I have a small 800w inverter generator that weighs 20 pounds but it will not start my small air conditioner at sea level much less at altitude. A 2000 watt inverter generator will weigh closer to 50 pounds, well outside of my limitations.

On hitching up my trailer. I did replace the tongue jack with a electric and can use a drill to raise and lower the stabilizer jacks. It is still a lot of getting up and down which takes it out of me to the point that I don't unhitch unless I know I will be somewhere more than a few days.

 

[caretaker]

hopefull, what I've been doing is looking at EBAY, RVT, and RVTrader, while i wouldn't buy anything with out inspecting it first they will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect to pay, and what fair market value is.