Solar generators

[makenmend]

Same system since 2016 still working, but obviously by now the 2× 100Ah agm batteries are needing replacement. So I'm considering 100 Ah LFP to retain my present system for the van, suggestions?.

I also want to get a solar generator such as ecoflow, jackery, bluetti, ln the 1200Wa range, less than 45lbs as a backup for the van and my home base travel trailer.

I have 320Watts solar on the van and 400Watts on the trailer, again suggestions/recommendations. W

 

[abnorm]

We're ordering a CHINS lithium battery to replace our FLA bank on the advice of JimInDenver

 

[INTJohn]

I have an ecoflow delta2 27lbs; m very satisfied
Also have a LiTime 100ah mini 19 lbs; m very satisfied
Both are LiFePo4
INTJohn

 

[mtm12345]

I also have an Ecoflow Delta 2. Great for many reasons but the best is the fast recharge. Now if I only had an alternator that could put out 1200 watts safely.

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^I charge my Delta 2 with a 2500 watt propane fuel generator in combination with my weak old house batteries on solar. Between the two I have cut my generator run time substantially and extended the life of my house batteries to a point I will have almost saved enough in one year to pay for the cost of the Delta 2 I believe.

 

[maki2]

I also have an Ecoflow Delta 2. Great for many reasons but the best is the fast recharge. Now if I only had an alternator that could put out 1200 watts safely.

I hear you about the alternator not being large enough, mine sure isn't. I do not charge my house battery that way.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I also have an Ecoflow Delta 2. Great for many reasons but the best is the fast recharge. Now if I only had an alternator that could put out 1200 watts safely.

How small an alternator does your van have? 1200W is 85A at 14V. My truck has a 180A alternator; I can get a 14V alternator up to 360A.
My 1000W inverter/generator runs a 45A battery charger easily.

Even at 50A, that's just 2 hours to charge 1200W.

 

[afblangley]

I also have an Ecoflow Delta 2. Great for many reasons but the best is the fast recharge. Now if I only had an alternator that could put out 1200 watts safely.

I blame the premature failure of my starter battery on inverter charging my EcoFlow. Here's the method I use now. Its safer (albeit slower at ~300 W/hr) and fast enough for my needs under typical conditions.

 

[afblangley]

Same system since 2016 still working, but obviously by now the 2× 100Ah agm batteries are needing replacement. So I'm considering 100 Ah LFP to retain my present system for the van, suggestions?.

I don't have any experience with this, but it seems like an interesting and inexpensive alternative to a full blown power station, especially if most of the demand are DC loads.

 

[LargeMarge]

...

.
(Be warned.
Or 'fore-warned'.
Or 'pre-warned'...)
.
Gadzooks, what a blowhard.
A three-minute discussion stretched to an hour with commercials.

 

[Happy Camper]

.
(Be warned.
Or 'fore-warned'.
Or 'pre-warned'...)
.
Gadzooks, what a blowhard.
A three-minute discussion stretched to an hour with commercials.

It used to be that if you posted a video here you would properly summarize it for those with limited bandwidth.

Or those that want three minutes of info to take three minutes to explain.

Can we move back towards that please?

 

[jacqueg]

.
(Be warned.
Or 'fore-warned'.
Or 'pre-warned'...)
.
Gadzooks, what a blowhard.
A three-minute discussion stretched to an hour with commercials.

Yup, he's, um, thorough. Doesn't mean he's wrong though.

 

[dhuff]

The Hobotech channel on Youtube does very good, and very thorough, reviews of stuff. Guy that runs the channel has an electrical engineering background, and it shows. So yeah, you're in for a lot of info. Another Youtuber who does great reviews of such things, and is similarly thorough, is Will Prowse. He's been mentioned here in the forums often as well...

 

[Happy Camper]

Read this thread before considering a Bluetti.

https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/ozone-from-bluetti-acp200.48481/

 

[shadowmoss]

I thought the end consensus for the Bluetti thread above was that it was a single malfunctioning unit, not a widespread model or brand issue.

 

[Happy Camper]

By all accounts their products are well regarded. That isn't the issue.

It's more the customer service and how they approached it when there was a problem.

How a company handles a problem speaks volumes to how it's run. Read the thread and decide if that would be acceptable if you rely on that product daily and had no recourse.

The only reason it wasn't a larger practical problem is the OP has a place and isn't doing mobile living yet. Imagine if they were.

If you're buying something you need to rely on daily, make sure to consider all aspects of the purchase.

 

[afblangley]

How a company handles a problem speaks volumes to how it's run. Read the thread and decide if that would be acceptable if you rely on that product daily and had no recourse.

Bluetti and EcoFlow have factory warranties from 2-6 years, depending on product. Notwithstanding this, when these (and other) power stations are purchased on Amazon, there is the option of purchasing a 3 or 4 year extended warranty from Asurion. This would be my first level of recourse. I've had numerous claim interactions for various products over the past decade. It's always been a seamless process.

I view warranties as a way of recouping my initial purchase, not as a way to solve my immediate problem. If there is something that I depend on a daily (or critical) basis, I have a back up as the solution to my immediate problem.

There is great utility to having two power stations. One can be large and relatively immobile, the other small and easy to carry for uses outside the vehicle, backup, or dedicated auxiliary use.

https://www.bluettipower.com/pages/product-warranty-periodhttps://us.ecoflow.com/pages/warran...bkOOkITqJ1GJ5JweEK2XbkV9zSFtx9HBoCRhMQAvD_BwE

 

[hipsterreplacement]

Bluetti and EcoFlow have factory warranties from 2-6 years, depending on product. Notwithstanding this, when these (and other) power stations are purchased on Amazon, there is the option of purchasing a 3 or 4 year extended warranty from Asurion. This would be my first level of recourse. I've had numerous claim interactions for various products over the past decade. It's always been a seamless process.

I view warranties as a way of recouping my initial purchase, not as a way to solve my immediate problem. If there is something that I depend on a daily (or critical) basis, I have a back up as the solution to my immediate problem.

There is great utility to having two power stations. One can be large and relatively immobile, the other small and easy to carry for uses outside the vehicle, backup, or dedicated auxiliary use.

https://www.bluettipower.com/pages/product-warranty-periodhttps://us.ecoflow.com/pages/warran...bkOOkITqJ1GJ5JweEK2XbkV9zSFtx9HBoCRhMQAvD_BwE

The warranty period is immaterial if the support is stonewalling you the whole way. In fact, they'll count the amount of months they're stonewalling you so that you'll suddenly be "out of warranty". I'm not even out of warranty yet and they tried to pull some BS on me.

It's only through a lot of labor, time, and doggedness that I've gotten them to be even sort of accountable.

I was wondering what choice we have given that there are no US-made lithium batteries. While trying to look up Ecoflow's reputation, someone on another forum had written that folks should look up BBB reviews and they were pretty bad. The one useful suggestion I saw was that if you buy Ecoflow through Costco, at least you can have a simple return/exchange of the unit. That seemed like a smart approach. That's what I'm missing here with Bluetti. I bought it new, it's not an inexpensive product. When it gave off fumes very early on, I should have been able to very simply return it to be repaired & sent back to me, or replaced with new. Or simply return the faulty product for a full refund. They didn't want to do any of that.

I wonder if I could ever learn enough to know how to put my own components together instead of relying on companies that insist on doing all their support from China, introducing language, cultural, and different business holiday barriers to support for customers in the US. It's not that US companies couldn't also have bad customer support and chisel customers. But at least in the US I know how to hold them legally accountable.

 

[Happy Camper]

Making your own system is fairly simple. Anyone that has a solar setup in their rig basically has a large version.

The power stations are more convenient and user friendly in ways. But you can build your own without much hassle.

Power stations are basically:
Charge controller with various inputs
Lithium battery for energy storage
Inverter for AC usage
DC to DC converter for DC usage

The wrapping is different for various models, but that's pretty much it.

 

[bullfrog !]

Price individual components before committing. You may find the commercial units are cheaper.