[wayneIII]

Hi- yes, ive used the search feature and read various long threads on the matter, but Im curious to hear from people who have a bluetti, goal zero, ect as their power source and power things such as fans, even fridges. A lot of the threads that I have read are a few years old, and in the last few years these products have continued to evolve.

Ive crunched the numbers and it seems that these power stations are significanty cheaper than a DIY system. Im aware of the limitations of a power station, but even those are becoming less and less with expandable power options on lots of systems now.

SO- anybody care to share what power station they have, and what does it all power?

Im also very curious if anyone else is using a B2B to charge their power station.

Thanks!

 

[rf17830]

I'm using a Bluetti AC200 to power my van. I use it to power the usual refrigerator, lights, fans, and water pump. So far it has worked flawlessly. To charge it I use the "Orton method" of connecting a 1000W inverter to the van battery to produce 120VAC to charge the power station. This has the big advantage of just needing a switch to connect to the van inverter or to shore power.

Everything in the van was wired to make it easy to install a conventional electrical system in the future. At some point I will probably do that. But the power station has worked well. I have the necessary skills to install an electrical system. If you don't have these skills a power station can be a great alternative.

 

[Michael Ophus]

Before about 2018 on this forum you were roundly condemned for using prepackaged electrical systems, I would suggest goal zero to somebody and get a ear full.
Today half the people here have them.
It is the weekend and it is often quiet here.

 

[gmoneda]

I have used goalzero and recently added Ecoflow Pro for the longer life battery chemistry and fast charge. It charges from EV chargers too with an adapter, which I have yet to try. The charge speed off regular AC is incredible and 1:30 vs all day for my gz yeti. Costco has them 1k less than the vendor site.
Full timers may have different needs, I like that I can use them in more places than the van.

 

[wayneIII]

I'm using a Bluetti AC200 to power my van. I use it to power the usual refrigerator, lights, fans, and water pump. So far it has worked flawlessly. To charge it I use the "Orton method" of connecting a 1000W inverter to the van battery to produce 120VAC to charge the power station. This has the big advantage of just needing a switch to connect to the van inverter or to shore power.

Everything in the van was wired to make it easy to install a conventional electrical system in the future. At some point I will probably do that. But the power station has worked well. I have the necessary skills to install an electrical system. If you don't have these skills a power station can be a great alternative.

The model you have is at the top of my list, currently selling for $1400 which I think is pretty good considering it has expandable power, and the 12V has 25A output, which addresses most peoples prior concerns with going with a power station (they were all limited to 10A output, which meant if you ran a fridge that was most of your 12V output).

follow up questions:
1) what fridge are you running with it, and how long do you think you could run your fridge without recharging your bluetti?

2) how quickly can your orton method recharge the bluetti? Im doing more research into the B2B charging option for this system, but maybe that doesn't make much sense (im not planning on solar at this point, this will just be a weekend rig)

3) you mentioned that you will likely go to a conventional electrical system in the future. What limitations are you finding with your bluetti that makes you feel you would need/ prefer a full DIY system?

Thanks

update: just found your prior thread How to charge a Bluetti battery station from my van. which was helpful.

 

[wayneIII]

I'm using a Bluetti AC200 to power my van. I use it to power the usual refrigerator, lights, fans, and water pump. So far it has worked flawlessly. To charge it I use the "Orton method" of connecting a 1000W inverter to the van battery to produce 120VAC to charge the power station. This has the big advantage of just needing a switch to connect to the van inverter or to shore power.

Everything in the van was wired to make it easy to install a conventional electrical system in the future. At some point I will probably do that. But the power station has worked well. I have the necessary skills to install an electrical system. If you don't have these skills a power station can be a great alternative.

interesting video...the new bluetti ac200 max has basically zero parasitic loss when DC power is on, and very minimal with AC power is on

 

[Christa N]

I have used goalzero and recently added Ecoflow Pro for the longer life battery chemistry and fast charge. It charges from EV chargers too with an adapter, which I have yet to try. The charge speed off regular AC is incredible and 1:30 vs all day for my gz yeti. Costco has them 1k less than the vendor site.
Full timers may have different needs, I like that I can use them in more places than the van.

I have looked at Costco and cant' find them there. Did you find yours at one of their in house displays by the vendor?

 

[wayneIII]

I have looked at Costco and cant' find them there. Did you find yours at one of their in house displays by the vendor?

https://www.costco.com/ecoflow-delta-pro-power-station.product.100840515.html

its $2848 when you login. Maybe cheaper when they do their in store demos.

the bluetti ac200max still seems like the better option for vans as the DC output is 30A, and this ecoflow is 12A max if im reading it correctly.

 

[wayneIII]

I have looked at Costco and cant' find them there. Did you find yours at one of their in house displays by the vendor?

good starter place to see all the options

Portable Power Station Buyers Guide - Jasonoid

Power Stations Grading Sheet PPS Grading System (1-10),Grading,Price,Make Sure To Check Second SpreadSheet Tab For Complete Testing Information (Bottom Left) 1 - 10,In $USD,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 Rank,Power Station Brand & Model,w/ Discount,4 Hr 100% Charge,Pass Through Charging,Pure Sine Wave In...

docs.google.com

 

[Grayling]

I went with a Point Zero Titan. One of the main reasons I opted for the Titan was because it has a Lithium Ion battery instead of LiFePo4. I live in an area where it's winter for most of the year, so I'll leave it to you to research the pros/ cons of the batteries. The Titan charges from AC very quickly, haven't timed it, but was pleased. Right now I only use 2 100w solar panels to charge while boondocking. Last summer it easily powered my 60L Engle cooler, electric tea kettle, LED lights, phone and tablet charging, etc... for two weeks of uninterupted use only charging off the panels. Basicly, it has more power than I need. In the winter I remove the unit and keep it trickle charged in the house. It came in very useful this winter when our house lost power for almost 24hrs during a below zero cold spell and we were able to run the fan on our gas stove off the charged Titan. Look for it on Titan Solar Generator - 3000 Watts - Free Shipping - ShopSolarKits.com

 

[rf17830]

1. Norcold NR-751. The system design goal was to run the normal 12V loads, including the refrigerator, for at least 18 hours. We would normally drive enough each day to fully recharge the AC200.

2. The AC200 can fully recharge from 120VAC in 2.5 hours. So we normally need to drive 1.5 to 2 hours to recharge the AC200.

3. The biggest issue with the AC200 is the parasitic draw which slowly discharges the internal battery whenever the DC output is on. A 12V LifePO4 house battery wouldn't have this issue. It looks like there is a new model of the AC200 which has zero parasitic draw.

The AC200 has two DC outputs, 25A and 10A, for a total of 35A output. I have three DC fuse blocks, 25A Bluetti, 10A Bluetti, and 12V van battery. I have my DC loads distributed on these three fuse blocks.

I have the AC200 inside a rear bench compartment. I have a 3" vent and a 3" USB powered AV cabinet ventilation fan in the face of the compartment. I also use this same type of ventilation for my Renogy 1000W inverter which is mounted inside the van wall. This has provided enough ventilation except on a couple most extreme 90 deg F plus nights.

Over all it has worked well and we are very happy with this 12V house power system. The newest model AC200, with no parasitic draw, would be nice.

 

[wayneIII]

I went with a Point Zero Titan. One of the main reasons I opted for the Titan was because it has a Lithium Ion battery instead of LiFePo4. I live in an area where it's winter for most of the year, so I'll leave it to you to research the pros/ cons of the batteries. The Titan charges from AC very quickly, haven't timed it, but was pleased. Right now I only use 2 100w solar panels to charge while boondocking. Last summer it easily powered my 60L Engle cooler, electric tea kettle, LED lights, phone and tablet charging, etc... for two weeks of uninterupted use only charging off the panels. Basicly, it has more power than I need. In the winter I remove the unit and keep it trickle charged in the house. It came in very useful this winter when our house lost power for almost 24hrs during a below zero cold spell and we were able to run the fan on our gas stove off the charged Titan. Look for it on Titan Solar Generator - 3000 Watts - Free Shipping - ShopSolarKits.com

Never heard of that brand before, thanks for enlightening me. I also live in the frozen tundra of the north, especially this year, which seems never ending...

 

[Osidelee]

I am using a jackery 1000. It powers a 12v fridge 24 hours a day and some 12v outlets, 6 led puck lights and a max air fan. Once in a while it powers a 120v kettle to boil water or a Chinese diesel heater through AC because the limitations of the DC 10amp limits. I use a SwitchBot to remotely activate the AC so i don’t need to climb under my bed. It’s 100% powered by 2 100 watt renogy panels mounted to the roof

I already had this before starting my van build. Bluetti or goal zero would be a much better and cleaner solution

 

[gmoneda]

I have looked at Costco and cant' find them there. Did you find yours at one of their in house displays by the vendor?

I bought it online and it can't be found on Costco useless search, google is needed. Shipping was less than a week. Some ecoflow bundles had a few accessories included about ~200$ worth. I use it power small camper via 30amp plug in addition to van use. The townhall near where I dry camp has a free ev charger so looking forward to trying that with the adapter. I also like the app, it is actually good, and that the duel fuel generator can trigger automatically is charge gets to low. I'm hoping to not need the genny.
The main reason I went ecoflow was Costco price and service and that I can just return it to a location and not have to ship.
Its good to see a variety of brands and features in the space and everyone's need is slightly different. I have not roadtested the ecoflow yet so my thoughts might morph. I still use the goal zero yeti as heart of the van system and I have been happy with GZ.

 

[wayneIII]

1. Norcold NR-751. The system design goal was to run the normal 12V loads, including the refrigerator, for at least 18 hours. We would normally drive enough each day to fully recharge the AC200.

2. The AC200 can fully recharge from 120VAC in 2.5 hours. So we normally need to drive 1.5 to 2 hours to recharge the AC200.

3. The biggest issue with the AC200 is the parasitic draw which slowly discharges the internal battery whenever the DC output is on. A 12V LifePO4 house battery wouldn't have this issue. It looks like there is a new model of the AC200 which has zero parasitic draw.

The AC200 has two DC outputs, 25A and 10A, for a total of 35A output. I have three DC fuse blocks, 25A Bluetti, 10A Bluetti, and 12V van battery. I have my DC loads distributed on these three fuse blocks.

I have the AC200 inside a rear bench compartment. I have a 3" vent and a 3" USB powered AV cabinet ventilation fan in the face of the compartment. I also use this same type of ventilation for my Renogy 1000W inverter which is mounted inside the van wall. This has provided enough ventilation except on a couple most extreme 90 deg F plus nights.

Over all it has worked well and we are very happy with this 12V house power system. The newest model AC200, with no parasitic draw, would be nice.

Yeah, the AC200 max seems to have extremely reduced or eliminated the parasitic draw that is your biggest compliant.

Do you a link to your van build anywhere on here? Im looking to do exactly what you are doing, spreading the 12V load all around, and build a enclosed container for the power bank. I already have my van heater on the starter batteries.

One last question- Do you think this would work as a B2B on the bluetti? seems like you could set it to 48V for charging in the solar input

Daygreen 12V to 48V 20A 960W Step Up DC DC Converter, Non-Isolated

Buy Daygreen 12V to 48V 20A 960W Step Up DC DC Converter, Non-Isolated at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

www.amazon.com

 

[ft250mr148]

One reason I have hesitated to use Goal Zero is the "charge cycle"; it is only 500 charge/recharge cycle; but some of the new ones now are rated to be like 3000 charge cycles.

The new Anker Powerhouse seems will do the job as well; similar to Jackery and Bluetti.

Initially I am planning to use Victron sub-systems etc...; but now, I have 2nd. thought on this.


Thanks,
Lee

 

[wayneIII]

mom using a jackery 1000. It powers a 12v fridge 24 hours a day and some 12v outlets, 6 led puck lights and a max air fan. Once in a while it powers a 120v kettle to boil water or a Chinese diesel heater through AC because the limitations of the DC 10amp limits. I use a SwitchBot to remotely activate the AC so i don’t need to climb under my bed. It’s 100% powered by 2 100 watt renogy panels mounted to the roof

I already had this before starting my van build. Bluetti or goal zero would be a much better and cleaner solution
View attachment 187709

the best system to me is any system that works, and im impressed with all that you are able to do with this little machine, bravo!

what is the orange strap? looks like some sort of velcro thing?

 

[rf17830]

I posted info on my build on a thread titled "Built for travel". If you search for that you can find some pictures and details.

 

[wayneIII]

One reason I have hesitated to use Goal Zero is the "charge cycle"; it is only 500 charge/recharge cycle; but some of the new ones now are rated to be like 3000 charge cycles.

The new Anker Powerhouse seems will do the job as well; similar to Jackery and Bluetti.

Initially I am planning to use Victron sub-systems etc...; but now, I have 2nd. thought on this.


Thanks,
Lee

I have no dog in the fight, but the bluetti ac200max is currently $1700, gets 3500+ charging cycles, and has a 4yr warranty. I could buy a new one every 4 years and it seems like it would still be cheaper than a DIY system (where the batteries alone are basically the price of a power station). I agree once the batteries stop working the powerbanks become a a paperweight, that is also my biggest fear, I hate products that are essentially planned obsolescence which these are.

 

[gmoneda]

mom using a jackery 1000. It powers a 12v fridge 24 hours a day and some 12v outlets, 6 led puck lights and a max air fan. Once in a while it powers a 120v kettle to boil water or a Chinese diesel heater through AC because the limitations of the DC 10amp limits. I use a SwitchBot to remotely activate the AC so i don’t need to climb under my bed. It’s 100% powered by 2 100 watt renogy panels mounted to the roof

I already had this before starting my van build. Bluetti or goal zero would be a much better and cleaner solution
View attachment 187709

I started with something like that and still use it for the fridge and devices. I can bring the larger bank if needed, or leave it home for weight or theft concern reasons.