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Ultimate camping/RV luxury item. We all know what a gas generator can do, what can a solar generator do? I AM NOT …
Date: August 24, 2023
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Ultimate camping/RV luxury item. We all know what a gas generator can do, what can a solar generator do? I AM NOT …
Thanks. It takes an open mind to do this. I love it. It is time.
It's very loud. Get the wheels because it's heavy and durable so that's good. Came thru thi
On the positive side, having a dc input that requires 12 to about 30v and only draws about 170 watts…is that you can use tool batteries (i would not use any battery pack below 5ah also realize that you need to disconnect the battery when its voltage drops to about 15v in the case of many 18v tool batteries as this is their low voltage cutoff point to protect the battery pack) to charge it in power outrage situation when no solar is available…also can use jump packs with 12v 10amp outputs just do not plug two dc inputs at the same time into the dc in ports with the solar panels being an exception
IMO a solar power station will not be competitive with a gas generator until you can recharge it as fast as you can refill a generator with gas. Also, the price difference and operating time of a couple hours on one charge compared to gas 8hrs on a tank of gas is another negative.
Generators can run on several sources of fuels.
It takes coal, solar or wind to charge a power station needing a lot of extra hardware to be functionable. Noises the biggest negative of a generator, but then you can always build a generator box.
Living in East Central Florida it is a matter of WHEN, not IF, a hurricane will kill your power. My main backup is a Westinghouse iGEN2500 inverter generator, (~ 18 amps available), which powers my 6K BTU window AC, (~13 amps starting/~4 amps running – which I will set to MAX COOL to keep the compressor running and avoiding the startup current), and my refer, (~7 amps starting/~1 amp running, (~117W), – which uses ~ 70 watts per hour cycling). With an additional 250-300 watts for the TV wall and computer, my daytime load is ~ 8 amps for appliances. Add another ~2 amps for charging my soon-to-be-delivered Jump 1000, to charge during the day using the power brick, (hurricane=no solar). As my 20 gallons of STABILIZED E0 would power the iGEN2500 for about 6 days running 24/7, there will be the time I'll have to wait for the weather to clear to use the generator OUTDOORS and will want to keep the BEER COLD…. My plan is to gas generate during the day AND charge the Jump 1000 to use at night for the refer, dismissing the need to keep the generator running outdoors, at night, when the THIEVES run. So, as a solar generator is great, they are not a 24/7 solution. One IMPORTANT data point which needs to be considered for users that intend these solar gens to keep the beer cold, is the fact there will be a greater refer wattage used when the automatic defrost cycle runs, which WILL increase the TOTAL power used. I am now testing, day to day power/wattage consumption with a clamp on panel power meter which measures instant wattage, amps, and cumulative data which will give me the refer power used-including what power/wattage is used for the self defrosting feature. P.S. WM has the Jump 1000 for ONLY 569.99. I also have two 100watt panels ordered from WM, (search on "foldable 100watt solar panel" and you will find these listed for only 65.99….. I will be sure to test these panels for the stated output, AND they are stated as being the preferred – ""Cell Type: SUNPOWER (Monocrystalline Silicon)""…. Stay Safe, Be READY….
Dude, next time you use that wire wheel, yank your hoodie string out. I've knocked myself out once getting the string caught sitting cross legged on a conveyor belt underneath a screendeck. I still have the perma bruise on my forehead
Are these things somewhat water proof? Not like from spray with a hose but if you had like a small mist on it from driving rain.
Soon everything will be power with batteries
solar is starting to give gas a run for it 👍👍
I know what one I trust. After watching and reading many reviews it seems these units are already having many issues. Who cares about the theoretical battery life when the rest of the components won't last. Give the unit to an electrical engineer to tear down so we can really see what's inside.
I’ve tried the power station thing and uhhh…..my EU1000 will outlast the power station. I went camping and figured I can use my E-GO Power Station. I took almost 40 amps in batteries for it. You can run up to four batteries at once on it. You can deplete up-to three batteries and switch them out at once (depending on what you are running) without turning off the unit. I can charge the batteries with the RV’s solar panels and switch out batteries to keep it going but I noticed it saying I could run for like 6 hours.on the setup I was using. However after a few minutes of that runtime I noticed time drop rapidly on the higher wattage draw, say from 6 hours to like 4. My batteries I believe are Li-Ion and fairly new. I was curious to know if you have tried letting your system run and allowing battery settle to see if the runtime drops quickly or it stays true to its original reading. Thanks in advance and keep up the good educational videos.
I love my solar generators but they all have the same problem and that is energy density. Fill the tank on a generic 2Kw generator, top up the battery on a 2Kw solar generator, throw a load on both and see which dies faster. Every single time the gas generator will last MUCH longer and you can refill a gas generator at night if need be whereas you might get 5 hours of good sunlight in a day if you're constantly moving the panels around. They're definitely handy, but they're no substitute.
This unit also shows a common problem with solar generators in that you can't refill it on solar. The Vtoman has a 1500Wh battery, but 200w of panel (in perfect conditions) by 5 hours of good solid sun means you can only get 1000wh pumped back into the 1500wh battery. You'd need at least 8 hours assuming you ran NO load off the unit while you're charging, so for all your daylight you can't use the unit.
Save you generators to charge these when the power goes out. Solar charging is an option but what if it’s raining. Lol. They are useful I’ll admit.
For now I’ll keep my 3.5k and 12k gennys
They both definitely have their pros and cons, but the biggest complaint or problem I see with these new style battery backup Generators that are on the market is, No UPS Mode.
I brought the same issue up on NoNonsenseNoHows's channel as well and received mixed opinions in the comments.
I look at these as more of an inconvenience, especially if they don't have a UPS mode.
Also in an emergency you need to make sure it's charged.
With your smaller Honda Generator, there are fuels you can use, such as TruFuel, that have a long shelf-life and no Ethanol.
Something you forgot to mention, when a motor starts it pulls more power, so if the furnace or refrigerator is cycling it might not run as long as you think.
Lastly, we must not forget mining lithium or lithium batteries in general, are more harmful to the environment in certain situations than Gasoline or Diesel.
I love it. But it's not a generator. The solar panel is the generator. The solar panel takes fuel, (the sun), and turns it into electricity. So it is the 'generator'. The power it generates can be used directly, or through many different devices. The box is just storage, an inverter, and various power ports. Plug the box into the wall instead of the solar panel, to charge it up. Now, where is the 'generator'? Clear back at your power company location.
I made one myself, at least 30 years ago. Marine deep cycle battery, inverter, a couple ports and outlet. Etc. I never called it a generator. Maybe we should start calling it a "Generator replacement"…
awesome vid
Is it possible or safe to use an old style non sin wave generator to charge one of these?
No way! Far too expensive per kw. Same thing for the solar fantasy. Unreliable and expensive. I'll keep burning dinosaurs.
Nice backup batteries. I would like to see an option where you can get 240 V power when you have the second battery.
Ginger is a real sweet heart. 🥰
I primarily use a generator for backup power and comparing this unit to my small inverter gen during the last outage that lasted just about 24 hours. Since the outage happened late in the day, the featured unit would have gotten me through the nite on the initial charge, but would have been in trouble come morning when the battery is now dead, but solar input wouldn't be enough to power the load and charge the battery before night fall. I will stick with the generator.
Cool
Pretty cool I wouldnlove to have one of these just for doing jobs where there is no electricity and or where it's hard ti get electricity/camping and such. However I don't see these things ever lasting more then 3 to 5 years before the batteries are depleted even though they may claim other why's. Still really cool I would love to have one!
Come on, not you too. These generate NOTHING, they are storage devices, period.
I hate that they call these things "solar generators" instead of what they actually do
That was a very through review. I was wondering if it would power a window AC, and you tested that. One great thing is it can run indoors. But once the juice is gone we would have to get the gas powered generator.
Muh brothuh by another mother,I'm surprised that you haven't already gotten Ginger to fetch you a beer from da fridge,or a sammich.. I'd get down n tussle with Ging over that chik fil a sammich,js.. I'd share it with her though cause she's such a good girl !..
Cool! All of my dogs are not going to be picky if the chicken sandwich is warm or cold. And the chihuahua would eat the pickle for sure. The boxer would probably eat the pickle accidentally while gobbling down the sandwich so fast to keep the Yorkie from finishing hers and then stealing his.
Thanks
As soon as ginger figures out to warm her sandwiches she will not need to bother you at all!
I have built a couple of DIY solar/battery battery systems. However I did decide to buy a solar generatory from a different company for the compactness and portability. It is nice to have around to run various power tools when grid power is not close, but I would not want rely on it to get me through a long term power outage.
Good explanation of LiFPO vs LithIon. I have frequent brown outs and have been searching for a solution for my sensitive appliances. Thanks!
The only way to get electricity out of a battery is to first put electricity into a battery.. Those little solar panels will take more than a month to charge that $1400.00 & $900.00 ($2300.00 + tax total) battery pack. If your power is off for 2 days,, little Honda will be needed… Those battery banks masquerading as "generators" which actually generate NOTHING are outrageously expensive and the worst possible choice for a power back-up. You are MUCH better off converting a generator to natural gas, plumb it into your house line, and cycle it 30 minutes every 4 to 6 hours.. Hopefully product endorsements don't become the norm for you… You have skills and are better than this…
Impressive
I can call it what I want, except "generator". It generates absolutely nothing.
That's a really cool battery bank. Really useful for someone living in a small otg home or for a jobsite instead of a generator. But see a generator will always be above battery banks, especially in a major crisis like a big power outage, because fuel is more readily available. I'm looking into getting one of those little portable Honda/Predator generators some day. Nice and quiet, especially if you box em up with plywood. I remember that trick from ya.
Not a generator for sure. Marketing uses that and I wish people woudl stop calling batteries a generator. Gas/propane much better as it provides more power and for longer and easy to refill. Easy to show a battery running a drill but that will be short lived unless you are going to pay thousands for a large enough battery bank to do the work of a much cheaper gas generator. Also, in storms with no sun and no power, how you going to charge it. These are novelty for most of us, for camping, etc. for short periods at best. But they will improve someday as long as the children in other countries keep mining the materials needed to make them in China.
That would be enough power for me to go to my cabin on vacation
Another option for use with a gas generation setup.. no system is perfect. One can definitely work with the other to give options not given when used separately. More robust than lead acid battery bank, if used for that purpose. Price point is always an individual choice and personal priorities are also a consideration. Thanks for the info.
👍👍👍Thank you
LOVE YOUR DOG !!!!!!!
I look forward to solar generators being more reasonably priced, especially since the batteries will only last a few years. They're excellent for a lot of applications around my property – just not for the price. It's early days yet for this industry, so I know they'll be reasonable soon enough.
well you can use your gas one to recharge it…solar isn't gonna cut it in a long outage
Thanks for the intriguing info…likely will stick to my gas powered electricity sources for a while…2 questions..does Ginger like waffle fries? which C.F. sauce is doggies favorite? 😅
Killer content! Keep up the great work!