Powering Our Freezers Off Grid
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- Опубликовано: 7 дек 2023
- We share how we plan to keep our freezers powered up in the event of a long-term power outage.
Products:
Bluetti Portable Power Station AC200Max amzn.to/3H1KCOw
Bluetti Portable Power Station AC180 amzn.to/3REuuHB
Bluetti Portable Power Station EB70S amzn.to/4aBlqfr
Bluetti Portable Power Station EB3A "Baby Blue" amzn.to/3H6gbXm
Solar Extension Cable amzn.to/47h1vQ3
RoseRed Homestead Book Store: payhip.com/roseredhomestead
Website: www.roseredhomestead.com
Amazon Store: roseredhomestead.com/amazon-s...
RoseRed Homestead Channel: / @roseredhomestead
Trail Grazers Channel: / @trailgrazers3690
Any products we mention or show on our videos have been purchased with our own money and are recommended or not based on our own experience.
Good stuff! Just in case you didn't know, those power stations, since they have pass through charging, could be used to charge each other up. I build my own high wattage power stations now, but, we have several commercially made power stations that we bought before I started building them. We have them situated onto a 4 tier metal shelf. We use our 800 watt solar array which consist of (4) 200w Rich Solar Panels to charge them all up. I connect my solar panels up to the biggest one. I then use the charging cord into the input for the next one all the way down the line (Daisy chain). By the end of the day, they are all charged up nicely. When the power goes out, the 2 biggest ones keep the fridge and the freezers going, and we keep switching them out as the other charges. Each person in our household grabs his / her power station to take into their rooms with them to keep their phones, lights, and laptops charged up and operating. When their power station needs charging again, they all know to place it back onto the shelf and connect it for charging. On cloudy days, we use the propane generator to charge them up in a daisy chain configuration as well. I hope this helps.
Great info!
We live in a hurricane area. We discovered during a bad storm when our electricity went out that having a solar generator is great.I also learned what we really needed to power. I quickly realized that I needed multiple extension cords to power different items in our home or more than one generator. So we purchased another generator which deceased the extension cords and the risk of harm from tripping on the cords. My point is that you need to do a dry run before you loose power.
I would run 1 freezer at a time for 6 hours a day, just enough to keep things frozen. The food should stay frozen for at least 24 hours if door is unopened before it starts to thaw at all. You could leap frog 2 freezers to 6 hours plugged in every other day to conserve the energy and make sure it stays full I'm thinking?
Yes, that wojuld work. I thought of a similar plan as well.
Good thinking.
Good idea! Thanks for sharing.
That's a fantastic point. My chest freezer will stay completely frozen for 48 hours without power if not opened. I'd do exactly as you suggest in a power down situation.
RoseRed, both the EB3A and the EB70S should have handled both freezers at the same time (210 Watts). It looked like the compressors had not kicked on, thus no current draw. Give them another chance to show what they can do. It looks like, from the comments, that your viewers are genuinely interested in powering up their refrigerators/freezers during grid down. The first important lesson any one trying to do this must learn is, electrical appliances use a lot of power. Even your AC180 will only power both of your freezers for 5.5 hours at a constant draw of 210 Watts. With your freezers cycling on and off during their use, you will need to test them over the course of several hours to determine their cycle time.
Even though I was disappointed in this youtube presentation, I generally love what you put out and my wife and I have learned a lot from you and your sisters and husband; keep up the good work. I also am a Bluetti lover and own 3 EB3A, 7 EB70S, 1 AC300, and 7 BC300 for a total of over 20 kilowatts.
Sincerely,
Tim
So in real life - the AC180 should power the freezers for much longer than 5.5 hours since they wouldn't be 100% constant at 210? Good to know that the smaller units would be able to pull this off. I'd be curious how long 1 or both would run for.
You should run your test over a day or several days on just the fully charged solar batteries. Because the draw from a freezer is not constant. When the freezer cycles, the draw will go up and then back down. It may keep a freezer going longer than you expect. Also, the maximum load of both freezers if they both cycle at the same time. Things that the current energy use meter do not necessarily show you immediately.
Your presentation was great, as always.
Should you run continuously during an outage or just monitor temp and conserve battery?
Pam, in northern California, the solar charging did not work during the wildfires. And when Pacific Gas had to shut off the power to certain areas, people in those areas could not recharge their electric cars to commute to work or recharge their solar generators.
Answer, multiple sources of power, solar, propane, wind, charcoal, wood, butane and diesel. Also, learning how to do things without power. Freezers are a problem. Do you have sufficient propane, jars and lids to pressure can your frozen meats if you need to? Do you have an outdoor place to do this?
@terrym5786 - Very good points Terry. Thanks for taking the time to list them for us.
They have alot of off grid cooking units.
It's not just the monetary value of what is in my freezers, it is the quality as well. The freezers hold MY strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, MY beef and pork that I raised. Of the store-bought food in my freezer and my pantry, all of that has gone up SO much in price, there is no way to calculate the savings in having a big pantry. BUT - I need power to those freezers! Thank you Pam for another wonderful video. I have gas and gas/propane generators, but if the grid went down for a long time, I'll need some solar, even though I live in New England, land of ice, snow, and gloom! Some people just say if the power goes out they'll start canning, which sounds impossible to do all that meat and other food so quickly, and you're using energy there as well. And I have not much more shelf space with meat, veg, and fruit that I've already canned. So, yes, keeping the freezers running is very important to me! :)
Yes, Thank you! We here are still on the gas-powered generators if the grid goes down, but we've just bought a 1024 kWh solar generator. With the solar panel of 160 watts, it takes a while to charge the unit up out in the sun--BUT WAIT! We just use our gas-powered "genny" to top-off and fully re-charge the 1024 kWh power station in about an hour! Best of both worlds!
Having a back-up generator is great as long as you have fuel to run it. Also, running a generator notifies everyone within several hundred feet that you have power (and possibly other resources [food, water, fuel, etc.] they may want). It will depend on the situation.
@@g-whiz286you are so right. I have a friend who said he was not prepared so he would just come get mine. Pretty sad but that is how it will be.
I purchased an AC300 along with a B300 Battery a year ago. Prompted mostly by your video. I also purchased the same solar setup that you originally used from Renogy. So far things are working as expected. I have done some capacity testing with my Refrigerator and Freezer. They are separate upright units each holding approximately 21 cubic feet. What I did was connect both units to my fully charged AC300/B300 setup and no inputs from Solar and Grid Power. What I found was that my Bluetti could support my freezer and my refrigerator for about 12-14 hours before the battery runs out. I have previously monitored the power consumption on each unit using a Kill A Watt power meter. I have found that each unit draws about 120 watts when running the compressor. The startup surge is somewhere around 1500 watts but that only lasts a few seconds. So basically, at any given time you will see a draw of either Zero, 120 watts, or 240 watts with brief surges to above 1000 due to startup when the unit(s) turn on. The cycling of the units off and on can vary depending on the season and location (garage or house) as you are certainly aware of. Since getting our Bluetti, we have had two noteworthy power outages one lasting 9 hours and the other lasting 2. Our refrigerator and the freezer both ran just fine for the duration. After 50 years in Las Vegas, I now live in East Kansas surrounded by farm country. Needless to say, Things here aren't always Sunny 🌞compared to Las Vegas. We've had several straight days of overcast skies. BTW my wife and I watch most of your videos as soon as they come out. Keep up the good work!
We have a EcoFlow Delta Pro 3600 and love it.
I was just wondering the other day how you would safeguard all of that frozen food. And here’s the answer! I’ve seen a few other channels review various solar powered generators and there are so many out there to choose from. Your recommendation is important to me, so I want to do more research before sinking a lot of money into the product. Thank you very much for showing the practical side of ease of set up and usage.
FYI: If you purchase a generator don't buy a gas powered one. Purchase a diesel. You can leave diesel fuel in long term without it harming the tank. If you leave gasoline in the tank long term it will ruin your tank. You would have to take all of it out or it will turn to varnish. Besides our diesel generator we have a large tank in our garage that stores diesel. You cannot ignite diesel. Diesel will burn but it won't explode like gasoline will. You can store diesel up to 12 months. Gasoline stores 3-6 months.
Better yet, get a propane powered generator. Fuel stays fresh indefinitely.
Powering the freezer is why a chest freezer is so much preferred, easily stays below 20 deg for 48 hours with no power.
I will power freezer with battery station power. I will recharge with solar & a small inverter generator (very quiet). I have enough fuel to power generator for four hours per day, for at least 3 months.
I would recommend having 12 volt appliances. Two lithium 12 volt batteries and a small solar system and you will be set. Engel Refrigerator/freezer, lights, cooking & heated blankets all no problem.
You need many kWs of solar to keep freezers going long term (days, weeks and longer). A folding solar panel is not going to even be close to what is required. And that's even assuming every day is very sunny. What are you going to do when you have a week of lousy weather?
Do NOT depend on refrigeration for more than a few days unless you have a massive off-grid system.
Thank you both. I was looking for a good solution to power my freezer and refrigerator during a power outage. You’re the best! ❤
Our pleasure! Jim
Thank you for this very valuable information. Many will have to have a more affordable way of getting power when we lose power. You and your husband have done a beautiful job of teaching me about so many things, for which i am most grateful.
I see there are now chest freezers on the market that can switch from being a freezer into a fridge. Might be a good option for those who need refrigeration but can only handle a low power draw on their solar/battery setup. Chest freezers are a royal pain but typically use less energy than upright freezers due to the thermodynamics of cold air and the lack of frost free, evaporator fans etc.
I couldn’t get your amazon store to open up. It shows categories but thats all. Thank you for this video.
I have the AC180. I also bought the extra battery that connects directly to the AC180 which jumps the wattage and watt hours significantly. Also, the AC 180 charges very quickly, less than an hour, which is great during an outage.
As for charging, I have a small gas generator that is solely dedicated to recharging power stations. So I don’t need to store much gas on hand since the power stations recharge quickly so the gas usage is small. I do have solar panels, but my first choice is the generator.
I also have an EcoFlow Delta 2 with an extra battery, which again jumps the wattage and watt hours significantly. It’s a great unit, which also recharges very quickly, in about an hour.
I also have an Oupes 1800, another great unit and more economical than other brands. I’d suggest people check out that brand.
With my power stations, I can power my refrigerator/freezer, two freezers in the garage, TVs, lights, coffee pot, toaster, etc. With the quick recharging, they’re only down a short time for a recharge on the small generator, and then everything is back in business.
Thanks for this video. I’ve shared it with a few people who are just now educating themselves on power stations, with plans to purchase soon.
How do you ensure that your gasoline stays fresh and ready for the long haul?
The generator is started every 4-6 weeks and allowed to run for about 10 minutes or so. That’s the guideline from the manufacturer. I always keep about 10 gallons of gas ready to use, and top it off as needed. It’s the easiest and most reliable way I’ve found to keep the power stations charged. When I’ve tried recharging a power station with solar panels, it was extremely slow charging because of bad weather, which is what caused the outage to begin with. One more quick comment, you can put a gas additive in the gas can to keep it fresh, if you choose.
My ideal backup food supply would be mostly items that do not require refrigeration or freezer needs. That would mean mostly canned or freeze-dried items. I don't own a freeze dryer and have only just begun to compile back up foods, but again I'm primarily sticking with shelf stable items. Even just purchasing bulk canned meats, fruits and veggies, as well as things like peanut butter are items that can be eaten without additional cooking or refrigeration. Where I'm live I wouldn't be allowed to have an actual propane tank (aside from a BBQ grill size) so that's not an option for me either. We own a charcoal grill so I know as long as I keep a stockpile of charcoal around I could still cook if needed. Like many I'd love to be able to invest in some of these solar items but it's just not possible at this point. So I'm trying to figure ways to function without any outside sources. I admire all those that can truly live "off grid".
Another great and informative video! I love the "hands-on" experiment using each one (except "Big Blue", which seems to be a real powerhorse. I have a small power station, but I see that I need to check out exactly what it can (and can't) do. I also need a more powerful one.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
I was thinking that should the threat of an EMP attack come to fruition, do you have an EMP/ Faraday shield for all your electronics/ power generators? I'm currently working on a solar system for our home and including this protection for it. Love your chann
Great question! We are within 30 miles of an important military base. We are toast anyway:)
I had no idea these were so user friendly. Thank you for this important information. We have several generators that run off gasoline/propane but two winters ago the service stations ran out of gasoline due to the interstate highway being iced over.
Above 90-95 percent charge it will scale down the wattage on solar, so your panels coming into the AC180 here may actually be able to do alot more.
I have ran a refrigerator and freezer for a week on ac max using solar panels and a propane generator backup in case there was no sun. I only had to run the propane generator for about an hour the whole time.
I bought some of the bluetti things (the big one and one of the medium and small ones) and now I need to buy solar panels. My plan is just to mount them and not move them so probably will try to find the cheapest ones possible.
We have the AC 300 and can run a large chest freezer and upright. We live in the North West of England and so not great for consistent sun. The Bluetti when tested over a couple of weeks kept the freezers going with power to spare. I had to watch what else I was plugging in to prioritise the freezer, for example no ironing or air fryers just to keep a nice battery level on a cloudy day. It was very impressive. Really recommend Bluetti.
I also have the EB3A, EB70S and a AC200MAX. They're great little units. We also added a Lion energy Sanctuary system which will backup the entire house, including 220v. Bluettis are much cheaper though!
The Bluettis have been very good for us. Jim
My understanding is freezers don't draw all that much while running. But when the compressor is off and then comes on, there is a peak for a second that most generators can't handle.
Please run a test on the thinrf most powerful one for a day to see if it works.
My cheap 7 cubic foot chest freezer I got at Lowes uses 70 Watts (continuous) when the compressor is running but needs a peak power of about 850 Watts for a fraction of a second to get started. My Jackery 500 cannot start it.
Super helpful information! When you were talking about the freezer food you have invested in, I had the thought to ask you if you have a thermostat alarm in your freezer, to alert you if for some reason a door gets left open, you blow a breaker, or your freezer malfunctions? You probably do, and if so, which do you use?
This is so helpful! This is a topic that has had me worried for quite some time. I live in an area where we lose power quite a bit from storms and tornadoes, so I know I have to do something. This information is a great starting point, and Little Blue is where I think I will start. Thank you so much for this information!!
We get hurricanes here and experience power outages. My advice: We have solar power stations, and they are great, but, we also have a dual powered propane / gasoline generator. On cloudy days when the solar panels are useless to charge the power stations up with, we use the propane generator to power up the power stations. This combination works great! I build our own high wattage power systems now, but, Bluetti, and Ecoflow are good companies to buy commercially made power systems from. I hope this helps.
Thank you for the great comparison! I love your videos!
Be aware that ANY shadow on any linked solar panel will really reduce th amount of energy they can produce. I saw lots of shadows from tree branches on the Bluetti panels. Great video!
This is a really helpful vid. Thx for doing this and sharing. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you for taking the time reference checking products out. Merry Christmas!!! M
Yay! Thank you so very much!! You 2 are a deam come true. I'm thankful you are so good at speaking in layman's terms. You really are where the rubber hits the cement. Luv u much♡
I just purchased the new so super excited.
Great review!
Thanks, Mary.
Thank you So Much !
You're welcome!
Oh oh spell check fail? Such great information. Got my husband to come and sit down and watch cause he's always worried about power outages. Thank you for being such a great teacher.
😂 happens to the best of us. Sometimes, I just don't see it until after I click on publish.
Fixed! Thanks.
Got it, thanks.
I need to understand this so much about some solor. Thank you ❤
You can do it! We have other videos on solar that may be helpful.
That is awesome! I surely want to put together a nice setup once I buy my own place. Solar panels and tons of batteries. Even if connected to the grid.
Be careful with high wattage panels - I think the 420’s VOC is around 42volts DC and the smaller bluettis like the EB3a and 70s only take DC voltages up to around 28v. It’s not a one panel fits everything kinda thing. The manuals will tell you their limits. I have 4 bluettis myself. Good information in general.
Good point! We had a bit of a headache getting the right panel configuration initially because we hadn't really understood.
We love our bluetti!
Very helpful experiments that we should do to see if things will actually work the way we hope they will
Exactly!
I have the Bluetti 180 and the 200w panels kit. It powers everything in my art studio and will also be a backup for the refrigerator in the house if need be. I use it pretty much every day so I can keep up with its state of charge. That way, in the event of a power failure, it will always be charged. You can turn them into unattractive (expensive) door stops if you store them improperly and they discharge to 0 for too long a time. The deal on the 180 and 420 panels is a very good one!
I just ordered your setup and wonder what you've learned about adding an additional solar panel to it. I've got a 60 watt and a 100 watt "camping" solar panel, plus the generators to go with it, so I'll probably use those as intended. But if I wanted to expand up to the 500 watt capacity of the AC180, I wonder what the best way to do it would be. We get a lot of sun here in north Georgia in the warmer months, so would it be better to get a battery backup unit or the additional solar panel?
You have been teaching me so much and I want to say “Thank you”. Survival Lily has a video post comparing solar generators and she likes the Bluetti. If you make ice in your freezer, you could keep an ice chest cold to chill powdered milk enough to improve the flavor and it could help with saving leftovers. I have been canning for almost 50 years and am still learning so much from your posts, especially on pressure canning. I made the beef soup with way too many spices. My husband loved it after we diluted it with bone broth. Next I am going to make the chicken soup and some plain canned chicken. Can anyone recommend a cookbook that has recipes for ‘meals in a jar’? We have been eating home canned tuna straight from the jar. Does anyone reheat tuna for 10 minutes before eating it to prevent botulism?
The EB70s might work, just have to give it time. Also with fridges or freezers will reqiure a surge of about 5 times at start up because of the compressor kicking in. So if your freezer runs at 120w at idle, it might need 600w to start.
The Bluetti AC180T is interesting because the two 18 pound batteries can be removed to where the main unit empty is only 21 pounds. All together it's around 58 pounds but being able to carry the batteries separately by their nice handles and carry the 21 base - darn that right there sounds super attractive.
Agree!
@@RoseRedHomestead I think it would be amazing if we could take out each individual cell to direct charge it like that. I don't think the packs do that though. But still... weight.
We’ve had BLUETTI products since they launched. I used my little EB3A to keep an incubator with 60 eggs running during an eight hour power outage a few months ago. Worked perfectly. We use ours all the time but I was still surprised it did so well with the incubator since the power draw to run heating elements is so high.
Also of note on the charging- the EB3A and EB70S cannot charge off the 420 watt panels, they are not designed to do that. Only the larger battery units will charge off those. They can however run off the 200 watt panels that BLUETTI sells. All of the battery models are compatible with the 200 watt variety panels, you just have to chain more together to give full input to the larger battery banks. I intentionally chose the lower wattage panels from them for versatility sake.
Congratulations on your new Bluetti. I also have two EB3a, two EB70S, AC200P, AC200Max with B230 battery. I also have two AC300 with two B300 batteries for each. I hope you know the the Bluetti solar panels are not waterproof. They will not last long if you let them out in the rain all the time. Just use them on days when you know that the weather will be nice. The best solar panels to get are the big rigid solar panels. Trust me, I watched videos and read on facebook groups that they spent so much money on these panels thinking they could leave them in the rain, and ruined them. I know it takes a long time to get all the stands on them, and I am only one person. I have twelve 200 watt solar panels for each AC300, and eight 100 watt panel that will be hooked up to two B300 unit. and the other two B300's will be hooked up to each of the AC300. I have stands on 20 of the solar panels at the moment. I have two 200 watt solar panels that still need stands for. I also need stands for eight 100 watt solar panels for the B300's. Once I have all the stands on, I will call the electrician to cut a hole in the basement for the MC4 cable. Yes. It is a long process. I had purchased the two AC300 with four B300 during during Black Friday 2022. There is a lot involved. I had to get a new electrical panel installed, because the old one that was there since 1964 was out of code, I also needed all new wiring outside, and had an interlocking system put in. That was expensive. Before I had it done I had 3 estimates. I took the lowest estimate. They did a great job. So I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as I would put it. I use my AC200MAX for the old freezer that is from the 1950's which takes a lot of electricity, portable ICECO, small refrigerator, and clothes washer. I also use my old rainbow vacuum cleaner and plug in. I hook up the larger refrigerator, EUHOMY 12 Volt 58 quart, and grow light to the AC200P. I also plug in the Rainbow vacuum cleaner when vacuuming. With all the gloomy days we have been having in PA, I haven't been using the solar generators as much. They still bring in some power, but not much. One of the EB3A's is used to charge my hearing aids. I need them charged up all the time.
That is a great introduction to solar. Thank you, and thank you for the comments about the pass through and about the manufacturers.
With respect to the freezers I would guess you did some setup work. A freezer seems to me to have three stages. When things are cold, it does little and has a low power draw. Then it warms a bit and there is a high current quick spike (transient ) to get the motor started -- which may trip off the battery in which case it turns off Then the compressor would run at a lower power for a while to cool down -- which is what I suspect you setup for. If the battery can handle the spike, and the freezer is decently insulated, I suspect it would run for a much longer time. But if someone is looking for what is required for their situation they, need to consider if the unit can handle that transient spike.
Yes, once the compressor kicks in there is more of a draw. The big freezer compressor was operating during the video but the small one was not, so if both go at once, there will be more of a draw, but the AC 180 can handle it.
You can also change your Bluetti with your home generator when the sun is not very bright.
Also with your Solar Generator being at or near 100% charge, the panels will not input much power into the unit. The MPPT controller will limit power into the Generator, like float charge your Generator. If you Solar generators were at a lower charge,, let's say 60%, then the MPPT controller would input the max from the solar panels, so with a 405 w panel, you might see 360-380w input.
If you really want to take long term grid down refrigeration seriously, we need to focus some of our "system" dollars into more efficient (no frills) refrigeration. Sunfrost, Sunstar, and Sundanzer are three brands that come to mind. These units are heavily insulated and use DC compressors (low inrush current) to avoid DC to AC conversion losses. They are also not cheap. Chest type units (refrigerators and freezers) are more efficient because you don't lose all that precious (and expensive) cold air every time you open the door. The need for big power stations and large solar panel arrays is reduced saving some money on the power end.
Pam and Jim: Do any of the Bluetti devices have any type of EMP protection built in? In the event that you had a lightening strike during solar charging or if you had a power surge from your electricity supplier. We are also at risk for lightening strikes to above ground power lines.
EcoZoom (EcoFlow) 😂
They are a simple plug and play. We use a simple set up for a shed and the battery has held up fine so far inside shed.
Do you know if they can be stored out in a shed?
If so, I could use this to run greenhouse heater.
Thanks for sharing!
Yes but there are temperature range requirements for this one--between 10°C to 30°C and you have to charge it up every so often. Just be sure to check the instruction booklet carefully.
Have you done a video on the brands of appliances you use off grid and what you would replace today in order to decrease your energy needs? Also, do you think it's a better idea to go induction for a cooktop off grid or rely on propane?
Have you considered adding a b230 to your max? I have the eb3a, the twice as big ps54 and the max plus b230. Am considering the 180 but want a year to experiment with what I have first. Thanks for all y’all do!
Can anyone recommend a good introduction to solar energy and panels? What Pam shared was over my head. Thank you.
Survival Lily on RUclips has a podcast about solar generators. She does a good job comparing them and likes the Bluetti.. Rose Red is an amazing teacher. I’m learning so much from her and other RUclips videos. Do you have a friend who could help you with buying and using a solar generator? Don’t give up.
Thank you so much Karen
Since you already have propane that keeps indefinitely as a fuel source, a smallish dual fuel generator would be great to charge all those batteries up on cloudy days. A few hours each day and you would be set.
Yes, we have a dual fuel generator. Jim
Is it possible for you to do a video on thawing safely? Yesterday I defrosted the frozen prawns I had vacuumed in plastic. As it thawed it puffed up so I threw them away.
I think people underestimate their solar panel requirements to accomplish even minimal refrigeration. First of all, the efficiency of a modern-day refrigerator is horrific. Even "Energy Star" certified units use 1-2 KiloWatt/hours of energy each day. You need a lot of solar panels to get 1-2 KWh of energy back into your power station daily. Due to inverter losses, available sunshine is a bell curve throughout the day, and panels never produce their nameplate rating, I would estimate that at least 500 Watts of solar panels would be necessary just to keep one modern refrigerator running. Adding a freezer and other powering duties could quickly jump that solar panel requirement to 1000 Watts. During winter here in the Pacific Northwest (short days, often overcast), my 3500 Watts of panels is an absolute minimum.
in a scenario of when if it should become almost impossible to keep the freezers going for a longer term outage. which one would you consider using, and would it be wise to see if they would run the freezer dryer or a dehydrator going long enough to try and preserve some of the food items. as a last effect to protect the food. I also have 2 freezers and have often wondered would it not be wise to have a back up plan to try and freeze dry or can everything in my freezers and then start to restock my freezers. I only have a gas generator and have been looking at solar to see which one I would think would be most cost effective. years ago we had a blizzard where alot of people were out of power for 2 weeks.
The problem with solar is getting thru the night and into the next day when solar begins to generate power again. I have two 1500w 12v systems that are wired into my house. Each system is wired to 4 power circuits in the house. With a flip of a switch, I can go from shore power to battery power. Each circuit has it's own switch.
On one system, when it's sunny, I can run my main refrigerator day and night with no problem. On the other system I have 2 freezers and one refrigerator that will barely make it thru the night without requiring some sort of charge. On occasion, the system will shut down because two of the three appliances tried to start at the same time and tripped the breaker.
I use these systems to run off grid most of the time to save $$ during peak power windows and to run appliances during power outages, of which we have had three so far.
I have four 400w solar panel arrays that charge both systems at the same time.
Generally I would say solar backup strategies are ok but are expensive to setup, however, they are a credible solution for short term outages. Concerns I have are:
1. EMP events
2. Extended weather events
Excellent info. Thank you. Would you be willing to share country of manufacturing? I’m not against buying out of the USA, but if all is equal I would like to support the U.S.
I have tried ordering from your store and have never been able to link to products without going through everything you have in your store. Is there a way to do this quickly? Thank you for all of your research and product testing. I appreciate you both so much!
Just saw Mango is 50percent off today. I wish we would have waited two months.😢
Thank you for this video. I have a hard time understanding solar power. Very good information. I tried to visit your linked Amazon page, and it is not working. I've not had problems with your links in the past, but I'm not sure if it's on my end or not.
I just went to our Amazon site and it is working fine. Make sure you accept the cookies (it is an Amazon thing, not something we have requested or control). You may have to go into your security protocols and widen the them, but remember to return to your security protocols re-adjust your settings when you leave the site. The other option is to switch devices: My Apple devices work fine, but my PC does not. Thank you for watching our videos. Jim
Gotta love spellcheck 😂
LOL! Got it! Thanks.
What make/model propane do you use to power your kitchen?
I have a whole house generator (natural gas, 24 KW) now I am questioning, if I should get another (back up)....
The other ones would've done the freezers tho.
Do you run Big Blue on The 420watt solar as well?
I'd be curious how long the AC180 can run the 2 freezers without solar.
Regarding solar panels - What voltage is good? 100 watt then I see different volts.
Can you do another video on the best way to set up the Bluetti solar panels (I got the 200w) outside, and if you can leave them outside permanently. I've got an extension cable that I've run through the wall of the house to a place I can keep the generator plugged in so it's using as much sun as possible, but I'm worried about how best to set it up so the panels are out there and the connections are not getting ruined in the weather. This video was so helpful that I had to go get the AC180. I couldn't get the bundle with the 420w panel, but the AC180 and 200w was 44% off! Man alive! I thought I was going to have to wait until next summer to get it! Also, I'm wondering if you've found products that can protect your generator (I've actually got one non-Bluetti one that I'm hoping to run my chick brooder heater off of so I don't have to have my chicks in the house this spring and wonder if I'd be able to keep it outside with its panel attached.)
The Bluetti has temperature ranges for safe operation. You would have to have the power station in a protected environment out of water, etc. Also If it is not in the building the cables running to and from it would need to be protected from critters. Ask me how I know... varmints chewed through a cable to a solar water pump I had last summer. I am sure it is doable...just takes some planning. Some say they use their Bluetti panels outside with no problem but the company says they are resistant not waterproof.
Eco - Zoom = rocket stove 💞🌻🦋
Where I am in Canada, Solar will not work.
Thankfully there are other options.
@@justincasesomethinggoeswrongThey probably live on the territories where the amount of sunlight per day is not sufficient to effectively produce electricity especially during the winter months.
Your amazon shop is messed up.
I have solar panels on my house, I put them on in 2014 before backup batteries were available. I lost power in 2011 when a freak snow storm/hurricane hit southern New England. No power for nearly a week. The next door neighbor had power, but wouldn't share any to run my freezer. I took advantage of the snow on the ground to pack in small buckets and containers to keep my refrigerators cold. I made sure to not open my freezer door. I have natural gas, and a gas fireplace in my basement so I was able to cook, take hot showers and keep my house warm until the power came back on.
Then in 2012 Super storm Sandy hit, thankfully my power stayed on. After those 2 events, I looked into adding solar. Now I'm trying to find a way to add battery backup to keep the power on no matter what.
I wonder if any of those bluetti's will work with my solar to give me backup power when needed? Fortunately I live in a small city so the power doesn't go off very frequently.
I wouldn't put too much emphasis on your neighbor not sharing power with you. He did his homework and sized his solution to meet his need. Looks like you may be doing the same now.
Your title says 'groid'... Just a thought 🥰
Fixed it. Thanks.
How long do the batteries last in these units? A certain amount of years or hours? (life span)
It depends on the size of the power stations. Check the Bluetti information of our Amazon page. Jim
Is the Solar Panel waterproof or just water resistant??
Would you please post a list of all the parts with links on buying solar panels and how to?
We called a company and 80 grand is outrageous! I would rather do it ourselves but have NO idea how.
I have no idea of all of the parts for solar panels. Are you speaking of the set up like we have or a solar array for the top of the house? If you are looking for the solar panels and very small array we have then contact Bluetti (see our Amazon Store). If you are looking for solar farm model, do a Google search for your area. I checked on the house solar models five years ago and was quoted 15-20K. I have no idea what it would cost now. You quoted 80K above, that is outrageous. Jim
Hello. Can solar panels work in cloudy michigan?
You would have to check locally from a solar company for that information.
LOL "Personal Energy Expenditure".... How bout lack of LOL.
So, stupid question here - when you buy one of these, you have to purchase the panels separately? am I understanding that correctly?
Yes, you do. That way you can mix and match if you wish and you don't have to buy panels from the same company as the power station. That is what we did at first.
@@RoseRedHomesteadOh I didn't realize that brands were interchangeable! That's good to know - thanks!
@kaesmomFitz be sure they use the same connectors between solar panels models and companies.
What is the size of the freezer you were powering?
I was unable to find that information on or in the freezer. It is about 6-feet high 30-inches wide. Jim
So is bluetti sponsoring you?
No, we do not accept corporate sponsorships. We see it as unethical and very intrusive to our experiences with any product. The way we see, it is Corporate sponsors want you to give good (whatever that means) reviews versus what you really thought about "X" product. We refuse to be constrained by that business model. Jim
Nice but I guess you just have to die if you’re poor and don’t have $$$$$
It's just an option to preserve food with freezers and refrigeration. For those of us in rural areas where the power goes out intermittently it is a nice option to have. There are lots of less expensive ways to preserve shelf stable food long term. Canning, dehydrating, and just plain ole buying canned goods/staples and putting them in the pantry are probably more important.
Is it possible for you to do a video on thawing safely? Yesterday I defrosted the frozen prawns I had vacuumed in plastic. As it thawed it puffed up so I threw them away.