Man, thanks for taking the time to make videos during all this. I hope and pray everyone is paying attention to all the lessons learned from all the folks affected by this storm.
About 8 years ago my mother’s neighborhood experienced a fairly serious snow storm. My mother did not live in a remote, rural area. Her house was in a Maryland suburb, about 25 miles out of Washington DC. It took Baltimore Gas and Electric 3 weeks to get power restored to her neighborhood. She had no heat, no water, no lights, no refrigeration. Having an alternative source of energy is essential! Thanks for sharing your experiences.
You probably meant the 2010 Snowgedden that dumped 20+ inches of snow in DC area. But wait there's more; the area lost power/fuel for a week + in late June, 2012 from Derecho (wind storm). Anything can happen anywhere just be ready.
I have 7 Ecoflows, one Jackery and a Westinghouse. The ecoflow has pass thru charging. Also they charge really fast. Makes a big difference if you plan on topping the batteries off with a gas generator.
@@1whitecottagelife770delta 2s usually are $800. If you want an additional battery it’ll be an additional $650 but total you would have around 3kwH of capacity. Delta 3s were just released. They are around $150 more but the have a 800 vs 500 watt max input capacity.
I just picked up an eco-flow Delta 2, it's 1024 wh for $391 using one of the RUclipsrs coupon. They have a newer model on sale now too. Look for those great sales and don't forget to search for coupons.
Really enjoy your videos. Watching and praying for all my internet friends in North Carolina in this trying time. Stay safe out there! Greetings from Nova Scotia.
We have learned a lot this past few weeks. It is a different look what you see in person to what you see on TV- Driving around is hard to watch because people are piling up everything from their homes to the side of the road, it is all ruined and their entire lives are just sitting there. It's tough
Eric, Thank you for making the video. I am close enough to be able to deliver some supplies and help some friends clean up . The damage there is incredible to observe. Not sure exactly what to do to make sure we are cleaning and restoring floors effectively. Mold might try to creep in . So much work to be done! Best wishes for you and the farm. Planning to return in a few days to help some more and deliver more supplies. The sad thing is most of the properties there are not insured....so folks need help from what I see. Lots of compassionate folks delivering food for pets and us workers and it is appreciated. God bless WNC and all the hurricane survivors trying to rebuild their lives.
Great update ! So happy the farm is doing well . Them power stations are great but there's features that can be very handy . Like that solar input charging wile you use power . Every watt of solar counts ! I run my radio stuff directly on battery .If I have solar or mains power then that goes into battery . The next hurricane is now a cat 5 going to Florida. Have many friends their. CB is getting threw from NY to FL . In times of real need CB still coming threw . Ham radio and GMRS/FRS/MURS radios helping as well. Cellphone's / internet go down and power grid. Radio still works ! The most reliable way to get info and send info is RADIO ! The best tool we have ! take care . Great video !
The emergency responders were using radio for communications because cell service was not working at all after the storm. That storm is looking like a monster, I hope everyone stays safe
Thank you- we feel blessed that we did OK compared to so many else. I feel guilty that we were complaining about not having power for 9 days when others lost everything
Wow, great insights into potential quirks with backup power systems. Thank you for sharing and I hope that you can get back to fairly normal soon. Good work on keeping things going around the house. That took a lot of work to get to where you are today. It seems to have paid off.
Thank you- there are some in our county that it will be weeks more due to all the damage. There is one area where the road is gone and 200+ trees down. Total mess
Get a chest freezer when you replace the upright as they are more efficient. Keep an eye out for a military surplus diesel generator. Diesel has a longer shelf life than gas.
I am VERY happy with it. It ran flawlessly for the duration of this event (11 days) and kept my food from going bad. Next up is the 220V upgrade so we can run the well pump if needed.
@@FarpointFarms no one is keeping you from sharing 😆 if i was to look at anyone it is the producers.. they could give away a little part of their profit by handing out a couple of emergency kits in situations like this.. i have a feeling those would give more publicity then a couple of youtubers if starlink can help people, i dont see why companys like ecoflow or signature solar cant.. its kind of greedy only giving youtubers the products, and not the ones that needs them
Real life is the greatest teacher. The most I have had to endure is 8 days without power and water for 5 days during the freeze. What I learned from that is that a 48V inverter is not efficient . I built a diy 48V system on a hand truck I had seen on you tube. Kind of disappointing to find out that it ran my residential fridge for 37 hours using 2.4 KW for the Fridge and the inverter used 2.7kw using 1kw on idle per day. Afterwards I only then charged the 48V battery with two small generators connected in parallel at 30 amps and used the battery only without the inverter to extend my 2kw Ecoflow which powered the fridge non stop for 65 hours. I learned that I need to change to a 12V system with an 1800W inverter and a 12V battery with 460ah, this will be more efficient. for such emergencies when the sun is in short supply. Plus the 3KW 48V inverter, the solar charger required a minimum of 120V which most people don't have such a large solar array but a 12V inverter with a 12V solar charger requires lower voltage to start charging. Though my situation was different than yours, yours is harder because if it came down to it my food would not have spoiled during the freeze but yours can. I also learned since I experience frequent outages that owning some 12V fridge/freezers is a must. I have a couple of 500W Jackeries that each unit will run my 45 qt fridges for 45 hours before needing to be charged and this is in 90º to 95ºF ambient temperatures in the Texas summers. I just transfer the food from the big fridge to the 12V and I'm good.
Thanks Erik for all the good info. If your viewers can learn anything from your recent experience it is that they should prepare for some level of disaster preparedness. While we do not live our everyday lives off-grid we could all find ourselves w/o water, power, and the ability to maintain our daily lives during any disastrous weather event. Also, folks need to have the ability to protect themselves and their families during these events. Prayers for you and your family during these hard times.
Agreed. For years I've shown products and ways to try and be ready for the unexpected. I never came out as a prepper or Survivalist as they both seem to have been tainted by negative connotations, but this event has made me more determined to help folks get ready for moments like these.
I’ve started using solar power at my place during the past year or so , it’s a much smaller scale at this point but I’m planning on doing some upgrades. This video was a great help , thank you 🙏🏻 very much and God Bless ✝️🇺🇸
Thanks for the video. Looking forward to see the direction you plan to go for the upgrade. Having the multiple buildings certainly adds to the challenges.
Thanks, glad your back up to back up were there. Stay safe - I know they are working none stop for folks with the power. They are actually getting the young once hiking a country mile just to get to downed utility poles
Sorry to hear about all your problems Eric. I hope you can get things back up and running real soon for you and your wife's peace of mind. Having to live off grid is okay sometimes but then there's times it's not a whole lot of fun I know I've been there I was there last winter. Living completely off grid at a place called Inskip california. Living in some people I n e w s old hotel built in the mid-1800s because at the time I had nowhere else to go.. I'm doing better now though. I had a diesel generator up there at the old hotel but it quit working by midwinter and then I had no power. I did have propane though and was able to heat some water on the stove so I could at least get a shower. And I had a wood heater so I could stay warm in the hotel I was at 5,000 FT elevation and it was a pretty rough winter had a hard time getting out. Had to depend on friends that had four-wheel drive vehicles that could drive me down off the mountain into town to buy groceries and make my doctor's appointments. Turned out to be the worst winter of my life. I'm almost 69 years old and it was rough being up there all alone throughout the entire winter and all that cold and snow. And being that much off grid had no cable and no cell service. Although I did have a landline so I could contact people . Anyway that's enough about me. Hope everything is better for you and yours very soon.
Very interesting to get your 'real world' view! Thank you. I'll keep pass-thru charging and amount of time to charge front and center as I look at portables!
It appears you’re way ahead of the game so to speak during this ordeal. Always good to have a plan. Hopefully the utility company makes its way out of town towards you. 73s
The smaller packs were fine for what they were, for camping trips they would be perfect. For a long term event, there will be ones that we will be looking to replace
The problem with the power pack not charging and outputting is no “pass through charging”. I’m surprised your power bank didn’t have it because most power stations made now do have pass through charging. Before you make your next purchase, just check that it has “pass through charging” Good Luck!
We are grid connected solar. It requires a bit of power to let the solar be available. A generator can open up the solar capacity. Be certain that you have the cutoff switch to protect our linesmen from back surge.
hi Eric, sorry to hear your power is still out. I was thinking about what you said about fast recharge. Power stations that have internal chargers, that is, no power brick, can be charged in an hour or two. That applies pretty much across-the-board. Anything with a power brick is usually limited to 100-250 watts. It’s the first thing I check when looking at new power stations.
Great lessons learned video. I have a similar setup to you. The flow through issue (charge while discharging) is a big deal. I have an investment in Oupes so I'll have to review their capability. Longest we have went so far is about 18 hours so I haven't had to top off with the generator yet. If you can get that power box working. I'd be interested to learn what you found. Keep charging. Later
Today living off grid is a novelty - I live in the rural deep south - REA finally brought power in my area in the late 50s - For those who had power they had a 32 volts farm light plant - It consisted of 16 large two volt cells and a generator to charge the lead acid batterys - During winter most only charged all day Friday - During summer the fridges, freezer's, ceiling and window fan ran a lot - So in summers they charged all day Friday and some on Monday for a 21 kw set up - The battery's that used 1.220 strength acid lasted about 40 yrs - The battery's that used 1.195 strength acid lasted about 60 yrs - Back then there were complete lines of appliances sold that ran on 32 volts DC in towns in rural America - You can read about farm light plants on the net - My grand father started working on them around 1900 or so - I'm a third generation generator man i spent my yrs in the offshore oilfields working in power production - I've been through 20 storms on land - some times my power off the grid has been knocked out for months - I'm hybrid when off the grid and charge my lead acid battery 2 hrs a day in summer - I'm never in the dark -
We’ve been using an RV with 600 watts of solar for almost 3 years, and I can testify that even a little bit of solar like this can enormously improve your quality of life when main power is off line. Just a side note - the DC portable electric coolers that are available use very little wattage (while running) and work great as a backup. Just saying.
Get a chest freezer and put a couple of gallon water jugs in to help stabilize the temperature. I have a 2000 watt inverter that I can connect to the Lithium batteries in my golf cart. Only buy a power unit that can charge and discharge at the same time. I have a boost converter to be able to charge my 36 volt golf cart bank from my solar panels. Thanks for the video .
I hope everything goes well where you are and power and other service are back up soon. I can charge my PowerOak (BLUETTI) EB240 (holds 2400 watt hour) while power is being taken. However it only charges at just over 210 watts while outputting 1000 watt. Thankfully I have two of the EB240's and a petrol generator. The generator produces 1000 watts, so two EB240 charge at a little over 400watt leaving 500 - 600 watts for other periferals.
Great Video! I've been pushing using power stations precisely for that reason... you only need to run the generator maybe 2 hours a day (depending on the size of the power station) to charge up the station and save boat loads of gasoline. Throw in a few solar panels, and gasoline use drops even further! In emergencies, it is all about having flexibility, and options, and conservation, and you get all of that in spades with a few power stations and solar panels. Not bad considering the ad-hoc nature of all the systems you put together. I'm not a fan of VToMan's, personally... all my power stations can charge and discharge simultaneously and some of them are hitting 5 years old now with basically zero loss of capacity. -Matt
@@FarpointFarms Yah, that's one of the downsides of a power station (at least in situations where a person only has one). Everything is integrated into one unit and if it breaks you are down for the count. The better solution, technically, is to put together a power system with discrete components. Panels, charge controller(s), LiFePO4 batteries, an inverter, fusing and breakers, etc. But I don't usually recommend that unless the person knows their way around electrical systems. The power station still winds up being the best solution for most people.
We dodged the bullet on Helene. We are about 60 miles west of where the storm went through GA and got virtually zero damage. Our power never even blinked. You're learning a couple of things through necessity. These "solar generators" are advancing rapidly, but there's a lot we need to understand about their limitations. Units that were purchased 2-3 years ago are woefully inadequate for power outages. I have 3. The first one i bought was the AC200MAX from Bluetti. It's great for running appliances and power tools, but the AC charge rate requires 4-5 hours, and that's way too much time if you need to recharge with a generator. The 2nd one was a Bluetti EB3a, a small station for running my router. It wrapped out after about 9 months. Bluetti replaced it, but it took a couple of weeks to get through that process. Things we all need to understand about these power stations. 2k watts sounds like a HUGE amount of power. It's not. A fridge or freezer will eat that up in one day. Fast charging is critical. Newer Bluetti or Ecoflow products can be charged at 1800+ watts, and that's critical when using a genny to recharge. Stations need to have UPS so you can use them in virtually all applications. Stations need to allow over-panel use. My AC200MAX charges via solar at 900 watts, but i can easily hook up 1200 watts of panels as long as I stay within the voltage limits. It will only accept 900 or so, but having 1200 available means I get more watts during cloudy conditions. Having a dual-fuel generator is the key to being comfortable during power outages that last several days. We can run portable ACs and all our 110 devices with a 5k generator. Alternative power options like solar and generator require some degree of power management. Unless you have a massive battery bank and large solar array, or a "whole house" backup generator that runs in natural gas, you'll need to control how much power you use. We have 2 refrigerators and 4 freezers full of food because we grow most of our food. We keep 200 pounds of propane and 25 gallons of gas on hand. We are on a farm, so we have the capacity to carry around 200 gallons of gas but have never kept that much. We run the gas through the mowers or just use it in our vehicles in order to keep it fresh. We have 3 generators. We have the 3 power stations, 4,000 watts of solar panels, and about a million feet of extension cords. We are as prepared as we can be. I guess...
It was good of you to give out those four generators and gas to neighbors and help those of your neighbors, without the natural springs in the area, fill up from your spring.
I like to use the thumb rule of "a minimum of 10% of rated power can be had 80% of the year"... this is good to sizing sufficient solar panels for your critical loads like freezers and fridges.
Thanks for the update on your solar backups, very informative and helpful in future planning. I noticed your old C Band dish, is there still activity up there on C Band? I used to enjoy listening to audio feeds on C Band sub carriers back in the early 1990's. (Used a Drake SA-24 Stereo Adapter that a radio station no longer needed to tune program feeds). At that time there was a lot of audio in the clear, and still quite a bit of video.
FIRST thing to look for with the portable power pacts is the WARRANTIES a) How long are they? b) Does the customer have to pay shipping to send these HEAVY things back" c) Repairs, can they be repaired IN the United States, is there replacement parts in the U.S.? folks buy these to rely on BUT they are dependable as new generators NOT cranking or breaking down under 30 hours of use.
If you purchased the All Power unit, call them before breaking into it. They're really good at helping diagnose problems and will take back some units for repair or replacement. If it was a giveaway for review, I look forward to a video about your attempts to repair it. I hope you can. Good luck and happy you all made it through this. We barely did. WNC is still fighting it out. We're doing our best down here in Spartanburg, SC to help our family and friends in NC, and soon FLA. As we all are learning, we have only each other. Our government is out on an extended lunch.
Much better to put together a proper battery bank so you have cpacity. Those portable units are great but not really for day after day usage. That 1200 watt setup should put out plenty of amperage to keep a bank of deep cycle batteries fully charged. Run through a 2kw or 4kw invertor with a charge controller.
What's your take on a modular system? Something like a battery bank, inverter, charge controller all separate, so you only replace portions of the entire system when they fail. I have a small array of Off-The-Shelf components like that, and it does charge while on load. Do you prefer the integrated units over something like that?
I made an entire series on Solar for beginners. I talked about the advantage to having separate setups vs the all in one solution. The AllPowers R3500 cost over 2K. Its dead and can't be fixed. Its worth nothing. The 1200 watt solar I setup with a separate solar charger, inverter, batteries and such is working fine, but two years ago the charger went bad. It cost $300 to replace just that part. In the end these larger separate systems are a better investment, but I do feel that these power packs also have a lot of uses as smaller stations. I'd skip the 3000W mega packs like the R3500 though.
Hey hope the power comes back up soon. Glad you're okay. I wanted to ask where I could get an antenna like I had back in the 80s it was called a big stick. I was able to talk all over the place with that stick.
I had an Antron 99 (still have it, just blew down one winter). I got an Antron because the better one (from what I've heard), IMAX 2000, wouldn't ship to my address. I've heard there may be one to top both, a Sirio GainMaster from Copper Electronics. I know nothing more about it. I was able to talk sixty miles on four watts with the Antron. Looks like Walcott Radio may have something you're looking for. Right Channel Radios MAY as well. Good Luck. Hear you out there.
Thank you I'll research and find one. I used to have a cobra 142 gtl base fully modded and a d104 . I could catch skip rolling in and talk to Nova Scotia and down to the Bahamas.
As much of a fan as I am of solar, you just about need a concrere bunker with replacement panels to keep an array viable through storms and general disaster. Back up generators and a stationary bicycle to keep stuff running while you fix the solar system.
@@FarpointFarms Yeah, that's the "just about" part. Being able to afford what you need. I've built a lot of retaining walls in my life. In my area in California, just the 8x16 blocks would cost over $1,000. Considering that I over build everything, after I rebar every other tier, and put verticals in every block (every other hole) then fill the verticals with concrete (for this I'd fill all the voids, it's a bunker!). All that is about $2k. no door, no roof, no floor and no labor (just materials).
Called Pass through . Ability to charge and use the generator at the same time . Not designed properly if the solar generator does not have Pass Through .Ecoflow , Jackery, Bluetti (what I own ) all have pass through . Pecron too . Own 7 solar generators-all pass through .
No TV? No problem if you have the services you want self hosted. I’ve got an imperfect system but it can run a jellyfin instsnce with all my movies and tv shows with a self contained WiFi node. Uses only 20w for the drive/wifi node alone. Very good if you have kids.
Can you better explain your current OFF-Grid power setup equipment? OR provide a link with all the equipment. Very interested with what works in a real disaster. Regards...
I wan't too warn you about the solar panel at 600W from allpower, i have seen some people at youtube had getting hot spots within few days. So just be little bit careful about that one. I was about buy it, but then i saw someone talking about it and was buying the 400W instead (that's gives me 210-275 W when it's clear day. One time above 300W and never 400W in-real-world. Just too warn you about it, but it's working and haven't getting any hot spot.
The off brand that we have did great other than slow to charge. I guess I would expect more from any and it failing during a time of need was frustrating
That's not nearly enough solar panels to REPLACE grid energy for an average home daily use. And if you have property _(more than a zero lot-line city or suburban home)_ do NOT mount your solar panels on a roof, mount them on a purpose built shed, gazebo... or with the new BI-FACIAL panels, mount them on a RACK with white or silver painted reflector under them, so they can absorb energy _(light)_ from both directions. _Another advantage of a (6 foot high) rack mounting system for bifacial panels is_ _YOU CAN TAKE THEM DOWN EASILY before a hurricane shows up_
EG4 3kW Off-Grid Inverter | 5000W PV Input @ 500 VOC Input = $674.10 - EVE MB31 LF314 Grade A LiFePO4 3.2V Prismatic Cell x 16 = 51.2 volts @ $87/cell = $1,392 - JK B2A24S20P 200A Bluetooth BMS with 2A active balancer built-in = $155. So, 3,000 watts of inverter, 5,000 watts of solar charging and 16,076.8 watts of battery for $2,221.10 all products are USA Stock
LOL, these SHYNA battery packs are designed to NOT last, bought a Jackery 500 that recently went out, NO warranty after 3 years & it had been used about half a dozen times.
Might want to consider a electric car and using its battery power via a inverter or some have basic V2L capability or more complex extensive V2H to power your entire home. You could use them to recharge your portable batteries at night without all the noise of a combustion generator.
You have to get yourself some better quality solar generators. Simultaneously charging and discharging should be a no brainer. As far as fast charging is concerned, even my 4 year old EF Delta 1300 charges at 1000 watt and is full in 90 minutes. I probably missed it but what are you charging with that 1200 watt solar array? You don’t use stand alone lithium batteries and mppts ? It seems you have over 2kw of solar but it doesn’t seem to have that much impact. Even with the free batteries
I have 3 portable power units. I thought all 3 were pass though, but one of them it turned out wasn't. I am already looking at a replacement. The 1200 watt solar array charges 17.5KW of LiPo battery's at 24V. The inverter is a 60amp MPPT, and the system is powering my gear with a 3000 watt Aims inverter. The system worked perfectly for the duration. I was able to keep my fridge powered up the entire time, powered the radio gear, some lights, a fan, and at times we even turned on the TV and DVD player to kill an hour. Not sure why you think this system isn't setup well, it's actually out preformed my original intentions for it. That said, after this event, we will finish the upgrade to a 240V inverter and finish installing the additional 2000watts of solar panels that I bought over the summer but didn't install.
The type that takes in and puts out electricity is called pass through charging. I am shocked you have a non pass through charging solar generator. Good luck in this year. PS all Bluetti and Ecoflow solar generators are pass through charging.
I was shocked too! I was certain that that one unit was, but I was wrong. The other 2 are, but it did make the situation worse for sure. I'm already looking at a replacement.
amazon is having a fall sale 8-9th i seen several different brands of solar generators are on super sale. Just wanted to pass that on. altho i feel kinda of dumb to say it being the situation. Sorry bout that.
I totally disagree. This setup has kept me running these past 12 days. Without it, I'd have to rely heavily on my generator and that means burning a lot of fuel and being stuck with power in only one spot. Solar is the eternal power source. Not something you can power everything with, but that wasn't the point of this setup in this configuration. Wind? Not here. We live in a fish bowl and as a result, we thankfully never get wind. I think you should take a look at solar as a prep, and not as a "Green" idea. I could care less about that, but wanted a silent power source here that would run for years if needed. It worked!
In an emergency there is nothing more precious than gasoline, so being able to reduce your consumption to 1/6th of what you would use without solar and storage is life-saving. And I think Helene has made that really really really clear to everyone. There was (and is) a stark, stark difference between households that had power stations and a bit of solar to augment their generators, and households that did not. (And we won't even mention the difference that starlink has made, as well, to many people's lives). You'd be hard pressed to argue against it in any sane way given the incredible amount of evidence showing just how good it is. -Matt
If you hook your generator/solar up with a power cord to an outlet in your house. Don't forget to turn OFF THE MAIN BREAKER TO YOUR HOUSE. If you don't power can go out of your house and to the grid. Endangering linemen working to restore your power!
@@jeremydavis2595 the problem is that an interlock of any sort is useless when using a cheater cord to back feed.... UNLESS... the back feed is at the panel and going through a breaker tied to that interlock. Most people in this situation lean away from a transfer switch due to cost.
Man, thanks for taking the time to make videos during all this. I hope and pray everyone is paying attention to all the lessons learned from all the folks affected by this storm.
Absolutely. There's a lot to Learn and now is the Time
We learned so much- we have some great stuff but did not have a solar shower- Really could have used one of them
About 8 years ago my mother’s neighborhood experienced a fairly serious snow storm. My mother did not live in a remote, rural area. Her house was in a Maryland suburb, about 25 miles out of Washington DC. It took Baltimore Gas and Electric 3 weeks to get power restored to her neighborhood. She had no heat, no water, no lights, no refrigeration. Having an alternative source of energy is essential! Thanks for sharing your experiences.
3 weeks in crazy for a snow storm, maybe an ice storm. Winter is coming and we always worry about that
You probably meant the 2010 Snowgedden that dumped 20+ inches of snow in DC area. But wait there's more; the area lost power/fuel for a week + in late June, 2012 from Derecho (wind storm). Anything can happen anywhere just be ready.
I have 7 Ecoflows, one Jackery and a Westinghouse. The ecoflow has pass thru charging. Also they charge really fast. Makes a big difference if you plan on topping the batteries off with a gas generator.
Good to know. Thanks for sharing!
How much did you spend on that
@@1whitecottagelife770delta 2s usually are $800. If you want an additional battery it’ll be an additional $650 but total you would have around 3kwH of capacity. Delta 3s were just released. They are around $150 more but the have a 800 vs 500 watt max input capacity.
I just picked up an eco-flow Delta 2, it's 1024 wh for $391 using one of the RUclipsrs coupon. They have a newer model on sale now too. Look for those great sales and don't forget to search for coupons.
It was a surprise that one of these units didn't offer that feature. That and the slow charging of the OUPES units was a big deal.
Really enjoy your videos. Watching and praying for all my internet friends in North Carolina in this trying time. Stay safe out there! Greetings from Nova Scotia.
Thank you sir!
I feel that Ecoflow should be sponsoring your channel. It would be good for YOU and your channel would be the PERFECT opportunity for Ecoflow.
Send them my way- I could use a good sponsor
I’m glad you covered how your solar setup has worked out. I was curious about that. Praying for y’all and everyone affected by Helene.
Prayers will be needed for those who are going to get hit by Milton
Incredible. Feels like reporting from the front lines of a conflict. The rubber meets the road and you learn the truth of your systems and products
We have learned a lot this past few weeks. It is a different look what you see in person to what you see on TV- Driving around is hard to watch because people are piling up everything from their homes to the side of the road, it is all ruined and their entire lives are just sitting there. It's tough
These events are always incredible learning opportunities. Looks like you’re doing well.
We did better than most, we feel blessed for that
Eric, Thank you for making the video. I am close enough to be able to deliver some supplies and help some friends clean up . The damage there is incredible to observe. Not sure exactly what to do to make sure we are cleaning and restoring floors effectively. Mold might try to creep in . So much work to be done! Best wishes for you and the farm. Planning to return in a few days to help some more and deliver more supplies. The sad thing is most of the properties there are not insured....so folks need help from what I see. Lots of compassionate folks delivering food for pets and us workers and it is appreciated. God bless WNC and all the hurricane survivors trying to rebuild their lives.
Thanks for stepping up to help out in the mountains! Lot's of people lost everything. It's tragic.
Great update ! So happy the farm is doing well . Them power stations are great but there's features that can be very handy . Like that solar input charging wile you use power . Every watt of solar counts ! I run my radio stuff directly on battery .If I have solar or mains power then that goes into battery . The next hurricane is now a cat 5 going to Florida. Have many friends their. CB is getting threw from NY to FL . In times of real need CB still coming threw . Ham radio and GMRS/FRS/MURS radios helping as well. Cellphone's / internet go down and power grid. Radio still works ! The most reliable way to get info and send info is RADIO ! The best tool we have ! take care . Great video !
The emergency responders were using radio for communications because cell service was not working at all after the storm. That storm is looking like a monster, I hope everyone stays safe
I am glad you guys are safe.
Thank you- we feel blessed that we did OK compared to so many else. I feel guilty that we were complaining about not having power for 9 days when others lost everything
It is great to hear from ya,glad you folks are ok
Thanks
Eric, to you and your family, we pray everyday for strength for ya,ll. You are one cool dude.
Thank you so much
Good to know. Thanks for passing it along.
I felt it was good to pass on this info while it's still warm in my head.
Thanks Eric if you're doing a great job thanks for the update brother!!!
You bet
Wow, great insights into potential quirks with backup power systems. Thank you for sharing and I hope that you can get back to fairly normal soon. Good work on keeping things going around the house. That took a lot of work to get to where you are today. It seems to have paid off.
We feel blessed that we did well. I think going back to "normal" will be a long time coming for so many
Really glad to see you and the family are managing. Hopefully things are up from here. Much love from Ontario
Thank you- there are some in our county that it will be weeks more due to all the damage. There is one area where the road is gone and 200+ trees down. Total mess
Get a chest freezer when you replace the upright as they are more efficient. Keep an eye out for a military surplus diesel generator. Diesel has a longer shelf life than gas.
I've been thinking about making a diesel generator using a small diesel engine I picked up a while back.
I like the setup I’m in the process of upgrading my solar system at my off grid cabin at the moment too
Hurry ! Haarp is making the rounds this year .
I am VERY happy with it. It ran flawlessly for the duration of this event (11 days) and kept my food from going bad. Next up is the 220V upgrade so we can run the well pump if needed.
Thanks for the update and advice.
Any time!
It's nice you have what you do have!
We were glad but feel a little guilty that we had when others don't
@@FarpointFarms no one is keeping you from sharing 😆
if i was to look at anyone it is the producers..
they could give away a little part of their profit by handing out a couple of emergency kits in situations like this..
i have a feeling those would give more publicity then a couple of youtubers
if starlink can help people, i dont see why companys like ecoflow or signature solar cant..
its kind of greedy only giving youtubers the products, and not the ones that needs them
Thanks for the update Eric! Stay safe
Thanks, will do!
Thanks Erik…be safe. This gives us a lot to plan for in our farm we are building. Cheers!
Good Luck.
Good luck on your farm, just take 1 thing at time
Great real-world experience and knowledge gained. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome
Real life is the greatest teacher. The most I have had to endure is 8 days without power and water for 5 days during the freeze. What I learned from that is that a 48V inverter is not efficient . I built a diy 48V system on a hand truck I had seen on you tube. Kind of disappointing to find out that it ran my residential fridge for 37 hours using 2.4 KW for the Fridge and the inverter used 2.7kw using 1kw on idle per day. Afterwards I only then charged the 48V battery with two small generators connected in parallel at 30 amps and used the battery only without the inverter to extend my 2kw Ecoflow which powered the fridge non stop for 65 hours. I learned that I need to change to a 12V system with an 1800W inverter and a 12V battery with 460ah, this will be more efficient. for such emergencies when the sun is in short supply. Plus the 3KW 48V inverter, the solar charger required a minimum of 120V which most people don't have such a large solar array but a 12V inverter with a 12V solar charger requires lower voltage to start charging.
Though my situation was different than yours, yours is harder because if it came down to it my food would not have spoiled during the freeze but yours can. I also learned since I experience frequent outages that owning some 12V fridge/freezers is a must. I have a couple of 500W Jackeries that each unit will run my 45 qt fridges for 45 hours before needing to be charged and this is in 90º to 95ºF ambient temperatures in the Texas summers. I just transfer the food from the big fridge to the 12V and I'm good.
Those are good to know, Power outages during cold is worse since people heat with electric. There are lessons to be learned
Thanks Erik for all the good info. If your viewers can learn anything from your recent experience it is that they should prepare for some level of disaster preparedness. While we do not live our everyday lives off-grid we could all find ourselves w/o water, power, and the ability to maintain our daily lives during any disastrous weather event. Also, folks need to have the ability to protect themselves and their families during these events. Prayers for you and your family during these hard times.
Agreed. For years I've shown products and ways to try and be ready for the unexpected. I never came out as a prepper or Survivalist as they both seem to have been tainted by negative connotations, but this event has made me more determined to help folks get ready for moments like these.
I’ve started using solar power at my place during the past year or so , it’s a much smaller scale at this point but I’m planning on doing some upgrades. This video was a great help , thank you 🙏🏻 very much and God Bless ✝️🇺🇸
That is awesome! Better to have a small system, what we have learned is that even a small setup would helped most people here
Glad your ok Erik..Lots of prayers going to your state.
Thank you for the prayers
Hang Tough. Great review of you system and especially where you found your short comings. Make you think even harder about your systems you will need.
Well said! We have learned a bunch on what worked and did not
That's some great information about real world experiences!
Thanks
Thanks for the video. Looking forward to see the direction you plan to go for the upgrade. Having the multiple buildings certainly adds to the challenges.
You and me both!
Great system Erik! Hang in there and be safe! 73 de K2CJB
Thank you
Praying for you and enjoying the very informative videos. Not great at geography, I am just praying Milton doesn't add more issues!
I am afraid that it will compound the issues more. That breaks my heart
Thanks, glad your back up to back up were there. Stay safe - I know they are working none stop for folks with the power. They are actually getting the young once hiking a country mile just to get to downed utility poles
There are some parts of the area that will be without power for weeks more due to all the damage
@@FarpointFarms We are doing our best!!! wish it could be sooner
It’s sad that the AllPowers 3500 failed when you most needed it. Good that you have all of the other options to keep you powered up.
Crazy bad timing!
My son and family lives near Ashville, what a disaster for so many people, prayers 🙏. Get off grid as soon as you can, it's awesome.
I hope that they are OK, that are got hit very hard
Glad that you got some power backup with the solar. Best insurance you can buy.
You know he got that dish in the shot for you, right?
@@barneymm2204 :)
Gotta have that big dish......
Sorry to hear about all your problems Eric. I hope you can get things back up and running real soon for you and your wife's peace of mind. Having to live off grid is okay sometimes but then there's times it's not a whole lot of fun I know I've been there I was there last winter. Living completely off grid at a place called Inskip california. Living in some people I n e w s old hotel built in the mid-1800s because at the time I had nowhere else to go.. I'm doing better now though. I had a diesel generator up there at the old hotel but it quit working by midwinter and then I had no power. I did have propane though and was able to heat some water on the stove so I could at least get a shower. And I had a wood heater so I could stay warm in the hotel I was at 5,000 FT elevation and it was a pretty rough winter had a hard time getting out. Had to depend on friends that had four-wheel drive vehicles that could drive me down off the mountain into town to buy groceries and make my doctor's appointments. Turned out to be the worst winter of my life. I'm almost 69 years old and it was rough being up there all alone throughout the entire winter and all that cold and snow. And being that much off grid had no cable and no cell service. Although I did have a landline so I could contact people . Anyway that's enough about me. Hope everything is better for you and yours very soon.
Wow, sounds like you had quite the time! We are finally back on power and it was nice to take an actual shower!
Very interesting to get your 'real world' view! Thank you. I'll keep pass-thru charging and amount of time to charge front and center as I look at portables!
Thanks for watching- I hope some will learn from our mistakes
It appears you’re way ahead of the game so to speak during this ordeal. Always good to have a plan. Hopefully the utility company makes its way out of town towards you. 73s
We finally got power after 9.5 days. It was glorious
There's a lot to look for on those power banks- input has to be about 1/4-1/2 the capacity, and simultaneous ac-solar as well as charge- discharge.
The smaller packs were fine for what they were, for camping trips they would be perfect. For a long term event, there will be ones that we will be looking to replace
Dig the old c band satellite dish. I had a Drake dish with a Kenwood receiver back in the day
I set this up in 2019. It's still working well with newer FTA digital signals. There are a lot of cool things still up there.
@@FarpointFarms that new technology got all of our attention. I moved away and left behind a very good Drake system at a rental ,wish I had it back .
I learned from this video..... . Thank You !
Glad it was helpful!
The problem with the power pack not charging and outputting is no “pass through charging”. I’m surprised your power bank didn’t have it because most power stations made now do have pass through charging. Before you make your next purchase, just check that it has “pass through charging” Good Luck!
Yup! I'm already looking for a replacement.
We are grid connected solar. It requires a bit of power to let the solar be available. A generator can open up the solar capacity. Be certain that you have the cutoff switch to protect our linesmen from back surge.
We cut the main breaker to the house. People need to think of those who are working on the lines.
hi Eric, sorry to hear your power is still out. I was thinking about what you said about fast recharge. Power stations that have internal chargers, that is, no power brick, can be charged in an hour or two. That applies pretty much across-the-board. Anything with a power brick is usually limited to 100-250 watts. It’s the first thing I check when looking at new power stations.
It's on my radar now! The 200 watt charge time is just far too much.
Great lessons learned video. I have a similar setup to you. The flow through issue (charge while discharging) is a big deal. I have an investment in Oupes so I'll have to review their capability. Longest we have went so far is about 18 hours so I haven't had to top off with the generator yet. If you can get that power box working. I'd be interested to learn what you found. Keep charging. Later
Oupes did well for us other than the slow recharge feature- We are look at a quick charge version going forward
Today living off grid is a novelty - I live in the rural deep south -
REA finally brought power in my area in the late 50s -
For those who had power they had a 32 volts farm light plant -
It consisted of 16 large two volt cells and a generator to charge the lead acid batterys -
During winter most only charged all day Friday -
During summer the fridges, freezer's, ceiling and window fan ran a lot -
So in summers they charged all day Friday and some on Monday for a 21 kw set up -
The battery's that used 1.220 strength acid lasted about 40 yrs -
The battery's that used 1.195 strength acid lasted about 60 yrs -
Back then there were complete lines of appliances sold that ran on 32 volts DC in towns in rural America -
You can read about farm light plants on the net -
My grand father started working on them around 1900 or so -
I'm a third generation generator man i spent my yrs in the offshore oilfields working in power production - I've been through 20 storms on land - some times my power off the grid has been knocked out for months -
I'm hybrid when off the grid and charge my lead acid battery 2 hrs a day in summer -
I'm never in the dark -
Cool info!
We’ve been using an RV with 600 watts of solar for almost 3 years, and I can testify that even a little bit of solar like this can enormously improve your quality of life when main power is off line. Just a side note - the DC portable electric coolers that are available use very little wattage (while running) and work great as a backup. Just saying.
I agree. having even a little power is a game changer!
Get a chest freezer and put a couple of gallon water jugs in to help stabilize the temperature. I have a 2000 watt inverter that I can connect to the Lithium batteries in my golf cart. Only buy a power unit that can charge and discharge at the same time. I have a boost converter to be able to charge my 36 volt golf cart bank from my solar panels. Thanks for the video .
The charge and discharge trick is the big issue that I knew I needed but thought I had.
I hope everything goes well where you are and power and other service are back up soon.
I can charge my PowerOak (BLUETTI) EB240 (holds 2400 watt hour) while power is being taken. However it only charges at just over 210 watts while outputting 1000 watt. Thankfully I have two of the EB240's and a petrol generator. The generator produces 1000 watts, so two EB240 charge at a little over 400watt leaving 500 - 600 watts for other periferals.
You sound like a very prepared man, and a very smart one as well.
Thanks
You're welcome
Suggest to also watch: DIY solar eith Will Prowse. Good luck to all
I do watch his videos, he is really great about explaining it all
I saw some people living in an apartment who were backfeeding from the building electricity because they had no power.
That does not sound smart
The Oupes2 can be fast charged or slow charged, I slow charge on grid charge and run 2 15 amp. solar connectors , which are always on.
The Oupes we have are the slow charging, the fast charging one is on the wish list
Great Video! I've been pushing using power stations precisely for that reason... you only need to run the generator maybe 2 hours a day (depending on the size of the power station) to charge up the station and save boat loads of gasoline. Throw in a few solar panels, and gasoline use drops even further! In emergencies, it is all about having flexibility, and options, and conservation, and you get all of that in spades with a few power stations and solar panels.
Not bad considering the ad-hoc nature of all the systems you put together. I'm not a fan of VToMan's, personally... all my power stations can charge and discharge simultaneously and some of them are hitting 5 years old now with basically zero loss of capacity.
-Matt
5 years is good to know- The one I was most disappointed with was the Allpowers- it was fine and when I needed it most, it failed.
@@FarpointFarms Yah, that's one of the downsides of a power station (at least in situations where a person only has one). Everything is integrated into one unit and if it breaks you are down for the count.
The better solution, technically, is to put together a power system with discrete components. Panels, charge controller(s), LiFePO4 batteries, an inverter, fusing and breakers, etc. But I don't usually recommend that unless the person knows their way around electrical systems. The power station still winds up being the best solution for most people.
I'd love to see a video about your comms during the aftermath of the storm and too see if cb radio was useful in 2024
The video will be out soon- Saturday I think
We dodged the bullet on Helene. We are about 60 miles west of where the storm went through GA and got virtually zero damage. Our power never even blinked.
You're learning a couple of things through necessity. These "solar generators" are advancing rapidly, but there's a lot we need to understand about their limitations. Units that were purchased 2-3 years ago are woefully inadequate for power outages.
I have 3. The first one i bought was the AC200MAX from Bluetti. It's great for running appliances and power tools, but the AC charge rate requires 4-5 hours, and that's way too much time if you need to recharge with a generator.
The 2nd one was a Bluetti EB3a, a small station for running my router. It wrapped out after about 9 months. Bluetti replaced it, but it took a couple of weeks to get through that process.
Things we all need to understand about these power stations.
2k watts sounds like a HUGE amount of power. It's not. A fridge or freezer will eat that up in one day.
Fast charging is critical. Newer Bluetti or Ecoflow products can be charged at 1800+ watts, and that's critical when using a genny to recharge.
Stations need to have UPS so you can use them in virtually all applications.
Stations need to allow over-panel use. My AC200MAX charges via solar at 900 watts, but i can easily hook up 1200 watts of panels as long as I stay within the voltage limits. It will only accept 900 or so, but having 1200 available means I get more watts during cloudy conditions.
Having a dual-fuel generator is the key to being comfortable during power outages that last several days. We can run portable ACs and all our 110 devices with a 5k generator.
Alternative power options like solar and generator require some degree of power management. Unless you have a massive battery bank and large solar array, or a "whole house" backup generator that runs in natural gas, you'll need to control how much power you use. We have 2 refrigerators and 4 freezers full of food because we grow most of our food. We keep 200 pounds of propane and 25 gallons of gas on hand. We are on a farm, so we have the capacity to carry around 200 gallons of gas but have never kept that much. We run the gas through the mowers or just use it in our vehicles in order to keep it fresh.
We have 3 generators.
We have the 3 power stations, 4,000 watts of solar panels, and about a million feet of extension cords.
We are as prepared as we can be. I guess...
Great points and great info. Thanks for sharing!
It was good of you to give out those four generators and gas to neighbors and help those of your neighbors, without the natural springs in the area, fill up from your spring.
You have to help others, that is the basic law of humanity. When people forget that, we are all doomed. Thank you for the support of the channel.
I like to use the thumb rule of "a minimum of 10% of rated power can be had 80% of the year"... this is good to sizing sufficient solar panels for your critical loads like freezers and fridges.
Good rule of thumb to have. The winter is hard because the batteries really like to charge when it's cold
Allpowers website states 5 year warranty. So hopefully it will be covered.
I will see what I can do
Thanks for the update on your solar backups, very informative and helpful in future planning. I noticed your old C Band dish, is there still activity up there on C Band? I used to enjoy listening to audio feeds on C Band sub carriers back in the early 1990's. (Used a Drake SA-24 Stereo Adapter that a radio station no longer needed to tune program feeds). At that time there was a lot of audio in the clear, and still quite a bit of video.
There is still some stuff on it, Not as much as there used to.
You might want more batteries you can get 100 amp for 170 almost everyday. Have fun stay safe.
More batteries for the capacity and more panels. This did great for what we needed it to. The 5 days of cloud cover did not help
Cool stuff!!
Thanks
FIRST thing to look for with the portable power pacts is the WARRANTIES a) How long are they? b) Does the customer have to pay shipping to send these HEAVY things back" c) Repairs, can they be repaired IN the United States, is there replacement parts in the U.S.? folks buy these to rely on BUT they are dependable as new generators NOT cranking or breaking down under 30 hours of use.
All great things to look for. These things are too heavy to ship anywhere
If you purchased the All Power unit, call them before breaking into it. They're really good at helping diagnose problems and will take back some units for repair or replacement. If it was a giveaway for review, I look forward to a video about your attempts to repair it. I hope you can. Good luck and happy you all made it through this. We barely did. WNC is still fighting it out. We're doing our best down here in Spartanburg, SC to help our family and friends in NC, and soon FLA. As we all are learning, we have only each other. Our government is out on an extended lunch.
I might have to do that- I hope Florida does better than us- My heart goes out to everyone in the path of Milton
Much better to put together a proper battery bank so you have cpacity. Those portable units are great but not really for day after day usage. That 1200 watt setup should put out plenty of amperage to keep a bank of deep cycle batteries fully charged. Run through a 2kw or 4kw invertor with a charge controller.
It worked well for what we needed it to. I hope that we will not have to do a long term use again for a very long time.
A little wind generator added to your solar system would really help I think as well tie it all together
He lives in a bowl between mountains. I think a wind generator would just get angry at the winds fickleness and lack of oomf after a while.
We really don't get wind, were are in a "fishbowl"
What's your take on a modular system? Something like a battery bank, inverter, charge controller all separate, so you only replace portions of the entire system when they fail. I have a small array of Off-The-Shelf components like that, and it does charge while on load. Do you prefer the integrated units over something like that?
I made an entire series on Solar for beginners. I talked about the advantage to having separate setups vs the all in one solution.
The AllPowers R3500 cost over 2K. Its dead and can't be fixed. Its worth nothing. The 1200 watt solar I setup with a separate solar charger, inverter, batteries and such is working fine, but two years ago the charger went bad. It cost $300 to replace just that part. In the end these larger separate systems are a better investment, but I do feel that these power packs also have a lot of uses as smaller stations. I'd skip the 3000W mega packs like the R3500 though.
Solor is cute when everything works... However when electric is needed a inverter generator with eco control is the way to go...
Having both is the way to go
We have both and need both-
The Anker F2600 or F3800 would cover a ton of your needs
We are looking at our options now. I will check them out
You could get a small (I prefer Victron) charge controller and tap into that power station battery pack directly and charge it while it's in use.
That is a good idea
Hey hope the power comes back up soon. Glad you're okay. I wanted to ask where I could get an antenna like I had back in the 80s it was called a big stick. I was able to talk all over the place with that stick.
I had an Antron 99 (still have it, just blew down one winter). I got an Antron because the better one (from what I've heard), IMAX 2000, wouldn't ship to my address. I've heard there may be one to top both, a Sirio GainMaster from Copper Electronics. I know nothing more about it. I was able to talk sixty miles on four watts with the Antron. Looks like Walcott Radio may have something you're looking for. Right Channel Radios MAY as well. Good Luck. Hear you out there.
I don't think they make the big stick anymore, but the Antron A99 is a pretty close match.
Thank you I'll research and find one. I used to have a cobra 142 gtl base fully modded and a d104 . I could catch skip rolling in and talk to Nova Scotia and down to the Bahamas.
As much of a fan as I am of solar, you just about need a concrere bunker with replacement panels to keep an array viable through storms and general disaster. Back up generators and a stationary bicycle to keep stuff running while you fix the solar system.
we were lucky that trees did not damage the system. I wish I could afford a concrete bunker
@@FarpointFarms Yeah, that's the "just about" part. Being able to afford what you need. I've built a lot of retaining walls in my life. In my area in California, just the 8x16 blocks would cost over $1,000. Considering that I over build everything, after I rebar every other tier, and put verticals in every block (every other hole) then fill the verticals with concrete (for this I'd fill all the voids, it's a bunker!). All that is about $2k. no door, no roof, no floor and no labor (just materials).
a lot of pass-through charging discharging solar generators are on sale right now.
That is good to know- I am taking notes of what we should have
Have people been on CB during this crisis?
Yes. Much.
CB was one of the only forms of communications that worked, there was 0 cell service for a long time
You might want a wind generator or two or 10 . Run Everything 24-7 wind solar.💙💙💙
We don't get a lot of wind here, our property is in a fish bowl- you can hear the wind but not feel it
Called Pass through . Ability to charge and use the generator at the same time . Not designed properly if the solar generator does not have Pass Through .Ecoflow , Jackery, Bluetti (what I own ) all have pass through . Pecron too . Own 7 solar generators-all pass through .
2 of the 3 were, but I was wrong about the 3rd one. I'm already looking for a replacement.
Have you been keeping in contact with anybody using 2-way radios or CB radio?
Just some conversations here and there, not one person in particular
No TV? No problem if you have the services you want self hosted. I’ve got an imperfect system but it can run a jellyfin instsnce with all my movies and tv shows with a self contained WiFi node. Uses only 20w for the drive/wifi node alone. Very good if you have kids.
An imperfect system can still work what you need.
Can you better explain your current OFF-Grid power setup equipment? OR provide a link with all the equipment. Very interested with what works in a real disaster. Regards...
I have a whole series on the setup. It is 7 or 8 parts
Check out my entire series on this system. It's very in-depth as I built the setup, and why I did.
How did your homemade radio tower hold up with the storm?
Still standing!~!!
I wan't too warn you about the solar panel at 600W from allpower, i have seen some people at youtube had getting hot spots within few days.
So just be little bit careful about that one.
I was about buy it, but then i saw someone talking about it and was buying the 400W instead (that's gives me 210-275 W when it's clear day.
One time above 300W and never 400W in-real-world. Just too warn you about it, but it's working and haven't getting any hot spot.
I did not know that, but thanks for telling me. Catching my house on fire would not be great
I have radios with solar panels.
Smart- radios here were the only form of communication for days since the cell towers were not working.
one lesson from this video is if you're paying, only buy quality brands like ecoflow, anker, bluetti...not off-brands with little to no support.
The off brand that we have did great other than slow to charge. I guess I would expect more from any and it failing during a time of need was frustrating
That's not nearly enough solar panels to REPLACE grid energy for an average home daily use.
And if you have property _(more than a zero lot-line city or suburban home)_ do NOT mount your solar panels on a roof,
mount them on a purpose built shed, gazebo... or with the new BI-FACIAL panels, mount them on a RACK
with white or silver painted reflector under them, so they can absorb energy _(light)_ from both directions.
_Another advantage of a (6 foot high) rack mounting system for bifacial panels is_
_YOU CAN TAKE THEM DOWN EASILY before a hurricane shows up_
Good tips, thanks for sharing
EG4 3kW Off-Grid Inverter | 5000W PV Input @ 500 VOC Input = $674.10 - EVE MB31 LF314 Grade A LiFePO4 3.2V Prismatic Cell x 16 = 51.2 volts @ $87/cell = $1,392 - JK B2A24S20P 200A Bluetooth BMS with 2A active balancer built-in = $155. So, 3,000 watts of inverter, 5,000 watts of solar charging and 16,076.8 watts of battery for $2,221.10 all products are USA Stock
That is good to know, thanks for sharing that
No communication? What about all those CB, Ham transceivers and Shortwave radios?
He's been listening to the scanner, CB and GMRS. Plenty of traffic on CB and a little on GMRS.
Cell reception was non existent- CBs and other radios were the only communications that were working.
LOL, these SHYNA battery packs are designed to NOT last, bought a Jackery 500 that recently went out, NO warranty after 3 years & it had been used about half a dozen times.
That is the frustrating part, even name brands fail
Might want to consider a electric car and using its battery power via a inverter or some have basic V2L capability or more complex extensive V2H to power your entire home. You could use them to recharge your portable batteries at night without all the noise of a combustion generator.
Something to consider
You have to get yourself some better quality solar generators. Simultaneously charging and discharging should be a no brainer. As far as fast charging is concerned, even my 4 year old EF Delta 1300 charges at 1000 watt and is full in 90 minutes.
I probably missed it but what are you charging with that 1200 watt solar array? You don’t use stand alone lithium batteries and mppts ? It seems you have over 2kw of solar but it doesn’t seem to have that much impact. Even with the free batteries
I have 3 portable power units. I thought all 3 were pass though, but one of them it turned out wasn't. I am already looking at a replacement. The 1200 watt solar array charges 17.5KW of LiPo battery's at 24V. The inverter is a 60amp MPPT, and the system is powering my gear with a 3000 watt Aims inverter.
The system worked perfectly for the duration. I was able to keep my fridge powered up the entire time, powered the radio gear, some lights, a fan, and at times we even turned on the TV and DVD player to kill an hour.
Not sure why you think this system isn't setup well, it's actually out preformed my original intentions for it. That said, after this event, we will finish the upgrade to a 240V inverter and finish installing the additional 2000watts of solar panels that I bought over the summer but didn't install.
The type that takes in and puts out electricity is called pass through charging. I am shocked you have a non pass through charging solar generator. Good luck in this year. PS all Bluetti and Ecoflow solar generators are pass through charging.
I was shocked too! I was certain that that one unit was, but I was wrong. The other 2 are, but it did make the situation worse for sure. I'm already looking at a replacement.
I see where florida is going to take another hit from another hurricane thats bad luck so much stuff damaged already to add to the damage
It is bad this year
amazon is having a fall sale 8-9th i seen several different brands of solar generators are on super sale. Just wanted to pass that on. altho i feel kinda of dumb to say it being the situation. Sorry bout that.
We are looking to see how we can improve and add on. Thanks for letting us know
Don't think the problem with the battery bank/inverter is a fuse. It would have died all at once.
I have not been able to fix it. I think it's done for.
Solar And Wind "Power" Is A Fairy Tail!!
Wind is just stupid. I use solar power but it's usefulness is very limited and good results depend on ideal circumstances.
I totally disagree. This setup has kept me running these past 12 days. Without it, I'd have to rely heavily on my generator and that means burning a lot of fuel and being stuck with power in only one spot.
Solar is the eternal power source. Not something you can power everything with, but that wasn't the point of this setup in this configuration.
Wind? Not here. We live in a fish bowl and as a result, we thankfully never get wind. I think you should take a look at solar as a prep, and not as a "Green" idea. I could care less about that, but wanted a silent power source here that would run for years if needed. It worked!
In an emergency there is nothing more precious than gasoline, so being able to reduce your consumption to 1/6th of what you would use without solar and storage is life-saving. And I think Helene has made that really really really clear to everyone. There was (and is) a stark, stark difference between households that had power stations and a bit of solar to augment their generators, and households that did not. (And we won't even mention the difference that starlink has made, as well, to many people's lives).
You'd be hard pressed to argue against it in any sane way given the incredible amount of evidence showing just how good it is.
-Matt
Great Video, be safe, K4XKF
Thanks
If you hook your generator/solar up with a power cord to an outlet in your house. Don't forget to turn OFF THE MAIN BREAKER TO YOUR HOUSE. If you don't power can go out of your house and to the grid. Endangering linemen working to restore your power!
He clearly stated that in the first part of the video.
I firmly believe all new load centers should be configured standard with a transfer switch for backup power. 0% chance of having both on at same time.
@@jeremydavis2595 the problem is that an interlock of any sort is useless when using a cheater cord to back feed.... UNLESS... the back feed is at the panel and going through a breaker tied to that interlock. Most people in this situation lean away from a transfer switch due to cost.
The first thing was to turn off the main breaker to the house- That is first and foremost
Where is your Solar box snaky friends?
LOL, you remember that too!
They have found new homes- I think in the belly of the stray cat that made a home here
@@FarpointFarms Lol. Either way, they're warm.
I want to get a generator that will run off of propane. Maybe a dual-fuel unit.
That generator of his is dual. He did a vid on it.
We ran that generator on gas because we were not sure if we would need the propane for cooking or not