Best EcoFlow Delta Pro Setup for Boondocking- Install a Transfer Switch!
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- We installed wiring circuits and an automatic transfer switch inside our travel trailer, so we can have our EcoFlow Delta Pro power bank safely inside the storage compartment, protected from theft and weather, and still be able to power all of the RV circuits without running a power cord outside the trailer. This keeps the power bank out of sight and out of the weather. We can also recharge the power bank when we are connected to shore power, all without ever having to move the 100 pound power bank out of the storage compartment. This unit has a 30 amp outlet and can run our A/C for hours.
Thanks to @RiverForged on IG for help with the thumbnails!
Music by Alex MakeMusic
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WFCO T30 30amp transfer switch -
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EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station 3600Wh DELTA Pro -
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Malxs Shore Power Inlet 125V 30 Amp RV Adapter-
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Cablectric 30 Amp Male to 30 Amp Locking RV Adapter-
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Leviton R72-GFNT1-0RW 15 Amp White SmartlockPro Self-Test GFCI
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Carlon BH118R Outlet Box, Old Work, 1 Gang
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NMB W/G Wire, 25' 14/2, White, 25 Foot
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DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver, Power Tool Combo Kit with 2 Batteries and Charger
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DEWALT 20V MAX* XR Oscillating Tool Kit
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Electrical system modifications are dangerous and should only be done by qualified persons.
Just to confirm, you cut the shore power wire and it goes into the transfer switch and then continues out? The other wire goes direct to the generator plug?
When connecting the wires to the transfer switch, I exactly followed the instructions printed on the cover of the switch. They were very clearly marked as to where each wire should be connected. In the description below my video, and right here, is a link to the Amazon listing of the transfer switch that I used. amzn.to/47QiLMQ
It shows a picture of the label with those wiring instruction. In my case, the "from generator" wires are the #10 Romex that I pulled through the trailer and attached to the new 30 amp receptacle that I installed in the compartment. If you try such a thing, you need to fully understand the wiring and components unique to your specific application. Thanks for watching!
@@thePFOchannel correct. Got all that. You just can’t see the final install in the video to see all the connections in and out
You did a phenomenal job so not nitpicking but a small tip that I adopted from electricians is once you snug up the wire, put some electelectrical tape on the wire nut. Just snugs everything up to not shake loose, especially in a camper, and for me, added safety no wires can ever accidentally touch. I know it’s not critical and I wired my whole house in 1988 before ever seeing this done with no issues, but all new wiring of any kind gets electrical tape.
Thanks for the tip. It wouldn't be hard to open it back up and do that.
Good job I would highly recommend you install a small fan to move the hot air from the cabinet you can vent it under the coach. Otherwise you'll cook the inverter and charger. Another plus is you can lock the door to keep a low life from taking your great Eco Flow. Regards Mike
Thanks for the tip!
You have a big compartment, wish we did. Most are smaller and pass through like our Jayco. Glad you remembered to cut off the power, lol. Excellent video
Thank you. Yes, we were lucky to have the larger compartment on this model. The hatch opening on the front pass through storage was just a bit too low, and that would have been a lot longer wire run, too. Unfortunately, a lot of travel trailer models probably don't have such an ideal spot for it.
Wow! Pretty impressive snaking of wires, and lots of ingenuity. Neatly done.
Thank you very much!
Very nice! Papa Darrel is smiling down on you from heaven! Nice job.
Thank you very much!
Did the same thing in my 50 amp RV. Nice to have all plugs live.
It sure is! We were disappointed when we realized the standard inverter in the travel trailer wouldn't even run a single cup Keurig without shore power. Had to fix that, fast! This setup totally nailed it.
Great installation. I would shorten your cable for the battery to only what is needed to reduce loss over the length of the cable. I look to copy this setup on my RV.
Thanks! There was only one possible route to run the cable through the guts of the trailer, so it made that part of the decision easy.
@@thePFOchannel you could run a conduit under the RV up against the belly for the cable to run though and keep it protected. Cheap easy fix.
You're right, I could. That would shorten the run by about 3 feet by doing that. For 10AWG copper, at a full 30 amps, the voltage drop in 3 feet is less than 0.18 volts. I think it will be OK.
This is GREAT and thanks for making this video! I just purchased an EcoFlow Delta Pro (haven’t even gotten it yet) primarily to take it with me in my RV while traveling. I was already thinking in my head HOW I could accomplish what you just explained in this video. I thought about punching a hole through the side of 1 of my storage areas and then just pushing the regular shore power through it during those times I wanted to use it, but really didn’t like that idea. I don’t have a lot of places to put my EcoFlow, so I still need to decide where to put it whether inside the cab with me or down in one of the storage bays. But this looks fairly easy, especially if I have my RV guy do it. Only thing I might add is a little hole to bring in my solar wire when I want to charge via solar. Thanks for the video and the links to the supplies too!! I’m excited now!!
I'm glad you found it useful. Good luck with your setup. I'm currently working on a project to add a couple more wire feeds into that same compartment to add more flexibility to how I can recharge the Delta Pro besides just shore power.
So just to be clear, the transfer switch needs to be placed BEFORE the breaker box? So then the main “out” wire from the switch will go directly into the breaker box? You’ll have shore power in one side, EcoPro on the other. You can’t just pick any place in the coach (say tap into an electrical outlet), right?
That is correct. Pay close attention to the circuit layout printed on the transfer switch.
That is awesome. Huge upgrade.
Thanks! We think so, too. It really increases the flexibility, ease of use and overall enjoyment level of the rig.
Super cool and useful setup!
It really is!
Absolutely Awesome Job 🏁🌅
Thank you!
Well done! Just don't forget to shut off the circuit breaker for the RV battery charger for the batteries on your trailer tongue. I suspect that charger would put a decent electrical demand on the Bluetti.
Good point, thanks!
Or your could run your shoes cable back inside and plug it in inside. Takes like 4 mins
Yes, there are a lot of options. Thanks for watching.
What was in there? That would make a good coopy hole for an outdoor grill w/ fridge. : - ) Proud of the Ecoflo tho.
Thanks! The cubby where we placed the power bank was a pre-existing storage compartment included in the original floor plan of this particular travel trailer model.
I have the exact same situation with my RV. Would it be possible to connect my Eco pro to a 120 volt outlet in my RV to energize my 120 volt system? Would I blow something up ? All I would need is a double ended cord with two male three pronged plugs. Of course you will have to remember to disconnect your shore power first. Thanks for any help, from anyone, out there.
Backfeeding ANY electrical system with a chord having male prongs on both ends is a good way to set things on fire and kill people! Don't do it!
Nice video, you mean you didn't go out and max out your credit cards by spending $20,000 on battleborn batteries, with 1600 watts of solar? lolol I did the same thing with my RV except I did it with an Anker 767 with the extra battery. great job on the wiring.
Thanks! lol cash is king, right? That Anker 767 looks like a great unit, too.
Make sure the xfer switch is UL rated! --Insurance for a catastrophic failure. CTEK is only Canadian
Yes, the transfer switch I used is marked as conforming to UL spec
1008.
How has this power station held up? I’m looking to do something similar and struggling with “do I build my own or buy pre made”? I’m trying to think long term. If I build my own, every piece is modular, so if it fails, I should be able to get a replacement from Amazon pretty quick. I contacted Eco, they said they do pay for shipping, but it goes to California or Canada. I’m on the East coast in VA. So at the best case, it is 5 days each way shipping, so that is 10 days, plus any processing time, which if I’m on vacation, zero chance of being practical to get warranty done in a timely manner. If modular, it could be a day or 2.
We have not had any need for warranty work with the Delta Pro. We are extremely pleased with it. We bought this unit very soon after this model was launched. During the first year, it did seem like they had to push out a lot of firmware updates, but that has tapered off to only occasional updates. All are achieved quickly and easily through the phone app. We have used this a LOT not only in the travel trailer, but it has run our refrigerator and Starlink internet in the house to get us through many power outages. I love the self-contained aspect of the Delta Pro and the fact that it can be recharged by so many different input sources. The onboard charge controller seamlessly deals with anything you need to connect in or out. Even though I managed an electrical engineering department professionally for many years, I would have to do a ton of research to figure out how to piece together a system that would properly and safely handle the wide range of configurations this unit will accommodate. We like this so much that we bought another one and hooked it up in my mother's house, along with the Eco Flow Smart Home Panel, to be her backup power. Her town has frequent power outages, and it is a real blessing for me to be able to see and manage her system status via my phone from anywhere we happen to be. Both units have performed flawlessly.
I am planning on doing the same thing, but i was under the impression that the wfco transfer switch you used operated the opposite of what you described, i.e. when it detects the generator is turned on (the ecoflow 120 output in your case), the relay energizes and lets the generator provide power, regardless of shore power state. So shore power is really the controlling factor for the relay on the wfco transfer switch?
My explanation does seem a bit confused now, looking back at it. When I said that the transfer switch was refusing the power from the DeltaPro, it was only because the built-in delay function had not yet switched over. I made it sound like the transfer switch was prioritizing the shore power when, in fact, it prioritizes the generator power (per the switch label). I did not need to unplug the shore power at all in order for the DeltaPro to begin powering the trailer. It would have switched anyway, and in fact, it did switch over at the same instant, coincidentally, at which I unplugged the shore power. Unplugging the shore power was the only way I could think of to demonstrate that the DeltaPro was actually running the air-conditioner. But, instead of clarifying things, unplugging it only confused us all about how exactly the switch was working. Sorry for that confusion. Thanks for pointing this out!
Do you happen to have a soft start on your AC unit? Was wondering what the initial surge was... Thanks
I don't have a soft start on the AC...yet. The Delta Pro handles the AC startup without any trouble, but I have not attempted to measure the amp surge.
So if my RV runs off 50 amps I would just use the 50 amp version transfer switch instead of the 30 amp switch used here?
Yes, you would certainly want to use a 50 amp transfer switch because you would be drawing that much load through the switch when connected to shore power, even if you only draw 30 amps when connected to the Delta Pro. You would also want to size all the wiring to handle the 50 amp loads and use a NEMA SS2-50P shore power inlet in the cargo hold instead of the 30 amp inlet like I used. Then, you could use an adapter to go from the 30 amp outlet on the Delta Pro to the 50 amp receptacle in the hold. Of course, just as when you get stuck in a campground that only has 30 amp hookups, you would not be able to operate your RV at full power. For example, you probably wouldn't be able to run dual AC units off the Delta Pro. That would exceed the 30 amp limit. The last I checked, Ecoflow does not have a power bank that accommodates 50 amps. I see that at least one other brand, Anker, now offers a power bank that has a 50 amp RV outlet, but I don't have any experience with it.
@@thePFOchannel would you use 10/4 awg wire from the receptacle to the transfer switch or 12/4 awg?
I'm not an electrician, but I'd use 6 AWG copper for a 50 amp circuit.
@@thePFOchannel I appreciate the advice.
Have you tested how long the EcoPro would power your a/c? Curious and interested in how fast it can be recharged.
I'm putting together a video to test those attributes on this power bank. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it. Thanks for watching!
Go back and put a bead of silicone around the exterior round hole you fished via. That is NOT waterproof and will delaminate if you get heavy rain. Personally I would goop all that exposed wood in there too.
Thanks for the advice.
You may need to ventilate the storage area?
That's a great question. The Delta Flow literature states the unit puts out no toxic fumes and is safe for indoor use. It does, however, say to store it with adequate ventilation. Given the way this particular travel trailer storage compartment is constructed, there is a minimum of 15 square inches of unobstructed air space between the compartment interior and the space beneath the trailer floor. There is a rigid plastic belly membrane attached to the bottom of the frame rails, but even though the space below the floor is enclosed, it is not air tight. I believe this will result in sufficient air circulation for the compartment.
Español, por favor.
(Esta respuesta fue creada usando Google Translate) ¡Hola! Nunca antes había intentado crear un video en español. Sin embargo, te valoro como espectador, así que investigaré qué se necesita para hacerlo y lo intentaré. Suscríbete para no perderte si logro crear una versión en español. Gracias.
How long will AC run off that? What btu 13500?
It's 3600 watt hours of battery capacity
We have the Coleman Mach 15,000 btu AC unit. Starting with the Delta Pro at 100%, it shows 3 hours of run time when the AC is running full blast. Of course, it will last longer than that if we dial up the thermostat so the AC only has to cool intermittently. For example, we tested it on a day that never got above 78 degrees, and set the thermostat to keep the trailer about 74 degrees. After 6 hours of cooling, in those conditions, the Delta Pro still showed 48%. I have some video of that test still in editing mode. Be sure to subscribe, so you won't miss it. Thanks for watching, and thanks for the question!
@@thePFOchannel I have an ECO Flow River Max and did the same thing you did on my Truck Camper - except I used a 3 way switch to transfer power. I believe my rig is equipped with same AC unit. My AC unit pulled ~1100 watts - according to the data displayed on the ECO Flow when compressor was engaged and cooling. Coffee maker pulls ~1300 watts and uses ~ 11% of the ECO Flows stored power. Also I set maximum charge to ECO Flow to ~ 90 - 95% and discharge floor @ ~10% so that 11% # for the coffee maker is less.
I like that transfer switch you installed. Would you have a link for that product? Thanks
The transfer switch I used is a WFCO T30 30 Amp Transfer Switch. I bought it through Amazon. Here's a link to the item.
amzn.to/47QiLMQamzn.to/47QiLMQ
I'll also add this link to the description under the video.
I didn't realize until I had the switch in the travel trailer that it is the same manufacturer, WFCO, as the main breaker panel installed by the Surveyor factory. I'm not an affiliate to any of the above. Thanks for watching, and thanks for the sub!
@@thePFOchannel Thanks