Thankfully, the Apex has circuit breakers built in that can be reset instead of what you have to do with the Kodiak. Just ordered my Apex today. I can't wait to use it. Thanks for the coupon code. That saved almost $160.
Looks great. Marvy and I live full-time in our van and Kodiak tent while I get ready to walk across America in 2020. We use a g500 watt Suaoki now, but I also teach English for a living on Skype and when winter comes, we will need more power. I am still looking at a basic 200 watt system built into our van, or something like you are using. Your video helped answer a lot of questions!!!
My Kodiak popped its circuit breaker/fuse thing too once. I ran it low and it was near zero degrees. Reset it as U mentioned and it fixed it. Kind of would like to know why it happened. Very happy w/ it though
Thanks Nate. Glad it's working for you! Loved the shots of the bridge. I'll be there sometime late fall. I got the new Apex I've only had it a few weeks. So far it's really wonderful. Safe travels, and thank you for the review!
Regarding a 120vac source for resetting you kodiak: If the power draw from the charger is 150w or less, you can get a $20 12vdc to120vac inverter to plug into your vehicle cigarette lighter so you can start the vehicle and reset you Kodiak. Since the CL socket on a vehicle is usually fused at 150w, you're out of luck using this method if the Kodiak charger draws more than 150w. But, you may be able to pick up a low power charger (
Nice #SHARINGitFORWARD good Sir @Elwood Anderson! Just spent 20 minutes reading all of you Google Photos info to your van's well thought out setup. Envy/Drool.. Drool some more! ;]]
The Dawn of Vanlife dang $1,500 is it??? their website isn't friendly to show cost up front. always a bad sign. I googled and saw $1,500 for whichever model. when they don't show cost up front and have to get to check out to see the price it means its a rip off. I hear it all the time great success with even harbor freight solar panels and units that all together cost like $200 just to keep a laptop and TV going. of course need to add for a fridge. nates bad experience with the fold up ones he use to use has terrible reviews by everyone. thanks to everyone's reviews on that alone I know not to buy it. lithium batteries I keep hearing are the only way to go. I like the idea of using solar for everything vs using propane for certain items. its the best way to go and beats the dollar In long run.
Maybe a cheaper alternative to solve your fridge cutting off. I purchased the APEX to power a similar 12V fridge that also cut off when the battery dipped. My solution, I purchased the Jackery which has a regulated 12V socket. This means that the 12V socket produces 13V the entire time, even if the battery is at 10%. Hope this helps.
Great overview of the Kodiak. I have one as well and love it. 😊 I set it up to use with the Instapot but also got a Daewoo 700 watt microwave and small single serve Keurig coffee machine and am able to run those on it too. Inergy just came out with a new Inergy Flex 1500 system (can only pre-order right now) that sounds pretty awesome. I watch a RUclips review and the guy said it would run DC powered items (eg Dometic Fridge) at constant 13.6 so it doesn’t stop running as you mentioned. Also they will have add on lithium batteries that will work with the Kodiak as well as the new Flex model coming out in October. The new system is stackable with multiple batteries and expanding solar charging capacity.
If you had the Van w/out the pop-up, and didn't have to place anything on the roof, would you have considered a single, mega-sized, Canadian Solar, 400+W panel, at 80 x 40 inches, raised a few inches from the ceiling to accommodate a small bathroom vent in the back with the panel being mounted and 'hidden' on the sides by a lengthwise L-bracket running the length of the van? Crazy question but I believe in maximizing solar first so you may not have to regret it later.
Nate - FRIDGE CUTOFF SOLUTION. I also have a cf18. Put the battery monitor switch in the middle between high and low. This disables the cutoff feature. I know this works since i run my cf18 off a Harbor Freight jump pack with only a 17 ah agm inside. I can run the cf18 around 10-12 hours without running the battery dead. Hope this helps.
Pausing at 9:50. Nate, I think you should get a small inverter that plugs into the NV200’s 12 volt port so that in the event the Kodiak needs resetting you can do it right there. Inverters are cheap. Also, could you use the NV200 to run the dometic instead of the Kodiak? Is that feasible?
what if you had an inverter from the vehicle cigarette lighter and then to AC and plugged the kodiak into that plug that acts as a AC power would that reset it? Inverter from the vehicle battery
Are you not gonna talk about the big 240v washer machine plug? Lol what is that even for. I've got a 400w inverter that runs my cooker & laptop added that battery isolator with the jump start feature, pretty neat.
Lithium batteries don't like to be totally drained. You can run them down quite a bit... say, to about 10% of full charge, but you'll be better off if you only discharge to about 20%. Also, I'm sure you know that the Kodiak model is no longer made. A good idea might be to get a cheap low power inverter, so that you can use it with the vehicle power to reset that fuse/breaker inside the Kodiak.
Thanks for the video Nate. Love your channel! Interesting you are only experiencing issues with running the Dometic cooler off of the Kodiak at sub 50%. I had issues with running my Dometic CF 25 with the Kodiak fully charged. I had both the battery and cooler tested by an electrician and no issues found with either unit. I later found out on a different RUclips channel that the Kodiak is not capable of delivering 12V of power if it runs below 12V charge. All good with the inverter supplied outlets but the 12V cigarette outlets are not regulated to deliver full energy when the battery dips below 12V. Interestingly, I also have the Jackery 290 (Honda) and it runs the cooler no problem, even when it's low in voltage. I ended up selling the Kodiak because I felt it was not worth its price tag if I could only run my lights and charge phone/laptop with it.
Interesting, we actually have the exact same model fridge and I also have a Kodiak. I've had to deal with the same issue of the low voltage cutoff sometimes for my fridge. Something that I noticed you didn't mention having an issue with that I do actually see happening every now and then is when I turn my Kodiak on it will make a very loud buzzing noise, almost like the fan is running improperly and to make it stop I have to just turn it off and turn it back on after a little bit. Very strange. I'm going to have to contact inergy about it.
What about getting a cheap car inverter and only using it when you have to reset the generator. This way you don't have to look for an outlet or have to unplug everything.
How many Watts does it charge at with : 12V car outlet, no engine. 12V car outlet, engine running. AC connection. Solar power. I've got a Jackery Explorer 500 and the corresponding numbers for it is : 21W from 12V outlet, no engine. 42W from 12V outlet, engine running. 82W from AC. ~65W from solar (according to others). Great vids. Thx.
Please forgive the noob question, am I right in understanding that if you were in an RV park you could plug into their shore power and then use the Kodiak outlets to power appliances inside your vehicle?
Nate would you still recommend this product in 2020 vs other brands?I trust you your really honest.Just asking lost my job and house going full time in Ford Transit van.
Two questions: I was curious, if you could get a 12 V adaptor for the cigarette lighter With an AC outlet , whether one could reset the fuse from that? Also, is the Apex the one that came after the Kodiak? Or have I got that backwards? Have you tried the Apex and/or done a comparison between the two? When I was researching a while back it seemed that the Apex wasn’t all that great.
LIPo's got a life span about 500-600 charge cycles. so bear in mind it will last only 2-3 years. Is there any facility to change the battery without ditching the whole unit?
Hey Man I have 2 x 200 Amp AMG Renogy Batteries, do you think I should upgrade to the Inergy and sell my batteries? I'm not sure which is stronger, or I can always link all of them together!
You don't. Lol. I'm going to experiment by making the rice PIP (pot in pot). I'll put a bowl with rice and water on the steamer rack and put water in the bottom of the instant pot. I'm less worried about rice sticking in a bowl than the insert to the IP.
Peltier coolers, aka coolers are basically a no go. They consume too much power. Compressor is the only way to go. Waeco or similar. Then cheapest vehicle option is to use a 100ah lead acid and voltage sensing relay. At 20c and 60/70% humidity a Waeco 25 consumes around 175wh or 10ah at 12v. Or 2 hours of full sun with a 100w panel
My setup: 100w solar panel $85, two 35AH mighty max batteries $130, pwm charge controller $12, cables $20, cigarette lighter adaptor $10. I can run my dometic CF18 for two days on a full charge until the batteries drop below 12v, but no issues with that here in California. I have a jackery 240 as backup, I can run the fridge for a day in that one.
Thanks, so you think a cheap fridge like one of these would consume too much power? www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HR8HW7Q?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=8D6C72WCN45P2AFWH0A9 www.amazon.com/dp/B00U6YTMRM/ref=emc_b_5_i
there are dc to dc converters available. the dometic cuts off at a certain voltage. the lithium battery is going below the dometic cut off voltage, wich is fine. but with a dc to dc step up converter you can set the output voltage to 12 volt. this way the output after the converter will always be 12 volt, even whenever the kodiak is going below 10 volts, wich is fine for lithium battery's. this way you can use your fridge on the kodiak until it is completely empty. I have a goal zero yeti 1400 and goal zero makes a dc to dc vonverter special for this voltage issue.
sure, if someone gave me one of those "solar generators" I would take it, but if I had to purchase one with my own money I would buy a 100ah Lithium battery, and wire it into my van as a leisure battery and save the money. Those are great for people who just need it for portability, but if it lives in your van permanently, then add a charge controller so it charges off of your alternator while the engine is running...adding some solar is a plus...100 watts isn't much for solar, especially for fulltiming..
Pick up a cheep inverter and if Kodiac trips of you can plug inverter into cars 12v and then use this inverter to power ac plug and be able to reset the kodiac .
I'v tried it does not work even with a small generator ypu have to have shore power why I don't know but I HATE it very inconvenient when the Kodiak take a break
@@richardmccombs617 I have no personal experience with any Jackery product they look great but what are your power needs ? I have a class B RV van and use my microwave Insta - Pot Wynter 45q 12v freezer HP laptop phone and lights ect... the 500 is not enough power for me
Wouldn't worry about 50%. It's not 50% it's a set voltage(you'll confuse a lot of noobs). There's high and low which will use different voltages. The problem is probably caused by the kodiak thingy using lifepo4 and being a direct lead acid replacement. (running very similar voltages) so you are falling short..... I built a DIY lithium camp battery. Its useful working voltage is between 10v (completely dead) to 16.4v (full) using such configuration I don't have your issue. My waeco cdf25 will draw it down to 12v when it flashes error. At that point my packs probably 20%, which is low enough. Lithium still benefits from not being fully discharged, and even more so from not being fully charged.
I really appreciate your straightforward no nonsense approach. I am building out my NV200 as well. I find it perfect for me.
Thankfully, the Apex has circuit breakers built in that can be reset instead of what you have to do with the Kodiak. Just ordered my Apex today. I can't wait to use it. Thanks for the coupon code. That saved almost $160.
Looks great. Marvy and I live full-time in our van and Kodiak tent while I get ready to walk across America in 2020. We use a g500 watt Suaoki now, but I also teach English for a living on Skype and when winter comes, we will need more power. I am still looking at a basic 200 watt system built into our van, or something like you are using. Your video helped answer a lot of questions!!!
I have an Alpicool c20 fridge and its awesome!! Worth checking out
My Kodiak popped its circuit breaker/fuse thing too once. I ran it low and it was near zero degrees. Reset it as U mentioned and it fixed it. Kind of would like to know why it happened. Very happy w/ it though
Thanks Nate. Glad it's working for you! Loved the shots of the bridge. I'll be there sometime late fall. I got the new Apex I've only had it a few weeks. So far it's really wonderful. Safe travels, and thank you for the review!
Regarding a 120vac source for resetting you kodiak: If the power draw from the charger is 150w or less, you can get a $20 12vdc to120vac inverter to plug into your vehicle cigarette lighter so you can start the vehicle and reset you Kodiak. Since the CL socket on a vehicle is usually fused at 150w, you're out of luck using this method if the Kodiak charger draws more than 150w. But, you may be able to pick up a low power charger (
Nice #SHARINGitFORWARD good Sir @Elwood Anderson! Just spent 20 minutes reading all of you Google Photos info to your van's well thought out setup. Envy/Drool.. Drool some more! ;]]
Great video Nate, if I build another van I think I will use the kodiak and Solar. It looks simple and easy.
The Kodiak is above my budget, but awesome that it is working out for you. I can also see how the simplicity of it is a winner.
The Dawn of Vanlife
dang $1,500 is it??? their website isn't friendly to show cost up front. always a bad sign. I googled and saw $1,500 for whichever model. when they don't show cost up front and have to get to check out to see the price it means its a rip off.
I hear it all the time great success with even harbor freight solar panels and units that all together cost like $200 just to keep a laptop and TV going. of course need to add for a fridge.
nates bad experience with the fold up ones he use to use has terrible reviews by everyone.
thanks to everyone's reviews on that alone I know not to buy it.
lithium batteries I keep hearing are the only way to go.
I like the idea of using solar for everything vs using propane for certain items. its the best way to go and beats the dollar In long run.
U better try imuto 50000mah out, it's the one that i use, cheap, Lights AND good quality ...u can charger it 3 ways.....
Good one Nate! I do have my eye on that. I saved this also to my watch later, as I missed the reason you had to plug it in at the rest stop.
you can use a DC to DC converter to keep the output voltage to the fridge at 13.0v (more efficient than inverter)
Thank You for this info! Once I get on the road. Or just before I'm planing on getting a Kodiack just from what I've learned from you! Thank You!
Thank you for the update on the Kodiak Generator as I had wondered about that. Hope that your doing well. Safe travels and do take care.
You could install a voltage regulator between the Kodiak and your refrigerator. They are between $20 and $50 on Amazon
Dometic needs to reprogram all fridges for options lead vs other batteries.
Maybe a cheaper alternative to solve your fridge cutting off. I purchased the APEX to power a similar 12V fridge that also cut off when the battery dipped. My solution, I purchased the Jackery which has a regulated 12V socket. This means that the 12V socket produces 13V the entire time, even if the battery is at 10%. Hope this helps.
You can extend your capacity by attaching your existing AGM to the Kodiak.
Great overview of the Kodiak. I have one as well and love it. 😊 I set it up to use with the Instapot but also got a Daewoo 700 watt microwave and small single serve Keurig coffee machine and am able to run those on it too. Inergy just came out with a new Inergy Flex 1500 system (can only pre-order right now) that sounds pretty awesome. I watch a RUclips review and the guy said it would run DC powered items (eg Dometic Fridge) at constant 13.6 so it doesn’t stop running as you mentioned. Also they will have add on lithium batteries that will work with the Kodiak as well as the new Flex model coming out in October. The new system is stackable with multiple batteries and expanding solar charging capacity.
So what's stopping you from plugging it into your cigarette lighter
If you had the Van w/out the pop-up, and didn't have to place anything on the roof, would you have considered a single, mega-sized, Canadian Solar, 400+W panel, at 80 x 40 inches, raised a few inches from the ceiling to accommodate a small bathroom vent in the back with the panel being mounted and 'hidden' on the sides by a lengthwise L-bracket running the length of the van?
Crazy question but I believe in maximizing solar first so you may not have to regret it later.
Nate - FRIDGE CUTOFF SOLUTION. I also have a cf18. Put the battery monitor switch in the middle between high and low. This disables the cutoff feature. I know this works since i run my cf18 off a Harbor Freight jump pack with only a 17 ah agm inside. I can run the cf18 around 10-12 hours without running the battery dead. Hope this helps.
Pausing at 9:50. Nate, I think you should get a small inverter that plugs into the NV200’s 12 volt port so that in the event the Kodiak needs resetting you can do it right there. Inverters are cheap. Also, could you use the NV200 to run the dometic instead of the Kodiak? Is that feasible?
Thank You for this info! I just rewatched your vid!
Inergy now has a short reset chord that does not require any power source. It essentially can reset itself 👍. I have one.
what if you had an inverter from the vehicle cigarette lighter and then to AC and plugged the kodiak into that plug that acts as a AC power would that reset it? Inverter from the vehicle battery
Are you not gonna talk about the big 240v washer machine plug? Lol what is that even for. I've got a 400w inverter that runs my cooker & laptop added that battery isolator with the jump start feature, pretty neat.
How can I replace the cooling fans in my inergy kodiak?
Lithium batteries don't like to be totally drained. You can run them down quite a bit... say, to about 10% of full charge, but you'll be better off if you only discharge to about 20%. Also, I'm sure you know that the Kodiak model is no longer made. A good idea might be to get a cheap low power inverter, so that you can use it with the vehicle power to reset that fuse/breaker inside the Kodiak.
Well after 2 year my Nissan NV. Transmission went... Thanks Gid still on the warranty..:)
Have you looked into a second portable charger, like Jackery?
People live their Jackery.
Thanks for the video Nate. Love your channel!
Interesting you are only experiencing issues with running the Dometic cooler off of the Kodiak at sub 50%. I had issues with running my Dometic CF 25 with the Kodiak fully charged. I had both the battery and cooler tested by an electrician and no issues found with either unit. I later found out on a different RUclips channel that the Kodiak is not capable of delivering 12V of power if it runs below 12V charge. All good with the inverter supplied outlets but the 12V cigarette outlets are not regulated to deliver full energy when the battery dips below 12V. Interestingly, I also have the Jackery 290 (Honda) and it runs the cooler no problem, even when it's low in voltage. I ended up selling the Kodiak because I felt it was not worth its price tag if I could only run my lights and charge phone/laptop with it.
So if I have a fridge with both 110 outlet and 12v outlet, I should run it through the inverter to avoid the low battery cut off?
Interesting, we actually have the exact same model fridge and I also have a Kodiak. I've had to deal with the same issue of the low voltage cutoff sometimes for my fridge. Something that I noticed you didn't mention having an issue with that I do actually see happening every now and then is when I turn my Kodiak on it will make a very loud buzzing noise, almost like the fan is running improperly and to make it stop I have to just turn it off and turn it back on after a little bit. Very strange. I'm going to have to contact inergy about it.
What about getting a cheap car inverter and only using it when you have to reset the generator. This way you don't have to look for an outlet or have to unplug everything.
You need a cheap inverter that plugs into the van cig lighter to reset that POS. I canceled my order for a Kodiak and got a GZ 1000
How many Watts does it charge at with :
12V car outlet, no engine.
12V car outlet, engine running.
AC connection.
Solar power.
I've got a Jackery Explorer 500 and the corresponding numbers for it is :
21W from 12V outlet, no engine.
42W from 12V outlet, engine running.
82W from AC.
~65W from solar (according to others).
Great vids. Thx.
Please forgive the noob question, am I right in understanding that if you were in an RV park you could plug into their shore power and then use the Kodiak outlets to power appliances inside your vehicle?
Good stuff... Thanks for the information. Have been wondering about these... looks good.👍
Nate would you still recommend this product in 2020 vs other brands?I trust you your really honest.Just asking lost my job and house going full time in Ford Transit van.
what solar panel do you pair with the Inergy Generator ?
Two questions: I was curious, if you could get a 12 V adaptor for the cigarette lighter With an AC outlet , whether one could reset the fuse from that?
Also, is the Apex the one that came after the Kodiak? Or have I got that backwards? Have you tried the Apex and/or done a comparison between the two? When I was researching a while back it seemed that the Apex wasn’t all that great.
LIPo's got a life span about 500-600 charge cycles. so bear in mind it will last only 2-3 years. Is there any facility to change the battery without ditching the whole unit?
You keep it simple👍😇👏🌾
Hey Man I have 2 x 200 Amp AMG Renogy Batteries, do you think I should upgrade to the Inergy and sell my batteries? I'm not sure which is stronger, or I can always link all of them together!
when you cook rice in the instant pot.. how do you keep rice from sticking to the bottom? (it is such a pain to clean off stuck rice)
Tim, soak it in some water and the pot has a nonstick coat on it and after 10-20 minutes it will come off easily.
You don't. Lol. I'm going to experiment by making the rice PIP (pot in pot). I'll put a bowl with rice and water on the steamer rack and put water in the bottom of the instant pot. I'm less worried about rice sticking in a bowl than the insert to the IP.
@@garrycole9187 Instant pots don't come with non-stick.. That is a addon accessory..
I was just looking into those things. Anyone know what would be the cheapest setup to install a small minifridge?
Some people are using the Jackery
Peltier coolers, aka coolers are basically a no go. They consume too much power. Compressor is the only way to go. Waeco or similar. Then cheapest vehicle option is to use a 100ah lead acid and voltage sensing relay. At 20c and 60/70% humidity a Waeco 25 consumes around 175wh or 10ah at 12v. Or 2 hours of full sun with a 100w panel
My setup: 100w solar panel $85, two 35AH mighty max batteries $130, pwm charge controller $12, cables $20, cigarette lighter adaptor $10. I can run my dometic CF18 for two days on a full charge until the batteries drop below 12v, but no issues with that here in California. I have a jackery 240 as backup, I can run the fridge for a day in that one.
Thanks, so you think a cheap fridge like one of these would consume too much power?
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HR8HW7Q?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=8D6C72WCN45P2AFWH0A9
www.amazon.com/dp/B00U6YTMRM/ref=emc_b_5_i
there are dc to dc converters available. the dometic cuts off at a certain voltage. the lithium battery is going below the dometic cut off voltage, wich is fine. but with a dc to dc step up converter you can set the output voltage to 12 volt. this way the output after the converter will always be 12 volt, even whenever the kodiak is going below 10 volts, wich is fine for lithium battery's. this way you can use your fridge on the kodiak until it is completely empty. I have a goal zero yeti 1400 and goal zero makes a dc to dc vonverter special for this voltage issue.
It may not hurt the battery to go below 50% BUT it probably isn't good for the refrigerator to operate on that low voltage !
I can't find a travel fridge that doesn't have that low-power shutoff feature.
Thanks for the review 🤘😎👍
So, do you think you can run a fantastic fan all night with the Kodiak if it is fully charged?
Yep, I run my MaxAir fan all night pretty often.
Does the Kodiak still charge from the solar when you are driving?
I cannot wait for Mercedes Metris video.
Yep, it charges as long as it's plugged in. And me too, I'm excited to start editing it today!
the code is no longer valid; do you have a new one for 2020 ?
ELEMENT discount code isn’t valid for the items in your cart
sure, if someone gave me one of those "solar generators" I would take it, but if I had to purchase one with my own money I would buy a 100ah Lithium battery, and wire it into my van as a leisure battery and save the money. Those are great for people who just need it for portability, but if it lives in your van permanently, then add a charge controller so it charges off of your alternator while the engine is running...adding some solar is a plus...100 watts isn't much for solar, especially for fulltiming..
Pick up a cheep inverter and if Kodiac trips of you can plug inverter into cars 12v and then use this inverter to power ac plug and be able to reset the kodiac .
I'v tried it does not work even with a small generator ypu have to have shore power why I don't know but I HATE it very inconvenient when the Kodiak take a break
Thanks I’ll scratch this off my wish list.
@@richardmccombs617 I've had my Kodiak for 11 months and have not been as lucky as Nate mine has let me down several times
I was looking at the jackery 500, think someone said you could link these if more power is needed Don’t think I would but having option is great.
@@richardmccombs617 I have no personal experience with any Jackery product they look great but what are your power needs ? I have a class B RV van and use my microwave Insta - Pot Wynter 45q 12v freezer HP laptop phone and lights ect... the 500 is not enough power for me
If you were out in the middle of no where with no way to reset the Kodiak and your food ruined etc etc Very terrible.
I am in SF for the week...nice area for sure. 🇨🇦
Why do everyone in RUclips just bull-shitting about solar panels and generators but DON'T WALK THE STEP BY STEP HOW TO HOOK THEM?
I think this video told you you need a inverter so you wouldn't have to go to a truck stop to plug it in
Wouldn't worry about 50%. It's not 50% it's a set voltage(you'll confuse a lot of noobs). There's high and low which will use different voltages. The problem is probably caused by the kodiak thingy using lifepo4 and being a direct lead acid replacement. (running very similar voltages) so you are falling short.....
I built a DIY lithium camp battery. Its useful working voltage is between 10v (completely dead) to 16.4v (full) using such configuration I don't have your issue. My waeco cdf25 will draw it down to 12v when it flashes error. At that point my packs probably 20%, which is low enough. Lithium still benefits from not being fully discharged, and even more so from not being fully charged.
He is eye candy . 😅
nearly $2,000 thats a negative price it's not worth it
I enjoy your videos but oh my, take a breath.
😂🤣
Takes a noob to know one I guess