I'm thinking of using the gas generator long enough to charge the lithium batteries, then rotate back to lithium. That should preserve fuel in the event you're down for an extended amount of time.
@muletowndumpsters Just understand that you have parasitic power losses as you transfer electricity from device to device until you get it to the device being powered.
Just a note, the battery back up system running is in the neighborhood of $10,000 of battery and connectors. This would be comparable to an 11-14 kw Generac with a whole house transfer switch installed. That Generac would need NG or Propane, but it would go until you run out of fuel. However, with the Eco Flow system, it will not annoy the neighbors at 3 am. The only question is whether you can charge up the batteries while they are powering the house? Or must it be done off line when using the 110v inlets?
I was told you cannot charge up the ecoflow delta pros while they are powering the home at the same time, however, you’re able to with the ecoflow delta ultra.
Man I can tell you've heavily invested in your house to make it exactly the way you want. I absolutely love all the tasteful things you've done to it. The solar, the battery backup, the lawn, the networking (my favorite) and everything else. I love watching your videos man keep up the good work!
@@SilverCymbal are you sure the 3 pole switch is needed/code? All my research said that when you switch the neutral you make it a SDS and so you shouldn't switch the neutral?
@@Kyle-e8b I would consult a licensed electrician for your particular installation before taking any action. But this is my logic. Your inlet has 3 wires and a ground. Your generator has 3 wires and a ground. If you were to physically disconnect that inlet and move the wires to a second inlet, you would be moving all 3, hence switching all 3 wires would be logical I have seen many posts were folks are just buying a 2 pole switch saying it works fine but your generator is putting out 3 wires and a ground, so the idea of not switching the neutral, despite it being there and relying on the ground to carry the neutral probably works, but I wouldn't do it. There are lots of posts online about both but the safer choice for my install was to switch all 3 wires, since you are truly moving all 3 wires between the inlets.
@@SilverCymbalthanks for the quick feedback, makes sense and definitely seem to be multiple ways to go about this depending on your setup. For anyone else that comes along, below is a recent thread I was referencing and will likely go the un-switched neutral route as it is about 5-6x cheaper on the switch alone. "About the only time we would switch neutral is for a mobile system, like RV or boat. When plugged in to shore power pedestal, we expect to get a neutral bonded to ground. So don't bond locally. When power is not seen from the pedestal, maybe we are unplugged, or maybe we are still plugged in but the grid went down. Don't know, so open the neutral wire with a relay, and bond neutral to ground locally. If you have a hard wired grid connection that provides neutral-ground bond, also a generator with neutral not bonded to ground, and an inverter with neutral not bonded to ground ... then just keep all neutrals always tied together. You can use an interlocked breaker panel (or multiple cascaded) to switch L1 and L2." diysolarforum.com/threads/interlock-circuit-with-outside-inlet-for-generator-and-inside-inlet-for-solar.70731/post-896416
Another great thing about this setup is that you could plug a small generator like a Honda 2000 into the delta pro to help extend the run time of the ecoflow especially when it’s cloudy and solar wouldn’t work well. The Honda couldn’t run your whole house, but could certainly add to the usefulness of your backup system. Especially for people that don’t have large generators. Even better use a small propane generator.
Nope! You'd think so, but that won't work. Why? So I had a Ecoflow Delta Mini and I had my router, mesh wifi, switch, IP telephone box, NAS, basically all of my computer stuff, plugged into it. Then, I had my Mini constantly being charged by 110V power. When I lost power (which happens often enough where I live), all would be fine. On three separate occasions, it broke. Each time, the battery would no longer charge. After the third time, they told me that it's not designed to be used as a UPS and if I did it again, they wouldn't fix/replace it anymore. If you're discharging the battery while charging it with a generator, you're essentially using it as a UPS. It seems nuts, but they told me that you can charge it or use it, but not both at the same time!!! I'd rather just buy deep cycle batteries or get a Tesla powerwall. Or more simply, just use an inverter generator.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 I remember the disassembly, the power train they use is a sort of reversable system. So that they can get fast charge times and high output power they use a more complex power inverter that can be basically reversed, this way they can pack more beefy components into a single system instead of having two equally high power circuits, that would increase price a lot. I guess in doing so it wouldnt be able to be used both ways as I am sure that there isnt a "safe" pathway from the electrical charger to the battery or directly out into the inverter.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 it's some bs - EcoFlow have Passthrough function for AC outlets. I have River 2 model with LiFePo4 batteries - and it able to consume from the grid power for charging itself, alongside with providing power to the AC outlets, by routing the power from the grid (i hear specific clicks inside, that switching lines from invertor to the grid)
@Eric hey where can this knowledge be found... some things you mentioned I don’t understand, and some I sort of know... One of my neighbors had a fire recently, that started from generator power. A power bar caught fire in their basement with their wifi stuff on it. Their next door neighbor (fireman) happened to be there when it started and spotted it... but he was there to try and help them with a (generated) power problem... I told him (fireman) that it probably had to do with the grounding of their generator and having grounding loop of some kind... but that I didn’t understand what it really means, only that the generators have a ground bonded neutral (or to frame?), that needs to be dealt with when connected to a house with its own ground. Anyway, it’s beyond my comprehension how to logically wire them together. (With my generator i didn’t connect the ground wires together, thinking I was potentially reducing the ‘risk’.
Thanks for the video. This is exactly the set-up I plan to have one day. For shorter outages, up to 12 hours, I wouldn't have to do all the work setting up my portable generator. Just do the interlock switch (already installed), throw the triple throw switch, power up the batteries and we're in business - without ever having to step outside into bad weather.
My ideal system would be to use the generator during the day & battery power at night. I love the idea of a system like this, as one of my concerns is that generators have been known to disappear during the night. At the moment, we don’t have enough outages in our area to justify the cost of a battery backup system such as the one in the video. It’s nice to think about though. 😀
those batteries are not cheap and they only have a certain amount of charge cycles before they are toast. Good for storm backup and camping but not for daily off grid use.
Awesome summary, thanks! Quick tip... the green screw on the 3 pole switch box should be connected to ground. In the event that any live wire touches the box, or if the switch malfunctions, it'll throw the breaker / fuse, and prevent you from getting shocked.
As a followup comment to my earlier comment, another idea that would make a REALLY interesting video, is for you to do a "trial run" and actually run your whole house on the battery backup, document how many minutes/watts each of your household appliances is consuming. And by the way, I'd love to see a video devoted to your search for your tractor.
It makes perfect sense to use batteries and charge them with a gasoline or diesel generator if needed. I measured the power and fuel consumption for a small 650 W gasoline generator. At 50 W el load, the efficiency was disastrous, only 2 %. At close to full load it was 9 %. A larger generator will have better efficiency at full load but if your average power need is small, it's a crazy waste of fuel to run a generator a long period of time.
Looks like a well-engineered system. Speaking of wells, many city folk don't realize that when you're on a well, no electric = no water. If your system can handle the pump's load, you're in good shape.
How long will you have emergency power for the draws you have? That is one question, What will survive in the emergency? A tornado may take out your solar roof panels, and a flood to the eaves will take out all your emergency equipment in the garage. Being prepared for emergencies is more than just back-up electrical power.
This was a good vid. About a year or 2 ago i thought about getting 4 or more of the largest battery generator they make and doing this same thing in my house. Now i know it dose work
An often overlooked issue with gas generators is that they typically cannot produce a pure sine wave, but rather a modified sine wave. There are many electronics such as PC's, tv's etc. that can malfunction or potentially experience damage while running on modified sine wave. One of the advantages of a battery inverter such as the Ecoflows or many other available split phase inverters available is that they produce a pure sine wave which eliminates the worry about your household equipment (unless you accidentally buy a cheaper modified sine wave inverter due to lack of experience). I've run my gas generator with a transfer switch during several power outages and I'm pretty much done with how much of a pain in the ass it is to set up. I'll save up enough money to build my own solar split phase battery generator, stick it in a large theft-proof and waterproof box, and kiss the gasoline purchases goodbye! Thanks for making this excellently presented video!
That's why it's good to place a UPS between the power source and your sensitive electronics.. they will generate a square sine wave which is converted into something usable by their own internal transformers of the end use devices...
The power coming into my house from my Harbor Freight Predator 9000 is much cleaner than the power coming from the municipality, by orders of magnitude. And it's not an inverter. It's just a regular ol genny I've converted to NG. It's never tasted gasoline. However, I do have Greenwave conditioners scattered throughout the house, plus an additional conditioner block that all my electronics are plugged into. It's not pure sine wave clean, about 100 on the meter. The unconditioned portion of the house has read as high as 1440. I have a short on my channel of a radio broadcast coming thru my electrical wiring. I had never heard of such a thing before.
That's a good system. Pricey with that amount of gear. I just had an electrician install a sub panel for generator input next to my main panel. He wired a 15' heavy duty cable I can plug in to a generator. It is expandable to 8 circuits. I only have 3 going in to it. Furnace, fridge and chest freezer. I'm in Alberta so heat is important for my anticipated winter rolling blackouts. They warned us last winter but with so much new housing and no new power plants this year, I'm preparing. I've got a Delta 2 Max. Before winter I'll have 2 extra batteries to give me the 6 kwh. I can plug the AC in so when the power comes on it will charge and still power the sub panel without me needing to switch it back to the main panel normal operation. I may get a smaller unit for upstairs to power the wifi, computer and TV later. Essentials first. The good part of the sub panel only housing critical circuits is that I can leave a light switch on. When the power is back on, the light will turn on and I'll know when power is restored.
We literally just lost power today (in the US northeast), and I have a small Ecoflow River Pro that can power my propane fireplace, which can heat the entire house. But I want something more substantial, and of course Silver Cymbal has a great video on this. Thanks!
What a great video. I have 3 treadmills that generate electricity and during outages my wife and kids run for hours at a time to make enough electricity for me to make waffles- my favorite. . That waffle iron really uses a lot of electricity.
This is exactly my idea. I love that the batteries are quiet and no fuel expense and worry. The issue is like the gas generator, your juice eventually runs out. For this reason, My thoughts were to charge the backup lithium batteries as part of the initial load. So as you have two batteries there, my next step would be to get two more and be charging those on the current load. That may equate to 2 less hours of run time, but it keeps you going. 😊
This is really cool. I'd use it to keep the fridge and freezer going overnight when I don't want my gas generator running. Then as you mentioned, charge the batteries as needed while the gennie is running during the day. Another great video! 😎
Love the video and agree with the approach. My system is coming along. Rather than a panel interlock method, I am using two Reliance 10-circuit transfer switches. These are wired in parallel with the L14-30P inlet, so one leg powers all the A side circuits in and the other leg powers the B side circuits. I decided to protect all critical loads but also all comfort loads throughout the house, which had 20 circuits all doing 120Volt loads. My plan started with grid down backup, but evolved into a system I can use year round to offset my electric bill and exercise my gear. I have two Delta Pro units and the smart hub, so I connect right into the inlet and power all 20 home circuits. None of my loads are 240Volt so I could actually use just one Delta Pro with a 3-prong to 4-prong adapter. Because I can toggle each circuit individually, I can continue to use utility power for high loads - in particular I left central AC, dryer, and oven out of the transfer switch setup. If I lose utility, I can live without those 240Volt loads. The Delta Pro units have the expansion batteries for 21KW total storage available. My hope is to add two strings of solar probably using 400Watt panels, probably 3 panels per string for a total of 6. I don’t want to run the risk of harming the Delta Pro solar controllers that are limited to 150Volts solar input. I also have a pair of EU2200 units with tri-fuel conversion from Grenergy US, so I can run those to refill the Delta Pro units. This will be nice because they don’t need to run full time, just intervals. With natural gas, my run time could be indefinite. If NG fails, I can use propane supplies I keep onsite (grill tanks). All together, I have 5 sources between solar, utility, natural gas, propane, and gasoline. The Honda’s can work in parallel to output 3600Watts and I can go into the same inlet and take the Delta Pros out of service if they are failing. I have a long, quality extension cord to reach from outside to the inlet inside. I think the use of the transfer switch is the main difference and it allows me to run a portion of the home, such as refrigerator and Internet, on solar generation while still using utility for heavy loads. I have a window AC to replace central AC in the main bedroom during a grid outage. Now, I would also challenge everyone to seek to reduce their needs so they use less power to begin with. A clothes line can replace the dryer. You can cook on a propane grill or with a toaster oven, instead of a big kitchen oven. A Mr. Heater Buddy can product heat for a bedroom directly from propane with no generator. You can use candles instead of house lighting and you can switch to LED bulbs. You would be amazed how much is sucking power and when you are trying to get the most out of batteries, you will try to be frugal with your electric consumption. Please note, I didn’t want the Smart Panel from EcoFlow because I wanted a standard inlet that my generator could use directly. I also didn’t want the EcoFlow generators because the Hondas have a bullet proof reputation but it is nice that the EcoFlow generator can make a direct DC connection to the Delta Pro, using fuel more efficiently. Last point - I installed the MicroAir soft start on my 5 ton AC and experienced a drastic reduction in startup amps. Though I haven’t added central air to this backup power plan, the soft start will prolong the life of the equipment and help me if I decide to power it with a larger mechanical generator in the future.
I am curious if you used a 30amp connector with 10AWG wire to connect your two Honda 2200’s to your back up panels. I recently added a second 2200 for parallel and I then realized they could actually exceed the 30 amp capacity. Am I looking at this correctly? Do I need to go step up to a 50 amp? I also see he was using a 30 amp three pole switch. Wouldn’t the eco flow possibly exceed this?
THANK YOU. This is exactly what I'm looking to do. By the way, an alternative to getting your battery generators recharge would be to run your gas generator---and have that charge your battery generator while using it for your house. This way, your system can back up each other. I would think you'd need a sine inverter and whole house surge protector though but not sure. If you do end up needing to put one, you should update your video to include it in the system. 😉 THIS WAS AN AWESOME VIDEO BY THE WAY!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
Moved to the country about a year ago. Now that we are out of city limits, we can pretty much do anything we want without HOA or city inspectors. Been interested in going solar, but was told ‘whole house” solar powered was not possible. A newbie when it comes to all this, but eager to learn more. Been watching these battery backup systems and I gotta say, I’m impressed with the flexibility and capability of these. We are all electric here, with the exception of our propane range and fireplace. Looks expensive, but definitely worth dipping my toe in the water.
It's hard to believe those cables were run over 30 years ago, clearly by an electrician who cared. I put the panel in on the right, they are neat but nothing like that old master!
I have a 4000 watt generator and im loving the idea of having this system and using my 4kw generator as an extra juice to this system. I have some issues with the cable lengths but overall i think this unit is capable of doing everything i need and its easy to install.
This was exactly what I was looking for and it couldn't have come at a more timely fashion. We already had the external connection but were thinking that we may have to give it up when switching to something like the EcoFlow. Great presentation. Succint and to the point.
Great video as always. I basically have the exact same set up except that I have 4 expansion batteries. I don't have an exterior Reliance Controls PB30 L14-30 outlet but I might look at that in case I want to use my Yamaha EF6300iSDE. If you encounter any issues with the the Delta Pro's getting out of balance (i.e) one DP getting depleted faster than the other) it typically because of which phase your loads are connected to. Although most of the time, both of my DP's + 2 EB's would stay relatively balanced with each other (within 10% to 15%), by adding the Victron autotransformer between the Double Voltage Hub and the PB30 L14-30 outlet, it just takes all the worry out of it. An autotransformer can be used for step up, step down and split phase output balancing purposes. While the step up and step down functions are fairly straightforward, split phase output balancing may require some more attention. Consider for example a 30A 120/240V split phase supply. The supply could be the grid, a generator or two stacked inverters. Some of the loads connected are 240V, others are 120V. On each 120V leg the load should not exceed 30A. The problem is that as soon as 120V loads are connected, the two legs will show a different current. This is because the 120V loads on the two legs will never be balanced. A 120V 1200W hairdryer, for example, will draw 10A from one leg. A 120V washing machine could even draw in excess of 20A from one leg. Between the two legs the difference in current, or current unbalance, will therefore often be 20A or more. This means that the 30A supply will not be used up to its full potential. By the time one leg draws 30A, the other leg may be drawing no more than 10A, and increasing the 240V load, for example, will result in an overload of one leg while the other leg still has spare capacity. Theoretically, the total power that can be drawn from a 30A 120/240V supply is 30 x 240 = 7,2 kVA. In case of 20A unbalance, the practical maximum will be 30 x 120 + 10 x120 = 4,8kVA, or 67% of the theoretical maximum. The solution is an Autotransformer. By leaving the neutral of the split phase supply unused, and connecting an Autotransformer to create a new neutral, as shown in figure 1, any load unbalance is ‘absorbed’ by the Autotransformer. In case of a 30A supply, the load can be increased to 7,2kVA, and a 20A load unbalance will result in one leg supplying 40A, and the other leg 20A. The 20A difference will flow through the neutral and the windings of the Autotransformer. The current through both 120V wires of the split phase supply will be 30A. Feel free to check out this post for more details facebook.com/groups/deltaprolaunch/permalink/1562083637591819/
Beautiful setup! Only thing I’d recommend is upsizing the size of the inlet receptacle, romex and back fed breaker. You’re talking about running your whole house on a setup only rated for 30A, which your house can easily exceed on each phase. I’m sure you are aware of the adverse effects of overloading conductors and protection devices over an extended period of time. Nice video as always!!
This is a good point. I'm about to get an inlet installed and am deciding between 30 amp and 50 amp. But 7200 watts at 240v is a max of 30 amps anyway, so the 30 amp inlet is probably okay unless there should be a buffer. It seems like the inverter would overload before there is damage to the circuits. Also, can you connect the dual voltage hub to a 50 amp inlet? Is there a readily available adapter in case I go with the 50 amp inlet?
In theory in extended outages where this is needed you shouldn't be wasting power on the frivilous stuff, just the hots and colds (heating, and food preservation)
Congrats on developing your redundant backup power system, it’s pretty impressive. However the one thing on my mind as I watch you WOW us with your sophisticated electrical enterprise is ……. $$$ ! I may have missed it but I didn’t hear you mention a cost factor to acquire and install all this stuff. I have a ‘watered-down’ version of your setup and I understand the impact of randomly adding ‘Ecoflow’ devices as convenient as they are. For me the economic factor could not be ignored. That said, I’m still impressed. 👍
Hello, I read your review, and I can only say this: He has 5 different units plus a hub that has to connect the "BATTERIES" together, never mentioning even remotely about any solar regeneration of those batteries. The ones he has are at least 3k each and not to mention all the extra wiring you have to do get it to that level $$$$. also he added he charges the batteries via GAS generator . That should tell you something...It's not all that's it's cracked up to be. I have a 12,000 watt gas/propane generator, I had an electrician bypass 10 circuits into another box and run the wires. Electrician : $2,000, Generator Gas / Propane $850 , and Misc. things I bought including 4 20lbd propane tanks ( the very same ones that you can get -at your local wal-mart plus those propane tanks have a shelf life of at least 10 years.... so my total was about 4k . +or- a few bucks , so the only things I don't have is central heating and a/c ,my glass cooktop, mt dryer, and my wall unit microwave /oven.. But what I do have is every electrical outlet and every switch is powered . I have ceiling fans that work, I have space heaters if I need. So if you get these you're really dependent on the sun. If it comes out and how strong is it? Do you have many hours of sunlight? These are things you have to consider before dumping a lot of money into something that will not meet your expectations .... I hope this helped you and others that might read this..
@@markhiggins4164truth-be-told I started with a gas/propane backup system myself. I now have comfort in knowing I have a backup - to the backup. Thanks for your reply. - Happy Holidays!
This is the setup I have, except that mine is full (2x Delta Pro + 4x Extra Batteries) for a total of 21.6kwh connected to my house using the DVH through a transfer switch. The maximum output is 240v @ 30amps = 7200w The setup allows me to turn on 2 air conditioners at the same time, plus gaming computer, TVs, all LED lamps, fridge, etc... just like using the power grid. For heavy appliance, I can turn them on as well but I need to be aware of current consumption when other stuff are turned on, since the limit is 7200w It works really well for us and I live in Puerto Rico. The setup gets the power from 2 separate solar arrays for the maximum solar input on each Delta Pro (1600w x 2 = 3200w) on a good day. We are not 24x7 off-grid as we still have the power grid service, so I use it during the week while I work remotely for an average of 40 to 60 hours weekly off-grid. Doing this out electric bills is much lower than before. I know that a grid-tied solar system may have more benefits but things here in Puerto Rico are not so easy... so most of the time off-grid gives us less headache. This is not only about reducing bills cost, but also owning a system that cover us during an emergency. When we were hit by hurricane Fiona and the power grid was obviously off, this is the setup that keep us with power all the time, while most of the houses where I live were completely dark and other using gas generators. Not only that, but those people were doing long lines on gas stations.
Hi Carlos. I bought same set-up last summer just to be prepared, but haven’t installed a transfer switch from my main panel. I already have grid-tied solar on the roof but don’t know much about wiring a transfer switch for the back-up. Plus my solar array would be in the back yard and the Eco flows are in the front of the house. Any thoughts
Thank you for making short videos like this. In this case it's a huge help for someone just wanting to know what a double voltage hub does and how it works. I really like the safety feature the 3 pole double throw switch provides by enabling only one outlet at a time.
My house backup batteries are 4 12v 120 amp hour walmart marine batteries. Power All 120v circuits thru a 120 v 40amp sub panel in our utility room with a 3500 watt 24v psw inverter. Will run all night long. 3 bedroom 2 bath house. Can even make a pot of coffee in the morning before the sun comes up and solar panels kick in.
My childhood house was right next to the hospital and whenever there was a power outages most of the neighborhood would be dark except for a few houses like ours that were somehow on the hospitals grid. In 2008ish there was a big snowstorm and the neighborhood was without power for almost a week. We ran low on food but thankfully we never were cold and never without power.
Great three pole double throw Switch to know about. Gonna hunt one down :+) ... Having a battery to inverter (even for smaller watt 120vac) along side a generator is a no brainer like this: When Grid goes off, battery to 120vac is available for lower amp needs. Then use of generator for higher amp needs for an hour or less can recharge battery bank; instead of running a generator 8 hours a day up to 24/7 ... and wasting fuel. That is the way boats at sea do it 🙂 That 240vac backup plan is awesome.
I'm in NorCal. 2 years ago we had a 3 day/night power outage thanks to heavy winds and wildfires that destroyed power lines. I was on batteries. Clownboy on the next street over had his contractor generator running day and night. It was very annoying and loud at night. He must have refueled it on the run as it never shut down once. On the 3rd night about 3AM it was still in the 90F degree range outside and I was lying awake listening to the generator drone on. The sound changed a bit then it started clattering getting louder by the second. The generator stopped suddenly. Pure silence....except for me laughing. I will bet it threw a rod right through the side of the engine from lack of oil. You have to check the oil level more than once a year.......
Love the redundancy that you have created, I inspire to have these redundancies at my home. I just had my interlock installed with an outdoor Gen connection. But I opted for 240v 50amp connection which is available on my new generator.
I've been wanting to buy an Ecoflow as a back up for my house what is nice is that you can even use them as a UPS so when the power goes the devices you are using like the TV / Computer will not lose power. Very nice back up batteries my plan is to have 1 of them in each room of my house.
The Ecoflows as someone notes below charge very quickly because they plug directly into AC, the Jackery and some others use a DC adapter that is low voltage and takes a long time to charge. I have an outside 240 V adapter to connect to my gas generator but for a quick power outage or at night when I don't want to make a lot of noise will use my one Ecoflow and one Jackery, which I kind of regret buying, to plug into refrigerators and essentials.
Love the dual backup system! I, too, have both a gas genny (inverter) and solar generators (both DIY and Bluetti). I like this switching capability between the 2 backups.
I really liked this configuration, but in the country where I live there are not many equipment options. I used 2 hybrid inverters from Growatt, the SPF3500ES, connected to a ~12kWh battery bank. In a test I did, in normal use of the house, the 5kWp set of solar panels and batteries kept the house going for almost 160 hours, it caught a cloudy day and the party was over. Still this year I will exchange my 3 inverters from Growatt (grid-tie and hybrids) for one from Deye, the SUN-5K-SG01LP1. I believe it will be a great investment, I will be able to export to the network in just 1 piece of equipment, power the house, charge the battery bank and even have its own connection for generators, which I will use to ensure that I am not left in the dark.
I would love to do some type of battery back up eventually but due to other things going on in my life right now I cannot finance that I did upgrade to two inverter generators so I can parallel them when I need to run heavier loads and just run one when I’m not running that much The only disadvantage is I did not have 240 but .50 A at 120 V can run a lot of stuff if my calculations are correct, that’s 6000 W continuous and the inverters sure do you save a lot of fuel, especially when they are on economy mode
I totally get that. I have told Ecoflow and other companies that they need to come up with 1 unit that does 240v internally. Not euro 220v, that is dfifferent, we need US 240 in one unit. Then allow extra batteries to be added, this would keep the entry price low and let you grow it as your budget allows. This is so much closer but always has room to grow.
Interesting product that I can see being of value for portability with home integration as a bonus but at some ~$14,000 worth of just major components that's quite the premium over other options on the market for home power such as EG4
The cost for the Delta pro setup with the 240v box is $7k right now ecoflow.com/collections/delta-series?aff=37 By no means, inexpensive but its a better price than some other units out there with no company history or 240v abilities
@@SilverCymbal I didn't quite math correctly: Delta Pro's are $3500 ea. Batteries $2600 ea. So more like $12,200. And I agree that among portable power stations EcoFlow has a good reputation. But that portability comes at a price.
Nice setup. I had a different idea and that to use a single EcoFlow Pro for 110V only. To do that I need to split my main breaker panel into 110V and 220V. This way I can switch back and forth without having to shutdown all 220V breakers. This setup is for emergency use only.
I just purchased the Delta Pro with the smart extra battery and transfer switch. I mainly just want to run a well pump, fridge, some lights, and hvac circulation fan. I should be good to go.
Well, for a couple thousand less than the setup you have there, you could get an EG4 rack mount system with 30kWh worth of batteries and two 6500 inverters for a max of 13kW of power. Double what this setup is. Now that is a little more advanced setup than the ecoflows of course, and physically larger, but it would allow you to charge your car if needed. You can't on the ecoflows using the 240V combiner thing. I think the ecoflow makes sense if you want a foolproof, no-setup backup for some essentials, but this doesn't financially make a lot of sense as a whole home backup in my mind. I have an LV6048 inverter (120/240 split phase 6kW) and 14kW hours of DIY LFP cells. So close to what you have here in terms of power and storage and only cost me about $3000. Less than the cost of just one of the delta pros.
You understand it exactly, its definitely a plug and go system. If you go the component route you can do more for less money. No disputing that but it is nice to have it all done and ready to use. I can understand people using both types of setups for sure.
@@SilverCymbal This is what I did. I bought a Growatt 12k LF inverter and 4 rack mount batteries w/rack. Came to about $9k total. With the 30% federal tax credit, this comes down to $6k for a 20kwh system wired into an interlock inlet. I am thinking of getting a Chargeverter so I can directly power the battery rack with my Honda generator while the Growatt is powering the house. This will allow me to run my 4 ton HVAC system which the Honda EU7000is can't start due to the 55A compressor inrush (even with a soft starter). The other good thing about a battery rack and single inverter is that the power draw from the house isn't spread unevenly across the batteries. This is one of the issues with the Ecoflow units when used with uneven loads, one battery will draw down more than the other.
This is great for the person that is afraid of their gas generator getting stolen in the middle of the night. They can put it away then plug the batteries in the indoor inlet while they are sleeping where demand would be less.
I was actually thinking this was pointless. The neutral doesn't need to be switched; it can just be tied to everything all the time and bonded to Earth ground at the main service panel.
Glad i found this, almost what i needed! Instead of that double throw switch, maybe i can use a 3 way generator switch in conjunction with the 10 circut transfer box i already have.
Loved the video Chris! I'm doing something very similar in my home but I'm using a transfer switch instead of an interlock switch. Instead of taking the whole house on and off the grid, the transfer switch allows me to take individual circuits and power them with a generator / power station and solar. I don't have a 240v backup yet so the interlock won't work for me right now. Thanks for the video!
This circuit switches work very well. I have used them many times and they are rock solid. Looking forward to seeing your install and thank you for the kind words too.
@@scott6252 that's how I use mine! I have a couple videos on the topic on my channel. I can drop my power bill throughout the month while running off solar, plus have power during an outage.
@@kyleunrearl2o4049 I read up a lot on this and its a big deal since having the neutral doubles the switch prices. Technically it should make no difference but the information I found said the neutral must be switched. I got too concerned and if you switch all 4 you are assured of no issues but with 3 I dont believe it will be correct.I know its not great news, sorry.
Can't wait for video when battery runns out and somehow/magically it switches to gas generator automatically. Thanks for well thought out video with everything one needs to know how to run on battery and recharge using generator or run purely on generator! Awesome!
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but your transfer switch is not connected to your grounds that pass thru the switch creating an electrical shock hazard. Please connect to your green grounding screw. Safety first is a real thing.
Worth mentioning the problem with not having a breaker lockout is that the 240v from the batteries will step up to ~14KV when running backwards through the house's transformer. It's potentially fatal for people working on the lines in an outage.
@@dgpsf Except you cant power the house until you discoonect your main by sliding up that lockout plate...preventing you from ever having your generator/battery connected to your home at the same time as your main utility connection.
@@niktak1114 Kind of a good point. But, Ron R correctly pointed out that this is impossible due to the lockout plate. It physically prevents powering on the breaker from the batteries while the main breaker is switched on. When your power is out, the people working to restore it are your best friends. That plate protects the life of your best friends. That's the way I look at it. Yup, it also protects your batteries from trying to power the whole neighborhood. Oh, and I have to add that it also protects your battery/inverter units from severe damage when the power is restored!💣
How did you wire it into you’re breaker box ? Please I’d like to know , did you back feed it into a 30A double pole breaker ? What inverter do you have & a video on how you set everything up in the proper order one wiring it all to together ! I’ve got the Moes Automatic Transfer Switch , I’ve got another brand new homeline breaker box ! If you find the time this would be very helpful
Question, I think the set up is great, my question is how can you set the battery back up and then run a backup gas generator to charge your batteries so that you can run large devices such as home AC units? The run current flow is not the issue, it's the start up current that taxes smaller or midsize gas generators.
It seems like solar panels, plus a battery system, and a generator to refill the batteries would be ultimate system. The only downside is the a availability of gasoline, but in a pinch I doubt you’d be using microwaves and dryers. This is all very cool.
I still do an Apollo 13 electrical load survey when the power quits. It could be an hour or a 6 month outage. I have the ability to recharge but prefer to do it during the day. My son's neighbor lady has a Tesla roof and 3 Powerwalls. She managed to run them flat by midnight in a heavy storm. She has electric heat.
Thanks for this video.. really cleared up some questions i was thinking about. only thing now is to get the captial to buy em lol. im looking forward to see the solar recharging when you get that setup.
My generac 8000 watt generator only uses 12 gallons of fuel to run for 24 hours. I just did it for two days straight before Christmas! And that’s running my well pump and all the other stuff my wife insists is on. The nice thing about gas generators is that no adolescent boys in the Congo had to died in collapsed mines for me to get power in a windstorm. So that’s cool.
The only problem I foresee is in my city we had an almost two week blackout and during that time all gas pumps were out because pumps run off electric. So at your rate and let’s say I had stored up 80-90 gallons of fuel I would only be staying powered up for roughly a week.
@@Okjoe1983 oh I didn't even think that some areas wouldn't have any open gas stations. I'm in Maine and at least half the gas stations have generators so they remain open even if the power is out.
@@jlinc187 by week 2 the major corporate gas stations here starting dropping off huge generators at the gas station so they could start pumping again which was nice however as quickly as they were turned on the gas stations started running out of gas due to the large influx of customers filling up their cars, gas cans, water bottles or just about anything they could use to hoard gas. It reminded me of the toilet paper covid craziness. On the flip side I do see your point and I personally would run my generator on natural gas if I bought a portable dual fuel or a whole home generac or at least propane if natural gas was not already running to my house.
Gracias mister Silver Cymbal 😊that video was very educational and I just saw a commercial ad about the “anger 767” that supposed to be the only unit to power up a house in a black out… please share your thoughts on that I will check in case you make a video of this power unit 😊
5:55 It regulates it's throttle to keep the speed constant, so obviously it's gonna run at the same speed. But in order to maintain the same speed at a higher load, the generator will have to open the throttle further and therefore consume more gas, otherwise it would stall. Of course your generator will need a certain amount of gas to keep running, even without any load. But the gas consumption of generator is of course very load dependent.
I would get large, much less expensive LiFeP04 batteries. When the parts like the charge controller, BMS, fuses, or AC inverter go bad you can replace them and have backup parts on hand to do it rapidly. A 300 amp hour 12 volt LiFeP04 battery rated at 3.8 kwh capacity is about 1000 bucks. Two of those in series and you have a lot of power. Two of these is enough (if you get daily sun) to power a small window air conditioner. A couple of large server rack LiFeP04 batteries are about 3000 bucks and have about 10 kwh capacity. Someone who is wealthy though may choose to spend a fortune buying EcoFlow batteries. They`re great and so is the company. But when parts fail in the future....
@@baneverything5580 I agree, for a whole home backup, server rack batteries and a separate solar inverter is the way to go, especially financially. I'm (still installing) on an LV6048 for split phase 120/240V in my house. I'm upgrading from the LV2424 which is only 120V. So a 6kW inverter and 14kwh of LFP cells has cost me just over $3000. About 3500 actually, same as just one ecoflow delta that has 1/2 the power and 1/4 storage as what I have.
@@andrewt9204 I`m on a fixed income and can`t drive and live in a very isolated rural area in hurricane country. So all I could get was one 300 ah Ampere Time battery, a 2000w inverter, 60 amp MPPT charge controller, and a 20 amp plug in charger to top it off when severe weather is coming. I need at least one more 100w and another 190w panel to have almost 800 watts of panels in a series/parallel configuration to power my tiny Frigidaire 5000 BTU window air conditioner after hurricanes and other things when needed in emergencies. I had bought solar power stations as I was able before large battery prices fell that were just large enough to have two for a freezer, two for a dorm fridge, and a collection of smaller ones for lights, fans, WIFI, 12v cookers, and low wattage rice cookers. So the big battery will be for staying cool, storage, or long term electric blanket if I need that. or even power for my microwave. Just whatever is needed most. I have a small gas generator but often gas is impossible to get after severe storms with power out, no communication at all, and trees covering highways, and I can`t afford it to be honest, not for two weeks 24/7. I just want to ensure I have power I can make on site long term so I don`t have to worry so much. Tired of burning up up after storms when it`s 100 degrees, or losing an entire year of vegetables/fruits in my freezer. Had to do something.
@@baneverything5580 An Ampere time battery and 1500W inverter with a 200W solar panel was my emergency backup for a while. It's a good cheap solution to keep bare essentials going if you're prone to power outages/disasters. I have an EV now, so I'm looking to invest in about 2500W in panels and this big 240V inverter to very slowly recoup those costs, and be able to drive at least a little if SHTF for a bit.
I think the Delta PRO is a fantastic product but Oof the price point, not to mention needing to parallel two for 240. I straddle a line between wanting something as simple as this, or the Living Energy Farm model of solar to 12v for lighting loads and a DC direct drive refrigerator, super low tech and low maintenance. Full disclosure I live completely on-grid in a residential neighborhood but I LIVE for nerding on alternative energy.
From what I understand, You can only run either 120 or 240v at one time with ecoflow. The New Zender is the first product I know of that can run both at the same time. The Ecoflow does have an amazing dual fuel Generator that Automatically turns on and off to keep the batteries topped off.
Thank you for the info. Im planning to buy either two DP Pro or Dp Pro 3 with extra battery to start with. Think the extra cost on DP 3 is worth it? I need to run 1 hp well pump periodically to fill up tubs and take showers with gas water heater . Then turn back off. Thank you for any advice
I have a twin home and I like to do this myself but I only have one Ecoflow Delta 2 Max which I think will be enough.. I was also thinking of always having my 2 solar panels (280w total) outside and running the cables inside to a solar charge controller, then onto 3 Lithium lifep04 50ah batteries in series, then from those batteries to the ecoflow alternator and then to the ecoflow generator..
The Ecoflow stuff looks pretty solid for a more prosumer focused product. The Victron ecosystem is when you pull out the “big guns”. Being able to seamlessly cut over between grid and battery power (and solar) and monitor everything on a single dashboard is really slick. It even supports feeding extra power that you generate (via solar) back into the grid if you are allowed to do that.
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Thanks for making this video. This is pretty much what I want to set up once I have the money to invest in the Ecoflows. I still want to offer the ability to run a gas generator during a massive prolonged outage, but the majority of our outages when they happen are only a few hours or so from say a grid/pole issue or a storm that knocks it out. It would be nice to have the convenience of a standby generator and I know their smart panel offers that but only allows 10 circuits and I'd rather just have the convenience of turning things on and off as I need to in the house without preselecting what I want on. If I had any critical loads I'd just use a UPS that would last me long enough to go down and throw the interlock.
Similar to me. And if there is a brief power outage and it's raining and the wind is howling I don't want to go out and crank up and connect the generator, just stay inside and plug the Ecoflow in.
Thanks for the great tips and insights. I have an older rooftop solar system - still works (about 10% degradation over 20 years) and looking to add batteries to the mix. System installers don't make it easy... most of them want to remove my old panels and start over (not going to happen). So the search continues.
First thing love you video ! Now I live I Buffalo NY and I know you heard about the storm we bad a few weeks ago with all the looting that went on what they didn't say alot of generators were stolen too this is why I would love if you could make a video or diagram saying how you wired both of your generator switches together to your transfer switch and circuit breaker panel
I would love to see a harsh test. My wife and I might be buying a school to convert into a home. We were thinking of going complete solar and we are looking into the ecoflow pros. We just wanna see how they take full loads like using a dryer with both ecoflow pros getting the full 1600w each.
I enjoyed the video and the batteries would be great to run at night or save you from dragging the gas generator out but 2 Eco Pros and the batteries looks to be over $12,000? Wouldn't a natural gas/lpg unit be in the same price range? Yes fuel will cost money but how many days per year on average is the backup needed?
I have a similar setup but I only have one delta pro. I charge mine with my 1800 watt solar panel array and have a gas generator for the days the sun isnt out.
If you only use this for outages, it should really last forever, but thats the electronics, maybe 5 years, 10 or 20 but ecoflow is sold stuff. The good news is the batteries alone won't be the issue, these are lithium iron phosphate and even if used daily, they should last around 10 years, and thats daily! Keep in mind if you used gasoline evey day for 10 years that adds up too.
7,200w output is decent for whole house, although you're not going to be running hair dryers or space heaters or toaster ovens or electric clothes dryers or heat pumps anytime soon. But to keep refrigerators, well pumps, lights, gas furnace, computers and the occasional microwave running it should do fine. My only concern is the 14,400w runtime. It means at full load you get 2 hours runtime. On the South Shore of Boston, where I live, in the woods, power outages are rarely 2 hours, more likely measured in days, so this system definitely requires a generator backup. I understand you regulate electrical consumption below the 7200w runtime capacity by turning on only the electrical appliances you need, nevertheless, with a total capacity of 14,400w your “time on battery” until utility power is restored will certainly not be measured in days, especially in your rural location. I can still see the advantages for this battery backup in terms of simplicity and reliability compared to a gasoline generator, although it's likely a lot of extra cash for most folks to buy a generator to back up this battery system when they could just use the generator alone. And in a snowstorm likely to bring down trees that will kill your power for an extended outage, those solar panels you talk about will be generating far from their rated capacity for multiple reasons. If it’s me, and I’m living practically off grid in northern New England as you are, and I’ve got family to keep warm, I’m definitely adding a generator to the mix. Now what would be REALLY interesting for a video would be hooking up your tractor to a PTO generator. That would give you a fairly substantial and reliable secondary power source during an extended outage.
The EcoFlow generator won’t be able to keep up with the demand on the battery to charger them. I would say just use their chargers and plug them into your large generator and set the EcoFlow to fast charge.
i have a sump that runs very frequently in storms and even in winter will run as we are on a spring sadly. still trying to figure out best system balancing cost, ease, efficiency, and ideally better for long term future of energy (i.e. leaning renewable). we rarely lose power for more than a day if we do but with that sump something is needed beyond my battery backup.
Wonder if you install the Power flow smart home panel and knock off the grid power and connect your generator to the external outlet you have the best of both worlds. Generator would charge the Delta pros and run your 240 circuits if needed.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Can it switch automatically to battery back up when main power outage happens? Like when you are not at home and you would like essential appliances including sum pump and heating are maintained on power.
Assuming your running only a few lights, refrigerator, and well pump, the limit of 5 hours run time is not enough. Most people want at least a few day’s of power. Our power outages in rural upstate N.Y. Sometimes last 3 days or more.
I too live in the North East and I can't over state the importance of an automatic transfer switch so your backup power (whatever kind) will come on even if you are not home when the grid goes out.
Great video! How would you tie this setup to charge your batteries using a gas generator? Or just simply running a cord from the outside (gas generator) to the batteries?
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I'm thinking of using the gas generator long enough to charge the lithium batteries, then rotate back to lithium. That should preserve fuel in the event you're down for an extended amount of time.
They sell a smart generator now that will do that automatically and then turn off. Brilliant!
@muletowndumpsters Just understand that you have parasitic power losses as you transfer electricity from device to device until you get it to the device being powered.
Just a note, the battery back up system running is in the neighborhood of $10,000 of battery and connectors. This would be comparable to an 11-14 kw Generac with a whole house transfer switch installed. That Generac would need NG or Propane, but it would go until you run out of fuel. However, with the Eco Flow system, it will not annoy the neighbors at 3 am. The only question is whether you can charge up the batteries while they are powering the house? Or must it be done off line when using the 110v inlets?
Ecoflow has passed-through charging, so yes you can!
I was told you cannot charge up the ecoflow delta pros while they are powering the home at the same time, however, you’re able to with the ecoflow delta ultra.
Man I can tell you've heavily invested in your house to make it exactly the way you want. I absolutely love all the tasteful things you've done to it. The solar, the battery backup, the lawn, the networking (my favorite) and everything else. I love watching your videos man keep up the good work!
Sorry it took me a year to see this nice comment. Thank you!
@@SilverCymbal Where can we find that special box for 240?
@@SilverCymbal are you sure the 3 pole switch is needed/code? All my research said that when you switch the neutral you make it a SDS and so you shouldn't switch the neutral?
@@Kyle-e8b I would consult a licensed electrician for your particular installation before taking any action. But this is my logic. Your inlet has 3 wires and a ground. Your generator has 3 wires and a ground. If you were to physically disconnect that inlet and move the wires to a second inlet, you would be moving all 3, hence switching all 3 wires would be logical I have seen many posts were folks are just buying a 2 pole switch saying it works fine but your generator is putting out 3 wires and a ground, so the idea of not switching the neutral, despite it being there and relying on the ground to carry the neutral probably works, but I wouldn't do it. There are lots of posts online about both but the safer choice for my install was to switch all 3 wires, since you are truly moving all 3 wires between the inlets.
@@SilverCymbalthanks for the quick feedback, makes sense and definitely seem to be multiple ways to go about this depending on your setup.
For anyone else that comes along, below is a recent thread I was referencing and will likely go the un-switched neutral route as it is about 5-6x cheaper on the switch alone.
"About the only time we would switch neutral is for a mobile system, like RV or boat.
When plugged in to shore power pedestal, we expect to get a neutral bonded to ground. So don't bond locally.
When power is not seen from the pedestal, maybe we are unplugged, or maybe we are still plugged in but the grid went down. Don't know, so open the neutral wire with a relay, and bond neutral to ground locally.
If you have a hard wired grid connection that provides neutral-ground bond, also a generator with neutral not bonded to ground, and an inverter with neutral not bonded to ground ... then just keep all neutrals always tied together. You can use an interlocked breaker panel (or multiple cascaded) to switch L1 and L2."
diysolarforum.com/threads/interlock-circuit-with-outside-inlet-for-generator-and-inside-inlet-for-solar.70731/post-896416
Another great thing about this setup is that you could plug a small generator like a Honda 2000 into the delta pro to help extend the run time of the ecoflow especially when it’s cloudy and solar wouldn’t work well. The Honda couldn’t run your whole house, but could certainly add to the usefulness of your backup system. Especially for people that don’t have large generators. Even better use a small propane generator.
Nope! You'd think so, but that won't work. Why?
So I had a Ecoflow Delta Mini and I had my router, mesh wifi, switch, IP telephone box, NAS, basically all of my computer stuff, plugged into it. Then, I had my Mini constantly being charged by 110V power. When I lost power (which happens often enough where I live), all would be fine. On three separate occasions, it broke. Each time, the battery would no longer charge. After the third time, they told me that it's not designed to be used as a UPS and if I did it again, they wouldn't fix/replace it anymore.
If you're discharging the battery while charging it with a generator, you're essentially using it as a UPS. It seems nuts, but they told me that you can charge it or use it, but not both at the same time!!! I'd rather just buy deep cycle batteries or get a Tesla powerwall. Or more simply, just use an inverter generator.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 I remember the disassembly, the power train they use is a sort of reversable system. So that they can get fast charge times and high output power they use a more complex power inverter that can be basically reversed, this way they can pack more beefy components into a single system instead of having two equally high power circuits, that would increase price a lot. I guess in doing so it wouldnt be able to be used both ways as I am sure that there isnt a "safe" pathway from the electrical charger to the battery or directly out into the inverter.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 it's some bs - EcoFlow have Passthrough function for AC outlets. I have River 2 model with LiFePo4 batteries - and it able to consume from the grid power for charging itself, alongside with providing power to the AC outlets, by routing the power from the grid (i hear specific clicks inside, that switching lines from invertor to the grid)
@@justahasbeen Huh?! What are you talking about?
Those backup batteries charge not quicker than the power (genset) you feed them.
@Eric hey where can this knowledge be found... some things you mentioned I don’t understand, and some I sort of know... One of my neighbors had a fire recently, that started from generator power. A power bar caught fire in their basement with their wifi stuff on it. Their next door neighbor (fireman) happened to be there when it started and spotted it... but he was there to try and help them with a (generated) power problem... I told him (fireman) that it probably had to do with the grounding of their generator and having grounding loop of some kind... but that I didn’t understand what it really means, only that the generators have a ground bonded neutral (or to frame?), that needs to be dealt with when connected to a house with its own ground. Anyway, it’s beyond my comprehension how to logically wire them together. (With my generator i didn’t connect the ground wires together, thinking I was potentially reducing the ‘risk’.
Thanks for the video. This is exactly the set-up I plan to have one day. For shorter outages, up to 12 hours, I wouldn't have to do all the work setting up my portable generator. Just do the interlock switch (already installed), throw the triple throw switch, power up the batteries and we're in business - without ever having to step outside into bad weather.
My ideal system would be to use the generator during the day & battery power at night. I love the idea of a system like this, as one of my concerns is that generators have been known to disappear during the night.
At the moment, we don’t have enough outages in our area to justify the cost of a battery backup system such as the one in the video. It’s nice to think about though. 😀
You mean someone steals them during an outage when they are running??
For most homes it would use less gasoline just powering the house off the battery the whole time and recharging it from the generator as needed.
those batteries are not cheap and they only have a certain amount of charge cycles before they are toast. Good for storm backup and camping but not for daily off grid use.
@@miketrav If you are referring to Lifepo4 batteries then they last for thousands of cycles so cycling them daily is not a problem
@@miketrav
U R Wise
Awesome summary, thanks! Quick tip... the green screw on the 3 pole switch box should be connected to ground. In the event that any live wire touches the box, or if the switch malfunctions, it'll throw the breaker / fuse, and prevent you from getting shocked.
Your panel board workmanship is a work of art!
As a followup comment to my earlier comment, another idea that would make a REALLY interesting video, is for you to do a "trial run" and actually run your whole house on the battery backup, document how many minutes/watts each of your household appliances is consuming. And by the way, I'd love to see a video devoted to your search for your tractor.
It makes perfect sense to use batteries and charge them with a gasoline or diesel generator if needed. I measured the power and fuel consumption for a small 650 W gasoline generator. At 50 W el load, the efficiency was disastrous, only 2 %. At close to full load it was 9 %. A larger generator will have better efficiency at full load but if your average power need is small, it's a crazy waste of fuel to run a generator a long period of time.
Looks like a well-engineered system. Speaking of wells, many city folk don't realize that when you're on a well, no electric = no water. If your system can handle the pump's load, you're in good shape.
How long will you have emergency power for the draws you have? That is one question, What will survive in the emergency? A tornado may take out your solar roof panels, and a flood to the eaves will take out all your emergency equipment in the garage. Being prepared for emergencies is more than just back-up electrical power.
This was a good vid. About a year or 2 ago i thought about getting 4 or more of the largest battery generator they make and doing this same thing in my house. Now i know it dose work
An often overlooked issue with gas generators is that they typically cannot produce a pure sine wave, but rather a modified sine wave. There are many electronics such as PC's, tv's etc. that can malfunction or potentially experience damage while running on modified sine wave. One of the advantages of a battery inverter such as the Ecoflows or many other available split phase inverters available is that they produce a pure sine wave which eliminates the worry about your household equipment (unless you accidentally buy a cheaper modified sine wave inverter due to lack of experience). I've run my gas generator with a transfer switch during several power outages and I'm pretty much done with how much of a pain in the ass it is to set up. I'll save up enough money to build my own solar split phase battery generator, stick it in a large theft-proof and waterproof box, and kiss the gasoline purchases goodbye! Thanks for making this excellently presented video!
That's why it's good to place a UPS between the power source and your sensitive electronics.. they will generate a square sine wave which is converted into something usable by their own internal transformers of the end use devices...
The power coming into my house from my Harbor Freight Predator 9000 is much cleaner than the power coming from the municipality, by orders of magnitude. And it's not an inverter. It's just a regular ol genny I've converted to NG. It's never tasted gasoline. However, I do have Greenwave conditioners scattered throughout the house, plus an additional conditioner block that all my electronics are plugged into. It's not pure sine wave clean, about 100 on the meter. The unconditioned portion of the house has read as high as 1440.
I have a short on my channel of a radio broadcast coming thru my electrical wiring. I had never heard of such a thing before.
That's a good system. Pricey with that amount of gear. I just had an electrician install a sub panel for generator input next to my main panel. He wired a 15' heavy duty cable I can plug in to a generator. It is expandable to 8 circuits. I only have 3 going in to it. Furnace, fridge and chest freezer. I'm in Alberta so heat is important for my anticipated winter rolling blackouts. They warned us last winter but with so much new housing and no new power plants this year, I'm preparing. I've got a Delta 2 Max. Before winter I'll have 2 extra batteries to give me the 6 kwh. I can plug the AC in so when the power comes on it will charge and still power the sub panel without me needing to switch it back to the main panel normal operation. I may get a smaller unit for upstairs to power the wifi, computer and TV later. Essentials first.
The good part of the sub panel only housing critical circuits is that I can leave a light switch on. When the power is back on, the light will turn on and I'll know when power is restored.
Thanks for watching - please LIKE & Subscribe - Delta Pro: bit.ly/3ktc2ER- Other items I used are linked in the description.
Just want to let you know how much I admire your setup, and how well you presented it! I just wish those units weren't so pricey!
We literally just lost power today (in the US northeast), and I have a small Ecoflow River Pro that can power my propane fireplace, which can heat the entire house. But I want something more substantial, and of course Silver Cymbal has a great video on this. Thanks!
What a great video. I have 3 treadmills that generate electricity and during outages my wife and kids run for hours at a time to make enough electricity for me to make waffles- my favorite. . That waffle iron really uses a lot of electricity.
😂
This is exactly my idea. I love that the batteries are quiet and no fuel expense and worry. The issue is like the gas generator, your juice eventually runs out. For this reason, My thoughts were to charge the backup lithium batteries as part of the initial load. So as you have two batteries there, my next step would be to get two more and be charging those on the current load. That may equate to 2 less hours of run time, but it keeps you going. 😊
This is really cool. I'd use it to keep the fridge and freezer going overnight when I don't want my gas generator running. Then as you mentioned, charge the batteries as needed while the gennie is running during the day. Another great video! 😎
Love the video and agree with the approach. My system is coming along. Rather than a panel interlock method, I am using two Reliance 10-circuit transfer switches. These are wired in parallel with the L14-30P inlet, so one leg powers all the A side circuits in and the other leg powers the B side circuits. I decided to protect all critical loads but also all comfort loads throughout the house, which had 20 circuits all doing 120Volt loads. My plan started with grid down backup, but evolved into a system I can use year round to offset my electric bill and exercise my gear. I have two Delta Pro units and the smart hub, so I connect right into the inlet and power all 20 home circuits. None of my loads are 240Volt so I could actually use just one Delta Pro with a 3-prong to 4-prong adapter. Because I can toggle each circuit individually, I can continue to use utility power for high loads - in particular I left central AC, dryer, and oven out of the transfer switch setup. If I lose utility, I can live without those 240Volt loads. The Delta Pro units have the expansion batteries for 21KW total storage available. My hope is to add two strings of solar probably using 400Watt panels, probably 3 panels per string for a total of 6. I don’t want to run the risk of harming the Delta Pro solar controllers that are limited to 150Volts solar input. I also have a pair of EU2200 units with tri-fuel conversion from Grenergy US, so I can run those to refill the Delta Pro units. This will be nice because they don’t need to run full time, just intervals. With natural gas, my run time could be indefinite. If NG fails, I can use propane supplies I keep onsite (grill tanks). All together, I have 5 sources between solar, utility, natural gas, propane, and gasoline. The Honda’s can work in parallel to output 3600Watts and I can go into the same inlet and take the Delta Pros out of service if they are failing. I have a long, quality extension cord to reach from outside to the inlet inside. I think the use of the transfer switch is the main difference and it allows me to run a portion of the home, such as refrigerator and Internet, on solar generation while still using utility for heavy loads. I have a window AC to replace central AC in the main bedroom during a grid outage. Now, I would also challenge everyone to seek to reduce their needs so they use less power to begin with. A clothes line can replace the dryer. You can cook on a propane grill or with a toaster oven, instead of a big kitchen oven. A Mr. Heater Buddy can product heat for a bedroom directly from propane with no generator. You can use candles instead of house lighting and you can switch to LED bulbs. You would be amazed how much is sucking power and when you are trying to get the most out of batteries, you will try to be frugal with your electric consumption. Please note, I didn’t want the Smart Panel from EcoFlow because I wanted a standard inlet that my generator could use directly. I also didn’t want the EcoFlow generators because the Hondas have a bullet proof reputation but it is nice that the EcoFlow generator can make a direct DC connection to the Delta Pro, using fuel more efficiently. Last point - I installed the MicroAir soft start on my 5 ton AC and experienced a drastic reduction in startup amps. Though I haven’t added central air to this backup power plan, the soft start will prolong the life of the equipment and help me if I decide to power it with a larger mechanical generator in the future.
I am curious if you used a 30amp connector with 10AWG wire to connect your two Honda 2200’s to your back up panels. I recently added a second 2200 for parallel and I then realized they could actually exceed the 30 amp capacity. Am I looking at this correctly? Do I need to go step up to a 50 amp? I also see he was using a 30 amp three pole switch. Wouldn’t the eco flow possibly exceed this?
When you can run a central AC , FRIDGE together I’ll be impressed cause that’s what is needed in Florida after a hurricane
Depends mostly on your central air if its a heat pump, yes. If its 20 years old, you run it for long.
THANK YOU. This is exactly what I'm looking to do. By the way, an alternative to getting your battery generators recharge would be to run your gas generator---and have that charge your battery generator while using it for your house. This way, your system can back up each other. I would think you'd need a sine inverter and whole house surge protector though but not sure. If you do end up needing to put one, you should update your video to include it in the system. 😉 THIS WAS AN AWESOME VIDEO BY THE WAY!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
Moved to the country about a year ago. Now that we are out of city limits, we can pretty much do anything we want without HOA or city inspectors. Been interested in going solar, but was told ‘whole house” solar powered was not possible. A newbie when it comes to all this, but eager to learn more. Been watching these battery backup systems and I gotta say, I’m impressed with the flexibility and capability of these. We are all electric here, with the exception of our propane range and fireplace. Looks expensive, but definitely worth dipping my toe in the water.
Those Romex runs out of the panel are mesmerizingly neat. Wish my panel was half that nice looking.
It's hard to believe those cables were run over 30 years ago, clearly by an electrician who cared. I put the panel in on the right, they are neat but nothing like that old master!
I have a 4000 watt generator and im loving the idea of having this system and using my 4kw generator as an extra juice to this system. I have some issues with the cable lengths but overall i think this unit is capable of doing everything i need and its easy to install.
Whoah this is exactly what I was going to do. This is so awesome you created this video.
This was exactly what I was looking for and it couldn't have come at a more timely fashion. We already had the external connection but were thinking that we may have to give it up when switching to something like the EcoFlow. Great presentation. Succint and to the point.
Great video as always. I basically have the exact same set up except that I have 4 expansion batteries. I don't have an exterior Reliance Controls PB30 L14-30 outlet but I might look at that in case I want to use my Yamaha EF6300iSDE. If you encounter any issues with the the Delta Pro's getting out of balance (i.e) one DP getting depleted faster than the other) it typically because of which phase your loads are connected to. Although most of the time, both of my DP's + 2 EB's would stay relatively balanced with each other (within 10% to 15%), by adding the Victron autotransformer between the Double Voltage Hub and the PB30 L14-30 outlet, it just takes all the worry out of it.
An autotransformer can be used for step up, step down and split phase output balancing purposes.
While the step up and step down functions are fairly straightforward, split phase output balancing may require some more attention.
Consider for example a 30A 120/240V split phase supply.
The supply could be the grid, a generator or two stacked inverters.
Some of the loads connected are 240V, others are 120V. On each 120V leg the load should not exceed 30A. The problem is that as soon as 120V loads are connected, the two legs will show a different current. This is because the 120V loads on the two legs will never be balanced. A 120V 1200W hairdryer, for example, will draw 10A from one leg. A 120V washing machine could even draw in excess of 20A from one leg. Between the two legs the difference in current, or current unbalance, will therefore often be 20A or more. This means that the 30A supply will not be used up to its full potential. By the time one leg draws 30A, the other leg may be drawing no more than 10A, and increasing the 240V load, for example, will result in an overload of one leg while the other leg still has spare capacity.
Theoretically, the total power that can be drawn from a 30A 120/240V supply is 30 x 240 = 7,2 kVA.
In case of 20A unbalance, the practical maximum will be 30 x 120 + 10 x120 = 4,8kVA, or 67% of the theoretical maximum.
The solution is an Autotransformer.
By leaving the neutral of the split phase supply unused, and connecting an Autotransformer to create a new neutral, as shown in figure 1, any load unbalance is ‘absorbed’ by the Autotransformer.
In case of a 30A supply, the load can be increased to 7,2kVA, and a 20A load unbalance will result in one leg supplying 40A, and the other leg 20A. The 20A difference will flow through the neutral and the windings of the Autotransformer. The current through both 120V wires of the split phase supply will be 30A.
Feel free to check out this post for more details
facebook.com/groups/deltaprolaunch/permalink/1562083637591819/
Beautiful setup! Only thing I’d recommend is upsizing the size of the inlet receptacle, romex and back fed breaker. You’re talking about running your whole house on a setup only rated for 30A, which your house can easily exceed on each phase. I’m sure you are aware of the adverse effects of overloading conductors and protection devices over an extended period of time. Nice video as always!!
This is a good point. I'm about to get an inlet installed and am deciding between 30 amp and 50 amp. But 7200 watts at 240v is a max of 30 amps anyway, so the 30 amp inlet is probably okay unless there should be a buffer. It seems like the inverter would overload before there is damage to the circuits. Also, can you connect the dual voltage hub to a 50 amp inlet? Is there a readily available adapter in case I go with the 50 amp inlet?
In theory in extended outages where this is needed you shouldn't be wasting power on the frivilous stuff, just the hots and colds (heating, and food preservation)
Congrats on developing your redundant backup power system, it’s pretty impressive. However the one thing on my mind as I watch you WOW us with your sophisticated electrical enterprise is ……. $$$ ! I may have missed it but I didn’t hear you mention a cost factor to acquire and install all this stuff. I have a ‘watered-down’ version of your setup and I understand the impact of randomly adding ‘Ecoflow’ devices as convenient as they are. For me the economic factor could not be ignored. That said, I’m still impressed. 👍
Hello, I read your review, and I can only say this: He has 5 different units plus a hub that has to connect the "BATTERIES" together, never mentioning even remotely about any solar regeneration of those batteries. The ones he has are at least 3k each and not to mention all the extra wiring you have to do get it to that level $$$$. also he added he charges the batteries via GAS generator . That should tell you something...It's not all that's it's cracked up to be. I have a 12,000 watt gas/propane generator, I had an electrician bypass 10 circuits into another box and run the wires. Electrician : $2,000, Generator Gas / Propane $850 , and Misc. things I bought including 4 20lbd propane tanks ( the very same ones that you can get -at your local wal-mart plus those propane tanks have a shelf life of at least 10 years.... so my total was about 4k . +or- a few bucks , so the only things I don't have is central heating and a/c ,my glass cooktop, mt dryer, and my wall unit microwave /oven.. But what I do have is every electrical outlet and every switch is powered . I have ceiling fans that work, I have space heaters if I need. So if you get these you're really dependent on the sun. If it comes out and how strong is it? Do you have many hours of sunlight? These are things you have to consider before dumping a lot of money into something that will not meet your expectations .... I hope this helped you and others that might read this..
@@markhiggins4164truth-be-told I started with a gas/propane backup system myself. I now have comfort in knowing I have a backup - to the backup. Thanks for your reply.
- Happy Holidays!
This is the setup I have, except that mine is full (2x Delta Pro + 4x Extra Batteries) for a total of 21.6kwh connected to my house using the DVH through a transfer switch.
The maximum output is 240v @ 30amps = 7200w
The setup allows me to turn on 2 air conditioners at the same time, plus gaming computer, TVs, all LED lamps, fridge, etc... just like using the power grid. For heavy appliance, I can turn them on as well but I need to be aware of current consumption when other stuff are turned on, since the limit is 7200w
It works really well for us and I live in Puerto Rico. The setup gets the power from 2 separate solar arrays for the maximum solar input on each Delta Pro (1600w x 2 = 3200w) on a good day.
We are not 24x7 off-grid as we still have the power grid service, so I use it during the week while I work remotely for an average of 40 to 60 hours weekly off-grid. Doing this out electric bills is much lower than before. I know that a grid-tied solar system may have more benefits but things here in Puerto Rico are not so easy... so most of the time off-grid gives us less headache.
This is not only about reducing bills cost, but also owning a system that cover us during an emergency. When we were hit by hurricane Fiona and the power grid was obviously off, this is the setup that keep us with power all the time, while most of the houses where I live were completely dark and other using gas generators.
Not only that, but those people were doing long lines on gas stations.
Hi Carlos. I bought same set-up last summer just to be prepared, but haven’t installed a transfer switch from my main panel. I already have grid-tied solar on the roof but don’t know much about wiring a transfer switch for the back-up. Plus my solar array would be in the back yard and the Eco flows are in the front of the house. Any thoughts
Thank you for making short videos like this. In this case it's a huge help for someone just wanting to know what a double voltage hub does and how it works. I really like the safety feature the 3 pole double throw switch provides by enabling only one outlet at a time.
My house backup batteries are 4 12v 120 amp hour walmart marine batteries. Power All 120v circuits thru a 120 v 40amp sub panel in our utility room with a 3500 watt 24v psw inverter. Will run all night long. 3 bedroom 2 bath house. Can even make a pot of coffee in the morning before the sun comes up and solar panels kick in.
Never having to worry about a Power Outage. That's incredible.
My childhood house was right next to the hospital and whenever there was a power outages most of the neighborhood would be dark except for a few houses like ours that were somehow on the hospitals grid. In 2008ish there was a big snowstorm and the neighborhood was without power for almost a week. We ran low on food but thankfully we never were cold and never without power.
None of this is automatic, so he does have to worry about it. (i.e. power's out when you aren't there to switch everything over.)
Worry and concern are two different ways of thinking.
Is it that reliable in the long term tho?
What happens if you have multiple days without power. Use a gas generator like most people with a brain do.
Great three pole double throw Switch to know about. Gonna hunt one down :+) ... Having a battery to inverter (even for smaller watt 120vac) along side a generator is a no brainer like this: When Grid goes off, battery to 120vac is available for lower amp needs. Then use of generator for higher amp needs for an hour or less can recharge battery bank; instead of running a generator 8 hours a day up to 24/7 ... and wasting fuel. That is the way boats at sea do it 🙂 That 240vac backup plan is awesome.
I'm in NorCal. 2 years ago we had a 3 day/night power outage thanks to heavy winds and wildfires that destroyed power lines. I was on batteries. Clownboy on the next street over had his contractor generator running day and night. It was very annoying and loud at night. He must have refueled it on the run as it never shut down once. On the 3rd night about 3AM it was still in the 90F degree range outside and I was lying awake listening to the generator drone on. The sound changed a bit then it started clattering getting louder by the second. The generator stopped suddenly. Pure silence....except for me laughing. I will bet it threw a rod right through the side of the engine from lack of oil. You have to check the oil level more than once a year.......
I remember when this channel was enjoyable, now it's just an Ecoflow channel.
As someone who has never watched this channel and have no idea whats going on, im sorry to hear that.
Love the redundancy that you have created, I inspire to have these redundancies at my home. I just had my interlock installed with an outdoor Gen connection. But I opted for 240v 50amp connection which is available on my new generator.
If you don't care about the setup and just want to see the test: 1:58
I've been wanting to buy an Ecoflow as a back up for my house what is nice is that you can even use them as a UPS so when the power goes the devices you are using like the TV / Computer will not lose power. Very nice back up batteries my plan is to have 1 of them in each room of my house.
Pretty cool. Would love to see how this is wired in the breaker box to feed power into the house besides the main.
for a drum and bass channel, this channel kicks ass
The Ecoflows as someone notes below charge very quickly because they plug directly into AC, the Jackery and some others use a DC adapter that is low voltage and takes a long time to charge. I have an outside 240 V adapter to connect to my gas generator but for a quick power outage or at night when I don't want to make a lot of noise will use my one Ecoflow and one Jackery, which I kind of regret buying, to plug into refrigerators and essentials.
This is a great solution, to my proposed needs. I am however, wanting a 50amp hub. I have proposed a 50amp outdoor outlet for my gen. Thanks for this!
Love the dual backup system! I, too, have both a gas genny (inverter) and solar generators (both DIY and Bluetti). I like this switching capability between the 2 backups.
Nice application of the generator inlet switch. Simple and effective way to create flexible backup power.
I really liked this configuration, but in the country where I live there are not many equipment options. I used 2 hybrid inverters from Growatt, the SPF3500ES, connected to a ~12kWh battery bank. In a test I did, in normal use of the house, the 5kWp set of solar panels and batteries kept the house going for almost 160 hours, it caught a cloudy day and the party was over. Still this year I will exchange my 3 inverters from Growatt (grid-tie and hybrids) for one from Deye, the SUN-5K-SG01LP1. I believe it will be a great investment, I will be able to export to the network in just 1 piece of equipment, power the house, charge the battery bank and even have its own connection for generators, which I will use to ensure that I am not left in the dark.
I would love to do some type of battery back up eventually but due to other things going on in my life right now I cannot finance that I did upgrade to two inverter generators so I can parallel them when I need to run heavier loads and just run one when I’m not running that much The only disadvantage is I did not have 240 but .50 A at 120 V can run a lot of stuff if my calculations are correct, that’s 6000 W continuous and the inverters sure do you save a lot of fuel, especially when they are on economy mode
I totally get that. I have told Ecoflow and other companies that they need to come up with 1 unit that does 240v internally. Not euro 220v, that is dfifferent, we need US 240 in one unit. Then allow extra batteries to be added, this would keep the entry price low and let you grow it as your budget allows. This is so much closer but always has room to grow.
Interesting product that I can see being of value for portability with home integration as a bonus but at some ~$14,000 worth of just major components that's quite the premium over other options on the market for home power such as EG4
The cost for the Delta pro setup with the 240v box is $7k right now ecoflow.com/collections/delta-series?aff=37 By no means, inexpensive but its a better price than some other units out there with no company history or 240v abilities
@@SilverCymbal I didn't quite math correctly: Delta Pro's are $3500 ea. Batteries $2600 ea. So more like $12,200. And I agree that among portable power stations EcoFlow has a good reputation. But that portability comes at a price.
Nice setup. I had a different idea and that to use a single EcoFlow Pro for 110V only. To do that I need to split my main breaker panel into 110V and 220V. This way I can switch back and forth without having to shutdown all 220V breakers. This setup is for emergency use only.
I just purchased the Delta Pro with the smart extra battery and transfer switch. I mainly just want to run a well pump, fridge, some lights, and hvac circulation fan. I should be good to go.
I really like this. To be able to switch between gas and battery is awesome. Keep the ac on while you are out getting more fuel. Wonderful😊
Well, for a couple thousand less than the setup you have there, you could get an EG4 rack mount system with 30kWh worth of batteries and two 6500 inverters for a max of 13kW of power. Double what this setup is.
Now that is a little more advanced setup than the ecoflows of course, and physically larger, but it would allow you to charge your car if needed. You can't on the ecoflows using the 240V combiner thing.
I think the ecoflow makes sense if you want a foolproof, no-setup backup for some essentials, but this doesn't financially make a lot of sense as a whole home backup in my mind.
I have an LV6048 inverter (120/240 split phase 6kW) and 14kW hours of DIY LFP cells. So close to what you have here in terms of power and storage and only cost me about $3000. Less than the cost of just one of the delta pros.
You understand it exactly, its definitely a plug and go system. If you go the component route you can do more for less money. No disputing that but it is nice to have it all done and ready to use. I can understand people using both types of setups for sure.
@@SilverCymbal This is what I did. I bought a Growatt 12k LF inverter and 4 rack mount batteries w/rack. Came to about $9k total. With the 30% federal tax credit, this comes down to $6k for a 20kwh system wired into an interlock inlet. I am thinking of getting a Chargeverter so I can directly power the battery rack with my Honda generator while the Growatt is powering the house. This will allow me to run my 4 ton HVAC system which the Honda EU7000is can't start due to the 55A compressor inrush (even with a soft starter).
The other good thing about a battery rack and single inverter is that the power draw from the house isn't spread unevenly across the batteries. This is one of the issues with the Ecoflow units when used with uneven loads, one battery will draw down more than the other.
This is great for the person that is afraid of their gas generator getting stolen in the middle of the night. They can put it away then plug the batteries in the indoor inlet while they are sleeping where demand would be less.
great video, i love the "3 pole double throw" switch, it's exactly what i'm looking for. havent came across anyone with one yet!
I was actually thinking this was pointless. The neutral doesn't need to be switched; it can just be tied to everything all the time and bonded to Earth ground at the main service panel.
Glad i found this, almost what i needed! Instead of that double throw switch, maybe i can use a 3 way generator switch in conjunction with the 10 circut transfer box i already have.
Loved the video Chris! I'm doing something very similar in my home but I'm using a transfer switch instead of an interlock switch. Instead of taking the whole house on and off the grid, the transfer switch allows me to take individual circuits and power them with a generator / power station and solar. I don't have a 240v backup yet so the interlock won't work for me right now. Thanks for the video!
This circuit switches work very well. I have used them many times and they are rock solid. Looking forward to seeing your install and thank you for the kind words too.
@@scott6252 that's how I use mine! I have a couple videos on the topic on my channel. I can drop my power bill throughout the month while running off solar, plus have power during an outage.
@SilverCymbal Do you need that switch if you are not using both generator plugs at the same time ?
@@kyleunrearl2o4049 I read up a lot on this and its a big deal since having the neutral doubles the switch prices. Technically it should make no difference but the information I found said the neutral must be switched. I got too concerned and if you switch all 4 you are assured of no issues but with 3 I dont believe it will be correct.I know its not great news, sorry.
Can't wait for video when battery runns out and somehow/magically it switches to gas generator automatically. Thanks for well thought out video with everything one needs to know how to run on battery and recharge using generator or run purely on generator! Awesome!
This is amazing. Technology has come so far, even in the past 10 years alone. Thanks for sharing!
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but your transfer switch is not connected to your grounds that pass thru the switch creating an electrical shock hazard. Please connect to your green grounding screw. Safety first is a real thing.
Worth mentioning the problem with not having a breaker lockout is that the 240v from the batteries will step up to ~14KV when running backwards through the house's transformer. It's potentially fatal for people working on the lines in an outage.
Turning off the main breaker prevents back feeding
@@scottmurphy4946yup! Until you forget to, because the power’s out anyway you won’t notice.
@@dgpsf Except you cant power the house until you discoonect your main by sliding up that lockout plate...preventing you from ever having your generator/battery connected to your home at the same time as your main utility connection.
@@dgpsf you would immediately notice because your system would attempt to power the rest of the street
@@niktak1114 Kind of a good point. But, Ron R correctly pointed out that this is impossible due to the lockout plate. It physically prevents powering on the breaker from the batteries while the main breaker is switched on. When your power is out, the people working to restore it are your best friends. That plate protects the life of your best friends. That's the way I look at it. Yup, it also protects your batteries from trying to power the whole neighborhood. Oh, and I have to add that it also protects your battery/inverter units from severe damage when the power is restored!💣
You have a very nice clean and well organized setup, .... Excellent !!
Great video. Also, consider dialing back your energy needs. Air dry clothes or use heating elements during the day.
How did you wire it into you’re breaker box ? Please I’d like to know , did you back feed it into a 30A double pole breaker ? What inverter do you have & a video on how you set everything up in the proper order one wiring it all to together ! I’ve got the Moes Automatic Transfer Switch , I’ve got another brand new homeline breaker box ! If you find the time this would be very helpful
Question, I think the set up is great, my question is how can you set the battery back up and then run a backup gas generator to charge your batteries so that you can run large devices such as home AC units? The run current flow is not the issue, it's the start up current that taxes smaller or midsize gas generators.
It seems like solar panels, plus a battery system, and a generator to refill the batteries would be ultimate system. The only downside is the a availability of gasoline, but in a pinch I doubt you’d be using microwaves and dryers. This is all very cool.
I still do an Apollo 13 electrical load survey when the power quits. It could be an hour or a 6 month outage. I have the ability to recharge but prefer to do it during the day. My son's neighbor lady has a Tesla roof and 3 Powerwalls. She managed to run them flat by midnight in a heavy storm. She has electric heat.
Thanks for this video.. really cleared up some questions i was thinking about.
only thing now is to get the captial to buy em lol.
im looking forward to see the solar recharging when you get that setup.
My generac 8000 watt generator only uses 12 gallons of fuel to run for 24 hours. I just did it for two days straight before Christmas! And that’s running my well pump and all the other stuff my wife insists is on. The nice thing about gas generators is that no adolescent boys in the Congo had to died in collapsed mines for me to get power in a windstorm. So that’s cool.
The only problem
I foresee is in my city we had an almost two week blackout and during that time all gas pumps were out because pumps run off electric. So at your rate and let’s say I had stored up 80-90 gallons of fuel I would only be staying powered up for roughly a week.
@@Okjoe1983 oh I didn't even think that some areas wouldn't have any open gas stations. I'm in Maine and at least half the gas stations have generators so they remain open even if the power is out.
@@jlinc187 by week 2 the major corporate gas stations here starting dropping off huge generators at the gas station so they could start pumping again which was nice however as quickly as they were turned on the gas stations started running out of gas due to the large influx of customers filling up their cars, gas cans, water bottles or just about anything they could use to hoard gas. It reminded me of the toilet paper covid craziness. On the flip side I do see your point and I personally would run my generator on natural gas if I bought a portable dual fuel or a whole home generac or at least propane if natural gas was not already running to my house.
Gracias mister Silver Cymbal 😊that video was very educational and I just saw a commercial ad about the “anger 767” that supposed to be the only unit to power up a house in a black out… please share your thoughts on that I will check in case you make a video of this power unit 😊
He doesnt know what hes talking about. Dont buy one.
5:55 It regulates it's throttle to keep the speed constant, so obviously it's gonna run at the same speed. But in order to maintain the same speed at a higher load, the generator will have to open the throttle further and therefore consume more gas, otherwise it would stall. Of course your generator will need a certain amount of gas to keep running, even without any load. But the gas consumption of generator is of course very load dependent.
Nice setup how much does the complete unit set cost separate from what someone charged you to install it this would work awesome on my off-grid place
I would get large, much less expensive LiFeP04 batteries. When the parts like the charge controller, BMS, fuses, or AC inverter go bad you can replace them and have backup parts on hand to do it rapidly. A 300 amp hour 12 volt LiFeP04 battery rated at 3.8 kwh capacity is about 1000 bucks. Two of those in series and you have a lot of power. Two of these is enough (if you get daily sun) to power a small window air conditioner. A couple of large server rack LiFeP04 batteries are about 3000 bucks and have about 10 kwh capacity. Someone who is wealthy though may choose to spend a fortune buying EcoFlow batteries. They`re great and so is the company. But when parts fail in the future....
@@baneverything5580 I agree, for a whole home backup, server rack batteries and a separate solar inverter is the way to go, especially financially. I'm (still installing) on an LV6048 for split phase 120/240V in my house. I'm upgrading from the LV2424 which is only 120V. So a 6kW inverter and 14kwh of LFP cells has cost me just over $3000. About 3500 actually, same as just one ecoflow delta that has 1/2 the power and 1/4 storage as what I have.
@@andrewt9204 I`m on a fixed income and can`t drive and live in a very isolated rural area in hurricane country. So all I could get was one 300 ah Ampere Time battery, a 2000w inverter, 60 amp MPPT charge controller, and a 20 amp plug in charger to top it off when severe weather is coming. I need at least one more 100w and another 190w panel to have almost 800 watts of panels in a series/parallel configuration to power my tiny Frigidaire 5000 BTU window air conditioner after hurricanes and other things when needed in emergencies.
I had bought solar power stations as I was able before large battery prices fell that were just large enough to have two for a freezer, two for a dorm fridge, and a collection of smaller ones for lights, fans, WIFI, 12v cookers, and low wattage rice cookers. So the big battery will be for staying cool, storage, or long term electric blanket if I need that. or even power for my microwave. Just whatever is needed most.
I have a small gas generator but often gas is impossible to get after severe storms with power out, no communication at all, and trees covering highways, and I can`t afford it to be honest, not for two weeks 24/7. I just want to ensure I have power I can make on site long term so I don`t have to worry so much. Tired of burning up up after storms when it`s 100 degrees, or losing an entire year of vegetables/fruits in my freezer. Had to do something.
@@baneverything5580 An Ampere time battery and 1500W inverter with a 200W solar panel was my emergency backup for a while. It's a good cheap solution to keep bare essentials going if you're prone to power outages/disasters. I have an EV now, so I'm looking to invest in about 2500W in panels and this big 240V inverter to very slowly recoup those costs, and be able to drive at least a little if SHTF for a bit.
I think the Delta PRO is a fantastic product but Oof the price point, not to mention needing to parallel two for 240.
I straddle a line between wanting something as simple as this, or the Living Energy Farm model of solar to 12v for lighting loads and a DC direct drive refrigerator, super low tech and low maintenance.
Full disclosure I live completely on-grid in a residential neighborhood but I LIVE for nerding on alternative energy.
2:49 brilliant setup. Love it
Been enjoying your videos, you are like the modern "bob vila" and I mean that with all sincerity!
From what I understand, You can only run either 120 or 240v at one time with ecoflow. The New Zender is the first product I know of that can run both at the same time.
The Ecoflow does have an amazing dual fuel Generator that Automatically turns on and off to keep the batteries topped off.
Thank you for the info. Im planning to buy either two DP Pro or Dp Pro 3 with extra battery to start with. Think the extra cost on DP 3 is worth it? I need to run 1 hp well pump periodically to fill up tubs and take showers with gas water heater . Then turn back off. Thank you for any advice
Thanks. I hope while you were pointing the switch was de-energized.
I have a twin home and I like to do this myself but I only have one Ecoflow Delta 2 Max which I think will be enough.. I was also thinking of always having my 2 solar panels (280w total) outside and running the cables inside to a solar charge controller, then onto 3 Lithium lifep04 50ah batteries in series, then from those batteries to the ecoflow alternator and then to the ecoflow generator..
I like the option to use a fuel generator outside. I got the Ecoflow Smart Home Panel along the Delta Pros. But i have yet to install it 😅
The Ecoflow stuff looks pretty solid for a more prosumer focused product. The Victron ecosystem is when you pull out the “big guns”. Being able to seamlessly cut over between grid and battery power (and solar) and monitor everything on a single dashboard is really slick. It even supports feeding extra power that you generate (via solar) back into the grid if you are allowed to do that.
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Thanks for making this video. This is pretty much what I want to set up once I have the money to invest in the Ecoflows. I still want to offer the ability to run a gas generator during a massive prolonged outage, but the majority of our outages when they happen are only a few hours or so from say a grid/pole issue or a storm that knocks it out.
It would be nice to have the convenience of a standby generator and I know their smart panel offers that but only allows 10 circuits and I'd rather just have the convenience of turning things on and off as I need to in the house without preselecting what I want on.
If I had any critical loads I'd just use a UPS that would last me long enough to go down and throw the interlock.
Similar to me. And if there is a brief power outage and it's raining and the wind is howling I don't want to go out and crank up and connect the generator, just stay inside and plug the Ecoflow in.
Thanks buddy this is the kind of video I have been looking for
Thanks for the great tips and insights. I have an older rooftop solar system - still works (about 10% degradation over 20 years) and looking to add batteries to the mix. System installers don't make it easy... most of them want to remove my old panels and start over (not going to happen). So the search continues.
First thing love you video ! Now I live I Buffalo NY and I know you heard about the storm we bad a few weeks ago with all the looting that went on what they didn't say alot of generators were stolen too this is why I would love if you could make a video or diagram saying how you wired both of your generator switches together to your transfer switch and circuit breaker panel
I would love to see a harsh test. My wife and I might be buying a school to convert into a home. We were thinking of going complete solar and we are looking into the ecoflow pros. We just wanna see how they take full loads like using a dryer with both ecoflow pros getting the full 1600w each.
I enjoyed the video and the batteries would be great to run at night or save you from dragging the gas generator out but 2 Eco Pros and the batteries looks to be over $12,000? Wouldn't a natural gas/lpg unit be in the same price range? Yes fuel will cost money but how many days per year on average is the backup needed?
I have a similar setup but I only have one delta pro. I charge mine with my 1800 watt solar panel array and have a gas generator for the days the sun isnt out.
How long would the battery back-up system last ultimately? Say, no washing/drying...heavy draw use? Just two fridges and regular house lighting....
If you only use this for outages, it should really last forever, but thats the electronics, maybe 5 years, 10 or 20 but ecoflow is sold stuff. The good news is the batteries alone won't be the issue, these are lithium iron phosphate and even if used daily, they should last around 10 years, and thats daily! Keep in mind if you used gasoline evey day for 10 years that adds up too.
@@SilverCymbal How long in a given outage?
I really enjoyed your video; thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
7,200w output is decent for whole house, although you're not going to be running hair dryers or space heaters or toaster ovens or electric clothes dryers or heat pumps anytime soon. But to keep refrigerators, well pumps, lights, gas furnace, computers and the occasional microwave running it should do fine. My only concern is the 14,400w runtime. It means at full load you get 2 hours runtime. On the South Shore of Boston, where I live, in the woods, power outages are rarely 2 hours, more likely measured in days, so this system definitely requires a generator backup. I understand you regulate electrical consumption below the 7200w runtime capacity by turning on only the electrical appliances you need, nevertheless, with a total capacity of 14,400w your “time on battery” until utility power is restored will certainly not be measured in days, especially in your rural location. I can still see the advantages for this battery backup in terms of simplicity and reliability compared to a gasoline generator, although it's likely a lot of extra cash for most folks to buy a generator to back up this battery system when they could just use the generator alone. And in a snowstorm likely to bring down trees that will kill your power for an extended outage, those solar panels you talk about will be generating far from their rated capacity for multiple reasons. If it’s me, and I’m living practically off grid in northern New England as you are, and I’ve got family to keep warm, I’m definitely adding a generator to the mix.
Now what would be REALLY interesting for a video would be hooking up your tractor to a PTO generator. That would give you a fairly substantial and reliable secondary power source during an extended outage.
The EcoFlow generator won’t be able to keep up with the demand on the battery to charger them. I would say just use their chargers and plug them into your large generator and set the EcoFlow to fast charge.
i have a sump that runs very frequently in storms and even in winter will run as we are on a spring sadly. still trying to figure out best system balancing cost, ease, efficiency, and ideally better for long term future of energy (i.e. leaning renewable). we rarely lose power for more than a day if we do but with that sump something is needed beyond my battery backup.
That's a good idea. If you're away your spouse can switch to batteries and when you get home you can start the generator.
Wonder if you install the Power flow smart home panel and knock off the grid power and connect your generator to the external outlet you have the best of both worlds. Generator would charge the Delta pros and run your 240 circuits if needed.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Can it switch automatically to battery back up when main power outage happens? Like when you are not at home and you would like essential appliances including sum pump and heating are maintained on power.
Assuming your running only a few lights, refrigerator, and well pump, the limit of 5 hours run time is not enough. Most people want at least a few day’s of power. Our power outages in rural upstate N.Y. Sometimes last 3 days or more.
I too live in the North East and I can't over state the importance of an automatic transfer switch so your backup power (whatever kind) will come on even if you are not home when the grid goes out.
I would love to figure out how to do this with my Ecoflow Delta Pro 3 i just bought yesterday.
Great video! How would you tie this setup to charge your batteries using a gas generator? Or just simply running a cord from the outside (gas generator) to the batteries?