I need to get a transfer switch like this installed. Perfect for powering anything during an outage without having to haul the battery around and run multiple extension cords.
Great set up, though extremely expensive. What I have found in trying to price out various products anything associated with either Goal Zero or Yeti is over-priced versus other reputable products that deliver essentially the same performance. I do think that the idea of using your generator to charge your battery is an excellent one. It is a far more efficient use of whatever fuel powers the generator versus powering directly from the generator. By doing things, this way, everything that the generator produces goes to charging the battery, whereas plugging different items into the generator itself isn’t anywhere near that efficient.
Yeah, I agree 1,000%. This setup makes zero sense. To me, a much, much, MUCH more powerful and cheaper solution is to simply get something like a DuroMax XP9000iH inverter generator, which has 7,600 running watts and 9K surge watts, can run 240V appliances, is an actual generator and can do all of this at less than $2k. If you want to go a battery/generator route, I'd get solar panels on my roof and pair that with something like a Tesla power wall (or you can DIY a battery bank setup). You could then charge your batteries around 8pm so that you don't need to run your generator at night time, assuming the sun didn't charge your batteries enough. What's worse about this setup is you're spending $3,500 and you can't even run 240V appliances and only have 3kWh worth of power. It's better served if you're doing a weekend camping expedition, not for home backup.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 The only problem with a non-solar generator is that in a longer emergency/grid down scenario you will run out of fuel, the only question being when that will happen. I believe in trying to primarily use solar, with some petroleum/gas based generator as a supplement. Yes, that’s expensive, but that’s why you a) shop around and b) buy things a bit at a time if you can’t afford to buy it all at once. Gas generators go on sale all the time, and you can always get used solar cells for about 60%-70% off of brand new, especially if you buy several at once (or combine a purchase with other people). I thought about the assembled solar generator vs. building my own system, and I am leaning heavily toward building my own. There are all kinds of videos here on how to DIY, and it really isn’t that har - if you can load software on to a computer and hook it up to a printer and the internet, you can set up a solar system from components.
@@SensiblePreparedness what? Oh wow you could see the reflection or shadow of the trees on (in) the panels. I get nearly 300 watts from 4 200 watt panels on a completely cloudy day. What's the watts on those panels? Also thank you for this video!
Each fold up panel is 200 watts, so I have 800 watts total. Also, the angle of the panels toward the sun could have been better. But I was too lazy to turn them lol
Looks kind of like you've got four 15-amp circuits coming off a single 15-amp extension cord. Is that safe? What happens if multiple circuits are loaded at close to their capacity simultaneously?
The inverter will trip first because it is only 15 amp. The 120v transfer switch are made for small load. If you want your whole house then get 240v transfer switch and 240 inverters.
Why not just charge the Goal Zero with the generator via the AC input on the Goal Zero? In other words, why use the 600W power supply via the solar input?
Not to be a Monday morning quarterback but if you move the 1st row of panels out so you cans see the shadow of the 1st row on the second I bet you would see a bit more power charging cloudy or not but nice simple set up....did you say how many kwh that thing is?
I don't get the point of this setup. I'd just get an inverter generator, maybe the DuroMax XP9000iH or something like that. It costs $2k, has 9k surge watts and 7,600 running watts, runs on both gas and propane and actually has 240V power to run a house. I'd hook it up to one of those huge 500 gallon propane tanks and I'd be able to run my house for weeks during a power outage. This Yeti costs $3,500, only has 3kWh of power and only has two 120v circuits. For someone like me, this is a very expensive toy. I live on a well, which uses a 15A, 240V circuit to pump the water to the holding tank in my house. I then have another 15V line that runs the jet pump to pump that water from the tank into my lines. I could technically drink the water already in my 200 gallon tank, but once that's empty, I'm done, since this can't run any 240V circuits. You'd clearly have to run the absolute basics with this or you'd burn through your 3kW worth of power very quickly. Assuming the power is out for more than 18 hours or so, you'll also need a big enough solar array to charge it back up. Solar array, inverter...this is getting way too expensive. If you want to go the battery route, get a true house battery like a Tesla power wall and a 5-10kW solar array. This is a very expensive battery, nothing more.
I need to get a transfer switch like this installed. Perfect for powering anything during an outage without having to haul the battery around and run multiple extension cords.
For rainy days you just need 100 times the amount of solar panels that you normally would use on a sunny day.
Great set up, though extremely expensive. What I have found in trying to price out various products anything associated with either Goal Zero or Yeti is over-priced versus other reputable products that deliver essentially the same performance.
I do think that the idea of using your generator to charge your battery is an excellent one. It is a far more efficient use of whatever fuel powers the generator versus powering directly from the generator. By doing things, this way, everything that the generator produces goes to charging the battery, whereas plugging different items into the generator itself isn’t anywhere near that efficient.
Yeah, I agree 1,000%. This setup makes zero sense. To me, a much, much, MUCH more powerful and cheaper solution is to simply get something like a DuroMax XP9000iH inverter generator, which has 7,600 running watts and 9K surge watts, can run 240V appliances, is an actual generator and can do all of this at less than $2k.
If you want to go a battery/generator route, I'd get solar panels on my roof and pair that with something like a Tesla power wall (or you can DIY a battery bank setup). You could then charge your batteries around 8pm so that you don't need to run your generator at night time, assuming the sun didn't charge your batteries enough.
What's worse about this setup is you're spending $3,500 and you can't even run 240V appliances and only have 3kWh worth of power. It's better served if you're doing a weekend camping expedition, not for home backup.
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 The only problem with a non-solar generator is that in a longer emergency/grid down scenario you will run out of fuel, the only question being when that will happen. I believe in trying to primarily use solar, with some petroleum/gas based generator as a supplement. Yes, that’s expensive, but that’s why you a) shop around and b) buy things a bit at a time if you can’t afford to buy it all at once. Gas generators go on sale all the time, and you can always get used solar cells for about 60%-70% off of brand new, especially if you buy several at once (or combine a purchase with other people). I thought about the assembled solar generator vs. building my own system, and I am leaning heavily toward building my own. There are all kinds of videos here on how to DIY, and it really isn’t that har - if you can load software on to a computer and hook it up to a printer and the internet, you can set up a solar system from components.
It's those trees!
Haha, the sun was actually past the trees...just super cloudy
@@SensiblePreparedness what? Oh wow you could see the reflection or shadow of the trees on (in) the panels. I get nearly 300 watts from 4 200 watt panels on a completely cloudy day. What's the watts on those panels? Also thank you for this video!
Each fold up panel is 200 watts, so I have 800 watts total. Also, the angle of the panels toward the sun could have been better. But I was too lazy to turn them lol
@@SensiblePreparedness LOL I fully understand that! Keep up the great content.
Sounds like that goal zeros inverter has a lot of feedback
Just a bad microphone that I have lol
Well your microphone is only bad when you are next to the goal zero while it’s running
Looks kind of like you've got four 15-amp circuits coming off a single 15-amp extension cord. Is that safe? What happens if multiple circuits are loaded at close to their capacity simultaneously?
The inverter will trip first because it is only 15 amp. The 120v transfer switch are made for small load. If you want your whole house then get 240v transfer switch and 240 inverters.
Why not just charge the Goal Zero with the generator via the AC input on the Goal Zero? In other words, why use the 600W power supply via the solar input?
On this unit, the input section where I plugged it in is the only section for inputs.
Not to be a Monday morning quarterback but if you move the 1st row of panels out so you cans see the shadow of the 1st row on the second I bet you would see a bit more power charging cloudy or not but nice simple set up....did you say how many kwh that thing is?
I don't get the point of this setup. I'd just get an inverter generator, maybe the DuroMax XP9000iH or something like that. It costs $2k, has 9k surge watts and 7,600 running watts, runs on both gas and propane and actually has 240V power to run a house. I'd hook it up to one of those huge 500 gallon propane tanks and I'd be able to run my house for weeks during a power outage.
This Yeti costs $3,500, only has 3kWh of power and only has two 120v circuits. For someone like me, this is a very expensive toy. I live on a well, which uses a 15A, 240V circuit to pump the water to the holding tank in my house. I then have another 15V line that runs the jet pump to pump that water from the tank into my lines. I could technically drink the water already in my 200 gallon tank, but once that's empty, I'm done, since this can't run any 240V circuits.
You'd clearly have to run the absolute basics with this or you'd burn through your 3kW worth of power very quickly. Assuming the power is out for more than 18 hours or so, you'll also need a big enough solar array to charge it back up. Solar array, inverter...this is getting way too expensive.
If you want to go the battery route, get a true house battery like a Tesla power wall and a 5-10kW solar array. This is a very expensive battery, nothing more.