Awesome! Thanks! Do you know if the EcoFlow Ultra can power a main panel (I see an EcoFlow panel beside your Anker!) directly like the Anker's AC Coupling capability. I've been searching all over for an answer to this. It appears to me that you have to use their smart panel and move circuits to it. Thx!
Thanks for watching! Sorry that I missed your question! I made a video on my solar channel comparing these two systems and hopefully that would answer your questions. If not, post them as new comments and I will aim to respond more quickly! th-cam.com/video/9uNSm626Pcw/w-d-xo.html
Good video, the Anker F3800 system is decent. I have two F3800's and 6 BP3800 expansion batteries and a Home Power Panel... so I am speaking from experience. Unfortunately I would not buy again because but they essentially have no customer service. And when they do firmware upgrades, they don't know the changes in specs. Each call or chat takes hours and each response it automatic and says they will reply in 2 days... even for the most basic questions. So unless you're a solar expert, don't count on ANKER for any help unless you have a ton of patience.
Thanks for watching. I'm sorry to hear about your experience with customer service. You can feel free to post any questions as new comments here and I can try to help as best I can. I have been asking too for more details on the firmware upgrades.
@@randya9143 I also own the HPP and 2 F3800 and 2 BP3800. My experience with Anker support is a mix bag. They do exist but it's a process like you said. Sometimes they do get the answers wrong or drop the ball and don't get back to you. They do have an escalation path but it's also a mixed bag. Luckily I'm an engineer so I didn't need much help from them in getting setup and going. But I wouldn't say that their technical support is non-existent.
2:00 Question: My home is small and I dont have Central AC, I have Solar Heater and gas stove... I can put my entire home power on the "back Up" panel and have my entire home in Backup mode but also keep the main home panel so the Anker Smart panel can Provide power to the home while keeping the power from the grid at 0? Also, it is necessary to have a bidirectional meter or it will still work on regular meters?
I think I understand what you are asking. It may be possible to put in a new service breaker then feed the HPP from that breaker (100 amp). Then you can feed your current main panel (with a 100amp breaker) from backup side of the HPP. You would want to consult with a local electrician about the regulations. Also, you would want to be sure that the loads won't go above 100amps and make sure the wires are sized appropriately. I don't know if this is all possible in your situation but those are some thoughts. No, you don't need a bi-directional meter. The power company meter doesn't factor in with the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair The HPP calls for 50A max on the backup load side with 2 F3800 (25A max with 1 F3800), so if all home circuits are moved to the backup side, one would be limited to 50A service max for whole house operation.
It would cost me $4123Cdn to buy a single unit. At roughly a 4kWh battery, and a 10 cent difference between peak and off-peak, it would take a little over 28 years before it would break even saving a whopping 40 cents a day. I really want to get some battery storage, but it doesn't make any economic sense. Power outages maybe, but my car has a 1500 watt inverter and a battery that will last WAY longer than one of these already. A $4000 unit would need a 16kWh LFP battery to make any sort of economic sense and it would still take 7 years to return any money.
@abel4776 You realize that's 4kWh right? And it isn't magical electricity, it still needs to charge from the grid. This isn't a video about solar. It's a video about having battery storage that charges during off-peak and uses that power during on-peak times. Even if it was, $4100 for a 4kWh backup on a solar system isn't needed. Running a grid-tie system in my neck of the woods is the MUCH better option. Not only is your electricity not costing you anything, you actually can get a cheque from the power company if you supplied more power to the grid then you used. The 4kWh is virtually nothing. Any extended blackout is going to drain that battery in no time. For the price of it, you can go buy an old Nissan Leaf, never drive it because that would be embarrassing, and just leave it charged in times of blackouts. You'd get WAY more storage than a 4kWh battery at around the same price As far as vehicles go, not sure your point. I already have the vehicle and yes, it was all about returning my money. I bought it used for $22,000. My previous gas vehicle got 13L/100km. I drive 50,000km a year. At $1.50L, that's $9750 in fuel a year. My current car gets 15kWh/100km. At 8.7 cents per kWh, it means the total cost of electricity for 50,000km is $650. I've owned my car for 2.5 years. During that 2.5y span, I have saved more than $22,000 in fuel. I've, in fact, saved the entire purchase price as well as all the electricity costs JUST in fuel savings. Every single year from here on out would keep over $9000 a year from being given to a gas station. If I had gotten the gas equivilent version of my car FOR FREE at this point I would have spent more money driving that free vehicle on gas and oil changes than the purchase price of my car and the electricity I put in it. The car itself is depreciating in value, but when it's already saved more than I paid for it in fuel savings, it doesn't matter. Now that vehicle has a MUCH larger battery than a $4100 house battery. That single house battery couldn't power my home for more than a couple hours. My car on the other hand has powered my fridge, freezer, pc, tv, modem, server, and charged my devices for 9 straight hours during the last blackout. It did so while still having power left over. I could have plugged in 1500watts, I could have even turned off my main breaker and ditched the extension cords and allowed my car to backfeed into the house if I really wanted to. That 4kWh storage battery would barely run the AC in my house for an hour. A 60kWh EV battery could do that for 15 hours. It also has the added bonus of also being a vehicle that can drive. But we don't even need to talk about batteries at all. As mentioned, you'll never save enough money on simply buying this to charge it in off-peak and use it during on-peak to ever pay for itself, so the only REAL advantage would be power outages. For $800 you can buy a Honda generator that outputs 3500watts of power. Gas it up and it's 80% cheaper than a 4kWh battery pack and will run continuously as long as you put gas in it. At around $5 an hour to run and, in total, 14 hours of power outages in my area in the last DECADE total, it's a much better option. Neither will ever ROI, but at least you're spending way less on the generator.
@rasvanter3704 It's a Cadillac ELR EREV. Typical day is driving around 60km to work, plugging in, usually 20-30km on material runs, plug it in, and drive home and charge it for the morning. It still getting around 96% of its original range even after, just since I bought it, being charged over 900 times. I've literally done a set of tires on it (when I upgraded the rims) and added some coolant to the second coolant resovoir (previous owner didn't top it up) No breakdowns, no errors, no mechanical problems whatsoever.
You mentioned solar panels that are AC coupled using a line side tap outside the house. Two questions. (1) Will the F3800 keep the solar panels operating when the grid is down? (2) Does the F3800 perform frequency shifting when the batteries are near recharge completion?
For 1) no, the home power panel and the F3800's are totally independent of my SolarEdge inverters (and Panasonic solar panels on the roof). If the grid goes down, I will still have solar panel input into the sides of the F3800 with solar panels I have setup in the back yard. 2) I do not know the answer. If I understand right, I'm guessing that wouldn't be a situation that the HPP+F3800 would get into. If I am misunderstanding let me know.
Thank you for the great video. I just installed the F3800 with the home power panel and a subpanel. The subpanel basically covers everything except the big 240v things like whole house A/C, electric oven, etc. I'm looking for more cost-effective ways to add battery capacity. Could I have 48v rack server batteries connect/output to the xt-60 inputs on the F3800? In essence, the F3800 batteries would be charged as if they were connected directly to 48v solar panel input. Make sense? I'd need those server rack batteries to charge from the grid when it's up. In the future I want to add solar panels that would also charge those batteries.
There is only a 60v Max input, and the amperage from the battery would be limited to 25 amps if I remember correctly. In theory, 48v battery bank should work, but that is a lot of money to "experiment " with !
Sorry that I missed your comment! Others have done what you are asking about (connecting server batteries) but I haven't tried it personally. I remember seeing people discuss it and show their setups in the Anker facebook group.
If I remember correctly the rating is for 3,000 cycles to 80%. This is a fairly standard expectation for LFP cells with a 100% depth of discharge. What that means is 1 cycle (if you go from 100% to 0% and recharge to 100%). If you are doing that once a day that is about 9 or 10 years. It should last beyond that because that 80% value means the storage capacity has degraded to 80% of it's original value, not that the battery will just quit around 3,000 cycles.
Everyone has to do the math to make sure the cost savings and payback period is good for them when using getting batteries for TOU savings. The auto-transfer for power outages is great too so you have to put your own value on it. Let me know if you have other questions and I'll try my best to answer.
So the maximum output for this panel is 50amps at 240v? That's not enough to power the whole house with 2x central AC units. Maybe everything but the AC units. I am looking for a system that can take over my main 200amps main panel and charges off peak and power my house during peak hours. Also would be nice to plug in a portal gas generator during long outages. Last Hurricane came in, I was without power for 8 days.
If the panel is grid-tied (not in a power outage) then the maximum power to your main panel is whatever your normal grid connection is, likely 200amps. The home power panel is AC coupled so it works with the power grid. This is the nice thing about this design. If you have (2) F3800 units, they have it set up to output a maximum of 6,000W when it is grid tied. So if your home loads (including AC units) need more than 6,000W it takes it from the grid. If you are in off-grid mode and only sending power to the backup load center, then the full 12,000W are available to power those loads with both F3800's. The F3800 doesn't have a 240V input itself but you could charge it by 120AC with the gas generator (but you can't do this while it is connected to the HPP, you'd have to disconnect, charge it, then reconnect to the HPP). You can charge by solar (DC ports) however, while it is connected to the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair I am looking for something that can run off grid 100% of the time. Don't want to go with Tesla unless it is the last resort since they lock you in to their products. My target settings are a 25KWH solar system with 100KWH battery bank that can power my home not tying into the grid. Also looking for a system that can use a gas power generator when solar power production is low.
So, 'AC Coupling' mode allows for the main panel to draw on the batteries first, then the grid? But, if the grid is down, the 3800s won't power the panel? I don't have solar (condo), but am considering these as a backup. Couldn't I just add the the Smart Panel in-line from the Grid (i do have a disconnect outside between the meter and my main panel), basically turning my main panel into the 'backup' panel? The only difference that I can see is that my main panel doesn't have the 3-way breakers/switches, but I don't think that's an issue, since there's only one 'input' to the panel(?). Edit - the online manual doesn't really seem to show these various options(?).
When the grid is on the AC coupling works. I call it local backfeeding because it does not backfeed to the grid. Because the increase in voltage the loads in the house consume from the batteries and not the grid. If the grid goes out in this situation then the HPP will auto-transfer power to the backup load panel. If you don't have a backup load panel then you have a power outage and you manually need to plug in things like your fridge, etc into the F3800. I'd ask a local electrician about the second question. Usually service is 200 amps which is too much for the HPP so you wouldn't want to use it that way. Plus, you'd want a breaker in between the grid and the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair I'm looking at the dual 3800 w/ the double power hub, which supposed to provide 12kW of power. "12,000W of Dual-Voltage Power: With Double Power Hub, your output rises to 12,000W, and you gain 120V/240V split-phase power-great for all appliances at home." With the Dual Power Hub, I could use an interlock and 240v-50amp outlet, and that would be more than enough for my needs, though I probably wouldn't try to run the central air like this anyway. I understand with the Interlock, the switchover would be manual. The convenience would be that everything could remain plugged in as-is, but the Solix units would just be 'on standby' unless needed in this config. I was just wondering if there could possibly be some benefit to adding the HPP instead of the outlet and interlock, ideally without having to add a 3rd panel (the 'backup panel'), which I don't think I have room for. I.e., rate-shifting, acting as a whole-house UPS, etc...
Very nice, thanks for the explanation. When in self consumption mode, is there a way for the enphase app to show the input from the anker battery ? I am guessing it will show no input from the grid when you ac couple
Thanks. I’m not sure I understand. I don’t understand why the micro-inverters would take an AC input. They need to detect the grid voltage for UL1741. If your solar point of connection is in the panel (backfeeding a breaker) then you should be able to connect the Anker CT sensor to monitor solar output. Hopefully it would match what the emphases app says is the output. Did that answer your question?
@@FrugalRepair almost. The installer came said that apart from the CTs, the micros need some power as well. I know that I ll be able to monitor, solar, grid and battery from the Anker app. But when the F3800 try to offset the house load there wont be anything coming from the grid. Hence the enphase app would show no grid consumption (which is true). I was wondering if there is a way for the enphase combiner box to take input from -any- battery maybe through another CT so that it shows all 3: grid, solar, battery. Thanks!
If the output of your combiner box is being backfed through the breaker then when the HPP+F3800 is backfeeding power to the main panel, the enphase micro-inverters will think that is the grid. I don't have enphase so I don't know if they offer other sensor monitoring options than what they have inside the micro-inverters themselves. If you have any more HPP or solar related questions post them as new comments (it's easier for me to notice new comments than replies - which I might miss).
@FrugalRepair hi. How come you installed the Ecoflow smart panel 2 along with the Solix ? Were you previously into the ecoflow ecosystem ? Or you did this so that you are not locked in ?
They both work great but are different in how they work with the batteries. And it’s not an issue to have them connected like you see. These two companies provided me with these so I could make the videos. Let me know if you have questions about either one.
@@FrugalRepair i see. I asked because I am (finally) getting the 2 F3800s with the HPP connected this week. And instead of using the supplied 8 circuit subpanel I was thinking to get the Ecoflow Smart Home Panel 2. So that down the road I can switch from Anker to Ecoflow with just purchasing their batteries and avoid the rewiring hassle
@@lys1805 I wouldn't mix the 2 systems' brands like that because you'll end up with redundancies in terms of more inverters and home panel than you need, which might be fine technically, but it makes it needlessly and redundantly expensive, where as that extra money can go into buying more expansion batteries instead. I would just decide on which brand system you're going to go for and stick with just that eco-system only.
Yes, you can. There are two ways a typical rooftop system will tie into the grid. This Anker system allows for solar directly into the side ports. It is limited to 60v at 25a each so you have to figure out a configuration that work for you.
So you can plug your current solar array into this and use it as a backup generator when the power goes out even if youre not connected to the grid corrrect?
Yup same question…. I have everything that is in the video but have a question on the solar option. Can the F3800’s charge from the solar side inputs while discharging the batteries to supply power your sub-panel as well as back feed to your main panel. And if so what mode is necessary TOU or Self Consumption.
My solar array on my roof doesn't connect at all with the F3800's and Home Power Panel. They are independent of each other. When there is a power outage the batteries feed the backup load center. I can connect some solar panels in the back yard to the F3800's to charge them that way.
It would be more impressive if you can show it working with your AC coupled rooftop solar especially off-grid. Otherwise, it's more or less like a large UPS.
My rooftop solar array was working the whole time in this video (when it was sunny out). The rooftop solar array is grid tied. So when there is no grid the inverter shut off. It's a mandatory safety requirement. The HPP does the same except it has the auto transfer switch inside and continues to send power to the backup load center. What are you looking for specifically?
Hi there ... (You might get this note more than once as I'm using your social media channels.) Please send to me link to video(s) about how to troubleshoot no-audio problem in a magnavox 26md357b tv dvd combo appliance .... I removed the back panel of my magnavox 26md357b tv dvd combo to remove a DVD that didn't eject, after having watched a TH-cam video. After I ejected the DVD, replaced the back panel and powered on, there was no audio. Maybe some cable/wire to the speakers came loose when I was returning the back panel. I have watched YT videos to troubleshoot this problem when I saw your video and contact info. So I send this note to ask if you have suggestions how to solve a no-audio problem. Do you have a video/resource about ... what are all the wires/cables to/from speakers of a magnavox 26md357b tv dvd combo? ...how to double-check wires/cables to speakers? .... which wires/cables are most likely to get bumped when the back panel is replaced? ... Cheers Ceecee
I just looked it up. You are correct. When grid-connected you will only see 1900W output at peak. When in off-grid mode you will get 6,000W. In order to get more on-grid output you have to add batteries or another F3800. I don't know why they don't give you the option in the APP to allow for maximum output when in grid-tied mode (like during peak hours). I've heard others asking for this so maybe they will add this in a future update. It seems they are limiting the output in on-grid mode in an attempt to prolong the life of the cells.
They told me that when the grid is active that power is limited to save the battery for when the grid goes out. I get that even though most probably won't want that on power saving use.
@@FrugalRepair It's a 1.9 KW increment with each 3.8 KWH capacity, whether that's from another F3800 or more BP3800, up to 6 KW output max total in grid-up TOU mode. I agree that they do this to prolong the life of the cells because TOU is an everyday life occurrence 5 days a week, while backup load power for grid-down situation is a much rarer occurrence.
@@FrugalRepair How long does it take to charge your setup from the HPP? I just ordered the same setup to maximize charging from my 10kw rooftop solar during the day. Forgot to mention that my rooftop solar is a tesla system with 1 PW, which is not enough for our night use. Hence adding this system to use daily for night time.
It should work just fine. Where is your solar point of connection? If you are backfeeding through a breaker(s) it should be easier to get the current sensor (CT) on the one 120v leg. If you are like me, with a line side tap, it may be a little more of a challenge getting the CT on one of those wires because of where they are located.
@@FrugalRepair I also have an Enphase array and my connection is on the opposite side of my home next to the meter. I am considering running a homemade extension cable up and across through the attic to the HPP I am going to locate next to my electrical breaker panel. I have seen some posts on the F3880 community that talk about using a twisted pair cable for this extension requirement. I think this would enable connection to my whole home electrical panel and not use the critical loads' panel.
I am surprised how many of these systems exist to be a DIY PowerWall replacement yet NONE of them have the ability to power your solar when the grid is down, so you can't charge your batteries from your solar panels during an outage, which is kinda the whole point of the PW
I don't think there are a lot of out of the box systems like this. Most of them don't have the battery connected to an AC coupled device, they are usually connected through a critical loads panel. In order to do that scenario you are mentioning one would need to install the entire tesla setup (gateway, inverter(s), powerwall(s)). If you already have solar, you would need to use tesla's inverters and rewire your setup. The system in this video does have the ability input solar on the XT60 inputs while in off-grid mode, though the main issue is the 60v limitation.
You need the string inverter set up in off grid mode. Then you can run off solar all day and the battery at night. Who cares what the grid does at that point !
Sorry if I did not explain that well enough. This is a way to compare costs with other full battery systems like a Tesla Powerwall. So you add up the cost of the whole system and divide by the amount of storage (watt-hours). The $.47/wh I mentioned is after the 30% fed credit. My estimate is for all of the equipment that I had in the video (15.36KwH) but does not include labor. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up (above), it helps support the channel. Post questions or comments below.
How long does it take to charge the battery off of gridpower with the home power panel?
Awesome Rhys, hope to see you at VidSummit again this year!
Very cool. Always love these cool battery / solar setups.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome! Thanks! Do you know if the EcoFlow Ultra can power a main panel (I see an EcoFlow panel beside your Anker!) directly like the Anker's AC Coupling capability. I've been searching all over for an answer to this. It appears to me that you have to use their smart panel and move circuits to it. Thx!
Thanks for watching! Sorry that I missed your question! I made a video on my solar channel comparing these two systems and hopefully that would answer your questions. If not, post them as new comments and I will aim to respond more quickly! th-cam.com/video/9uNSm626Pcw/w-d-xo.html
Good video, the Anker F3800 system is decent. I have two F3800's and 6 BP3800 expansion batteries and a Home Power Panel... so I am speaking from experience. Unfortunately I would not buy again because but they essentially have no customer service. And when they do firmware upgrades, they don't know the changes in specs. Each call or chat takes hours and each response it automatic and says they will reply in 2 days... even for the most basic questions. So unless you're a solar expert, don't count on ANKER for any help unless you have a ton of patience.
Thanks for watching. I'm sorry to hear about your experience with customer service. You can feel free to post any questions as new comments here and I can try to help as best I can. I have been asking too for more details on the firmware upgrades.
I agree, I got more answers from this video than from their tech support. 😢
@@randya9143 I also own the HPP and 2 F3800 and 2 BP3800. My experience with Anker support is a mix bag. They do exist but it's a process like you said. Sometimes they do get the answers wrong or drop the ball and don't get back to you. They do have an escalation path but it's also a mixed bag. Luckily I'm an engineer so I didn't need much help from them in getting setup and going. But I wouldn't say that their technical support is non-existent.
2:00 Question: My home is small and I dont have Central AC, I have Solar Heater and gas stove... I can put my entire home power on the "back Up" panel and have my entire home in Backup mode but also keep the main home panel so the Anker Smart panel can Provide power to the home while keeping the power from the grid at 0?
Also, it is necessary to have a bidirectional meter or it will still work on regular meters?
I think I understand what you are asking. It may be possible to put in a new service breaker then feed the HPP from that breaker (100 amp). Then you can feed your current main panel (with a 100amp breaker) from backup side of the HPP. You would want to consult with a local electrician about the regulations. Also, you would want to be sure that the loads won't go above 100amps and make sure the wires are sized appropriately. I don't know if this is all possible in your situation but those are some thoughts. No, you don't need a bi-directional meter. The power company meter doesn't factor in with the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair The HPP calls for 50A max on the backup load side with 2 F3800 (25A max with 1 F3800), so if all home circuits are moved to the backup side, one would be limited to 50A service max for whole house operation.
It would cost me $4123Cdn to buy a single unit. At roughly a 4kWh battery, and a 10 cent difference between peak and off-peak, it would take a little over 28 years before it would break even saving a whopping 40 cents a day.
I really want to get some battery storage, but it doesn't make any economic sense. Power outages maybe, but my car has a 1500 watt inverter and a battery that will last WAY longer than one of these already.
A $4000 unit would need a 16kWh LFP battery to make any sort of economic sense and it would still take 7 years to return any money.
@abel4776 You realize that's 4kWh right? And it isn't magical electricity, it still needs to charge from the grid. This isn't a video about solar. It's a video about having battery storage that charges during off-peak and uses that power during on-peak times. Even if it was, $4100 for a 4kWh backup on a solar system isn't needed. Running a grid-tie system in my neck of the woods is the MUCH better option. Not only is your electricity not costing you anything, you actually can get a cheque from the power company if you supplied more power to the grid then you used. The 4kWh is virtually nothing. Any extended blackout is going to drain that battery in no time. For the price of it, you can go buy an old Nissan Leaf, never drive it because that would be embarrassing, and just leave it charged in times of blackouts. You'd get WAY more storage than a 4kWh battery at around the same price
As far as vehicles go, not sure your point. I already have the vehicle and yes, it was all about returning my money. I bought it used for $22,000. My previous gas vehicle got 13L/100km. I drive 50,000km a year. At $1.50L, that's $9750 in fuel a year. My current car gets 15kWh/100km. At 8.7 cents per kWh, it means the total cost of electricity for 50,000km is $650.
I've owned my car for 2.5 years. During that 2.5y span, I have saved more than $22,000 in fuel. I've, in fact, saved the entire purchase price as well as all the electricity costs JUST in fuel savings.
Every single year from here on out would keep over $9000 a year from being given to a gas station. If I had gotten the gas equivilent version of my car FOR FREE at this point I would have spent more money driving that free vehicle on gas and oil changes than the purchase price of my car and the electricity I put in it. The car itself is depreciating in value, but when it's already saved more than I paid for it in fuel savings, it doesn't matter.
Now that vehicle has a MUCH larger battery than a $4100 house battery. That single house battery couldn't power my home for more than a couple hours. My car on the other hand has powered my fridge, freezer, pc, tv, modem, server, and charged my devices for 9 straight hours during the last blackout. It did so while still having power left over. I could have plugged in 1500watts, I could have even turned off my main breaker and ditched the extension cords and allowed my car to backfeed into the house if I really wanted to. That 4kWh storage battery would barely run the AC in my house for an hour. A 60kWh EV battery could do that for 15 hours. It also has the added bonus of also being a vehicle that can drive.
But we don't even need to talk about batteries at all. As mentioned, you'll never save enough money on simply buying this to charge it in off-peak and use it during on-peak to ever pay for itself, so the only REAL advantage would be power outages. For $800 you can buy a Honda generator that outputs 3500watts of power. Gas it up and it's 80% cheaper than a 4kWh battery pack and will run continuously as long as you put gas in it. At around $5 an hour to run and, in total, 14 hours of power outages in my area in the last DECADE total, it's a much better option. Neither will ever ROI, but at least you're spending way less on the generator.
@MikeTheMic which car did you buy and what year. Also any issues been used?
@rasvanter3704 It's a Cadillac ELR EREV. Typical day is driving around 60km to work, plugging in, usually 20-30km on material runs, plug it in, and drive home and charge it for the morning.
It still getting around 96% of its original range even after, just since I bought it, being charged over 900 times. I've literally done a set of tires on it (when I upgraded the rims) and added some coolant to the second coolant resovoir (previous owner didn't top it up) No breakdowns, no errors, no mechanical problems whatsoever.
You mentioned solar panels that are AC coupled using a line side tap outside the house. Two questions. (1) Will the F3800 keep the solar panels operating when the grid is down? (2) Does the F3800 perform frequency shifting when the batteries are near recharge completion?
For 1) no, the home power panel and the F3800's are totally independent of my SolarEdge inverters (and Panasonic solar panels on the roof). If the grid goes down, I will still have solar panel input into the sides of the F3800 with solar panels I have setup in the back yard. 2) I do not know the answer. If I understand right, I'm guessing that wouldn't be a situation that the HPP+F3800 would get into. If I am misunderstanding let me know.
Thank you for the great video. I just installed the F3800 with the home power panel and a subpanel. The subpanel basically covers everything except the big 240v things like whole house A/C, electric oven, etc. I'm looking for more cost-effective ways to add battery capacity. Could I have 48v rack server batteries connect/output to the xt-60 inputs on the F3800? In essence, the F3800 batteries would be charged as if they were connected directly to 48v solar panel input. Make sense? I'd need those server rack batteries to charge from the grid when it's up. In the future I want to add solar panels that would also charge those batteries.
There is only a 60v Max input, and the amperage from the battery would be limited to 25 amps if I remember correctly.
In theory, 48v battery bank should work, but that is a lot of money to "experiment " with !
Sorry that I missed your comment! Others have done what you are asking about (connecting server batteries) but I haven't tried it personally. I remember seeing people discuss it and show their setups in the Anker facebook group.
I wonder, if you use two of these 24/7 to power little house, how long can they last? I assume 10 years at least?
If I remember correctly the rating is for 3,000 cycles to 80%. This is a fairly standard expectation for LFP cells with a 100% depth of discharge. What that means is 1 cycle (if you go from 100% to 0% and recharge to 100%). If you are doing that once a day that is about 9 or 10 years. It should last beyond that because that 80% value means the storage capacity has degraded to 80% of it's original value, not that the battery will just quit around 3,000 cycles.
@@FrugalRepair amazing answer thank you.
Hmm. I like the time off use feature. I wonder how much money is save vs not seeing this up.
Everyone has to do the math to make sure the cost savings and payback period is good for them when using getting batteries for TOU savings. The auto-transfer for power outages is great too so you have to put your own value on it. Let me know if you have other questions and I'll try my best to answer.
So the maximum output for this panel is 50amps at 240v? That's not enough to power the whole house with 2x central AC units. Maybe everything but the AC units. I am looking for a system that can take over my main 200amps main panel and charges off peak and power my house during peak hours. Also would be nice to plug in a portal gas generator during long outages. Last Hurricane came in, I was without power for 8 days.
If the panel is grid-tied (not in a power outage) then the maximum power to your main panel is whatever your normal grid connection is, likely 200amps. The home power panel is AC coupled so it works with the power grid. This is the nice thing about this design. If you have (2) F3800 units, they have it set up to output a maximum of 6,000W when it is grid tied. So if your home loads (including AC units) need more than 6,000W it takes it from the grid. If you are in off-grid mode and only sending power to the backup load center, then the full 12,000W are available to power those loads with both F3800's. The F3800 doesn't have a 240V input itself but you could charge it by 120AC with the gas generator (but you can't do this while it is connected to the HPP, you'd have to disconnect, charge it, then reconnect to the HPP). You can charge by solar (DC ports) however, while it is connected to the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair I am looking for something that can run off grid 100% of the time. Don't want to go with Tesla unless it is the last resort since they lock you in to their products. My target settings are a 25KWH solar system with 100KWH battery bank that can power my home not tying into the grid. Also looking for a system that can use a gas power generator when solar power production is low.
So, 'AC Coupling' mode allows for the main panel to draw on the batteries first, then the grid? But, if the grid is down, the 3800s won't power the panel?
I don't have solar (condo), but am considering these as a backup. Couldn't I just add the the Smart Panel in-line from the Grid (i do have a disconnect outside between the meter and my main panel), basically turning my main panel into the 'backup' panel? The only difference that I can see is that my main panel doesn't have the 3-way breakers/switches, but I don't think that's an issue, since there's only one 'input' to the panel(?).
Edit - the online manual doesn't really seem to show these various options(?).
When the grid is on the AC coupling works. I call it local backfeeding because it does not backfeed to the grid. Because the increase in voltage the loads in the house consume from the batteries and not the grid. If the grid goes out in this situation then the HPP will auto-transfer power to the backup load panel. If you don't have a backup load panel then you have a power outage and you manually need to plug in things like your fridge, etc into the F3800. I'd ask a local electrician about the second question. Usually service is 200 amps which is too much for the HPP so you wouldn't want to use it that way. Plus, you'd want a breaker in between the grid and the HPP.
@@FrugalRepair I'm looking at the dual 3800 w/ the double power hub, which supposed to provide 12kW of power.
"12,000W of Dual-Voltage Power: With Double Power Hub, your output rises to 12,000W, and you gain 120V/240V split-phase power-great for all appliances at home."
With the Dual Power Hub, I could use an interlock and 240v-50amp outlet, and that would be more than enough for my needs, though I probably wouldn't try to run the central air like this anyway. I understand with the Interlock, the switchover would be manual. The convenience would be that everything could remain plugged in as-is, but the Solix units would just be 'on standby' unless needed in this config.
I was just wondering if there could possibly be some benefit to adding the HPP instead of the outlet and interlock, ideally without having to add a 3rd panel (the 'backup panel'), which I don't think I have room for. I.e., rate-shifting, acting as a whole-house UPS, etc...
Very nice, thanks for the explanation.
When in self consumption mode, is there a way for the enphase app to show the input from the anker battery ?
I am guessing it will show no input from the grid when you ac couple
Thanks. I’m not sure I understand. I don’t understand why the micro-inverters would take an AC input. They need to detect the grid voltage for UL1741. If your solar point of connection is in the panel (backfeeding a breaker) then you should be able to connect the Anker CT sensor to monitor solar output. Hopefully it would match what the emphases app says is the output. Did that answer your question?
@@FrugalRepair almost.
The installer came said that apart from the CTs, the micros need some power as well.
I know that I ll be able to monitor, solar, grid and battery from the Anker app.
But when the F3800 try to offset the house load there wont be anything coming from the grid.
Hence the enphase app would show no grid consumption (which is true).
I was wondering if there is a way for the enphase combiner box to take input from -any- battery maybe through another CT so that it shows all 3: grid, solar, battery.
Thanks!
If the output of your combiner box is being backfed through the breaker then when the HPP+F3800 is backfeeding power to the main panel, the enphase micro-inverters will think that is the grid. I don't have enphase so I don't know if they offer other sensor monitoring options than what they have inside the micro-inverters themselves. If you have any more HPP or solar related questions post them as new comments (it's easier for me to notice new comments than replies - which I might miss).
@@FrugalRepair Agreed, they ll think it's the grid and keep the solar coming.
Thanks a lot!
@FrugalRepair hi.
How come you installed the Ecoflow smart panel 2 along with the Solix ?
Were you previously into the ecoflow ecosystem ?
Or you did this so that you are not locked in ?
They both work great but are different in how they work with the batteries. And it’s not an issue to have them connected like you see. These two companies provided me with these so I could make the videos. Let me know if you have questions about either one.
@@FrugalRepair i see.
I asked because I am (finally) getting the 2 F3800s with the HPP connected this week.
And instead of using the supplied 8 circuit subpanel I was thinking to get the Ecoflow Smart Home Panel 2. So that down the road I can switch from Anker to Ecoflow with just purchasing their batteries and avoid the rewiring hassle
I tried that same thing but didn't have room for the Ecoflow panel. I wanted the ability to monitor each breaker in my sub- panel.
@@lys1805 I wouldn't mix the 2 systems' brands like that because you'll end up with redundancies in terms of more inverters and home panel than you need, which might be fine technically, but it makes it needlessly and redundantly expensive, where as that extra money can go into buying more expansion batteries instead. I would just decide on which brand system you're going to go for and stick with just that eco-system only.
Can you get power from solar directly fed into your house so that you don’t need to rely entirely on the electrical provider?
Yes, you can. There are two ways a typical rooftop system will tie into the grid. This Anker system allows for solar directly into the side ports. It is limited to 60v at 25a each so you have to figure out a configuration that work for you.
Do you repair tv main/t-con boards? Need someone to repair 2 boards. Thinking something went bad. Cant find replacements online.
I have the tools to do it but not the time, unfortunately.
So you can plug your current solar array into this and use it as a backup generator when the power goes out even if youre not connected to the grid corrrect?
Yup same question…. I have everything that is in the video but have a question on the solar option. Can the F3800’s charge from the solar side inputs while discharging the batteries to supply power your sub-panel as well as back feed to your main panel. And if so what mode is necessary TOU or Self Consumption.
My solar array on my roof doesn't connect at all with the F3800's and Home Power Panel. They are independent of each other. When there is a power outage the batteries feed the backup load center. I can connect some solar panels in the back yard to the F3800's to charge them that way.
Yes, you can charge through the XT60 ports with solar panels while using it (the mode doesn't matter).
It would be more impressive if you can show it working with your AC coupled rooftop solar especially off-grid. Otherwise, it's more or less like a large UPS.
My rooftop solar array was working the whole time in this video (when it was sunny out). The rooftop solar array is grid tied. So when there is no grid the inverter shut off. It's a mandatory safety requirement. The HPP does the same except it has the auto transfer switch inside and continues to send power to the backup load center. What are you looking for specifically?
@@FrugalRepair I meant rooftop solar connected to the backup load center. Apparently that's not supported. Too bad.
can you charge and discharge a single power station with 240 volts from back side port?
On the F3800 by itself it can only output 240v. It can only charge at 240v when it’s connected to the home power panel.
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I'm only getting an output of 1900W with the Anker SOLIX F3800 + Smart Home Power Kit, rather than the advertised 6000W.
I just looked it up. You are correct. When grid-connected you will only see 1900W output at peak. When in off-grid mode you will get 6,000W. In order to get more on-grid output you have to add batteries or another F3800. I don't know why they don't give you the option in the APP to allow for maximum output when in grid-tied mode (like during peak hours). I've heard others asking for this so maybe they will add this in a future update. It seems they are limiting the output in on-grid mode in an attempt to prolong the life of the cells.
They told me that when the grid is active that power is limited to save the battery for when the grid goes out.
I get that even though most probably won't want that on power saving use.
@@FrugalRepair How much more power can I get if I go for a BP3800 battery? Another 1,900W?
An F3800 with (1) Extra Battery, I think would be 3,800W while on grid and 6,000W when in off-grid mode.
@@FrugalRepair It's a 1.9 KW increment with each 3.8 KWH capacity, whether that's from another F3800 or more BP3800, up to 6 KW output max total in grid-up TOU mode. I agree that they do this to prolong the life of the cells because TOU is an everyday life occurrence 5 days a week, while backup load power for grid-down situation is a much rarer occurrence.
How much did it cost to have the electrician come hook things up?
For me $300. I already had the sub panel installed so expect it will cost more if you are setting up a backup load center too.
How long does it take to charge the battery off of grid power?
Do you mean (1) F3800 from 0% to 100%? Or with how many expansion batteries? And do you mean charging with 240V from the HPP?
@@FrugalRepair How long does it take to charge your setup from the HPP? I just ordered the same setup to maximize charging from my 10kw rooftop solar during the day. Forgot to mention that my rooftop solar is a tesla system with 1 PW, which is not enough for our night use. Hence adding this system to use daily for night time.
Costco dropped sale end on the 8/24
i have an enphase solar 11.8kw array, will this work perfectly fine without issues?
It should work just fine. Where is your solar point of connection? If you are backfeeding through a breaker(s) it should be easier to get the current sensor (CT) on the one 120v leg. If you are like me, with a line side tap, it may be a little more of a challenge getting the CT on one of those wires because of where they are located.
@@FrugalRepair I also have an Enphase array and my connection is on the opposite side of my home next to the meter. I am considering running a homemade extension cable up and across through the attic to the HPP I am going to locate next to my electrical breaker panel. I have seen some posts on the F3880 community that talk about using a twisted pair cable for this extension requirement. I think this would enable connection to my whole home electrical panel and not use the critical loads' panel.
morning all im in ashland city TN looking for anyone who instals anker systems cant find anyone ???
I am surprised how many of these systems exist to be a DIY PowerWall replacement yet NONE of them have the ability to power your solar when the grid is down, so you can't charge your batteries from your solar panels during an outage, which is kinda the whole point of the PW
I don't think there are a lot of out of the box systems like this. Most of them don't have the battery connected to an AC coupled device, they are usually connected through a critical loads panel. In order to do that scenario you are mentioning one would need to install the entire tesla setup (gateway, inverter(s), powerwall(s)). If you already have solar, you would need to use tesla's inverters and rewire your setup. The system in this video does have the ability input solar on the XT60 inputs while in off-grid mode, though the main issue is the 60v limitation.
You need the string inverter set up in off grid mode. Then you can run off solar all day and the battery at night. Who cares what the grid does at that point !
I apologize but I didn’t understand the $.47 per Watt Hour for the cost…
@@scooterbananas Right after you sugma
@@scooterbananasRight after you sugma
Sorry if I did not explain that well enough. This is a way to compare costs with other full battery systems like a Tesla Powerwall. So you add up the cost of the whole system and divide by the amount of storage (watt-hours). The $.47/wh I mentioned is after the 30% fed credit. My estimate is for all of the equipment that I had in the video (15.36KwH) but does not include labor. Let me know if you have any more questions.
In my country solar home system connect to the grid is ilegal.
So i use the battrey 48V 350Ah
This system might be ok for you. It's not backfeeding any power to the grid.