Products In this video(Affiliate Links) -PowerQueen Battery: amzn.to/47XlcwD -Used Solar panels: www.santansolar.com/product/used-trina-245w-solar-panel/?ref=DiySolarPowerFun&campaign=PowerQueenRunTest_InDescription -Victron Inverter: amzn.to/3s1gRcB -Victron Smart shunt battery monitor: amzn.to/3KyEfEz -VIctron Charge Controller: amzn.to/3QsGNbh -Budget charge controller $10: amzn.to/3Qnk8Nq -Budget charge controller $25: amzn.to/3OLKszm -Budget smart shunt battery monitor: amzn.to/43Z9obh -LifePower 48v LiFeP04 Server Rack Battery : signaturesolar.com/eg4-lifepower4-lithium-battery-48v-100ah?ref=DiySolarPowerFun ($50 Discount Code: RAY) *Chapters* 0:00 Intro 0:40 PowerQueen and general LiFePO4 Battery summary 3:56 How Long will a fridge run on a LiFePO4 Battery 7:09 Charging the LiFePO4 battery 7:35 How Long will a TV run on a LiFePO4 Battery 8:26 How Long will a Laptop and Wifi Router run on a LiFePO4 Battery 11:09 Running everything at once 12:44 Victron Phoenix Efficiency and Conclusion
About 17 hours for the fridge. Also around 17 hours for the tv. About 24 hours for the laptop and router. About 4 hours for all plus some lighting. Thank you.
@@Username-e5l A modern tv doesn't really consume that much power. A laptop and router even less. The fridge does draw a large amount of power, but unless you left the door open, open it a lot or the fridge is in a bad shape it should run at intervals for short periods.
Yup, 50% more storage juice. I have at least 32 KW hours in lifepo4 at 48V with a 10,000 watt solar array outside. I initially purchased a few 5Ah tiny lifepos, studied them and learned enough to build two 15KW/Hr 300 pound, 48V batteries. For portable power stations I have literally lived off of the Bluetti AC200p for four flawless years straight. I gave it to my neighbor so he could learn about it after upgrading to the AC300 four stacker, B300's.
Nice real life practical test. One correction as I've been using LiFePO4 so some time now. I don't recommend bringing the level down to zero too often as it will affect the amount of life cycles over time. I have a large solar array and expect at least ten or more years from my Power Queens but I won't run them down more than 60%. I better get at least 6-8000 cycles out of them.
Should go down to at least 40- if not 30% for Max cycles not 60. But more important is just keeping them in an environment that has a stable temperature and adequate airflow/passive cooling. Along with charging them at as low a rate as is practical.
Thank you for this video Ray. I bought a Licciti battery box with 1,000 Watt inverter and 284 Ah Lifepo4 prismatic battery kit. I tested this last weekend with my traditional top freezer mount fridge and it went 30 hours and didn't get to 50% discharge. I only stopped using it since I still don't feel comfortable leaving it alone at home while we're away. I am watching your videos, David Poz, Will Prowse and many others as I have begun buying the parts for a 48 Volt system. I really wasn't sure whether to buy more Licciti battery boxes/power stations or go to a large system but finally decided to avoid spending more money on the small power stations.
This is one of the best solar/ battery channel on youtube... Your actually doing real world testing and answering all the questions people want to ask when they buy a battery like this, I have a much better idea now of what to expect from a 100 ah battery running home appliances.
You did a comparison with lead acid batteries which was great because I use those. These are the kind of questions I have always wanted answered but no DIYer or professional electrician have ever answered. Thanks for your elaborate tests. I have learned a lot from you
My first set up was with a sealed lead acid battery too. With led acid 1 rule of thumb is taking the aH on the battery and cut that in half for the true usable aH. My first battery was 112aH led acid and I'd only get about 55hours of constant power with it. It did charge very quickly though with 2 100w panels. About 3-4hours on a cloudy day
Fyi to the people who wanna know why the inverter (and technical all inverters and generators) are in VA (volt amps) and not Watts. This also explains why the AC kWh dont match up with the DC kWh, especially with the fridge. It is call power factor and it only affect AC power. It is to complicated to explain here but there is plenty of good videos and websites online that explain it. But all you really need to know is that kW is the usable output energy and kVA is the energy required from the power source ( generators or inverter). E.g. a 110w fridge on 110v would theoretically pull 1A. 110v × 1A = 110w but in reality, with a guesstimated power factor of 0.8 (changes depending on the type of load), it will pull 1.25A. 1A ÷ pf0.8 = 1.25A. This means the inverter sees 137.5VA (1.25A × 110v) while the fridge is still only physically using 110w of power. Its basically another form of power loss on top of your normal other losses but alot more complicated to get your head around.
Great explanation. Except for my growatt 3000... the 3000 specifies how many ac watts it can support. Ie usable energy. The documents also mention 3000 W. I just tested it and it turns off just when it goes over 3,000 ac watts( enough for two large appliances). However the victron multiplus 3000 only supports an output of 2400w of usable energy (Only enough for 1 large appliance)
Hello, thanks for the video. Can you please tell me what type of refrigerator that is? I mean, if the inverter generates 500w or max 900w, how much does the refrigerator consume when starting? . thank you.
Anything that will run off 12V should come directly from the battery. I have the same battery running twelve LED light strips about 16hrs a day, a router, phone and tablet 24hrs a day, and it uses about 40ah on average with the lights being the highest draw.
12 volt is the way to go. Eliminate the inverter except as needed. There is a company named PMMI Lighting out of Sweeny Texas that sells all 12volt lighting systems run from a Raspberry Pi module using ethernet routers and CAT 5/6 cable. Switches and lights are programmable via a Spreadsheet. There system is pretty sharp.
Great information. Eliminate the inverter where possible. There are 12v TVs, Refrigerators, Freezers and lighting systems. The appliances have come a long way in the last 15 years. Most TVs run off of far less than 12volt today.
@@shawnr771 I recently expanded my system so the 3,500w pure sine wave inverter now has to power my fridge and a cube freezer, hence it has to run all the time. But before that I only powered the inverter when needed. There's lots of stuff that will run off 12v with no inverter.
@@frankmaze1972 oh absolutely. I built a 12 volt system just to run lights, fans, a very small fridge and a tv set plus charge phones. You are far ahead of me. I live in Texas I want to build a cold room. Heavily insulated and cooled by a 12 volt AC for when the temps get to extremes. Just in case the grid power goes out.
The amount of time you can get for a fridge will depend greatly on the ambient temp . If it's 40 degrees in your house it will run a lot longer than if it's 100 degrees.
it would be great to have some kind of chart to see that. I'm thinking keeping the condenser coil shaded would help? I know the water cooling technique works, but its just not reliable.
Also depending the brand/quality of the fridge. I have a Samsung (fridge/freezer combo) with digital inverter, which means it doesn't consume maximum wattage to adjust or keep temperature it can gradually increase the power and speed of the compressor.
I have a similar setup in terms of volume and output. You put together a very detailed and informative video, well done. I couldnt help but to smile when i seen the look on your kids faces, "Here comes dad, with another tinkering experiment". I get that look from my children as well. 😂 Keep up the good work. I will definitely subscribe and see what you have been up to from time to time.
Great video. Yup, the inverter will make a huge difference on how long things will run. I have 4 200AH SOKs in my rig with a Victron set-up and 1000W on panels. In summer, no problem staying near fully charged. System draw approx 15% of battery bank overnight if we are not here and 20-25 when we are. Winter, I get about a week to week and a half due to cloudy or full overcast days. These batteries are not that new BUT the prices have gotten consistently cheaper and recently very cheap.
Nice setup. I love my RV running on these batteries. I have one server rack battery in but it looks like you have about twice the battery storage capacity.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay I recently picked up a Growatt for my workshop. Curious how much standby draw it will have. I could have my trailer last a lot longer if I shut the system down, but I keep it running even when not there for wireless internet, cameras, fridge (don't have to always carry food back and forth) and lights so it always looks like someone is home. Look forward to see how your setup evolves and grows.
My GW uses about 50w idle... which is off-set by an extra 150 watts of solar on the roof. Go with the EG4 v2 battery if you're only going to get one battery for your system. That thing is amazing and can start anything! I did a video of that battery also. You'll like the GW but it's a little more finicky that the Victron.
Yesterday, due to storms, we had a power outage that lasted somewhere around 6 to 7 hours. After just about 4 hours, decided to plug the refrigerator into the 268 WH Bluetti power station.. Was pleasantly surprised to find out that it started and ran, and it showed that it had about 2.6 hours estimated in the beginning. Was drawing about 100 watts, but seemed to settle down to 85 watts. Now I have a starting point to consider whether I want to go the route of a power station, power station + solar, or a good old fashioned generator.
A power station with a capacity of 268Wh is typically equivalent to a 20Ah LiFePO4 battery. This comparison provides a clear perspective on the significant increase in runtime that a 100Ah battery would offer. As for the power stations, lower-end models might have limitations on input charging. This limitation becomes particularly relevant when evaluating the viability of establishing a solar array with an output exceeding 200W. In such cases, the advantages might not extend substantially beyond offsetting power generation during periods of low sunlight. Even though it might be expensive there are hybrid inverters if you're interested in constructing your own station. Hybrid inverters combine an inverter, an MPPT charge controller, and solar input functionalities into a single unit. This integrated design enables battery recharging without the necessity of a conventional DC to DC charge controller, especially when coupled with a generator. In such a configuration, the generator can efficiently replenish your batteries during periods of insufficient sunlight, most cheap generators provide 1000W of charge power, that can charge a 100ah battery in a little over an hour.
@@megabythubsounds about right. I have a 20yr old fridge/freezer so not as efficient and had it plugged into a watt meter for 29 hours and it averaged 119.2 wh. Was checking to see how long it could run on my ecoflow delta 2
yes the load on the inverter matters to rate the efficiency. A constant high draw load will be most efficient compared to a super low draw because the inverter has to be on longer doing the conversion from dc to ac for a longer time therefore consuming more of your battery into thin air.
Unusual in the first few seconds, but as soon as you started talking straight necessary and relevant details, you got my attention and a like. Many other guys either skip those details or mention too many unnecessary or irrelevant details and they lose me in their storytelling. I'm subscribing for now, though I have only watched less than 3 minutes of this video so far. Keep up the good work! Best wishes from Bosnia!
I love the solar I put on my RV. It works great and has basically negated our need for a gas generator in most circumstances. I've tried a million ways to justify solar at my home and the numbers never work. We are fortunate to cheap power in Phoenix area. Like a lot of people, I am attracted to the idea of "free" electricity from the sun. Truly objective analysis tells a different story unfortunately. Fun video. Thanks!
It seems like the score for the laptop is very tricky. If you start with a charged battery, the battery will extend the running time of the laptop. If you start with a dead battery, some of the power going to the laptop will be used charging the laptop battery. I like what you are doing and have subscribed to your channel. Thank you for what you are doing. I think you are helping a lot of (silent) fans.
For conversion efficiency you need higher dc voltage. Lower voltage has more loss. That’s why most home systems are higher voltage. Simple version is low voltage equals high amps. Higher voltage is Lower amps. You spoke about it a few times and I believe 80% is pretty good for 12vdc to 120vac. I like what you’ve done there though. It’s good to see people doing some small diy setups and getting into solar. It’s so easy and simple anyone can do it.
For those who does not know what VA is.. it is what is drawn from that inverter, it is always more than actual 'thing' (frigde, tv etc.) wattage because of the effectivity.. more eff, more close VA to W, less eff, more VA at less W
1. Try connect what possible direct 12V. 2. Buy dedicated inverter for laptop 12V/20V 100-150W. 3. Buy "Inverter refrigerator" ( big - better efficiency ) so camping 12 V for big house not right solution. 4. If you have AC / water pump - good idea to install 24 V (solar/battery/inverter).
Hi Ray what's up? New subscriber here. Glad I found ya. I have a question for you or any subscribers. Would it be worth it to have that fridge on a timer so that while the fam is sleeping, it wouldn't draw anything? I have those same exact batteries. I'm new so I hope I'm not making myself look like a jack ass with my question? I just wondered if it would be a power saving to have it run only when its being opened and closed? Also, that inverter was a 500 watt starting power? I thought it would take something like 800w to run a fridge that size? Like I said, I'm new to this. Thanks so much. Greetings from Maine.
Your wifi router and laptop, and maybe the TV, you'd be better off running off DC rather than DC to AC to DC. You'll avoid the inefficiency losses converting between DC to AC to DC. An amazing way to do this is use USB-C. There are inexpensive PD 3.0 or even 3.1 USB-C devices, which will negotiate voltages of 5, 9, 12, 15, 20, 28, 36, and 48 volts (the last 3 are part of PD 3.1), and potentially if you use the right e-Marker cable designed to do it, up to 5 amps at any of those voltages, delivering up to 240 watts at 48 volts. You'd need a boost converter, which isn't perfectly efficient, to bump your 12 volt battery to 48 volts if you wanted to run PD 3.1 devices. But still more efficient than even a Victron inverter. You can buy USB-C trigger boards for devices that do not do USB-C natively, and make your own cable. Pretty much everything I do with batteries from now on will heavily involve USB-C and avoid AC Inverters.
Since I do electronics, I would just go straight to the main voltage used by the device in question, connect it straight to lithium battery's 12V if its own regulator can accept the maximum voltage of at least 15-16V. And if a lower or higher voltage is needed, I would use a step-down or step-up converter. The fewer devices/converters inbetween, the better.
@@edinfific2576 Yup, agreed. What USB-C PD 3.0/3.1 allows is if you don't know what you need to power, but want as many options as possible without adding a new buck (step down) or boost (step up) converter. If you can put 48 volts into a USB-C PD 3.1 outlet, then you can get ANY voltage at up to 5 amps PD 3.1 supports: 5, 9, 12, 15, 20, 28, 36, 48. You can convert most of your devices easily to any USB-C PD 3.0/3.1 voltage using a trigger board, which negotiates the voltage based on your choice, and outputs the positive and negative to whatever connector type your device needs. Now you can skip the buck/boost converters if you can run 48 volts to all of your USB-C PD 3.1 outlets, and have virtually any voltage you need. On a 12 volt battery bus, you could put boost converters ( 12 volt to 48 volt for $16.99, though on up to 2.1 amps amzn.to/44Okkch ) behind each USB-C Outlet so you can have the full voltage range, though peak delivery at 100 watts with the listed boost converter. There may be boost converters that can do 12 volt to 48 volt at 5 amps.
Thank you. Very interesting. My Laptop is the only device that has DC imput( 19v 12.a amps) the router and TV just accept 120 volts. I'm definitely going to get some of these to charge my 9v radio from usb-c.: amzn.to/45yNZHi
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRayPractically all home electronics immediately step down the 120v ac and then convert it to dc. This includes TV’s, routers, radios, computers, newer microwave ovens, etc., etc.
While Re-watching your video I noticed that at the 5:13 mark you stated that the power draw was 50 amps. I am guessing that you meant 50 watts ? *FJB too !*
Doing real world tests on home products that im sure is answering common questions about this kind of thing. Gonna come back for this when and if i get a power queen or something like it
Great information. im sharing the vid to multiple buddies. I have a 200 ah battery on a camper but i built a 13k system for cabin but sold it before i got to actually play with the numbers. that kid in check disrespectful. It will only get worse when they get older. I know mind my own business
Inverter efficiency is also affected by the power factory of the devices. Inductive loads like fridges, HVAC, etc have a very bad power factor, and will decrease that efficiency a lot.
I'd get a DC to DC converter in order to charge this battery from my cigarette lighter. Hope this helps. Or just one solar panel would be the best. Obviously you'll need a solar charge controller also.
I use a 12v system for my garage and sheds lights and ir ,light in the garden that a bat keeps turning on at dusk, I did it as a hobby thing but I’m quite pleased with it , it’s got 2 batteries on it and they charge up during the day well
I run my tiny air conditioner during our frequent rural Louisiana power outages from an inverter and 300ah battery. I have limited solar but also use a 20amp plug-in charger. It has been a lifesaver during five heat emergency power outages since June and I can do a whole lot with it. I had to buy a lot of various solar batteries for hurricanes, severe storms, and tornadoes. My relatives nearby called me names but NOBODY can take away my electricity now. I got all electric garden tiller, mower, and weedeater too, and I`m about to get a small heater that can run all night if needed to keep the temperature at at least a safer level when another below zero high wind event happens. Last December I powered my electric blanket from an EB70 when temps fell to zero here with 40 mph winds. I have two of those and 9 smaller ones.
Hi I'm curious if you checked out the fridge to make sure it was cooling.?? Make another video of you opening the top of the fridge and showing it running as it should be blowing cold air out.... PS: I have a 400 what inverter and it doesn't run the "fridge, compressor" the lights come on inside of the bottom* but compressor kicks on - the alarm sounds on my inverter. However, it's not from Renagy.... It's an ( off brand )... So, I just want to know if you're compressor runs with - out kicking the alarm on, the inverter.... THANKS.!!
excellent video, I assume it's out of the question to run my 1500 watt electric heater even set to 1/2 power say 700watts. I've calculated I need 466amp hours of battery to run for 8 hours. so maybe w/ one 100ah batt. I can run the heater for less than one hour? is my heater sucking to much power to even be considered as a solar powered device?
this is a really good one step at a time, piece by piece video describing how long just a battery will last for grid down situation. Good job. Here's the next questions. Is there a fast way to charge a battery like that like from a car or generator? What if we use an all-in-one inverter and some solar panels?
Pls i jeed help in understanding Solar Batteries and inverters i have a lead acid battery of 100Ah once it hits 11V the inverter shuts off automatically so my question ❓ is if i buy a lifepo4 or lithium battery will the 12v inverter still shut down once the battery is at 11v or will the battery 🔋 keep powing my inverter even when it's below 12v which is the recommended voltage for 12v inverter to work ? Or will it keep powing my inverter till the battery completely dies off like low to zero just like how mobile phone batteries operate ?
What was the brand of the 5200wh battery you showed at start? While there are bad inverters, I find efficiency of Victron no better than those of other decent quality inverters. 80% low watt and 90% when drawing high watts.
It's a lifepower4 server rack battery. I have a link in the description. You might also be interested in seeing the video I have reviewing the eg4 v2 server rack battery.
Good video, thanks. I am impressed the 350W inverter could handle the startup surge of your fridge. BTW, and not really my place to say this, but your son (on the couch) is rude to you…. Oh well, I said it anyway, sorry. I will check out your other vids.
Awesome testing. I've got 4 power stations, 1 Jackery 300, 1 Ecoflow River 2 Max and 2 DIY power stations. The DIY ones are my largest to save money over a prebuilt. One is based on the 2000 watt Go Power! GP-SW2000 inverter with 200ah LiFePO4 and the 2nd is a smaller setup using a 300 watt GP-SW300-12 and 100ah LiFePO4. There are a few good reasons to have so many. If in a power outage and you use a power station for multiple AC devices and you get into the loop of electricity there is potential to be electrocuted. Limiting each power station to power one AC earth grounded device ensures you can't touch two devices at once and become part of the circuit. However being electrocuted would be rare as you would need a faulty appliance, point being there is no earth ground on power stations like in your house electrical outlets for major appliances like a fridge or microwave. A fridge and microwave together check all the boxes for the potential accident, they are sometimes close to each other in a kitchen, made of metal surfaces and have an earth ground by law. So if you put your hands on both at the same time and one of them has a ground problem you get zapped. Having each one on their own power station negates that potential as long as you have a plastic case enclosing your power station so you cant touch anything conductive which most power stations/builds have. Another reason I have 4 power stations is using larger AC inverters to power small devices like a TV, modem or a router is inefficient no matter what inverter you use if its above 2000w pure sign inverter. Using my 300 watt pure sign inverters can save 3%-10% more power depending on the inverter you own and the application. The other reason I have so many is for redundancy especially the DIY ones. If something fails like a battery or charge controller I can just replace that part rather than the whole power station. I do like Victron Energy also, I think they are better than everything else if you can afford it. Same as Go Power! They are what most people in long term RVs use, expensive but worth the build quality.
Thanks for the comments. yeah, its always good to have a backup around. Another option for safety would be to have a ground neutral bond on your power station. easy as plugging in a bonding plug: amzn.to/47yn7sE
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay Yeah neutral bonding at least would increase the safety if using a few devices that should be earth grounded and you have an earth ground in the loop. Some of the pre-built power stations are starting to come with earth ground wiring. For example my newest one, the Ecoflow River 2 Max says in the manual "This product must be grounded. When charging it should malfunction or break down, grounding provides a path of least resistance for electric current to reduce the risk of electric shock. This product is equipped with a power cord that has an equipment grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local codes ordinances." I think they mean IF it should malfunction... lol So the fact it has a real equipment earth ground wiring configuration means I could leave it plugged into the wall outlet during a power outage and then I have full electrical safety. Only issue is the little River 2 Max is not going to run my appliances as its to small! But its good they have that included in the new Ecoflow products.
That last statement I made could be wrong, the quote from the manual is talking about charging, not sure if they mean charging the unit or the plug on the AC inverter is part of the equipment earth ground. I'd need an outlet tester to verify when its plugged in vs not plugged in.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay That's a good safety feature and good you know about it. Not many devices have that and running the furnace would be something I would want during a long outage or disaster.
When you started the test was the compressor running on the fridge? plus the power draw would be different if the fridge happened to go into the defrost cycle? just saying.
One safety aspect. Ground your fridge. The output of the inverter is floating in respect to ground. It could store charge on the stainless steel of the fridge.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay I do not know if it is allowed in your country but here we connect one of the outputs of the inverter to ground so this will be the neutral and the other will become the line voltage. No surprise when using appliances.
Can you do one to run 1 air conditioning unit And a microwave? How many batteries? What kind of inverter and how many solar panels to get off the grid? For a overhead camper
question, is your fridge an inverter or non-inverter model? It was running like 17 hours on that 100ah battery. I am trying to learn, and to do it myself. What we use the most is the 12000btu inverter aircon at night and the fridge, the rest is led light and my laptop. 3x per week washing machine. Even If I can only make the aircon work on batteries would be great. I can charge the batteries since I life in ARUBA where we have sunshine even at night...hahaha. Maybe you can give me some input. Thanks
how long did it take to re-charge the battery fully from solar panels after fully draining it? Thanks. Also, you need to power your cable modem as well as the router for internet access, no?
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay Thank you, that is pretty amazing. Can you tell me what cabling I should buy for that exact setup? Thickness and length for battery monitor
Good video! Thanks! Was great to see how.long everything runs for on lith batts! We just bought some lifepo4 lith batts, they are so small only a kg each! We are in rural mexico now and off grid, but a lot of sun here, so it all works well!/
Perfect timing.. just bought a 768wh Ecoflow River 2 battery (waiting on its arrival) to see how long I can run my desktop/monitor on it, and how fast 220watt solar will charge it, and how much battery I need to run the setup for 16 hours a day. Easy to figure out with static values, but computers/etc vary all day up and down on power usage. So trying to figure out how to run it all on battery because its about 97% of the energy I use weekly (minus AC in summer but have solar panels on roof for that).
Love the videos bud. I'm looking for a small setup for my condo in case the power goes off. Couple batteries inverter plugged into the wall 24/7 if the power goes down short term I can use it as is. Longer situation throw up my solar panel on my deck. Any suggestions I'm a newbie to this stuff
Cool. this little battery(or the 200ah battery) is great for backing up a single fridge. This system might interest you if you want to go a little bigger(depends on your budget and how often the power goes out). th-cam.com/video/fBYtKh2XxzQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bIz-1SdhHpa-vysX
Where is a good place to go get info for building your own systems? Right now I back feed my house from garage using a 50amp circuit and a 5500 watt generator (when power is out). I would like to put panels on garage roof and a battery bank to run house when needed but i admit i dont know much about solar.
It looks like you need a all-in-one power system similar to this one: You can get larger ones if you have a larger solar array or you can put 2 together if you need 240volts. Also Signature solar has tech support if you have questions setting it up.
thank you for doing these videos. New subscriber just found your channel. I always wondered how long some of these things would actually run on some of these batteries and solar. Thanks again.
Well we bought a 2017 Nissan Rogue from Enterprise Car Sales which had 33,000 miles on it. We did not have to replace that battery until this year! 7 YEARS! Probably eight because the car was made in 2019!!! I mentioned this to a guy at Valvoline Instant Oil Change and he claimed that he too had a long life battery BUT... he also said that he is disturbed at seeing so many batteries that they sell come back in 2 years or less needing replacement! Go figure
Any fridge when starting up pulls 8 or 9 times the load. If it's a 500w fridge it can pull almost 4500w. How is it possible for a 400w inverter to handle this?
This was an awesome video. I realize there's something that scares me more than a band of marauders during the apocalypse. That is interruption of the kids' TV time that will inevitably ensue. when the grid goes down.
I tried thé same thing with my son. I wanted to see how much energy he uses with his gaming all day. That kind of electricity he said was no good.. so no test!.. he says that i am a nerd 😂
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay So as an electrical engineer myself, I had made the right observation. I am trying to adapt the solar panels for my home, and still looking to buy 16ft cable to connect to my soar generator. The issue is, it has to be 10 gauge power cable as it has to carry 7 Amps of current. Thanks for the video
When the power goes out, the laptop already have a battery. Fridge don't need power as long as you don't open it. Battery backup for the wifi and cable modem is useless for me because cable doesn't work during a power outage. I use my cellphone hotspot for wifi. And the cellphone already have a battery.
My question is, how does that big fridge start with 300-450w inverter. It must have minimum 125W compressor. And calculating inrush current draw ... It must have pretty big margin that invertor. I tried 90w fridge on 300w inverter (clean sine) and it would not start. It goes in to error, over power protection.
Thank you for this informative and educational video. Can you tell me what do I need for running a swamp pump under my house in case of power outages, Please.
Next time you do a video, might be a good idea to clean the house . Not a good look , just saying is all. But I did enjoy the very informative video. Greetings from Sherwood Forest.
Whats your opinion on those used panels? They have amazing prices! I'm nervous getting used solar panels but in curious about your thoughts and experiences with them. Do you mix new with used or keep the used separate? Thanks for taking the time to make the videos great information.
I like them. Over I upgraded to some better used solar panels and I like them better than these used ones. You can check out my most recent video where I compared some new panels to use panels. They performed pretty much the same as the new panels. I have a link in a discount code for the used solar panels if you want to go that route. I wouldn't mix different types of panels. Good luck. 👍
I don’t think you want to run LifePo down to 0%. Last I heard, 20% is a recommended stop point. EDIT: Maybe the manufacturer has a bit more than 100AH of cells inside the case and the BMS stops discharge at 100AH?
The losses are mainly heat. But so far a very efficient hookup. It would be a nice system if solar can charge the battery as quickly as possible when you are not using the inverter, disconnect solar and use the battery to run 12v LED Lights in the house when its getting dark. The capacity should be enough to do that, saving you real money every day. Using an inverter is not always needed with appliances that can run on 12v, saving you most of the losses. But you already knew that.
I ran for a full summer a 5000 btu window unit off of 4 12V AGM batteries in a 24V system with no problems. Initial start it would pull 800 watts and average was 500 watts an hour. What I am curious about is if one of these batteries would run a window unit. Was looking at a 24v 100ah battery earlier and then seen your vid has me thinking.
Products In this video(Affiliate Links)
-PowerQueen Battery: amzn.to/47XlcwD
-Used Solar panels: www.santansolar.com/product/used-trina-245w-solar-panel/?ref=DiySolarPowerFun&campaign=PowerQueenRunTest_InDescription
-Victron Inverter: amzn.to/3s1gRcB
-Victron Smart shunt battery monitor: amzn.to/3KyEfEz
-VIctron Charge Controller: amzn.to/3QsGNbh
-Budget charge controller $10: amzn.to/3Qnk8Nq
-Budget charge controller $25: amzn.to/3OLKszm
-Budget smart shunt battery monitor: amzn.to/43Z9obh
-LifePower 48v LiFeP04 Server Rack Battery : signaturesolar.com/eg4-lifepower4-lithium-battery-48v-100ah?ref=DiySolarPowerFun ($50 Discount Code: RAY)
*Chapters*
0:00 Intro
0:40 PowerQueen and general LiFePO4 Battery summary
3:56 How Long will a fridge run on a LiFePO4 Battery
7:09 Charging the LiFePO4 battery
7:35 How Long will a TV run on a LiFePO4 Battery
8:26 How Long will a Laptop and Wifi Router run on a LiFePO4 Battery
11:09 Running everything at once
12:44 Victron Phoenix Efficiency and Conclusion
About 17 hours for the fridge.
Also around 17 hours for the tv.
About 24 hours for the laptop and router.
About 4 hours for all plus some lighting.
Thank you.
How can you run a 100 ah battery that long
@@Username-e5l A modern tv doesn't really consume that much power. A laptop and router even less. The fridge does draw a large amount of power, but unless you left the door open, open it a lot or the fridge is in a bad shape it should run at intervals for short periods.
@@LordBaal19 I have a 160 ah battery and I can barely run appliances for 6 hours
Must be a knock off @@Username-e5l
Lithium vs lead is
Lead you can only use 50% max
Lead volt go down means it use more amps to compensation. @@Username-e5l
What's good about this video is the clear concise and educational aspects for me in this growing offgrid industry. No hidden stuff
Plug into 3kw fire
You only think it's educational because you are also clueless !
@@christopherroberts22 i think it is educational and i am not clueless
Yup, 50% more storage juice. I have at least 32 KW hours in lifepo4 at 48V with a 10,000 watt solar array outside. I initially purchased a few 5Ah tiny lifepos, studied them and learned enough to build two 15KW/Hr 300 pound, 48V batteries. For portable power stations I have literally lived off of the Bluetti AC200p for four flawless years straight. I gave it to my neighbor so he could learn about it after upgrading to the AC300 four stacker, B300's.
Wow. Nice! 👊
i would like to know more of how you did that please.
Nice real life practical test. One correction as I've been using LiFePO4 so some time now. I don't recommend bringing the level down to zero too often as it will affect the amount of life cycles over time. I have a large solar array and expect at least ten or more years from my Power Queens but I won't run them down more than 60%. I better get at least 6-8000 cycles out of them.
Should go down to at least 40- if not 30% for Max cycles not 60. But more important is just keeping them in an environment that has a stable temperature and adequate airflow/passive cooling. Along with charging them at as low a rate as is practical.
Nel 48volt is bulk 54.4v float 53.9v en. End stop 51volt is perfect
The best way is 30 to 80%. They don't like being fully charged.
@@clevernduruza8624 Not LiFePO4 Batteries ..... you can run them down to 0 and charge them up to 100% - th-cam.com/video/K9Tfivf5bAI/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for this video Ray. I bought a Licciti battery box with 1,000 Watt inverter and 284 Ah Lifepo4 prismatic battery kit. I tested this last weekend with my traditional top freezer mount fridge and it went 30 hours and didn't get to 50% discharge. I only stopped using it since I still don't feel comfortable leaving it alone at home while we're away.
I am watching your videos, David Poz, Will Prowse and many others as I have begun buying the parts for a 48 Volt system. I really wasn't sure whether to buy more Licciti battery boxes/power stations or go to a large system but finally decided to avoid spending more money on the small power stations.
It helped me. Straightforward and real-world testing. Thank you for taking the time to produce the(se) video.
Thanks, This one took a while to create. :)
This is one of the best solar/ battery channel on youtube... Your actually doing real world testing and answering all the questions people want to ask when they buy a battery like this, I have a much better idea now of what to expect from a 100 ah battery running home appliances.
Thanks!. The best thing is batteries are crazy cheap right now!
You did a comparison with lead acid batteries which was great because I use those.
These are the kind of questions I have always wanted answered but no DIYer or professional electrician have ever answered. Thanks for your elaborate tests. I have learned a lot from you
Thank you for all the nice comments. I love top gear! :-)
My first set up was with a sealed lead acid battery too. With led acid 1 rule of thumb is taking the aH on the battery and cut that in half for the true usable aH. My first battery was 112aH led acid and I'd only get about 55hours of constant power with it. It did charge very quickly though with 2 100w panels. About 3-4hours on a cloudy day
Yes. I would not have a lithium battery IN my home. Too risky
@@paulawagstaff686lithium phosphate batteries are different than lithium ion
@@paulawagstaff686lifepo4 is perfect no problem is good for house no exsplosion no real is good lifepo4 is different litio
Fyi to the people who wanna know why the inverter (and technical all inverters and generators) are in VA (volt amps) and not Watts. This also explains why the AC kWh dont match up with the DC kWh, especially with the fridge. It is call power factor and it only affect AC power. It is to complicated to explain here but there is plenty of good videos and websites online that explain it. But all you really need to know is that kW is the usable output energy and kVA is the energy required from the power source ( generators or inverter). E.g. a 110w fridge on 110v would theoretically pull 1A. 110v × 1A = 110w but in reality, with a guesstimated power factor of 0.8 (changes depending on the type of load), it will pull 1.25A. 1A ÷ pf0.8 = 1.25A. This means the inverter sees 137.5VA (1.25A × 110v) while the fridge is still only physically using 110w of power. Its basically another form of power loss on top of your normal other losses but alot more complicated to get your head around.
Great explanation. Except for my growatt 3000... the 3000 specifies how many ac watts it can support. Ie usable energy. The documents also mention 3000 W. I just tested it and it turns off just when it goes over 3,000 ac watts( enough for two large appliances).
However the victron multiplus 3000 only supports an output of 2400w of usable energy (Only enough for 1 large appliance)
Hello, thanks for the video. Can you please tell me what type of refrigerator that is? I mean, if the inverter generates 500w or max 900w, how much does the refrigerator consume when starting? . thank you.
I agree a big refrigerator has 1500w to 2000w start up. Unless the 500w victron has a 2000w peak, it would cook.
Anything that will run off 12V should come directly from the battery. I have the same battery running twelve LED light strips about 16hrs a day, a router, phone and tablet 24hrs a day, and it uses about 40ah on average with the lights being the highest draw.
That's a good point.
12 volt is the way to go.
Eliminate the inverter except as needed.
There is a company named PMMI Lighting out of Sweeny Texas that sells all 12volt lighting systems run from a Raspberry Pi module using ethernet routers and CAT 5/6 cable.
Switches and lights are programmable via a Spreadsheet.
There system is pretty sharp.
Great information.
Eliminate the inverter where possible.
There are 12v TVs, Refrigerators, Freezers and lighting systems.
The appliances have come a long way in the last 15 years.
Most TVs run off of far less than 12volt today.
@@shawnr771 I recently expanded my system so the 3,500w pure sine wave inverter now has to power my fridge and a cube freezer, hence it has to run all the time. But before that I only powered the inverter when needed. There's lots of stuff that will run off 12v with no inverter.
@@frankmaze1972 oh absolutely.
I built a 12 volt system just to run lights, fans, a very small fridge and a tv set plus charge phones.
You are far ahead of me.
I live in Texas I want to build a cold room. Heavily insulated and cooled by a 12 volt AC for when the temps get to extremes. Just in case the grid power goes out.
This is the exact video I have been looking to detail for an upgrade and use.
The amount of time you can get for a fridge will depend greatly on the ambient temp . If it's 40 degrees in your house it will run a lot longer than if it's 100 degrees.
it would be great to have some kind of chart to see that. I'm thinking keeping the condenser coil shaded would help? I know the water cooling technique works, but its just not reliable.
If it's 40 degrees, I'm not running the fridge. I'll keep the beer and cola on the counter.
And how many times did the kids open the frig door? Like your video. Considering a backup system,. LP generator or lithium batteries.
Also depending the brand/quality of the fridge.
I have a Samsung (fridge/freezer combo) with digital inverter, which means it doesn't consume maximum wattage to adjust or keep temperature it can gradually increase the power and speed of the compressor.
and the number of times the door is opened
I have a similar setup in terms of volume and output. You put together a very detailed and informative video, well done. I couldnt help but to smile when i seen the look on your kids faces, "Here comes dad, with another tinkering experiment". I get that look from my children as well. 😂 Keep up the good work. I will definitely subscribe and see what you have been up to from time to time.
:) Awesome, thank you!
Great video. Yup, the inverter will make a huge difference on how long things will run. I have 4 200AH SOKs in my rig with a Victron set-up and 1000W on panels. In summer, no problem staying near fully charged. System draw approx 15% of battery bank overnight if we are not here and 20-25 when we are. Winter, I get about a week to week and a half due to cloudy or full overcast days. These batteries are not that new BUT the prices have gotten consistently cheaper and recently very cheap.
Nice setup. I love my RV running on these batteries. I have one server rack battery in but it looks like you have about twice the battery storage capacity.
I'm running the growatt in mine with a victron battery monitor. I'm really liking it.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay I recently picked up a Growatt for my workshop. Curious how much standby draw it will have. I could have my trailer last a lot longer if I shut the system down, but I keep it running even when not there for wireless internet, cameras, fridge (don't have to always carry food back and forth) and lights so it always looks like someone is home. Look forward to see how your setup evolves and grows.
My GW uses about 50w idle... which is off-set by an extra 150 watts of solar on the roof. Go with the EG4 v2 battery if you're only going to get one battery for your system. That thing is amazing and can start anything! I did a video of that battery also. You'll like the GW but it's a little more finicky that the Victron.
Yesterday, due to storms, we had a power outage that lasted somewhere around 6 to 7 hours. After just about 4 hours, decided to plug the refrigerator into the 268 WH Bluetti power station.. Was pleasantly surprised to find out that it started and ran, and it showed that it had about 2.6 hours estimated in the beginning. Was drawing about 100 watts, but seemed to settle down to 85 watts. Now I have a starting point to consider whether I want to go the route of a power station, power station + solar, or a good old fashioned generator.
Nice. A couple 100 watt solar panels and you'd be golden.
A power station with a capacity of 268Wh is typically equivalent to a 20Ah LiFePO4 battery. This comparison provides a clear perspective on the significant increase in runtime that a 100Ah battery would offer. As for the power stations, lower-end models might have limitations on input charging. This limitation becomes particularly relevant when evaluating the viability of establishing a solar array with an output exceeding 200W. In such cases, the advantages might not extend substantially beyond offsetting power generation during periods of low sunlight.
Even though it might be expensive there are hybrid inverters if you're interested in constructing your own station. Hybrid inverters combine an inverter, an MPPT charge controller, and solar input functionalities into a single unit. This integrated design enables battery recharging without the necessity of a conventional DC to DC charge controller, especially when coupled with a generator. In such a configuration, the generator can efficiently replenish your batteries during periods of insufficient sunlight, most cheap generators provide 1000W of charge power, that can charge a 100ah battery in a little over an hour.
how the fuck is your fridge running on 100w?
@@megabythubsounds about right. I have a 20yr old fridge/freezer so not as efficient and had it plugged into a watt meter for 29 hours and it averaged 119.2 wh. Was checking to see how long it could run on my ecoflow delta 2
Thank you so much. I have subscribed and I love how its just plug in whatever you have, so random and no glitz. Love it
yes the load on the inverter matters to rate the efficiency. A constant high draw load will be most efficient compared to a super low draw because the inverter has to be on longer doing the conversion from dc to ac for a longer time therefore consuming more of your battery into thin air.
Unusual in the first few seconds, but as soon as you started talking straight necessary and relevant details, you got my attention and a like.
Many other guys either skip those details or mention too many unnecessary or irrelevant details and they lose me in their storytelling.
I'm subscribing for now, though I have only watched less than 3 minutes of this video so far.
Keep up the good work!
Best wishes from Bosnia!
I love the solar I put on my RV. It works great and has basically negated our need for a gas generator in most circumstances. I've tried a million ways to justify solar at my home and the numbers never work. We are fortunate to cheap power in Phoenix area. Like a lot of people, I am attracted to the idea of "free" electricity from the sun. Truly objective analysis tells a different story unfortunately. Fun video. Thanks!
Thanks. I love solar on my RV also. Great for an emergency. Did you see my 48v RV conversion video? You'll like that one.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay I haven't seen the video you mentioned, but I'll check it out now. Thanks!
It seems like the score for the laptop is very tricky. If you start with a charged battery, the battery will extend the running time of the laptop. If you start with a dead battery, some of the power going to the laptop will be used charging the laptop battery.
I like what you are doing and have subscribed to your channel. Thank you for what you are doing. I think you are helping a lot of (silent) fans.
Yup. That's true. Thanks!
Thanks for doing this. I have been seeing vids of this battery and wondered about how long it would run a frig. lol Perfect!
Amazing , you were the only one that explained it in a simple way for me (a beginner) to understand , thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏼
Thank you.
Awesome content, very simple yet detailed. Look forward to more content from you.😊
Thanks 😊
For conversion efficiency you need higher dc voltage. Lower voltage has more loss. That’s why most home systems are higher voltage. Simple version is low voltage equals high amps. Higher voltage is Lower amps. You spoke about it a few times and I believe 80% is pretty good for 12vdc to 120vac. I like what you’ve done there though. It’s good to see people doing some small diy setups and getting into solar. It’s so easy and simple anyone can do it.
Very good! Thanks.
This is the practical kind of stuff we need to know.
For those who does not know what VA is.. it is what is drawn from that inverter, it is always more than actual 'thing' (frigde, tv etc.) wattage because of the effectivity.. more eff, more close VA to W, less eff, more VA at less W
This channel is gold, exactly what the internet needs! Lik'd and Sub'd....on a side note that would only run my homelab for a few hours :(
yeah, fusion research requires a little more power.
@@SamuelLanghorn .....nah, lots of rack servers
1. Try connect what possible direct 12V. 2. Buy dedicated inverter for laptop 12V/20V 100-150W. 3. Buy "Inverter refrigerator" ( big - better efficiency ) so camping 12 V for big house not right solution. 4. If you have AC / water pump - good idea to install 24 V (solar/battery/inverter).
All good points!
Depends on efficiency of fridge and how many times door is opened and for how long.
That fridge seemed power hungry to me.
Gaz UK
Hey bud, love the fact you did home stuff ,tv and those things instead of tools
Thanks!
Hi Ray what's up? New subscriber here. Glad I found ya. I have a question for you or any subscribers. Would it be worth it to have that fridge on a timer so that while the fam is sleeping, it wouldn't draw anything? I have those same exact batteries. I'm new so I hope I'm not making myself look like a jack ass with my question? I just wondered if it would be a power saving to have it run only when its being opened and closed? Also, that inverter was a 500 watt starting power? I thought it would take something like 800w to run a fridge that size? Like I said, I'm new to this. Thanks so much. Greetings from Maine.
Your wifi router and laptop, and maybe the TV, you'd be better off running off DC rather than DC to AC to DC. You'll avoid the inefficiency losses converting between DC to AC to DC.
An amazing way to do this is use USB-C. There are inexpensive PD 3.0 or even 3.1 USB-C devices, which will negotiate voltages of 5, 9, 12, 15, 20, 28, 36, and 48 volts (the last 3 are part of PD 3.1), and potentially if you use the right e-Marker cable designed to do it, up to 5 amps at any of those voltages, delivering up to 240 watts at 48 volts.
You'd need a boost converter, which isn't perfectly efficient, to bump your 12 volt battery to 48 volts if you wanted to run PD 3.1 devices. But still more efficient than even a Victron inverter.
You can buy USB-C trigger boards for devices that do not do USB-C natively, and make your own cable.
Pretty much everything I do with batteries from now on will heavily involve USB-C and avoid AC Inverters.
Since I do electronics, I would just go straight to the main voltage used by the device in question, connect it straight to lithium battery's 12V if its own regulator can accept the maximum voltage of at least 15-16V.
And if a lower or higher voltage is needed, I would use a step-down or step-up converter. The fewer devices/converters inbetween, the better.
@@edinfific2576 Yup, agreed. What USB-C PD 3.0/3.1 allows is if you don't know what you need to power, but want as many options as possible without adding a new buck (step down) or boost (step up) converter. If you can put 48 volts into a USB-C PD 3.1 outlet, then you can get ANY voltage at up to 5 amps PD 3.1 supports: 5, 9, 12, 15, 20, 28, 36, 48. You can convert most of your devices easily to any USB-C PD 3.0/3.1 voltage using a trigger board, which negotiates the voltage based on your choice, and outputs the positive and negative to whatever connector type your device needs.
Now you can skip the buck/boost converters if you can run 48 volts to all of your USB-C PD 3.1 outlets, and have virtually any voltage you need.
On a 12 volt battery bus, you could put boost converters ( 12 volt to 48 volt for $16.99, though on up to 2.1 amps amzn.to/44Okkch ) behind each USB-C Outlet so you can have the full voltage range, though peak delivery at 100 watts with the listed boost converter. There may be boost converters that can do 12 volt to 48 volt at 5 amps.
Thank you. Very interesting. My Laptop is the only device that has DC imput( 19v 12.a amps) the router and TV just accept 120 volts. I'm definitely going to get some of these to charge my 9v radio from usb-c.: amzn.to/45yNZHi
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRayPractically all home electronics immediately step down the 120v ac and then convert it to dc. This includes TV’s, routers, radios, computers, newer microwave ovens, etc., etc.
Can TVs/monitors in general receive power through USB-C?
Great job on the video! Keep up the good work 👍
Thanks
THANK YOU IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR CLARITY THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME
While Re-watching your video I noticed that at the 5:13 mark you stated that the power draw was 50 amps. I am guessing that you meant 50 watts ?
*FJB too !*
You are correct. I miss spoke there. Thanks
Doing real world tests on home products that im sure is answering common questions about this kind of thing. Gonna come back for this when and if i get a power queen or something like it
Great information. im sharing the vid to multiple buddies. I have a 200 ah battery on a camper but i built a 13k system for cabin but sold it before i got to actually play with the numbers. that kid in check disrespectful. It will only get worse when they get older. I know mind my own business
for efficiency meassuring did you take the power factor into account?
Inverter efficiency is also affected by the power factory of the devices. Inductive loads like fridges, HVAC, etc have a very bad power factor, and will decrease that efficiency a lot.
Do stuff that uses motors?
S*
Hi, Sir, in camping,
Can I connect it to my Bluetti battery for charge?
Can I charge it with my van cigarette light?
Thanks
I'd get a DC to DC converter in order to charge this battery from my cigarette lighter. Hope this helps. Or just one solar panel would be the best. Obviously you'll need a solar charge controller also.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay God bless 🙏✌️❤️❤️❤️
Really appreciate this video. I was curious myself about how long my truck battery running through a inverter would power up my little window unit.
I have one, Sir❤❤❤❤
last weekend worked with my diesel heater for 3 days without any charge!
That's awesome, what diesel heater do you have? Is there a small one you would recommend?
I use a 12v system for my garage and sheds lights and ir ,light in the garden that a bat keeps turning on at dusk, I did it as a hobby thing but I’m quite pleased with it , it’s got 2 batteries on it and they charge up during the day well
I’ve heard you need a special charger for this battery? What is recommended?
I run my tiny air conditioner during our frequent rural Louisiana power outages from an inverter and 300ah battery. I have limited solar but also use a 20amp plug-in charger. It has been a lifesaver during five heat emergency power outages since June and I can do a whole lot with it. I had to buy a lot of various solar batteries for hurricanes, severe storms, and tornadoes. My relatives nearby called me names but NOBODY can take away my electricity now. I got all electric garden tiller, mower, and weedeater too, and I`m about to get a small heater that can run all night if needed to keep the temperature at at least a safer level when another below zero high wind event happens. Last December I powered my electric blanket from an EB70 when temps fell to zero here with 40 mph winds. I have two of those and 9 smaller ones.
I'd love an electrician rototiller. Did you make it your self?
No, I just bought a tiller that matched my 2000w inverter. I think it`s 10 amps. Anyway, it works. @@diySolarPowerFunWithRay
Hi I'm curious if you checked out the fridge to make sure it was cooling.?? Make another video of you opening the top of the fridge and showing it running as it should be blowing cold air out....
PS: I have a 400 what inverter and it doesn't run the "fridge, compressor" the lights come on inside of the bottom* but compressor kicks on - the alarm sounds on my inverter. However, it's not from Renagy.... It's an ( off brand )... So, I just want to know if you're compressor runs with - out kicking the alarm on, the inverter.... THANKS.!!
Ok, I'll try and show that in the next video when I do the test with solar connected. Thanks
Thanks for running these tests!
excellent video, I assume it's out of the question to run my 1500 watt electric heater even set to 1/2 power say 700watts. I've calculated I need 466amp hours of battery to run for 8 hours. so maybe w/ one 100ah batt. I can run the heater for less than one hour?
is my heater sucking to much power to even be considered as a solar powered device?
this is a really good one step at a time, piece by piece video describing how long just a battery will last for grid down situation. Good job. Here's the next questions. Is there a fast way to charge a battery like that like from a car or generator? What if we use an all-in-one inverter and some solar panels?
Pls i jeed help in understanding Solar Batteries and inverters i have a lead acid battery of 100Ah once it hits 11V the inverter shuts off automatically so my question ❓ is if i buy a lifepo4 or lithium battery will the 12v inverter still shut down once the battery is at 11v or will the battery 🔋 keep powing my inverter even when it's below 12v which is the recommended voltage for 12v inverter to work ? Or will it keep powing my inverter till the battery completely dies off like low to zero just like how mobile phone batteries operate ?
It will run until the battery has 0% battery life left and then the inverter will turn off.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay wow that's great thanks a lot 🙏
This is by far the easiest video on this subject that I have seen 👍 thank you 😊
Glad it was helpful!
What was the brand of the 5200wh battery you showed at start?
While there are bad inverters, I find efficiency of Victron no better than those of other decent quality inverters. 80% low watt and 90% when drawing high watts.
It's a lifepower4 server rack battery. I have a link in the description. You might also be interested in seeing the video I have reviewing the eg4 v2 server rack battery.
Good video, thanks. I am impressed the 350W inverter could handle the startup surge of your fridge.
BTW, and not really my place to say this, but your son (on the couch) is rude to you…. Oh well, I said it anyway, sorry.
I will check out your other vids.
Granted I should not have filmed them right when I turned off the tv. They definitely weren't in their best place.
Awesome testing. I've got 4 power stations, 1 Jackery 300, 1 Ecoflow River 2 Max and 2 DIY power stations. The DIY ones are my largest to save money over a prebuilt. One is based on the 2000 watt Go Power! GP-SW2000 inverter with 200ah LiFePO4 and the 2nd is a smaller setup using a 300 watt GP-SW300-12 and 100ah LiFePO4. There are a few good reasons to have so many. If in a power outage and you use a power station for multiple AC devices and you get into the loop of electricity there is potential to be electrocuted. Limiting each power station to power one AC earth grounded device ensures you can't touch two devices at once and become part of the circuit. However being electrocuted would be rare as you would need a faulty appliance, point being there is no earth ground on power stations like in your house electrical outlets for major appliances like a fridge or microwave. A fridge and microwave together check all the boxes for the potential accident, they are sometimes close to each other in a kitchen, made of metal surfaces and have an earth ground by law. So if you put your hands on both at the same time and one of them has a ground problem you get zapped. Having each one on their own power station negates that potential as long as you have a plastic case enclosing your power station so you cant touch anything conductive which most power stations/builds have. Another reason I have 4 power stations is using larger AC inverters to power small devices like a TV, modem or a router is inefficient no matter what inverter you use if its above 2000w pure sign inverter. Using my 300 watt pure sign inverters can save 3%-10% more power depending on the inverter you own and the application. The other reason I have so many is for redundancy especially the DIY ones. If something fails like a battery or charge controller I can just replace that part rather than the whole power station. I do like Victron Energy also, I think they are better than everything else if you can afford it. Same as Go Power! They are what most people in long term RVs use, expensive but worth the build quality.
Thanks for the comments. yeah, its always good to have a backup around. Another option for safety would be to have a ground neutral bond on your power station.
easy as plugging in a bonding plug: amzn.to/47yn7sE
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay Yeah neutral bonding at least would increase the safety if using a few devices that should be earth grounded and you have an earth ground in the loop. Some of the pre-built power stations are starting to come with earth ground wiring. For example my newest one, the Ecoflow River 2 Max says in the manual "This product must be grounded. When charging it should malfunction or break down, grounding provides a path of least resistance for electric current to reduce the risk of electric shock. This product is equipped with a power cord that has an equipment grounding conductor and a grounding plug. The plug must be plugged into an outlet that is properly installed and grounded in accordance with all local codes ordinances." I think they mean IF it should malfunction... lol So the fact it has a real equipment earth ground wiring configuration means I could leave it plugged into the wall outlet during a power outage and then I have full electrical safety. Only issue is the little River 2 Max is not going to run my appliances as its to small! But its good they have that included in the new Ecoflow products.
That last statement I made could be wrong, the quote from the manual is talking about charging, not sure if they mean charging the unit or the plug on the AC inverter is part of the equipment earth ground. I'd need an outlet tester to verify when its plugged in vs not plugged in.
@practicalguy973 cool. Also, some furnaces(mine)won't run unless the circuit board detects a GN bond.
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay That's a good safety feature and good you know about it. Not many devices have that and running the furnace would be something I would want during a long outage or disaster.
When you started the test was the compressor running on the fridge? plus the power draw would be different if the fridge happened to go into the defrost cycle? just saying.
Thanks, if I remember right, it looked look like it went through 1 defrost cycle.
One safety aspect. Ground your fridge. The output of the inverter is floating in respect to ground. It could store charge on the stainless steel of the fridge.
Good point
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay I do not know if it is allowed in your country but here we connect one of the outputs of the inverter to ground so this will be the neutral and the other will become the line voltage. No surprise when using appliances.
@@qno-oj3py Yeah, We can do that. I think the easiest way is to used a ground Neutral bonding plug.
What is a good plug in lipo battery charger? I want to plug in charge no solar
Are you able to purchase the batteries , and inverter at santan solar, or is there another out source in the mesa / Gilbert area
I don't think they sell these smaller batteries there but you can call and ask. They also have them on Amazon
Thankyou for your patience to post the knowledge.
Can you do one to run 1 air conditioning unit And a microwave? How many batteries? What kind of inverter and how many solar panels to get off the grid? For a overhead camper
Ive got videos for those
question, is your fridge an inverter or non-inverter model? It was running like 17 hours on that 100ah battery. I am trying to learn, and to do it myself. What we use the most is the 12000btu inverter aircon at night and the fridge, the rest is led light and my laptop. 3x per week washing machine. Even If I can only make the aircon work on batteries would be great. I can charge the batteries since I life in ARUBA where we have sunshine even at night...hahaha. Maybe you can give me some input. Thanks
Mine is the non-inverter model. I think the inverter models are a lot more efficient
how long did it take to re-charge the battery fully from solar panels after fully draining it? Thanks. Also, you need to power your cable modem as well as the router for internet access, no?
They recommend charging it in 5 hours. But you can charge it in 1 hour if you want to really push it. In my case my router is my wireless modem
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay Thank you, that is pretty amazing. Can you tell me what cabling I should buy for that exact setup? Thickness and length for battery monitor
Great video. I was wondering since testing the efficiency of the victron charge controller, if you would still go with it over cheaper brands?
This is great. Exactly what I was hoping to see. Thank you
Good video! Thanks! Was great to see how.long everything runs for on lith batts! We just bought some lifepo4 lith batts, they are so small only a kg each! We are in rural mexico now and off grid, but a lot of sun here, so it all works well!/
Perfect timing.. just bought a 768wh Ecoflow River 2 battery (waiting on its arrival) to see how long I can run my desktop/monitor on it, and how fast 220watt solar will charge it, and how much battery I need to run the setup for 16 hours a day. Easy to figure out with static values, but computers/etc vary all day up and down on power usage. So trying to figure out how to run it all on battery because its about 97% of the energy I use weekly (minus AC in summer but have solar panels on roof for that).
A minimum of 3.5 hours of bright sunshine to charge the battery with no load on the battery.
@@deang5622 to be clear, the 220watt would take 3.5 hours or more to charge the river 2?
Very informative! Thank you for running the numbers for us.
You bet!
And any lead on where to buy the specific type of battery you were using in your setup.
Thank you 🙏
There is a link in the description
Love the videos bud. I'm looking for a small setup for my condo in case the power goes off. Couple batteries inverter plugged into the wall 24/7 if the power goes down short term I can use it as is. Longer situation throw up my solar panel on my deck. Any suggestions I'm a newbie to this stuff
Cool. this little battery(or the 200ah battery) is great for backing up a single fridge. This system might interest you if you want to go a little bigger(depends on your budget and how often the power goes out). th-cam.com/video/fBYtKh2XxzQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bIz-1SdhHpa-vysX
Where is a good place to go get info for building your own systems? Right now I back feed my house from garage using a 50amp circuit and a 5500 watt generator (when power is out). I would like to put panels on garage roof and a battery bank to run house when needed but i admit i dont know much about solar.
It looks like you need a all-in-one power system similar to this one: You can get larger ones if you have a larger solar array or you can put 2 together if you need 240volts. Also Signature solar has tech support if you have questions setting it up.
Solar - depends where are you living - Kanada , Texas, Panama during Winter. Problem with AC or water pump - need big power. And money :)
Great video.
I'm very much a numbers guy myself and love seeing someone so dedicated to getting the maximum efficiency out your equipment!
1 quick Question if you have 3 of those batteries hooked up parallel would that make it 300AH?
Yup. 12v 300ah. But if you want to determine the full battery capacity, you want to be measuring in watt hours.
thank you for doing these videos. New subscriber just found your channel. I always wondered how long some of these things would actually run on some of these batteries and solar. Thanks again.
Thanks for subbing!
Well we bought a 2017 Nissan Rogue from Enterprise Car Sales which had 33,000 miles on it. We did not have to replace that battery until this year! 7 YEARS! Probably eight because the car was made in 2019!!! I mentioned this to a guy at Valvoline Instant Oil Change and he claimed that he too had a long life battery BUT... he also said that he is disturbed at seeing so many batteries that they sell come back in 2 years or less needing replacement! Go figure
Any fridge when starting up pulls 8 or 9 times the load. If it's a 500w fridge it can pull almost 4500w. How is it possible for a 400w inverter to handle this?
It handles surges.
You have to take into account the accuracy of your tester measuring the power, and how accurate what the manufacturer claims it is.
Was the fridge already cold when you started the test or did it run a bunch off the inverter to get cold?
It was already cold. Here is another video specificity on fridge testing: th-cam.com/video/z1T-liUaPQ4/w-d-xo.html
This was an awesome video. I realize there's something that scares me more than a band of marauders during the apocalypse. That is interruption of the kids' TV time that will inevitably ensue. when the grid goes down.
Yes :)
I tried thé same thing with my son. I wanted to see how much energy he uses with his gaming all day. That kind of electricity he said was no good.. so no test!.. he says that i am a nerd 😂
Great real world research! Very useful.
Very helpful thanks very much. You are like me an engineer at heart. You probably are an electrical engineer.
Software engineer actually... But I do enjoy the hardware side of things. Engineering stuff is definitely fun. Thanks
@@diySolarPowerFunWithRay So as an electrical engineer myself, I had made the right observation. I am trying to adapt the solar panels for my home, and still looking to buy 16ft cable to connect to my soar generator. The issue is, it has to be 10 gauge power cable as it has to carry 7 Amps of current. Thanks for the video
Maybe it’s more complicated than just this but how long would it take to charge off of 850w(1000w peak) generator?
Cheers!
a 850 watt generator would charge it in just over an hour. maybe 90 minutes....if it's running at 850 watts.
When the power goes out, the laptop already have a battery. Fridge don't need power as long as you don't open it. Battery backup for the wifi and cable modem is useless for me because cable doesn't work during a power outage. I use my cellphone hotspot for wifi. And the cellphone already have a battery.
Spot on Info, thank you. I'm just starting out building my first solar set up and researching as much as possible first.
This battery with my Bluetti AC180 work perfect together.....
My question is, how does that big fridge start with 300-450w inverter. It must have minimum 125W compressor. And calculating inrush current draw ... It must have pretty big margin that invertor. I tried 90w fridge on 300w inverter (clean sine) and it would not start. It goes in to error, over power protection.
You can add a capacitor to solve the instant current draw problem
Thank you for this informative and educational video.
Can you tell me what do I need for running a swamp pump under my house in case of power outages, Please.
No idea, depends on how much power your specific pump uses. You could measure it with that outlet meter I showed in the video
Next time you do a video, might be a good idea to clean the house . Not a good look , just saying is all. But I did enjoy the very informative video. Greetings from Sherwood Forest.
Whats your opinion on those used panels? They have amazing prices! I'm nervous getting used solar panels but in curious about your thoughts and experiences with them. Do you mix new with used or keep the used separate?
Thanks for taking the time to make the videos great information.
I like them. Over I upgraded to some better used solar panels and I like them better than these used ones. You can check out my most recent video where I compared some new panels to use panels. They performed pretty much the same as the new panels.
I have a link in a discount code for the used solar panels if you want to go that route.
I wouldn't mix different types of panels. Good luck. 👍
If I buy the 48v version of the battery, can I use the same inverter you have here?
Here's the 48v version: amzn.to/3YdK5Cv
Very good inverter!
Really looking forward to seeing you hook the battery to a power station.
Editing that video now :).
what about 12v equipment ...may be its work for several days with 100ah battery on camping or trip .
Yup. Super good battery life
The video I have been looking for. Thank you very much
You're amazing. Keep up the awesome work.
I don’t think you want to run LifePo down to 0%. Last I heard, 20% is a recommended stop point.
EDIT: Maybe the manufacturer has a bit more than 100AH of cells inside the case and the BMS stops discharge at 100AH?
You might be thinking of lithium ion. Lithium iron phosphate have a 100% depth of discharge
as per the tests i have conducted in the past it all depends on 3 things - 1. Amps or total watt hour 2. Total load 3. Depth of discharge
Love my Victron equipment
The losses are mainly heat. But so far a very efficient hookup. It would be a nice system if solar can charge the battery as quickly as possible when you are not using the inverter, disconnect solar and use the battery to run 12v LED Lights in the house when its getting dark. The capacity should be enough to do that, saving you real money every day. Using an inverter is not always needed with appliances that can run on 12v, saving you most of the losses. But you already knew that.
I ran for a full summer a 5000 btu window unit off of 4 12V AGM batteries in a 24V system with no problems. Initial start it would pull 800 watts and average was 500 watts an hour. What I am curious about is if one of these batteries would run a window unit. Was looking at a 24v 100ah battery earlier and then seen your vid has me thinking.