It does display the power for both batteries. I just set mine up with 2 additional chained batteries and if you hold the display button in it will show you stats for the entire system. Once connected it acts as one large battery.
I bought everything you listed and chained the batters (too easy) but I don't know about "charging" the batteries. I wonder if while I'm charging my Yeti 400, the external battery charges also. Help! This is NOT my expert field.
Yes while you are charging the Yeti the external battery is also charging when connected to the chaining port. It's important that the external battery and internal battery be close to the same charge level before you connect them. The chaining port is just an external tap to the internal battery inside the Yeti.
Thanks for this. Question for you, I bought this but the posts on the deep cycle 12V were too big for the Anderson cable ends (both types of posts on 12v too big). We stripped those off and wrapped the wires around the bolt posts. The question is how does the Yeti work with the chained battery? Does the reading on battery state on the Yeti factor both batteries or does the Yeti run out first than the chained battery is charged? Basically how does the Yeti work with the chained battery. Thanks again!
I believe it just hardwires the 2 batteries together in parallel (the one in the yeti and the one outside) The reading on the yeti would be for the total voltage of both batteries chained together
I talked to goal zero: Can I chain a larger battery than 33ah to goal zero 400 like a 100ah? -Technically yes, though we don't really recommend chaining a battery that large to the 400 as that would take a very long time to recharge. So would it be better if I chain 3, 33ah batteries? -No, that's 99Ah so essentially the same. We don't generally recommend more than tripling the overall capacity of the Yeti (so, chaining 2 33Ah batteries) due to the limited input of the unit. what will be the consequence of hooking up larger batteries other than taking awhile for them to recharge? If they are charging from the solar wouldn't slow charge time not be a huge problem? -No real consequences, but the Yeti 400 will only accept a maximum input of 120W. The more you increase the overall capacity of the system, the longer it will take to recharge. What do you guys think, anything wrong with running bigger battery?
Nothing wrong. You waste either power/money from solar panels or power/money of batteries. Batteries are cheap compared to panels so meh. If you plan to use additional capacity only occasionally have at it, I have extra 100AH battery, but its pretty much only a backup if power goes down for a day or two, I understand that I am unlikely to recharge that 100AH fully. If you plan to use all of it every day and recharge it completely lets say you connect 100AH battery for total of133ah , recharging from 0 will require 1.5KW/h of energy, YETI 400 can pull only 120W every hour from solar, (and even less from regular power outlet), so even if you massively over provision your solar batteries like 4-5x (e.g. connect 500W of solar) to capture full 120W even during mornings, evenings and occasional cloud with12h of sunlight you're not going to recharge it in a day. If you plan to live in Alaska during summers only, the numbers change a bit, but you get the idea.
The Yeti will charge the chained battery. Look for instructions. I think that you need to charge the Yeti all the way first and then press a button for thirty second until it resets after chaining it first. Now you will see the capacity of the Yeti plus the chained battery and the Yeti will charge both. Thanks.
Since I watched your video, I bought 2 of the 33ah Expert Power batteries with Powerwerx cables. When I plug in the extra batteries, is there no indication that it's chained successfully? Nothing changes on my Yeti 400.... so I'm thinking it's just a silent upgrade. I wish they would have put in a green LED to indicate successful chaining on both sides. I'm thinking .... what if a fuse blew and i didn't know about it. And I'm thinking it's successfully chained the whole time. LOL...
I wonder of you can't figure a way to test w a multimeter if there's a parasitic draw from the yeti for peace of mind so that you know for sure it's working
Hello Jeffrey, I have the same system as you. But I don't see a different on my battery lasting more time. What am I doing wrong. How can I tell. Please advise. Thank you so much.
I have mine hooked up that way but it doesn’t seem to be working as if it’s a 66ah it’s not lasting as long as it should for 66 what’s wrong what could I nsss
Can I connect the solar panel and the extra battery at the same time. In this way I would put put a turn on and off on the cable that connect to the battery and use it turned on just when I see that the solar panel is not giving enough energy. You think all of this might be possible??
I have kind of have the same question as Yoshi. When using the chained batteries, are they all being depleted simultaneously? I had mine chained last night and I depleted the Yeti 400 to 40%. I then unchained the batteries and moved my replacement battery that I bought from Goal Zero into the Yeti case and it was almost completely full. I checked the fuses and all was good
Hmm. Do you just have one battery chained externally or 2? If 2, you should use positive from one battery and neg from the other battery to make your connection to ensure everything discharges evenly. See this image www.hydrogenappliances.com/2x12VoltParallel.gif If you are just chaining 1 then I don't know. I will have to check mine with a volt meter the next time I use the yeti heavily to see if my setup results in the same experience that you had. Thanks for sharing that Bryan.
+Jeffrey Serpas I'm just chaining 1 using exactly the same components you did other than I got my battery direct from Goal Zero. Seems like it should work. Have you confirmed that the chained battery you used was ever depleted after chined use?
Hello, did you get an aswer on this. If so, can youplease share it. Because I would like to know what is the 'biggest' battery i can chain to mygoal zero 400? Thanks in advance
Can I use without fuse I have mine wired that way but it does not seem to be lasting as if it’s 800watt hour could it be d abad fuse in the cable causing yhisbor what what fuse do I need
I haven’t screwed in the way you do but when I go to my yeti it doesn’t seem to be picking it up when I go to Volta says 13.7 shouldn’t it say double that because I have a spare battery or what how do I know if I have it hooked up right and if not what am I doing wrong
Could I have blown a fuse I plugged in the Allen port when it wasent hooked it up to my yeti for whatever reason and it hit my fire place and sparked what do idk
voltage should be the same since the batteries are connected in parallel (not series), so your overall capacity will increase but the voltage will be the same across the external and internal yeti battery.
They should be the same. I found a good explanation of why here: www.homepower.com/articles/solar-electricity/design-installation/ask-experts-batteries-series-parallel
According to goal zero you can! As long as all the units are fully charged before chaining. I did read a study that debunks the previous requirement for keeping the batteries the same size. Can't find it at the moment but goal zero is awesome when you ask them about your needs. Posted below. Q: Noble1 · 24 days ago I purchased yeti 400 and the chaining cable with alligator clips to connect my external batteries. I currently have 2 Sun Xtender 104 AH AGM Solar Batteries connected in Parallel and wondering if I can connect these to my Yeti 400 thru the side? A: Thanks for reaching out to Goal Zero! Yes you can chain the Yeti 400 to these batteries. You will want all of the units fully charged before chaining them. You will need the 6mm Output to Anderson Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/29/6mm-output-to-anderson-adapter and the 6mm Male to Alligator clamp www.goalzero.com/p/187/6mm-male-to-alligator-clamp (it sounds like you have this one already). You could also use the 6mm Male to Ring Terminal Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/241/6mm-male-to-ring-terminal-adapter. If you have any other questions concerning this please contact us by phone at 1-888-794-6250 or by email at support@goalzero.com Have a great solar day!
Thanks for the reply and the article. I see that at the bottom, the author writes, "Connecting two banks with different capacities in parallel is technically fine since the batteries will be operating at the same voltage. Charge and discharge current will be shared, based on capacity." Do you happen to know if the set up you have is a serial or parallel connection? Thanks again for your help and the video!
Mary Poggemann safest bet would be to use something like this. Works with the non-lithium version of yeti www.goalzero.com/shop/cords-adapters/8mm-12v-car-charger/
I jut ordered this and the battery both can charge via the yeti the external and the yeti batteries should I buy an adapter to charge the extra battery and is the battery box required?
I bought a AGM battery charger (mine was a Battery Tender brand i think) to charge the external before connecting. The batteries should be a similar charge level before connecting.
+Jeffrey Serpas will this work Energizer ENC4A 4 Amp Battery Charger with LCD + Maintainer 6/12V - 9 Step Smart Charging technology will improve your battery's life cycle for Car, RV & Boat
+Jeffrey Serpas i ended up getting the 6 ft one, that doesn't have a fuse. no need for a fuse since the Yeti 400 has one built in with the inverter. 6ft is way too long but i'll just curl it around inside of the battery box. i'm chaining 2 batteries to the Yeti 400.
As far as I know, you can't chain the lithium 400. The bigger lithium Goal Zeros have a different chaining cable and seem to be able to chain to their GZ lead-acid battery bank expansion.
Are the 2 fuses necessary on the chaining cable or could you go directly from Anderson connectors to terminal rings with 10 gauge cables? Just curious what the two 40 amp fuses are for?
hey man I had a question I set mine up the same way with the same stuff as you did and was hooking a few things up to the external battery and never got a watt usage on the yeti display does yours do the same or do u get a reading on your display for things wired to the extra battery
+Louis Brown In order to see watt usage, you need to plug all devices into the front side of the Yeti only. Goal Zero recommends not running anything off the powerpole port or the extra battery directly because the Yeti doesn't have fuse protection on that port (and it won't show watt usage either on anything hooked directly to the extra battery)
also would the fuses in the leads in your video not be enough? I'm only running led strip lights and a fan from the extra battery. thanks for taking time to answer my questions
I believe from what I've read online that the chained battery needs to be as close to 33ah as possible. I don't think 100ah would work but I would check with Goal Zero tech support to be sure.
Hello again, I have another question. You mentioned that both the chained battery and the Yeti 400 should be fully charged. Does the Yeti 400 charge both it's own internal battery and chained battery? Or does the Yeti only charge it's own internal battery only? The reason why I ask it because I would like to take the Yeti 400 on camping trips this winter and chain 2 33 ah batteries (one on each side) for higher capacity (99 ah theoretically) and use a 100 watt Renogy solar panel to keep it charged. If I plug the solar panel into the Yeti, will it charge all 3 batteries? Thank you.
I seem to remember goal zero tech-support saying you could chain up to three batteries. You only need to have them fully charged to hook them together initially. As long as you keep them connected to the goal zero while it is being used or charged, the yeti will charge/use all the batteries simultaneously, however, it will take longer to charge fully because of the higher overall capacity of the chained batteries.
I want to chain a separate battery to my yeti 400 (as shown) but charge them both via solar. Will charging my yeti, Anderson cabled to my external battery, charge them both simultaneously? I don't want to have to charge up the external battery separately.
Jeffrey, if I may ask: They tell you that you should not drain your batteries below 20%. How does everything work if you chain your yetti to two batteries like the one you describe. Will the chained batteries be drained to zero before the yetti starts going down or will the yetti use the power of the three at the same time. Will the indicator of the Yetti reflect the power remaining in the three? Or will it at least reflect an approximation of the three in the sense that the level of the Yetti should be similar to that of the others? Thanks, Javier.
+Javier Bonilla i spoke with goal zero about this, the display indicator will reflect the overall amount of battery left for the energy remaining. It will read it as the battery bank is a 1 unit, this is why he recommends to have each battery fully charged before connecting them so they are at the same level.
Nope they lie. Had my yeti 400 chained to an external on each side with the mighty max batteries and Anderson cables in this video. I then took out the main battery and put in each external battery and they were still att 100% they charge from the solar but they don't withdraw energy apparently
From my own knowledge of the battery systems, the charge monitor tracks the voltage of the battery, which decreases as the stored power depletes. The chained battery should supply power to the GZ Yeti as needed, and I believe the power would balance out between the two batteries, similar to how if water is drained from one side of a tank, it will all balance out. The even distribution of power would provide a consistent voltage (and therefore charge reading) between the two batteries.
Jeffrey, for the benefit of the little congregation that watches your excellent videos... I bought exactly what you recommended and now I have my Yetti with two 33 amp capacity. Yet I suddenly wondered: Why did I not use two car size batteries instead? Is that impossible? I normally charged plugged to my wall to prepare for camping trips. Then, if you look at these batteries with high capacity "MPL110-12HB3 BB Battery 12V 108Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery" they are super expensive. This one is $300. Do you know why it is so much more expensive than car batteries? If you don't know I'll gladly search with you but maybe you just know right away. thanks :) :) :) Simplicity is the ultimate Sophistication (DaVinci)
+Javier Bonilla I think the GoalZero is definitely priced at a premium for what it does... battery, inverter, lcd display, solar charger, USB ports. You could just get some car batteries and then hook up an inverter to it. If you google "inverter with usb ports" you'll find several options that provide much of the functionality of the yeti (minus the solar charger) but I'm sure you could find a way to accomplish that as well.
Oh My issue is not with the price but with the size of batteries that you chose to chain to the Yetti. Can you anderson plug big car size batteries to it?
According to goal zero as long as the AGM batteries are fully charged prior to chaining them your good to go. Their Q&A is fantastic. www.goalzero.com/p/165/goal-zero-yeti-400-portable-power-station Noble1 · 24 days ago I purchased yeti 400 and the chaining cable with alligator clips to connect my external batteries. I currently have 2 Sun Xtender 104 AH AGM Solar Batteries connected in Parallel and wondering if I can connect these to my Yeti 400 thru the side? 1 answer Answer this Question ♂ GoalZeroSupport · 24 days ago Thanks for reaching out to Goal Zero! Yes you can chain the Yeti 400 to these batteries. You will want all of the units fully charged before chaining them. You will need the 6mm Output to Anderson Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/29/6mm-output-to-anderson-adapter and the 6mm Male to Alligator clamp www.goalzero.com/p/187/6mm-male-to-alligator-clamp (it sounds like you have this one already). You could also use the 6mm Male to Ring Terminal Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/241/6mm-male-to-ring-terminal-adapter. If you have any other questions concerning this please contact us by phone at 1-888-794-6250 or by email at support@goalzero.com Have a great solar day!
dude you rock. i was trying to figure this out and goal zero said i should buy a whole 2nd yeti 400 LOLOLOL.
thanks you just saved me a shit ton.
Does the display on your yeti read the power for both batteries or just the yeti when they are connected?
Just the yeti
It does display the power for both batteries. I just set mine up with 2 additional chained batteries and if you hold the display button in it will show you stats for the entire system. Once connected it acts as one large battery.
@@gregling When you charge the chained batteries does it charge both batteries fully as one battery? Thanks for your help
Thanks for the info. I would love to see you install a voltage meter on the chained battery.
thank you. I have both the 400 and the extreame 350, chained. I want to add one more battery. Great help.
I bought everything you listed and chained the batters (too easy) but I don't know about "charging" the batteries. I wonder if while I'm charging my Yeti 400, the external battery charges also. Help! This is NOT my expert field.
Yes while you are charging the Yeti the external battery is also charging when connected to the chaining port. It's important that the external battery and internal battery be close to the same charge level before you connect them. The chaining port is just an external tap to the internal battery inside the Yeti.
@@JeffreySerpas Thank you so much. Both are brand new.
So will the spare battery charge via the yeti or how does it charge
Will the Yeti charge the external battery also?
Terrific video: short, to the point, clear and very informative.
Javier Bonilla
Hi
So when you charge the yeti does it charge the external batteries too?
it does
Thank you for this video and the links.
Thanks for this. Question for you, I bought this but the posts on the deep cycle 12V were too big for the Anderson cable ends (both types of posts on 12v too big). We stripped those off and wrapped the wires around the bolt posts. The question is how does the Yeti work with the chained battery? Does the reading on battery state on the Yeti factor both batteries or does the Yeti run out first than the chained battery is charged? Basically how does the Yeti work with the chained battery. Thanks again!
I believe it just hardwires the 2 batteries together in parallel (the one in the yeti and the one outside) The reading on the yeti would be for the total voltage of both batteries chained together
I talked to goal zero:
Can I chain a larger battery than 33ah to goal zero 400 like a 100ah?
-Technically yes, though we don't really recommend chaining a battery that large to the 400 as that would take a very long time to recharge.
So would it be better if I chain 3, 33ah batteries?
-No, that's 99Ah so essentially the same. We don't generally recommend more than tripling the overall capacity of the Yeti (so, chaining 2 33Ah batteries) due to the limited input of the unit.
what will be the consequence of hooking up larger batteries other than taking awhile for them to recharge? If they are charging from the solar wouldn't slow charge time not be a huge problem?
-No real consequences, but the Yeti 400 will only accept a maximum input of 120W. The more you increase the overall capacity of the system, the longer it will take to recharge.
What do you guys think, anything wrong with running bigger battery?
Nothing wrong. You waste either power/money from solar panels or power/money of batteries. Batteries are cheap compared to panels so meh. If you plan to use additional capacity only occasionally have at it, I have extra 100AH battery, but its pretty much only a backup if power goes down for a day or two, I understand that I am unlikely to recharge that 100AH fully. If you plan to use all of it every day and recharge it completely lets say you connect 100AH battery for total of133ah , recharging from 0 will require 1.5KW/h of energy, YETI 400 can pull only 120W every hour from solar, (and even less from regular power outlet), so even if you massively over provision your solar batteries like 4-5x (e.g. connect 500W of solar) to capture full 120W even during mornings, evenings and occasional cloud with12h of sunlight you're not going to recharge it in a day. If you plan to live in Alaska during summers only, the numbers change a bit, but you get the idea.
hi i actully have 2 yetti 400; what is the exact name of the cable i need to conect them?
thank!!
please send me link to where i can get these plug in battery connectors for chaining great video btw
its in the description
Nice demonstration video. Thank you for sharing 👍🏼
The Yeti will charge the chained battery. Look for instructions. I think that you need to charge the Yeti all the way first and then press a button for thirty second until it resets after chaining it first. Now you will see the capacity of the Yeti plus the chained battery and the Yeti will charge both. Thanks.
That's the best feature it offers. That's is also why I am going to get one in spite of having a Yeti 3000, the availability of Agms.
Since I watched your video, I bought 2 of the 33ah Expert Power batteries with Powerwerx cables. When I plug in the extra batteries, is there no indication that it's chained successfully? Nothing changes on my Yeti 400.... so I'm thinking it's just a silent upgrade. I wish they would have put in a green LED to indicate successful chaining on both sides.
I'm thinking .... what if a fuse blew and i didn't know about it. And I'm thinking it's successfully chained the whole time. LOL...
I wonder of you can't figure a way to test w a multimeter if there's a parasitic draw from the yeti for peace of mind so that you know for sure it's working
Hello Jeffrey, I have the same system as you. But I don't see a different on my battery lasting more time. What am I doing wrong. How can I tell. Please advise. Thank you so much.
I have mine hooked up that way but it doesn’t seem to be working as if it’s a 66ah it’s not lasting as long as it should for 66 what’s wrong what could I nsss
Can you chain another battery?
Can I connect the solar panel and the extra battery at the same time. In this way I would put put a turn on and off on the cable that connect to the battery and use it turned on just when I see that the solar panel is not giving enough energy. You think all of this might be possible??
You can leave the extra battery connected while you charge with a solar panel
Jeffrey Serpas will the solar panels also charge the 2nd chained battery connected to the yeti?
I have kind of have the same question as Yoshi. When using the chained batteries, are they all being depleted simultaneously? I had mine chained last night and I depleted the Yeti 400 to 40%. I then unchained the batteries and moved my replacement battery that I bought from Goal Zero into the Yeti case and it was almost completely full. I checked the fuses and all was good
Hmm. Do you just have one battery chained externally or 2? If 2, you should use positive from one battery and neg from the other battery to make your connection to ensure everything discharges evenly. See this image www.hydrogenappliances.com/2x12VoltParallel.gif If you are just chaining 1 then I don't know. I will have to check mine with a volt meter the next time I use the yeti heavily to see if my setup results in the same experience that you had. Thanks for sharing that Bryan.
+Jeffrey Serpas I'm just chaining 1 using exactly the same components you did other than I got my battery direct from Goal Zero. Seems like it should work. Have you confirmed that the chained battery you used was ever depleted after chined use?
+Bryan Keene no I only assumed it was being drained. I will check the next chance I have.
+Jeffrey Serpas So, I just installed a volt meter on each chained battery box and it works perfect. I'll upload a video asap.
Does the extra battery you purchased the same size as the one in the yeti 400
Charles Rowland I believe it is roughly the same capacity
I was meaning the same dimensions, like does it fit inside the goal zero yeti? Thanks for the reply
How do I charge the external battery to make sure there both full when I attack
Attach *
Thanks a million for posting this!
Is 33ah the biggest battery you can chain to yeti400
Hello, did you get an aswer on this. If so, can youplease share it. Because I would like to know what is the 'biggest' battery i can chain to mygoal zero 400? Thanks in advance
Can I use without fuse I have mine wired that way but it does not seem to be lasting as if it’s 800watt hour could it be d abad fuse in the cable causing yhisbor what what fuse do I need
Come to think of it I’ve accoentky touches both poles at once and no shock what’s the issue is my battery bad
I haven’t screwed in the way you do but when I go to my yeti it doesn’t seem to be picking it up when I go to Volta says 13.7 shouldn’t it say double that because I have a spare battery or what how do I know if I have it hooked up right and if not what am I doing wrong
Could I have blown a fuse I plugged in the Allen port when it wasent hooked it up to my yeti for whatever reason and it hit my fire place and sparked what do idk
voltage should be the same since the batteries are connected in parallel (not series), so your overall capacity will increase but the voltage will be the same across the external and internal yeti battery.
Hi! Thanks for the great vid! I have a question on the batteries can you use a bigger battery or do you recommend using a 33 for the yeti 400
They should be the same. I found a good explanation of why here: www.homepower.com/articles/solar-electricity/design-installation/ask-experts-batteries-series-parallel
According to goal zero you can! As long as all the units are fully charged before chaining. I did read a study that debunks the previous requirement for keeping the batteries the same size. Can't find it at the moment but goal zero is awesome when you ask them about your needs. Posted below.
Q:
Noble1
· 24 days ago
I purchased yeti 400 and the chaining cable with alligator clips to connect my external batteries. I currently have 2 Sun Xtender 104 AH AGM Solar Batteries connected in Parallel and wondering if I can connect these to my Yeti 400 thru the side?
A:
Thanks for reaching out to Goal Zero! Yes you can chain the Yeti 400 to these batteries. You will want all of the units fully charged before chaining them. You will need the 6mm Output to Anderson Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/29/6mm-output-to-anderson-adapter and the 6mm Male to Alligator clamp www.goalzero.com/p/187/6mm-male-to-alligator-clamp (it sounds like you have this one already). You could also use the 6mm Male to Ring Terminal Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/241/6mm-male-to-ring-terminal-adapter. If you have any other questions concerning this please contact us by phone at 1-888-794-6250 or by email at support@goalzero.com Have a great solar day!
Thanks for the reply and the article. I see that at the bottom, the author writes, "Connecting two banks with different capacities in parallel is technically fine since the batteries will be operating at the same voltage. Charge and discharge current will be shared, based on capacity."
Do you happen to know if the set up you have is a serial or parallel connection? Thanks again for your help and the video!
Do you know how I could get a goal zero connected to my car battery so that it would charge while I'm driving?
Mary Poggemann safest bet would be to use something like this. Works with the non-lithium version of yeti www.goalzero.com/shop/cords-adapters/8mm-12v-car-charger/
There's a cable from goal zero with a male 12 volt plug. Just like charging a cell phone while driving.
I jut ordered this and the battery both can charge via the yeti the external and the yeti batteries should I buy an adapter to charge the extra battery and is the battery box required?
I bought a AGM battery charger (mine was a Battery Tender brand i think) to charge the external before connecting. The batteries should be a similar charge level before connecting.
+Jeffrey Serpas will this work Energizer ENC4A 4 Amp Battery Charger with LCD + Maintainer 6/12V - 9 Step Smart Charging technology will improve your battery's life cycle for Car, RV & Boat
+Jeffrey Serpas I bought the expert power battery and all
Where do I get abspare fuse for the cable
it uses an automotive fuse... a car repair store should carry
Can the yeti 150 do this ?
are there longer versions of this cable? i need something that is 1 ft long
If you need a longer cable, that same company sells custom cables although they are more expensive since they are made to order.
+Jeffrey Serpas i ended up getting the 6 ft one, that doesn't have a fuse. no need for a fuse since the Yeti 400 has one built in with the inverter. 6ft is way too long but i'll just curl it around inside of the battery box. i'm chaining 2 batteries to the Yeti 400.
Does this work with the Yeti 400 lithium battery as well?
The Yeti 400 lithium isn't chainable so I believe it doesn't have the side powerpole chaining port to connect an external battery.
As far as I know, you can't chain the lithium 400. The bigger lithium Goal Zeros have a different chaining cable and seem to be able to chain to their GZ lead-acid battery bank expansion.
Are the 2 fuses necessary on the chaining cable or could you go directly from Anderson connectors to terminal rings with 10 gauge cables? Just curious what the two 40 amp fuses are for?
i don't think the fuses are necessary. the cable came with fuse holder already installed. Just use thick gauge cable and you should be good.
hey man I had a question I set mine up the same way with the same stuff as you did and was hooking a few things up to the external battery and never got a watt usage on the yeti display does yours do the same or do u get a reading on your display for things wired to the extra battery
+Louis Brown In order to see watt usage, you need to plug all devices into the front side of the Yeti only. Goal Zero recommends not running anything off the powerpole port or the extra battery directly because the Yeti doesn't have fuse protection on that port (and it won't show watt usage either on anything hooked directly to the extra battery)
+Jeffrey Serpas that makes sense is there a good way to hard wire things to a yeti I have 2 leads going to my extra battery now
also would the fuses in the leads in your video not be enough? I'm only running led strip lights and a fan from the extra battery.
thanks for taking time to answer my questions
IS that an AGM battery? I was going to chain mine and GoalZero support said it had to be chained to an AGM battery only.
Mark Saenz yes it is an AGM type
Thanks for the video. Does it have to be a 33ah battery? Or can I use something more like a 100ah battery?
I believe from what I've read online that the chained battery needs to be as close to 33ah as possible. I don't think 100ah would work but I would check with Goal Zero tech support to be sure.
+Jeffrey Serpas Thanks!
+Yoshi Yamamoto you can use the Might Max 35 Ah ones from amazon . confirmed this with Goal Zero yesterday
Hello again, I have another question. You mentioned that both the chained battery and the Yeti 400 should be fully charged. Does the Yeti 400 charge both it's own internal battery and chained battery? Or does the Yeti only charge it's own internal battery only? The reason why I ask it because I would like to take the Yeti 400 on camping trips this winter and chain 2 33 ah batteries (one on each side) for higher capacity (99 ah theoretically) and use a 100 watt Renogy solar panel to keep it charged. If I plug the solar panel into the Yeti, will it charge all 3 batteries? Thank you.
I seem to remember goal zero tech-support saying you could chain up to three batteries. You only need to have them fully charged to hook them together initially. As long as you keep them connected to the goal zero while it is being used or charged, the yeti will charge/use all the batteries simultaneously, however, it will take longer to charge fully because of the higher overall capacity of the chained batteries.
Thanks for info!
I want to chain a separate battery to my yeti 400 (as shown) but charge them both via solar. Will charging my yeti, Anderson cabled to my external battery, charge them both simultaneously? I don't want to have to charge up the external battery separately.
Jeffrey, if I may ask: They tell you that you should not drain your batteries below 20%. How does everything work if you chain your yetti to two batteries like the one you describe. Will the chained batteries be drained to zero before the yetti starts going down or will the yetti use the power of the three at the same time. Will the indicator of the Yetti reflect the power remaining in the three? Or will it at least reflect an approximation of the three in the sense that the level of the Yetti should be similar to that of the others? Thanks, Javier.
+Javier Bonilla i spoke with goal zero about this, the display indicator will reflect the overall amount of battery left for the energy remaining. It will read it as the battery bank is a 1 unit, this is why he recommends to have each battery fully charged before connecting them so they are at the same level.
You are súper kind. I thank you very much for the información...
Nope they lie. Had my yeti 400 chained to an external on each side with the mighty max batteries and Anderson cables in this video. I then took out the main battery and put in each external battery and they were still att 100% they charge from the solar but they don't withdraw energy apparently
From my own knowledge of the battery systems, the charge monitor tracks the voltage of the battery, which decreases as the stored power depletes. The chained battery should supply power to the GZ Yeti as needed, and I believe the power would balance out between the two batteries, similar to how if water is drained from one side of a tank, it will all balance out. The even distribution of power would provide a consistent voltage (and therefore charge reading) between the two batteries.
Jeffrey, for the benefit of the little congregation that watches your excellent videos... I bought exactly what you recommended and now I have my Yetti with two 33 amp capacity. Yet I suddenly wondered: Why did I not use two car size batteries instead? Is that impossible? I normally charged plugged to my wall to prepare for camping trips. Then, if you look at these batteries with high capacity "MPL110-12HB3 BB Battery 12V 108Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery" they are super expensive. This one is $300. Do you know why it is so much more expensive than car batteries? If you don't know I'll gladly search with you but maybe you just know right away. thanks :) :) :) Simplicity is the ultimate Sophistication (DaVinci)
+Javier Bonilla I think the GoalZero is definitely priced at a premium for what it does... battery, inverter, lcd display, solar charger, USB ports. You could just get some car batteries and then hook up an inverter to it. If you google "inverter with usb ports" you'll find several options that provide much of the functionality of the yeti (minus the solar charger) but I'm sure you could find a way to accomplish that as well.
Oh My issue is not with the price but with the size of batteries that you chose to chain to the Yetti. Can you anderson plug big car size batteries to it?
Did you have to use a 33ah battery ???
According to goal zero as long as the AGM batteries are fully charged prior to chaining them your good to go. Their Q&A is fantastic. www.goalzero.com/p/165/goal-zero-yeti-400-portable-power-station
Noble1
· 24 days ago
I purchased yeti 400 and the chaining cable with alligator clips to connect my external batteries. I currently have 2 Sun Xtender 104 AH AGM Solar Batteries connected in Parallel and wondering if I can connect these to my Yeti 400 thru the side?
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GoalZeroSupport
· 24 days ago
Thanks for reaching out to Goal Zero! Yes you can chain the Yeti 400 to these batteries. You will want all of the units fully charged before chaining them. You will need the 6mm Output to Anderson Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/29/6mm-output-to-anderson-adapter and the 6mm Male to Alligator clamp www.goalzero.com/p/187/6mm-male-to-alligator-clamp (it sounds like you have this one already). You could also use the 6mm Male to Ring Terminal Adapter www.goalzero.com/p/241/6mm-male-to-ring-terminal-adapter. If you have any other questions concerning this please contact us by phone at 1-888-794-6250 or by email at support@goalzero.com Have a great solar day!
Very Informative Video Jeffrey, Thanks !
after this video the prices went way up ! damn =/
I did something very similar, new plans from Avasva helped me with this.