Affordable Approachable Lithium

[albert23]

Seems like a good way to to add an inverter and a 100 Ah lithium battery without any technical know how..

[jeffmc306]

pteck, did you see that Goal Zero announced a new Yeti X line that will have new models and some with a 2000W inverter?

Here's the article from The Verge

"At the top of the range is the 6000X, “the most powerful Yeti to date.” It’s designed to run critical home circuits for days at a time. The top three Yeti X models have been bumped from 1500W to 2000W AC inverters, suitable for powering most household appliances. They can also be charged twice as fast as previous models. At the low end of the new range is the relatively compact and lightweight 200X."

The 2000W inverter makes them a very attractive (and portable) solution plus they charge twice as fast. Very interested in seeing them once released!

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

pteck, did you see that Goal Zero announced a new Yeti X line that will have new models and some with a 2000W inverter?

Here's the article from The Verge

"At the top of the range is the 6000X, “the most powerful Yeti to date.” It’s designed to run critical home circuits for days at a time. The top three Yeti X models have been bumped from 1500W to 2000W AC inverters, suitable for powering most household appliances. They can also be charged twice as fast as previous models. At the low end of the new range is the relatively compact and lightweight 200X."

The 2000W inverter makes them a very attractive (and portable) solution plus they charge twice as fast. Very interested in seeing them once released!

No pricing yet; but very interested for sure! Still have not pulled the trigger on the 1000W I was looking for Christmas...out of stock. Think I will wait till ?I see specs/weight of the new units ....1500W

[pteck]

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen this announcement until now. Interesting upgrades.

Notably the 2000W inverter as you pointed out. That would enable AC use on the Airstream which is the only thing I cannot power now. My upgraded 15k Dometic Blizzard NXT A/C, arguably the largest and most powerful of the breed, draws a running 1618 watts. Just outside of the 1500 running watts of my current GZ Yeti 1000, but within the capacity of the new Yeti 1500X and larger models.

The other upgrades - Bluetooth, USB-C, faster 120V charging would all be nice. But really doesn't materially change how I use the battery currently. I'm sure it will cost more, for more features that I don't use, but others may.

I still think for a "power" user, the 1000X may still be the ticket as I find its ~98Ah capacity plenty. If one wants to run the A/C which is a huge power suck along with the fact that it needs to run for longer durations to be effective, the 3000X (~280Ah) or 6000X would be magic (at a cost).

All options IMO still a better value in an upgrade to more overall power capacity and more capability than any infrastructure installed battery.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by pteck

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen this announcement until now. Interesting upgrades.

Notably the 2000W inverter as you pointed out. That would enable AC use on the Airstream which is the only thing I cannot power now. My upgraded 15k Dometic Blizzard NXT A/C, arguably the largest and most powerful of the breed, draws a running 1618 watts. Just outside of the 1500 running watts of my current GZ Yeti 1000, but within the capacity of the new Yeti 1500X and larger models.

The other upgrades - Bluetooth, USB-C, faster 120V charging would all be nice. But really doesn't materially change how I use the battery currently. I'm sure it will cost more, for more features that I don't use, but others may.

I still think for a "power" user, the 1000X may still be the ticket as I find its ~98Ah capacity plenty. If one wants to run the A/C which is a huge power suck along with the fact that it needs to run for longer durations to be effective, the 3000X (~280Ah) or 6000X would be magic (at a cost).

All options IMO still a better value in an upgrade to more overall power capacity and more capability than any infrastructure installed battery.

Makes sense. When I need AC like when boondocking in Borrego, I could still use my dual fuel Champion as backup. I had 2000W of battery power on my 2008 25' Safari...could run the AC for 3 hours....but then what? Needed to charge those heavy suckers... Most of my camping in summer is done in MT and NorthWestern areas, and AC need is rare...I am still leaning to the 1000W as you suggest is fine for now.

[GOUSC]

Originally Posted by pteck

Fortunately, it's rather easy to install cigarette lighter outlets. I installed an extra one in my trailer so as to have one right where I mounted my GZ battery.

Lots of kits available on Amazon. Here's one for example - https://www.amazon.com/Cigarette-Lig...F5F0ZCQDWY11FH

You'll want to tie the cig lighter to the 12V bus at the distribution point within the trailer. If it's a longer run, I recommend upgrading the wiring to something like 14 gauge so as not to have too much voltage drop.

https://www.amazon.com/OUOU-Cigarett...s%2C161&sr=8-6

Would something like this work? Since my electrical skills are somewhat limited, in my Globetrotter 27FB Twin I could use my USB port in the bed nightstand / put the GZ1000 in the space at the foot of the bed. The GZ cigarette lighter cord is 8’ long and I’d get the 2’ long adaptor. I could charge the GZ with this by solar when travelling and, if necessary, use solar to refresh while camping.

[pteck]

Unfortunately, those type of adapters won't work.

USB is natively 5V and about 2 amps, making for about 10W of output power. It requires a step-up voltage adapter to the 12V cigarette voltage, which wastes some power. If you note in the description, it is 8W output max.

The GZ 12V car charger pulls about 60W low, or 120W high which is actually significant power even for a cig lighter jack, so one should make sure to use good 14 wiring over longer runs.

[GOUSC]

I was wondering about that. Thanks for the clarification. Guess I will be locating the bus bar and figure out if I can fish the wire where it needs to go.

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by pteck

We all have read about lithium batteries and how it's the newest game in town. Incredible packaging, weight, charge and discharge qualities. All wondrous things. At a price with significant install complexities.

What if I told you a large capacity battery system with lithium qualities could be affordable and approachable? With some unique benefits.

The device is not new. The integration strategy and approach is what's new here.

Enter Goal Zero Yeti portable battery stations. I used the Yeti 1000 model which is a 98Ah portable lithium battery, with built in charger and high power inverter.

I've always dismissed the idea of replacing solid existing installed capacity with a different flavor of the same capacity. Or thousands more just to match or actually increase the installed capacity I have. But I've always wanted for real high power discharge capabilities to power a residential hair dryer, microwave, etc., something that lithium are great at.

Strategy is a dual battery bank system where the lead acid 12V "house" battery takes care of the house loads. Augmenting with a lithium battery system to handle the 120V "accessory" loads. In this way, I'm not paying for premium batteries to supplant basic uses. That premium accessory capacity is installed above and beyond the house capacity I already have. 215Ah in my 6V lead acid batts. Adding another 98Ah Goal Zero Lithium.

300Ah capacity. For $1000.

Attachment 342297

Like I said, the integration is what's unique here. This also works great on older trailers to add a 120V inverter inclusive in that same $1000.

I've installed a 120V transfer switch ($75) behind my Airstream power center. This allows the Goal Zero Yeti via its own onboard inverter to power all 120V loads and outlets on the trailer as if it were plugged into power hookups. This allows me to use it for discretionary accessory uses like microwave, hair dryer, TV, and whatever else with superior lithium supported power. With a push of a single button to turn on that Yeti 120V inverter.

So what about charging?

That's the other half of the unique integration. It couldn't be simpler. The Goal Zero Yeti's have built in onboard chargers. Just add a $39 "12V Yeti Car Charger" that charges at 5 or 10 amps. Plug it into any cigarette lighter port. It has a built in voltage relay that switches at 12.8V such that it will only charge when it detects charging voltage. Such that it doesn't charge from and draw down the house batteries.

That means any charging source including the converter charger, solar, generator, car umbilical, can provide charging power to the lithium bank by virtue of it being plugged into the 12V bus.

I have 400W of solar on my trailer. My two battery banks are primarily charged evenly and nicely from that source alone.

Bonus, I can easily unplug the Goal Zero to use in a portable fashion away from my trailer. It also works great as a standalone backup in case anything in the trailer electrical system were to fail.

Great idea! So much so I purchased a Yeti 1400 and plan on doing a similar setup as yours. Question, in testing the unit at home, I notice a faint hum when the inverter of the Goal Zero is in use. I hear it through the side grills if close to the unit. Would not hear it under my AS bed where I’d put it but wondering if normal. Noticed the same?

[SandKSmith]

Mine is under the bed too. I generally have no reason to leave the 120v inverter on at night so I believe the fan isn’t turning. At the same time I just bought my first set of hearing aids. The fan does run hard when driving so significant loads. It is what usually reminds me to put the fridge on gas and shut off the battery charger circuit.
Steve

[GOUSC]

I’ve been following this thread and had a few questions / comments over the course of the thread. I’ve finally got to the point where I’m in a position to add a cigarette lighter inside my Globetrotter to charge my Yeti Goal Zero 1000. I made the following post to the Globetrotter forum since some of my issues related to how the Globetrotter is set up.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f54...er-208454.html


Since my main project is Goal Zero related, I thought I would place a link here to get additional comments specific to the Goal Zero part of the project.

[SandKSmith]

I know nothing about the newer Airstreams so I don’t have much specific to offer. I powered my 12v outlet from an unused fuse on my DC converter. It too is under the bed and the Yetti has to be removed to access the plug. That’s not an issue for me because it seldom is removed.
Steve

[PB_NB]

Has the Ecoflow Delta 1300 been looked at? It seems pretty feature packed and has a built in 1800w inverter.

I have been trying to envision the power system in our new trailer. My concern is adding a bunch of 6v batteries and all the weight that comes with that. With our Camplite, I was able to install 4 x 6v batteries, Samlex 2000 pure sine inverter, Samlex shore switch, the I ran 2 solar ports using a Samlex portable panel and a GoPower portable panel.

I wired the inverter to run all the AC outlets when switched from the shore to batteries. We would have about 30 days of usage with LED's and other low power items. We could run our electric kettle for several days before the batteries would drop down to 10.5v.

Then I would drag out the panels and start topping up the batteries.

The system was overkill but it gave us flexibility to go to some of the rustic campgrounds. Now we are starting over with the Sport's power hungry systems and a tiny 12 volt battery.

I still have both of my portable panels so that is a start.

I was thinking about a Ecoflow because it is light weight and has a built in inverter. I would just plug my external shore cord into the Ecoflow and pull power into the trailer. Not for running things like the Air Con or convection oven.

I could run my panels to charge the Ecoflow and the 12v battery.

That is what I have been toying with but feel that there may be other options for the limited space and without adding a ton of weight to the trailer.

[gypsydad]

Have not looked in a while. Some more competition is good, perhaps. Looking at recent updates. To me, price vs performance and charge time is of main interest to me. Interesting article comparison on this:

https://gforgadget.com/best/portable-power-stations/


"Takeaways
To conclude, EB150 is my favorite overall because it has a huge capacity, good features, and mainly, very good reviews. Ecoflow is my second preference due to its cool-looking design, good wattage capacity and price point. My third best pick is Goal Zero Yeti which has a decent capacity and nice look. On the lower end, I would definitely go with nrgGo 400 or Suaoki G500"

[jdlloyd24]

Love this thread / idea!!!

I'm currently in the "upgrade to an inverter" stage on our 94 Excella so this timing is perfect for coming across this thread. I just finished helping a friend install a Victron Multiplus 3000, 2 BattleBorn 100ah batteries and monitor a few weeks ago, so he gave me his 1000w inverter that came w/ his 2019 Flying Cloud which was extremely generous of him. However, after more research on actually installing an inverter from scratch in our '94, I really don't want to have to run wire from front to back through the under belly again as it was a major PITA. For reference, here's the "need to know" about our setup:

- 2 Lifeline 31xt AGM batteries (250ah/125ah usable)
- Renogy 200w solar suitcase
- We also have 3 12v outlets installed throughout (dinette/two in the bedroom)
- We also have a converter on/off switch in the dinette (have never turned it off, but mentioning this because this topic has been discussed in the thread)

In comes the Yeti 1000. We've been using a $40 DeWalt 150w 12v inverter whenever need be (TV at night, charging laptops, etc.), but really want to install an inverter that can run ALL of our AC outlets whenever need be. It seems the inverter install would be a bit difficult, whereas having the Yeti would be much more straight forward. I don't know exactly how installing a auto transfer switch would work, so I'm aiming for the easiest setup possible. Thus, I'll outline what I THINK would work, but please make any corrections as you see fit:

1) FOR CHARGING
Plug the Yeti into a 12v outlet to keep it charged. With the solar suitcase out, I'm assuming the solar would theoretically be charging the Yeti, not the batteries, is that correct? Also, is this where I would need to turn the converter switch to OFF, because otherwise, the converter would see the Yeti as AC power and would want to charge the Yeti instead?
2) FOR ENSURING ALL A/C OUTLETS WORK
Use my 30 amp shore power cord, connect a 15 amp adapter, and run my heavy duty 14 ga. extension cord to the Yeti. I'm assuming that by connecting it to the shore power cord, it will then send A/C power to ALL of the outlets, correct?

Ideally, I'd like to have the Yeti inside to access/see the SOC% but the problem is running the extension cord INTO the Airstream. I do have a camper shell on my F250 so I can keep it in there like others have noted in previous posts, but then I won't be able to keep an eye on the SOC%, nor will I be able to keep it charged throughout the day.

Any additional advice/insight is greatly appreciated!

[pteck]

1) Generally, yes. With the Yeti plugged into the 12V outlet, if the charger detects greater than 12.6V, it will charge.
- If the solar produces enough output, it will charge both house batteries and yeti at the same time.
- If solar doesn't produce enough output (or house battery is very depleted) to hold voltage above 12.6V, than the house battery will charge until that threshold is met.
- Yes, you'll want to turn the converter off. Or not have the yeti inverter on or connected.

2) Yes sir. Again, make sure the converter is off.

Some of the newer and higher end models of the Yeti have bluetooth, which may let you monitor SOC from your phone.

[SlvrTwinkie]

Hi, everyone. Just finished reading the thread, extremely interesting indeed. But I do have an odd question about it. In different pictures I noticed the 12v hook up on the front The round + & - terminals. Is this for 12v output or is input? If it is output, couldn't you set up a plug for it to hook up say a 3k or 5k inverter so you could run the A/C if you wanted? By this I mean using a 12 ga wire with a male plug on one end and wire the other end into a small single breaker sub panel that it then tied into the A/C breaker for when you are running on the yeti? Then when on shore you flip the sub off so power does not feed back? Any thought or ideas on this. Wife has to have A/C. Of course I am thinking of the ones who have enough solar to keep the yeti charged or at least trying to keep it charged.

Man I wish I had the money to right now to get a Yeti and solar for our Ambassador ('76), a new TV and were able to travel around for a couple months at a time.

Bet I have the oldest TV of anyone in this thread, '89 GMC 1500 w/350 and 700R4.

[pteck]

Yes, those are 12V outputs.

But the answer to your question is no. You cannot run the A/C off of these. None of the lower voltage outputs are setup to support the type of draw a 3k or 5k inverter would pull.

The 120V output from the internal inverter is the highest capacity output on the unit. It comes just short of running the A/C

There are newer Goal Zero Yeti "X" battery models coming out with a 2000W (up from 1500W) continuous draw capability that could possibly run an A/C. Yet because of the high continuous draw, really isn't a solution as it would draw down a 100Ah battery in about 30 minutes.

Generator is the only real solution to running an A/C.

[SlvrTwinkie]

Ok, it was just a thought to use a 3 -5k inverter to run the A/C off of if it were possible. I used to see a lot of rigs (semis w/studio sleepers) at truck stops that would have RV A/C units that ran off a 5-7k inverter.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by SlvrTwinkie

Ok, it was just a thought to use a 3 -5k inverter to run the A/C off of if it were possible. I used to see a lot of rigs (semis w/studio sleepers) at truck stops that would have RV A/C units that ran off a 5-7k inverter.

. . . with their large diesel engines and alternators running, right?



Easy for the semi's to do . . . but difficult to replicate under our RV camping conditions IMO.

Peter