Since it's a 12v system, you could connect this to a car battery on a car that is running to charge it up or you could charge it from a generator if you attach a charging cable to it. We use a dual-fueled (Propane & Gasoline) generator on a cloudy day when the solar panels can't charge ours.
I love DYI, But as a beginner, I think I might go with 2, Eco-flow 3 PLUS…. Also I’m in a 2 BR CONDO… if I had a house and garage, would go ur way… GREAT VID 👍👍
You can replace the Velcro with some zip ties around the screen. That’ll hold it in place and no need to worry about it coming off. Thanks for the vid! Great idea.
Could you not 3D print a case for the battery monitor? Yes you need a 3D printer or purchase services of someone who does but more secure and does not cover screen.
Thanks for the video and advice. I am currently procuring the materials to build a 5000 watt unit . Canned units are just too expensive for me plus the knowledge that I gain will bring profitable if I need to troubleshoot and repair.
For safety, you really need a proper sized fuse between the battery and inverter. I have built these types of systems and safety must come first. Especially if they are going to be in an apartment. I was an Electrical Contractor for 45 years and a City Electrical Inspector for 10 years.
Hey Texas enjoyed your video. My next diy project is exactly this project. I'm just gonna go with a 12V 460AH battery, have not decided which brand yet. I love this type of builds because I do not believe in buying extension batteries for my ecoflow. This is much cheaper. I did a 48V 100ah build but was quite disappointed as I never realized how inefficient a 48V inverter is. So now I'm going 12V. I'm hoping at 1500W inverter will be enough for a 26cu.ft. fridge. Great video.
The price on this 300ah is totally insane. If you want to do a big build I'd personally do two and make a 24v system. There are a lot of advantages to 24 over 12 or 48.
@@texasprepperprojects I'll have to explore 24V. Thanks for responding. Basically I'm just looking at expanding capacity on my EcoFlows for Fridge and Freezer but with the ability to connect an inverter only for redundancy in case my EcoFlow malfunctions. Something that a small solar array of 300 to 600 watts can charge should the need arise as I have a couple of Honda generators too charge the batteries in emergencies.
If you are wanting to expand an ecoflow then I do agree to stay 12v. Grab that 300ah mini for $459. Also you could buy 2, parallel them for 12v and then later as you grow series then for 24v
The screen looked like it had pressure tabs on the top and bottom. if you cut a hole the shape and size of the back, once you place it in the hole, the pressure tabs keep the meter snug in the hole.
I have used hot glue a lot in a past life and it does eventually melt in the Tx heat. 2 part epoxy would be best but I switch my systems around too much to make it that permanent!
@@texasprepperprojects all my stuff in the house in air cond. so it works fine i have bought a bankrupt solar guy out have all kinds of panels having fun experimenting with 10 watt panels putting them in series i got 80v im changing things all the time i have made solar gen here FL ITS LEAGAL with out a permit hooking up a line at a time in the house to make it pay for it sefl
Good video. 9:06 I would suggest to install a small inline fuse on the small gauge that feeds the Shunt module in case the module shorted out or the wire falls off the module so that small wire will not catch on fire.
Wondering if using multiple 100ah or 200ah batteries might be better if someone wanted to depend on solar recharges? Charge another battery while using the first and then swap when needed?
It won't matter. Two, 100 amp batteries is the same as one 200 amp battery. You are just pouring water into a different bucket. The best thing to do is buy 800w of solar and just do it right if you have the space.
I haven't found anything on RU-vid offering strategies for quickly charging a mixture of SolGens and LiFePO4 batteries from a fuel-powered generator. I have inverter-equipped power stations (Solar Generators) and high-capacity LiFePO4 batteries. Solar is great, but adding a fuel-burn generator can carry us through cloudy days or fast charge our batteries. I want to recharge my batteries with a fuel-burn generator at maximum efficiency. Can you add a video demonstrating how to maximize the fuel burn of a generator by recharging a solar generator and a LiFePO4 battery simultaneously and independently? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I want to pull every bit of my fuel-burn generator's 3500 watts every minute it's running. My SolGen will pull 1,152Wh to recharge, but what 120v battery charger do I buy to maximize the remaining 2,348 Wh for my LiFePO4? The largest from Victron is 15A (1,800W). Should I buy (my situation) a 20A Powermax charger (20A*120V=2,400W) to charge them simultaneously? Or a 30A Powermax charger (30A*120V=3,600W) to get the most out of the gas generator for my largest battery? Will the 30A Powermax overload my fuel-burn generator if it's connected simultaneously to my SolGen?
this is actually very simple. Another prepper friend of mine and I disagree with solar. He recommends the Sportmans's 800w gas generator and a rapid charge instead of solar. So, here's the easy answer. amzn.to/4f5uVFH This is a very high current DC power supply. Use your volt meter to set it to 14.5, connect some large gauge wires (4, or 6 awg) and connect to your battery. Assuming your BMS is 100 amps or more, you can charge your battery VERY fast from your gas genny. You can buy a 100 amp version of this power supply, just make sure you use a 4 or a 2 awg and you can juice that thing up fast.
How bout velcro inverter to side of battery… AND , place this all in a Large plastic container to have it look clean…. I feel like in getting sucked down into a rabbit hole! 😂
Great video bud, all the best for your you tubing future....this is really good content so I am fairly certain you will do well if you continue to put in the effort :) I'd suggest adding solar to charge, even if you can't fully charge......if you have the space for those panels obv, a bit harder in some condo's....that way you can use your back up generator during non power outages and take a little off the top of that power bill. Also, if you have off peak, charge during those times. Tonight we had power out for 3 hours....I'd lent my little system to a friend who is building a cabin......sorta wished I hadn't though!!!!
I like this Concept for 2 24 Volt 100ah Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries and a Victron 24/1200 watt Inverter and a 150/35 Victron Smart Solar Charge Controller and 800 - 1000 watt solar array on The Vintage 40' Spartan Motorcoach Bunkhouse Conversion. 5K o Watt hours and a 5 to 6 hour sunny day to Recharge to floating seems very useful here in Southern California High Desert at Indian Creek Ranch 🌴 💦 🌵 ⛩
? Could you run the charger through inverter to charge the battery like using cell phone pluged into wall and still charges ? ❤ love your video please do more of them thanks a lot
I found your video very interesting. I was hoping for a solar power set up, as I am thinking of doing my own DIY. This is what I was looking to do. I want to be able to charge up a battery that will supply power to a digital window shaker for at least 8 hours at night and use a 450 watt bi-focal solar panel during the day, as they are now running for less than $200, along with the ability to charge from a home outlet. The solar panel I will install will be vertical with 2 insulated reflector material angle back to catch some ot the Sun at noon. I also want the ability to at least run my refrigerator for as long as possible with this setup too. I live in Florida and the hurricane power outages may last hours to days and losing all that expensive food is a downer. Any suggestions with parts listed or videos would be great. Again loved the video.
I lived in FL for many years. It's all about how much you want to spend. In my opinion a 24v system is idea for a mid size home solar system. 24v, 200ah with as much solar as you can afford. So, 2 of these batteries, the Litime 60 amp mppt from my other videos and a geindel 24v 2000w inverter would be a great home system that will not cost you much but grow as you grow.
That's a big ask. A fridge is going to probably need 2kw per 24 hours. A very small window AC pulls 400w, so that's 9kw per 24 hours. Personally, i would get a chest freezer, turn it into a fridge, skip the AC and just use fans. If you really want AC, then use a generator. While the genny is running, get one of those 45 amp chargers I mentioned so you can charge up the batteries during the day and then run them at night instead of the genny.
@@texasprepperprojects Probably a silly question but how do you turn a chest freezer into a fridge? This was a very good video! It also showed me how little I know about electrical stuff.
You use a temperature controlled switch from Amazon. Program it to turn off at 32f and on at 37F so it never gets below freezing but doesn't get too hot
First, I love your videos. In regard to solar charging, you thought that this battery was too big to really be charged by solar. As a newbie, wouldn’t a partial charge on a large battery be the same as a full charge on a small battery? I could use a smaller battery to get a full solar charge, but I feel that if my power went out and then I had to use this setup, a solar panel would be better than nothing and better than a fully charged smaller battery. Thoughts?
I'm never against solar in any form. I just wanted to give an opinion on reasonable expectations. Some solar is certainly better than no solar, but most new people don't understand peak sunlight hours. I'd never tell someone not to put a 100w panel on a battery as long as they understand how far that is going to get them. In a perfect world your solar should be 1/4 your battery capacity or more, but take what you can get!
Thank you. Since I’m pretty new to this, is my assessment correct that the larger battery is better even if you can’t charge it completely vs a smaller battery that can be fully charged?
@@billwollard8072 As Texasprepper said, yes , is the answer. I'll add providing we are talking Lifepo4 which we are, as that is the subject of the video. Just to be clear. It's not the case for lead batteries.
3840wh? i wouldn't call that a "very very large power station". You should at least 3x that battery to be called borderline large. 2x that battery can only power your a fridge and some lights for maybe 2 days.
Compared to a river 2 at 260wh, or a delta at 1024, 3840 ain't bad, also considering it's under $1k. This will run my chest freezer for 3 days. So, it's all relevant I suppose.
@@texasprepperprojectsA standard residential refrigerator could exceed 1000 watts on startup. A small coffee pot will draw more than 1000 watts. You can not run a hot plate or an instant pot in an emergency with that inverter reliably. Now try doing a few of those things together. And for the sake of safety and not burning down you apartment, fuses and circuit protection should never be skipped. Just because you can assemble a bunch of parts for cheap does not make it a good idea or effective. And for solar, 700 watts will exceed any charging source you showed as an example.
A 1000w inverter should have a 2kw surge, which is enough to kick on a fridge and then settle down to a few hundred.. I'd never use a battery/inverter for a hot plate when a butane camp stove costs $20.
