Those of you with 24v systems (or who considered 24v) what appliances/gadgets/electronics have you struggled to find in 24v

Those of you with 24v systems (or who considered 24v) what appliances/gadgets/electronics have you struggled to find in 24v?

All these 24 volt wishes.

Tool battery charger for rigid batteries.
Good quality air mattress with built in pump.
High volume instant water heater.
Coffee maker (cause I'm lazy)
Shop Vac large

Those things make me need an inverter.

Craig said:

All these 24 volt wishes.

Tool battery charger for rigid batteries.
Good quality air mattress with built in pump.
High volume instant water heater.
Coffee maker (cause I'm lazy)
Shop Vac large

Those things make me need an inverter.

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hmm yeah, tool battery chargers are probably non-existant in 24v, you can find 12v chargers for most brands, but probably not 24v.

Coffee is a solvable problem, just have to be incrementally less lazy ? french press or pour-over are my goto methods

I would sorta have expected there to be a 24v instant hot water heater for marine applications. Maybe not the volume you want though.

Air mattress and maybe shop vac are probably used infrequently enough that using an inverter would be less of an issue than with something like a water heater.

Laptop and cell phone chargers are something I have struggled to find, but I think I've got it figured out now, Laptops that charge via USB-C (power delivery) could be charged with: This (upto 45W) or This (upto 90W). These should be able to charge most modern peripherals (anything that can be charged via USB-A, USB-C, or MicroUSB)

Dzl said:

Those of you with 24v systems (or who considered 24v) what appliances/gadgets/electronics have you struggled to find in 24v?

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24V to USB


Tools and other stuff,



AND/OR... Maybe,



A For Instance,
My wife's laptop, 19Vdc 3.42A output on the AC transformer, so very easy with one of these REGULATORS since they taper down for 'Float'/Charged battery SoC.
The battery is 4 or 5 years old, so I guess it's still working OK...

At 97% efficiency I'd just use one of these and not lose any sleep.


Except I'd be using the 48v to 13.8v model, as I see little reason to use a 24v battery. Once you stray from 12v, might as well make the jump to the better 48v system.

SolarRat said:

At 97% efficiency I'd just use one of these and not lose any sleep.

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Yeah, its a small enough conversion penalty (97% at half load 95% at full load) that I wouldn't be too worried about it either, but its still preferable to avoid conversion where possible and with things like laptops or lcd screens where the "12v chargers" have to boost the voltage back up to 20v, thats another conversion at about ~<92% efficiency, so dual efficiency losses. Better to 'cut out the middle man' where possible rather than stepping down and then stepping back up part way. That said you are right, its really not that big of a deal to use a dc-dc converter and a 12v fuse block on top of a 24v system, i probably obsess over efficiency and matching the native system voltage a little too much.

If I go with 24v I will definitely be installing one of these.

Except I'd be using the 48v to 13.8v model, as I see little reason to use a 24v battery. Once you stray from 12v, might as well make the jump to the better 48v system.

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24v is common for marine applications, and truck, bus, and military vehicles, I haven't spent anytime looking into 48v but my impression is that at least for mobile systems, there are a lot more products and appliances made for 24v than for 48v, and many consumer products that work with either 24 or 48. If you plan to run most things off an inverter, 48v probably makes the most sense, if your power needs are quite small 12v probably makes the most sense, 24v seems like a middle ground that has some of the benefits of either system, at least when we are talking about vehicle or marine systems.

Dzl said:

24v is common for marine applications, and truck, bus, and military vehicles, I haven't spent anytime looking into 48v but my impression is that at least for mobile systems, there are a lot more products and appliances made for 24v than for 48v, and many consumer products that work with either 24 or 48. If you plan to run most things off an inverter, 48v probably makes the most sense, if your power needs are quite small 12v probably makes the most sense, 24v seems like a middle ground that has some of the benefits of either system, at least when we are talking about vehicle or marine systems.

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You are correct, right now. There are a few things you can get at 24v you probably can't find in 48v...but a 48v-12v converter is efficient enough for me not to worry about that.

Today's cars (non-ev) are slowly moving to 48V out of necessity for their "house battery" to power all the demanding new electronics like stop/start, active suspension, mild hybrid, electric power steering and brakes etc etc... They skipped 24v completely, and their battery manufacturers are producing a lot of small 48v lithium batteries, that will eventually find other uses (RV/Marine) in new and used applications. Right now the general consumer is still weary of anything but 12v, but I think within 10 years 48v will become more accepted as these batteries make it to the shelves at NAPA. I expect RV companies to follow soon, as 48v systems will save in manufacturing costs (wires, switches, breakers, chargers), and space would no longer be a problem with the lithiums. RV/marine/auto appliance makers will gladly make 48v stuff because they don't have to be designed to handle as much heat.

I just figure if you are ready to move away from 12v, you might as well get cooler running and slightly more efficient electronics and future-proof the system with 48v. Obviously budget plays a role for someone only wanting a couple Battleborns, but the extra cost is minimal if DIYing your battery, or using a small lithium out of one of those new cars.

DC lighting is relatively easy to convert to 24VDC rewire twin bulbs/LED's in series vs parallel. Single bulb fixtures excepted. Single LED strips can be halved @ the mark & connected in series.

SolarRat said:

Today's cars (non-ev) are slowly moving to 48V out of necessity for their "house battery" to power all the demanding new electronics like stop/start, active suspension, mild hybrid, electric power steering and brakes etc etc... They skipped 24v completely, and their battery manufacturers are producing a lot of small 48v lithium batteries, that will eventually find other uses (RV/Marine) in new and used applications. Right now the general consumer is still weary of anything but 12v, but I think within 10 years 48v will become more accepted as these batteries make it to the shelves at NAPA. I expect RV companies to follow soon, as 48v systems will save in manufacturing costs (wires, switches, breakers, chargers), and space would no longer be a problem with the lithiums. RV/marine/auto appliance makers will gladly make 48v stuff because they don't have to be designed to handle as much heat.

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Wow, I had no idea. This will be really interesting to watch over the next decade or so.

I just figure if you are ready to move away from 12v, you might as well get cooler running and slightly more efficient electronics and future-proof the system with 48v.

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I think it remains to be seen whether 48v is 'future-proofing' anything or not. You may be right that the industry goes that direction, but it might not turn out that way or the time frame might be much slower than expected for products to come to market and manufactures to change their ways. 12v and 24v are already well established in the automotive and marine industries. Stepping down from 48v is a viable option and probably the most sensible in many situations, but I don't think its the clear choice for smaller systems.

My system will have a footprint of less than 150 square feet, less than 5 kWh of storage, less than 3 kW inverter, and less than 1 kW of solar. Even these numbers are somewhat inflated maximum values, likely system will probably be 150-200Ah @ 24v, 650W solar, 1500 watt inverter. I haven't thought hard about it, but it feels like the efficiency gains of moving to 48v with a system this size (capacity, and physical footprint) would be marginal--maybe I'm wrong--I haven't really ever considered 48v seriously.

Parts availability and a large 'mind share' / knowledgebase is important to me, and for this 12v makes the most sense, 24v is a distant second, and 48v feels like a very remote third (though converting down to 12v would mitigate some of this). Having the marine and automotive industries, marine and automotive retailers, tradespeople, and aftermarket parts companies, and marine and vehicle enthusiast communities all over the world is a big plus for me. Even with core components (SCC, inverters, battery to battery chargers (for alternator charging) it seems there is a much broader availability for 12/24 volt products, and often at cheaper prices it seems (though I could be wrong on this last point).

You are making me think a bit harder about 48v, but currently I still feel that the marginal benefits (in my use case) probably don't outweigh the current drawbacks (for my use case). I should probably try reassess 12 v 24 v 48 volt for my system in a more systematic way, and compare actual system costs, efficiency and pros cons of each option. Any how, thanks for the interesting discussion, my apologies for writing a novel length reply here..

Edit: and I can't stress enough how all my knowledge of 48v is based on vague impressions

Solar Rat's point about just moving to 48v, made me think that the original question I posed, should be expanded to 48v as well. My concern was mostly regarding 24v because that's what I am planning to go with, and also my presumption is that almost nobody who builds a 48v system expects to use 48v appliances/electronics, and that most power most things through an inverter so the question is less relevant for 48v folks. But this presumption may be wrong.

So the question should expanded to apply to 48v as well. What do you wish you could find in 48v that you have struggled to find or can't find?

A few things that come to mind are Battery to battery (alternator) charger, a 48v fridge, and possibly comms gear (VHF/UHF radio, CB, etc).

For a small system that will always be small there is nothing wrong with a 24v system. I just personally prefer everything running half the amps and a lot cooler (especially in Florida). In a small confined space that warm inverter/charger is working against your AC.

Who knows what the next 10 years will bring. I think home systems will be well above 48v. I'm guessing RV systems will find a happy medium at 48v, but who knows, they might go way higher or stay at 12v.

SolarRat said:

For a small system that will always be small there is nothing wrong with a 24v system.

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I agree! All other things being equal less amps + less heat + less money spent on wiring and high amp components is definitely better, especially with a large system.

I just personally prefer everything running half the amps and a lot cooler (especially in Florida). In a small confined space that warm inverter/charger is working against your AC.

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I'm usually in a more temperate (mediterranean) climate, so heat is less of a central concern, but still important, especially summers. BUUT, i've been daydreaming about finding a way to put that heat to good use in the winters, and actively venting it outside during the summers, by creating some sort of small insulated electrical compartment that can be vented outside in the summer, and either vented inside or not vented at all in the winter. This would turn what would normally be heat waste to useful energy in the cold months, and help keep the lithium cells closer to optimal temperatures when its cold out. Its something I've been pondering lately but not something I've put a lot of energy into planning out just yet.

The one big thing in favour of 48v is the use of it in home solar systems and the availability of high quality affordable controllers and inverters at this voltage.

Wellydex said:

The one big thing in favour of 48v is the use of it in home solar systems and the availability of high quality affordable controllers and inverters at this voltage.

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My perception might be wrong (or maybe right, but based on different parameters/priorities than yours or a different segment of the market), but my vague impression was that 48v components were often a bit more expensive than 12v and to some extent 24v.

My guess is that we are looking at different parts of the market and that 48v components might be cheaper for home sized projects while 12/24v might have the edge in smaller marine/automotive sized systems (or maybe I just have a misperception). Of course some things will always be cheaper at higher voltage for a given wattage since current can be cut in half or 1/4. But for a small system, my perception is that there are more affordable choices at 12/24v, some high quality, some not. Maybe I haven't been exposed to the right products though, as I've never actively looked at48v equipment.

SolarRat said:

I just figure if you are ready to move away from 12v, you might as well get cooler running and slightly more efficient electronics and future-proof the system with 48v.

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Maybe, but remember that >30Vdc is considered dangerous. Will such systems, that are easily accessible to people e.g. fuses, standardise on a 'dangerous' voltage? I once rather stupidly held the +ive and -ive of a three-panel array and, whilst it didn't kill me, it shocked me enough (in both meanings of the word) to knock me off my ladder. Won't be doing that again anytime soon.

tictag said:

Maybe, but remember that >30Vdc is considered dangerous.

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Is that the standard in the US (assuming you are from there, apologies for the assumption)? In Europe the norm for extra-low voltage systems safety limits are 50V AC and 120V DC. This follows IEC60364. Even the more strict Low Voltage Directive (2006/95/EC) puts it at 50V AC and 75V DC.

upnorthandpersonal said:

In Europe the norm for extra-low voltage systems safety limits are 50V AC and 120V DC.

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From the UK myself I'll take your word for the 'official'* figures.

*meaning regulatory figures or code or whatever, I'm not air quoting that!

Edit: Clarified 'official'.

BTW folks remember, it is NOT the voltage that kills, it is the Amperage behind that does.

A good find for 12V goodies is here: https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/

upnorthandpersonal said:

Is that the standard in the US (assuming you are from there, apologies for the assumption)? In Europe the norm for extra-low voltage systems safety limits are 50V AC and 120V DC. This follows IEC60364. Even the more strict Low Voltage Directive (2006/95/EC) puts it at 50V AC and 75V DC.

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Not sure where it comes from, but like tictag, I've also heard that the stakes get higher somewhere between 24v and 48v, can't say whether there its based in fact or not as its just what I heard.