Kinda sad nobody else replied. I am beginning to think this section devoted to off the shelf power stations is the red headed cousin (or step child) on this forum. What kind and size do you have? What do you use them for?
We have same nearly identical reasons for our power stations. I am in north Florida, so hurricane power outages are mostly my reason. However, living now out in the country, we have experienced more outages in a short amount of time verses when we lived in Jax (Jacksonville).I have
LiFePO4 units:
2 Bluetti EB55 units
1 Bluetti EB70 unit
2 Oupes 1100W units
2 Baudens 165wh units
2 Tzumi 160 wh units
2 Wattfun 300 wh units
Non Lifepo4:
3 Aviva 180wh units (found these for $10 at Marshall's store)
1 Aviva 450wh unit ($50 at same store)
2 ~1000wh Midland Units (for sale currently)
2 Bullbat 256wh units
2 Nexpow 300wh units
5 Ravpower 120wh Units
We are in a hurricane prone and overall very power outage prone area.
I use the smaller units to run table lamps, charge small devices, run modem/router
The larger units are used for intermittent use of window AC, 12v Freezers, small appliances like coffee maker and instapot.
We have 2 small inverter generators, but after a major hurricane gas is scarce to non existent for weeks. We experienced this in 2020 in southwest Louisiana.
I am currently selling little by little my non lfp units to get a few more lfp power stations. Im not sure enough of my abilities to safely build units with raw cells. Not sure how homeowners insurance would work if a self built unit caused a fire, ect. I also like the redundancy of multiple smaller units versus one huge system.
What are your likes and dislikes of the Ecoflow River Max? What limitations did you find annoying? What did you use it for?I have a bunch when I started playing with solar.
5 X Rockpals 300W - These were cheap on Ebay being sold for parts that I pieced together to make good working units. The BMS is the Achilles heel for these. Replace the BMS and unit works perfectly again.
2 X Ecoflow Delta
1 X Ecoflow River Max
1 X Ecoflow River Pro
3 X Ecoflow EF-1500
I have stopped getting these as there is not one really "perfect" unit. Been piecing together and building my own setups now.
Hi Ely, I think I recognize you from another rather large forum. What kind of fridge do you runin your off grid house? Is it run off the 2% of DC? I have read in forums and have seen in videos where a lot of people are running a regular fridge in their RV or tiny home. They get something like a Magic Chef 10 cf traditional freezer on top fridge as they are now energy star rated. There are no in the door ice machines, no computer screen etc. I don't hear much about Goal Zero or Yeti. That is probably why I remember you from elsewhere. It is nice to hear your experiences.A bunch of them, two persons houshold:
4 Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC (if we go by plane)
3 Goal Zero Yeti 150 (one modified to LiFePo4)
3 Goal Zero Yeti 200X
1 Yeti 400 (oldest, five years, first AGM inside)
1 Goal Zero Yeti 500X
1 Goal Zero Yeti 1000X
2 Jackery Explorer 240
1 Jackery Explorer 500
1 Jackery Explorer 1000
1 DIY „Electra 500“ LiFePo4
Ok, I‘m a bit giggly ?
Some mobile solar panels from 20 up to 200 watts, different brands. Can be daisy chained. All components (panels/stations) are working without issues about many years. See above, the old 400 is five years old, very good condition, battery is the first and ok, daily in use, kept always full at end of the day.
Our little house is 100% DIY off the grid, the power stations are a extra benefit, used in the shed, garden/yard, mobile, travel, RV (outside), etc. Mobile batteries are extreme versatile.
We avoid to use the inverter, 98% is DC.
Hi Ely, I think I recognize you from another rather large forum. What kind of fridge do you runin your off grid house? Is it run off the 2% of DC? I have read in forums and have seen in videos where a lot of people are running a regular fridge in their RV or tiny home. They get something like a Magic Chef 10 cf traditional freezer on top fridge as they are now energy star rated. There are no in the door ice machines, no computer screen etc. I don't hear much about Goal Zero or Yeti. That is probably why I remember you from elsewhere. It is nice to hear your experiences.
The Ecoflow River Max is okay for what it is. 600 watts inverter, 200 watts solar input. It is fine for light loads. The 200 watt solar input is what I would say is holding it back. So can't charge/passthrough enough if I am running bigger loads. To be honest I have never been able to get to the 200 watt limit. Using three 100 watt panels the most I can get is 178 watts. Annoying thing would be the app. There seems to be a lag and needing to refresh to "find" the device. I honestly don't use it much as I did anymore mostly because of the solar input issue.What are your likes and dislikes of the Ecoflow River Max? What limitations did you find annoying? What did you use it for?
What set-up do you use to charge them?I have a bunch when I started playing with solar.
5 X Rockpals 300W - These were cheap on Ebay being sold for parts that I pieced together to make good working units. The BMS is the Achilles heel for these. Replace the BMS and unit works perfectly again.
2 X Ecoflow Delta
1 X Ecoflow River Max
1 X Ecoflow River Pro
3 X Ecoflow EF-1500
I have stopped getting these as there is not one really "perfect" unit. Been piecing together and building my own setups now.
It seems people really dislike or like apps. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. Have you ever tried to run something like a chest freezer or even a fridge with the Ecoflow River Max? That was what I would have been most interested in, my chest freezer. I bet it could handle a standard 18-20 cf fridge for 3-4 hours.The Ecoflow River Max is okay for what it is. 600 watts inverter, 200 watts solar input. It is fine for light loads. The 200 watt solar input is what I would say is holding it back. So can't charge/passthrough enough if I am running bigger loads. To be honest I have never been able to get to the 200 watt limit. Using three 100 watt panels the most I can get is 178 watts. Annoying thing would be the app. There seems to be a lag and needing to refresh to "find" the device. I honestly don't use it much as I did anymore mostly because of the solar input issue.