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Bluetti house bank

OceanSquatch

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Joined
Aug 9, 2022
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Hello, I was looking for input on integrating a Bluetti 200max into the 12v DC and 110 ac systems on my boat. My boat is from 1974 and has never been upgraded(very simple system with lights and minimal electronics). Rather than expand and upgrade the original system (would end up being the same price as a Bluetti I think) I’d like to add in a Bluetti to run the minimal 12v side and a basic electric galley, iPad, and portable fridge with 200-300 watts of solar and expand the system later. My existing system is 100 amp lead acid house and 100 amp lead acid starting battery with a 100 amp solar panel which would like to keep in the system. Easy to integrate or rip it all out and build a piecemeal system? Thanks!
 
I can give no advice, but I've been thinking of doing the same.

I plan on installing a proper house bank, eventually, but my AC200MAX might serve in the meantime.

I've done nothing on the boat, yet, but I've run a combo microwave/air fryer and an induction hotplate off the Bluetti in my kitchen, and it handles them fine.
 
My son wanted a Bluetti for emergency power. We talked about it verses a DIY build. One of the points that I made was that if the Bluetti has a failure of any type, inverter, solar charger, AC charger, how will you get it repaired or will it be largely a paperweight? I guess the same can be said for All In One inverter/charger systems except that the batteries are separate. Considering the batteries are a large part of the cost, having them independent of the other hardware is a plus for me.

Not sure what you mean by "expand the system later" but if the Bluetti was removed and replaced by a built in system later on and the Bluetti could then be used for other needs, that might make it a good option for the time being, with a new role in the future. i mean a role that is less critical day to day.
 
Not sure what you mean by "expand the system later" but if the Bluetti was removed and replaced by a built in system later on and the Bluetti could then be used for other needs, that might make it a good option for the time being, with a new role in the future. i mean a role that is less critical day to day.
Eventually, I want a sizable LiFePO4 house bank, inverter/charger, solar panels, maybe even electric propulsion.

What I have now is a lead-acid starter battery, 100 AH lead acid house battery, and an inverter on the diesel. I don't even have a shore power connection.

I had a gimballed propane stove that didn't work. I pulled it out and am in the process of designing a gimballed box to hold my induction cooktop and microwave/air fryer.

I can run the oven from the Bluetti, and charge it from the shore power connection. It can be my house bank, as I build out the rest of my system.

And yes, it will still be useful after I get a real house bank installed.
 
Don't buy a Bluetti for this. You can have 30% more LiFePO4 storage for about $800 buying a drop-in battery instead. You will need to make a few other changes to accommodate it, but in the end the Bluetti will probably be more difficult to integrate.

The Bluetti is a good option if you want to take it with you other places, for example camping, an RV, etc. But it's more expensive and not as well integrated into the boat.
 
A drop-in battery will need a inverter/charger, which means a fairly significant permanent installation.

For me, at least, the Bluetti is something to use until that's in place.
 
For the Ac200max just need to consider the power overhead of just having it on 24 hours a day and also the inefficiency of running at low power draws. If it is only powered on as required this is far less of an issue. Due to this we added a b300 battery as ours is on permanently, and charged by Solar as much as possible. The upside is the simplicity and portability.
 
Thanks for all the replies. When looking into a piecemeal system seems I would require: batteries, mppt controllers, shunt, dc to dc charger, monitor, inverter/charger, and batteries. Plus all the cabling. The price is close to the cost of a Bluetti and I would hope to either add a lifpo4 into the system later or a Bluetti expansion battery. Keeping it plug and play could mean moving it to a camper or reselling it later if I want to. I did find a post from an Amazon review where the guy integrated it into his RV. Sorry in advance for the walk of text!


“One Shot Wonder

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2022

I have a 2012 Arctic Fox 29 foot camper trailer. I got rid of my 12 volt batteries, got rid of the battery charger / power supply, installed a couple of solar panels on the roof, installed a 30 amp automatic transfer switch, hooked the camper to both the 12 volt 30 amp power supply and 120 volt 30 amp power supply and this thing is the one-stop-solution for my camper. If you are curious about details, here you go ...



* I disconnected the camper from all power - including the 12 volt batteries.

* I disconnected the 120 volt, 30 amp power supply line from the main breaker and attached a short piece of 10 gauge wire from the main breaker to the output of the automatic transfer switch

* I connected the wire from the camper's 30 amp shore power to the "generator" side of the automatic transfer switch (the switch prefers the generator, so I used that side for the shore power so that my camper will prefer shore power)

* I used a 30 amp male outlet and attached a short length of 10 gauge wire to it. Then I attached the other end to the "shore power" leg of the automatic transfer switch.

* I attached the supply line from the battery to the 12 volt 30 amp adapter for the Bluetti

* I plugged in the 120 volt 30 amp plug as well as the 12 volt 30 amp plug into the Bluetti

* I mounted 2 solar panels and connected them in series (Negative from the first panel into the negative jack for the Bluetti's solar port, positive from the first panel to the negative of the second panel, and the positive from the 2nd panel to the positive jack for the Bluetti's solar port)

* I plugged in the solar adapter and set the Bluetti for solar (as opposed to the 12 volt car charger setting)

* I powered everything on and watched it work



I wish this unit came with the 12 volt 30 amp adapter - it's a $20 accessory. It seems like that could be included, IMHO. But just know that if you are going to do a setup like this, don't forget to order the adapter.



I also wish that you could charge via 12 volt cigarette lighter and solar at the same time. While you *can* charge from the 120 volt power supply and the solar at the same time, the solar and the cigarette lighter use the same port. It's one or the other.



I don't love the 10 Amp cigarette lighter. I was hoping to use that to power my 12 volt air compressor to air up my camper's tires and my air bags, but it draws just under 20 amps, so that's a no-go. I also don't love all of the proprietary plugs. It means that you have get all of your accessories through them. So you can't just run to an automotive store and get a plug if you neglect to order the 12 volt 30 amp adapter. You have to order it and wait for it to arrive.



Lastly, the power supply as a fan that runs continually. If it weren't for that, I would have been tempted to connect the power supply to the shore power so that when I plug in at a campground, it would charge automatically from the campground's connection. But having that fan running constantly means that I need to manually plug it in if I want to charge, and unplug it when I am done. Not a deal breaker, but also not great.



I did test even my high wattage 12 volt devices like my furnace and the motors for my slide-outs and the lift jack. A little electrical math: amps * volts = watts. So the 12 volt, 30 amp outlet can power up to 400 watts. I never saw my usage rise above 200 watts, so (at least for MY camper) this outlet is enough to power my camper. That was one of my biggest worries, since I really didn't know how much draw some of my 12 volt accessories would require. All of my lights are LED, so that does help. A few high-draw lights can rack up the watts pretty fast.



I do love that I don't need any heavy lead acid batteries anymore. I love that I can easily unplug this from my camper and take it home with me and use it as a backup power for my home in case I need it. I discovered that my camper's built-in 12 volt battery charger / power supply were horrifically inefficient. With a pair of fully charged batteries, and running nothing more than the camper's furnace, the camper ate through 2,000 watt hours in one night. It should only have used about 270 watt hours - meaning it wasted about 1,730 watt hours through its inefficiency. So I love that this system is FAR more efficient. It's also really cool that I can plug 4 USB A devices as well as a USB C device and charge my phones via 2 induction pads. The 100 watt USB C is especially nice, since I can plug my MacBook Pro into that and leave my power supply at home. You can also plug in 2 additional batteries at up to 3,000 watt hours each, for a possible total of 8,000 watt hours. That's a ton of battery.



I used to use a famous AGM battery for my camper. At 660 watt hours and weighing 43.5 lbs, it would take 3 of those batteries and 130 lbs to equal the capacity of this unit. And lead acid batteries shouldn't be depleted past 50% if you want them to last. They also don't have as many charging cycles in them. To duplicate this setup, I would have to purchase 3 of those batteries, an mppt charge controller, and a 2,000 watt pure sine inverter to duplicate this setup. Even then, it would be missing some features.



Please note that you need to pay attention to the load (wattage) of what you are plugging into your camper. This device has 2,000+ watt hours and can power up to 2,000 watts at one time. If you have a device (like a microwave) that draws 1,200 watts, that means it will draw 1,200 watt hours in one hour. Let's use another example: My furnace draws between 60 and 75 watts. If you divide 2,000 by 67.5 (the median between 60 & 75) you get 29.63 - which is how many hours this device will run the furnace continually before the battery is completely dead. Of course, you don't want to run your battery dead, so you need to do some math and figure out how much solar (or additional batteries) you need so that you can stay ahead of the game. The Bluetti will help you by telling you how much it is drawing so that you can get an idea of how much electricity various devices are using. (If you turn them on one at a time, this is a good way to figure out what each device draws.) But I'll say right up front that you shouldn't plan to run high wattage devices like air conditioners on this unit. Even with the maximum solar, you won't be able to stay ahead of the game. My refrigerator and water heater are also dual power, so I make sure to turn them both to propane before I unplug from shore power. But if you are looking to do some off grid camping and if you are looking to be frugal with your usage, this is a great unit to keep your camper running and maybe even use your microwave to heat up your coffee in the morning”
 
I hadn't planned on removing my existing house bank. I'd planned on running my house and running lights and my bilge pumps from my existing 100 AH lead acid. I'll be using the Bluetti to power my cooking and computers until I have the opportunity to upgrade my house bank to handle the load.
 
I did find a post from an Amazon review where the guy integrated it into his RV.

I realize you are not the original author of this review but I'm trying to wrap my head around how the author has the Bluetti charging from shore power (when connected) - does the feed from the shore power inlet split off before the transfer switch to a 15A 120V outlet that the Bluetti's AC adapter is plugged into? That's the only thing that makes sense to me.
 
I realize you are not the original author of this review but I'm trying to wrap my head around how the author has the Bluetti charging from shore power (when connected) - does the feed from the shore power inlet split off before the transfer switch to a 15A 120V outlet that the Bluetti's AC adapter is plugged into? That's the only thing that makes sense to me.
My boat doesn't have a shore power connector, yet. Connecting to shore power means running a cable from the pedestal directly to the Bluetti.

This is, of course, a temporary configuration.
 
My guess is he connected his Bluetti 110 charger into his 120v outlet wiring either by plugging the Bluetti into an outlet or hardwiring it in behind an outlet. I’m not an electrician so I have no idea wether that’s best practice, etc. After mulling this over for the last 6 months I think I’m just gonna go with a 200 amp lifepo4 and cheap inverter plus solar and keep the original system separate. After a year I’ll know how I want it setup for sure. I’m getting cold feet about customer service if the Buetti goes bad. From the Amazon reviews it looks like if you get a lemon or it breaks you are on your own. Me living on my boat makes everything that much harder to deal with(returns,etc).
 
I have implemented a system using the EcoFlow delta max 2000 into my trailerable cruising yacht. I have retained the yachts 12v AGM 200AH battery bank for all the existing systems but added the EcoFlow which allows induction cooking, powers my 12v fridge freezer and 240v 800w hotwater service along with occasional other 240v appliances.
I have partially integrated this into the yachts shore power system and increased my solar panels feeding it.
The unit easily comes out and fills the same role in my slide on truck camper and when we return from our travels it powers my rain water house system powered by two Canadian solar 380w solar panels on my rain water tank that the installers couldn’t fit on my roof despite pre measuring.
Yes expensive but it is performing so well that I have now purchased a second EcoFlow Delta Max ( also on super special as was my original max 2000) and have a second dedicated drop in storage hatch now on the yacht. This is connected to my outboards alternator via a Vitron 12 to 24v which is providing around 400w of charging when the outboard is running. This has eliminated the need to choose between solar charging and alternator with each going to separate units.
This combination has also allowed me to remove my Honda Eu 2.2 generator from the yacht.
Despite being trailerable my yacht is being used for very extended live aboard remote cruising often in areas with limited to no resupply capability.AB7927A4-8DA6-4F72-8840-A417F48A4A65.jpegECDA08AF-13F4-48B6-8879-09BDF25A4D8C.jpeg
 
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Well I bit the bullet and purchased the Bluetti 200max. Amazon has a $400 coupon running right now so it was a little less painful. Griths write up sealed the deal for me. It makes too much sense to go this route with plug and play ease on a boat that’s 50 years old and would need a complete redesign of the electrical systems. I will just keep the two sides separate as Grith has done. I will have my electric galley, portable fridge, computer, and phones on this system and all original systems(not much) on the 200 amp house bank. Im hoping 300 watts of solar will be enough, it’s just me onboard so I think I’ll be fine. I will post an update with pics once it’s installed.
 
So after 5 days of testing I am pleased with my decision. The Bluetti will power my electric galley plus fridge for 2 plus days with no recharge and more than 24 hours adding in a battery charger plugged into the Bluetti and maintaining my lead acid bank. My solar panels arrive next week and I will begin to setup my 300 watt system in parallel. I’m feeling positive about the Bluetti/panels being able to carry my whole boat 12v/120ac most of the time. I’m now thinking about how best to connect the Bluetti to my house 12v because running a battery charger seems like a waste to convert 12v-120v-12v to maintain the batteries. I have a 2 bank lead acid system (200 amps total). My initial thought is to combine the lead acids into Bank 1 on the Perko switch and hook the Bluetti up to Bank 2 on the Perko switch. A question I have are:
Do I take the 12v negative wire from the Bluetti to the negative bus bar on my panel, or since it’s 30 amp go to the engine ground or a dedicated new separate bus bar solely for the Bluetti?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Thanks! John
 
As I design the electrical system for my boat, there's one thing I keep in mind - Gall's Law.

I'm not trying for a perfect integrated system, I'm trying to solve one problem at a time. I keep in mind where I might want to go next, but I also keep in mind that I will probably want something different, by the time I get there.

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.
- John Gall
 
I took jdege’s advice and started thinking about how I could set things up in the most simple way. I tested the ac side of the Bluetti with no load. As far as I can tell there is a minimal 1-2% power loss over 24 hours for my unit. So I could just set up a marine battery charger plugged into the Bluetti to take care of the 12v side if I’m at anchor and not running the motor for a while. Now I’m working on the age old question of series vs parallel for the solar panels. The Bluetti can handle the 3 100 watt panels in series but I am guaranteed to have shading during the day. Anybody have thoughts on series or parallel with the Bluetti?
 
I took jdege’s advice and started thinking about how I could set things up in the most simple way. I tested the ac side of the Bluetti with no load. As far as I can tell there is a minimal 1-2% power loss over 24 hours for my unit. So I could just set up a marine battery charger plugged into the Bluetti to take care of the 12v side if I’m at anchor and not running the motor for a while. Now I’m working on the age old question of series vs parallel for the solar panels. The Bluetti can handle the 3 100 watt panels in series but I am guaranteed to have shading during the day. Anybody have thoughts on series or parallel with the Bluetti?
In the software design world, it's called the Minimal Viable Product.

What is the simplest and easiest thing I could build that would provide useful functionality, and move me in the right direction.
 
For the Ac200max just need to consider the power overhead of just having it on 24 hours a day and also the inefficiency of running at low power draws. If it is only powered on as required this is far less of an issue. Due to this we added a b300 battery as ours is on permanently, and charged by Solar as much as possible. The upside is the simplicity and portability.
Hi
Just reading through… I’m thinking about a 200max for our cabin in an isolated spot here in Australia east coast. We will use it just to run 100w of led lights for 3-4 hrs at night ; and charge phones: laptop: tool batteries.
Everything else is powered by gas : fridge stove hot water.
Do u think the 200max will be fine fir this … do u recommend getting that extra battery?
Also :: have to boost w solar … no ac power here.
Thx
Luke
Bemboka australia
 
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