Constant 8 watt draw on Yeti 3000x, is this bad?

[gadgetnut]

Greetings, all, new member and relative beginner in solar. I searched here first but did not immeidately find an answer. I would like to use a GZ Yeti 3000x as a standby power source for a computer and a few peripherals when utility power goes down. Currently I'm using a Xantrex auto transfer switch. The Yeti 3000x 120VAC outlets are always turned on, the Yeti always has its stock charger connected to utility power, the charging profile is Battery Saver. When utility power is present, the Xantrex feeds the server computer with utility power, so the normal everyday draw does not go through the Yeti, yet there is a steady 8 watt draw just to keep the Yeti outlets energized. When utility power goes down, the Xantrex instantly shifts to inverter power from Yeti. The transer is instant and the computer keeps running. The system is working as intended.

The question is: is this terrible practice for the health of the Yeti 3000x? I believe it's OK to leave it charged to 85% and the usual practice is to leave the Yeti inverter turned off until you actually need it to avoid the constant charge/discharge. But if I do that there's no way to achieve the automatic standby capability I need.

Any thoughts or tips on how to better accomplish my Goal (Zero)? Many thanks.

 

[MPRanger]

That’s not a bad draw at all.

 

[Q-Dog]

What does the manufacturer say?

 

[HarryN]

I am not clear on why you need both units.

The GZ package is essentially a (battery pack) + (solar) + (120 vac charger) / UPS all by itself.

Just run the power through it all of the time.

I build what are essentially ruggedized versions of the same thing. There is always some standby power in any setup.

Try to avoid messing up your mind by running everything "perfectly" and just let things run.

As an example - I have a Lifeline AGM battery / 2 kW inverter / solar panel based system in my van that I use to power my shop every day. (it is off grid). In theory - a shorter cycle life than LiFe.

It has multiple years on the same battery pack - I don't abuse it but I do definitely use it.

 

[gadgetnut]

That’s not a bad draw at all.

Thanks. My concern is if 8 watts of 24/7/365 discharge/charge "busyness" is harmful to the longevity of the Yeti 3000x.

 

[gadgetnut]

What does the manufacturer say?

A phone rep from GZ this week suggested the preferred scenario is to turn the Yeti 3000x off and leave it off except to charge it periodically and only turn on the 120VAC inverter outlets when you need them. The rep specifically recommended against my idea. Here, I am looking for others' experiences with this idea, thanks.

 

[macheung]

Is the SOC held at 85% and all the power is pass through from grid to load? If that is the case, I don’t see why that would be harmful to the battery. 8w draw is low compared to your load and what the charger is providing. The battery isn’t doing much. Li-ion based batteries should not be stored for extended period of time (especially when hot), Staying around 85% in an conditioned space is a good compromise between standby compactor and longevity.

Sometimes tech support staff follow a very conservative script, if you can ask them why they think that is bad for the unit to see if there is a real reason behind it.

 

[gadgetnut]

I am not clear on why you need both units.

The GZ package is essentially a (battery pack) + (solar) + (120 vac charger) / UPS all by itself.

Just run the power through it all of the time.

I build what are essentially ruggedized versions of the same thing. There is always some standby power in any setup.

Try to avoid messing up your mind by running everything "perfectly" and just let things run.

As an example - I have a Lifeline AGM battery / 2 kW inverter / solar panel based system in my van that I use to power my shop every day. (it is off grid). In theory - a shorter cycle life than LiFe.

It has multiple years on the same battery pack - I don't abuse it but I do definitely use it.

Thanks for the feedback, yes the GZ package provides power to the office when its inverter is turned on and, you're right, in that capacity also provides UPS-like readiness if the utility power goes down. I ran the office that way for two days, and the charger input wattage remained slightly higher than the discharge wattage (350 watts.) But the battery bank was very busy discharging and recharging - all this to provide UPS readiness, relying on utility power only. (Given the location I don't have solar on this Yeti 3000x yet.)

That's when I called GZ and the rep recommended against this structure because it would sharply eat into the longevity of the battery.

Then I got the idea to use a Xantrex 15 amp auto transfer swtich. The Yeti inverter is on 24/7/365 but there's no load. The Xantrex keeps feeding the office by utility line power even though inverter power is available. When utility power goes down, Xantrex grabs the Yeti inverter power and it switches so quickly the computer doesn't even hiccup.

It's such an expense replacing Yeti batteries. This seemed like a workaround to get the auto-transfer readiness I require while keeping the charge/discharge cycling within a reasonable range. I was surprised the GZ rep recommended against this strategy, as well. I was reaching out here for feedback.

 

[gadgetnut]

Is the SOC held at 85% and all the power is pass through from grid to load? If that is the case, I don’t see why that would be harmful to the battery. 8w draw is low compared to your load and what the charger is providing. The battery isn’t doing much. Li-ion based batteries should not be stored for extended period of time (especially when hot), Staying around 85% in an conditioned space is a good compromise between standby compactor and longevity.

Sometimes tech support staff follow a very conservative script, if you can ask them why they think that is bad for the unit to see if there is a real reason behind it.

Thanks very much for the guidance. Yes, GZ has a marvelous iPhone / Android app and you can choose among several charging profiles. I'm using "Battery Saver" profile which keeps SOC between 15 and 85% automatically.

Since my current solution with Xantrex ATS is working so well, perhaps I'll stick with it, after all. Thanks again, everyone.

 

[HarryN]

Yes that is the weak link of the GZ Yeti setups - the charge rates are really far too low and they don't trigger input power to match the output power real time.

The smallest system that I build is a 1 kW inverter on the output and 600 watts each of solar and grid charging built in.

GZ has done a great job of providing a low initial system price and then makes their money with add ons.

My approach is that 100% of the components can be purchased on-line by the customer. The batteries are off the shelf, high end, standard size marine batteries selected for the task.

Anyone can build something similar given the desire. It is just a 24 volt based setup using high quality, off the shelf, mostly US made components.

The reason that their battery packs are damaged from use is that the chargers are not set up correctly. This is less trivial to fix than it might initially seem. I spent a lot of effort on this area as did my test engineer.

 

[macheung]

The beauty of the Goal Zero / Jackery and the like is that it is all in one off the shelf ready. One can always build a better, bigger unit for less if they are to hunt for individual components. Actually, what about Jackery? If someone wants a all-in-one off the shelf unit, would the Jackery 1500 or 2000 fit the bill? They have reasonable input charging rates of around 500-600W (Solar or AC). Their battery is smaller at only 1500 - 2000 Wh respectively, their FAQ says they do support pass-though charging, so perhaps it would work better as a "UPS".

 

[DIYSolarLFS]

GadgetNut, can you share a little more about the Xantrex auto transfer switch you are using and how you have it connected? I have the 3000x as well and have been searching for a way to configure a auto transfer switch as well, although I mainly want this for when I leave the house for a week or two.