EB240 / Condo emergency backup

[acdcbon]

Hello- Newbie here- thank you to anyone here who can answer my questions!

I have been scoping out the Bluetti EB240 to keep in my condo as an emergency backup for if the power goes out. Not for daily use, just for in case the power goes out for a long time. Backup travel/portable air conditioner or fan, and the full size refrigerator are my main focus to keep running in our household.

(refrigerator specs: Energystar 115VAC/60HZ, Amps 7.10, 403kWh estimated yearly electrical use, 3 prong)

I have 2 small balconies on opposites sides of my house with limited space for charging solar panels. I prefer to not have to use solar panels, and rather charge from the wall socket. I don’t want to really advertise to my neighbors that I have solar power in my home. Ultimately, I prefer to keep the battery charged from the wall socket.

My questions are-

Does the Eb240 arrive fully charged from the manufacturer?

Will charging the eb240 only to keep the battery power levels up in case of emergency use from a wall charger be costly on my energy bill?

And what is the least amount of portable (fold-up kind) of solar panels I can get away with using?

Can you charge up the eb240 battery with another eb240 or smaller unit? I may get 2 units, although, I may get a smaller capacity unit that would’ve easier to charge.

Hoping someone can clarify these for me. I am on the fence to purchase. I appreciate any reccomendations! Thanks so much!

 

[Forbisher]

Why dont you want your neighbors to know you have solar power?
Buy the AC200 which will run an air conditioner instead of the EB240
In an extended power outage not having enough panels will make your EB240 worthless.

 

[acdcbon]

Thanks for your reply!

Well eventually I would have to use the solar panels to charge up of course, but I don’t intend on having a big set up of solar panels on display on a regular basis if I can. Don’t like showing off preps in general, safety.

Will an AC200 run a full size refrigerator?

 

[svetz]

Welcome to the forums!

You might like this thread: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/help-please-miami-condo-hurricane-prep.8470/
It has pretty much everything about everything with a condo setup, plus a ton of alternatives, it wanders a bit, but there's a lot of math examples in there too.

If nothing else it'll let you know what to tell us for your next round of questions.

 

[Forbisher]

Thanks for your reply!

Well eventually I would have to use the solar panels to charge up of course, but I don’t intend on having a big set up of solar panels on display on a regular basis if I can. Don’t like showing off preps in general, safety.

Will an AC200 run a full size refrigerator?

A refrigerator is no problem.
AC 200 will run a small air conditioner which is a large load.
Until there is a power outage there would be no need to have panels in the sun aside from testing.
1700 watt hour battery so costs nothing to charge and holds the charge for months.
The AC200 is bigger than the EB240 but at $1200 right now is a deal.
AC200 charges fast.
They both need at least 4 panels to charge fast. Flexible panels are expensive.

 

[acdcbon]

I do like the features of the AC200 lots- but I see they are not available until September and I’m most concerned about the heated months coming up here the rest of the summer. I am caring for a senior, and loss of air conditioned cool for any amount is risky....so something already on the market available to buy is what I need to get ASAP. The Ecoflow Delta 1300 seems to charge from the wall in 2 hours....any opinions on this battery vs EB240 for my scenario? Thanks so much for the replies!

 

[Forbisher]

I do like the features of the AC200 lots- but I see they are not available until September and I’m most concerned about the heated months coming up here the rest of the summer. I am caring for a senior, and loss of air conditioned cool for any amount is risky....so something already on the market available to buy is what I need to get

I think the AC 200 is the only one that can run an air conditioner.
An EB240 can not.
An AC200 can only run a small 5000btu air conditioner full blast for 3 hours.
Longer running if not cooling continuously but then how are you going to charge the 1700 watt battery?
You will need 600 to 700 watts of panels and 5 hours of good sun.
With sun shining on 700 watts of panels you can run an air conditioner without using the battery.
The $3000 base Titan can do it but that does not include panels and they are on backorder.
Air conditioning is not easy or cheap using solar and batteries.
And if you order an AC200 now you will not get it in Sept. I am buyer # 208? and may not get it until Oct.