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EcoFlow Delta Pro - FIVE Units Down. Something's awry here...

scottwstevenson

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EcoFlow Delta Pro - Reliable, Trustworthy?

I posted this is the EcoFlow FB group with minimal constructive input, so I'm turning to the veterans here.

TLDR: I’ve now gone had three EcoFlow Delta Pro units go down (overload errors), all within weeks of entirely normal use (two were not even providing output power when they went down). Wanting feedback os to 1.) Whether these are early unit issues that might have been remedied 2.) Whether there might be something I’m not doing or could be doing, 3.) Whether perhaps I should try to bail on EcoFlow.

—————

I tried make this short, but the story is a bit sordid. I’d like to gather opinions as to what I could do and what I might be doing wrong.

I went all in as a kickstarter backer, picking up 2 x Delta Pro’s, 4 extra batteries, 1 x Smart Generator, 2 x Smart Home Panel (for my RV and my Home), Double voltage hub, 2 x portable 400W solar panels, etc. I wanted to be able to travel with 1 x DP plus 2 batteries (or more) and move between home and RV as needed in the event our power outages.

Within a month of use both of the Delta Pro’s have gone down with overload errors, and EcoFlow has replaced both.

— First unit was sitting at home, plugged in to a wall outlet (resting at 100% charge), no load on it (I was preparing to start integrating to my home breaker box). It popped the breaker in that room and then was deemed in need of replacement. (An overload error)
— Second Unit had the magic smoke issue with Overload Error 105. Sent that one back.

<Crazy debacle trying to get replacement - the post I put on FB previously was deleted by a mod there (CYA) - as one of the returned unit was sent BACK to me, so I had to return that one a second time.>


— Now… one of the replacement units has succumbed to overload error 105 and after an attempt at a long-press reset (firmware is up to date), it won’t stay on, but reverts to standby. This is, from what I understand not fixable. I contacted Customer service <last weekend - see PS update, new unit on the way> - they know me well.

(Also, one of the remotes simply stopped working, and they sent a replacement, no questions asked.)


So, I’ve now had 3 EcoFlow Delta Pro’s go down, popping breakers in my home and producing white smoke. There seems to be no distinct use pattern to the issues as far as I can tell. First one was inside (air conditioned) with zero output. Second (White smoke) was in the RV on a cool morning, no heavy load - it just started smoking. Third was in the RV at maybe 85-90˚F running a ~200W load (fridge and overhead lights) and I turned on my A/C (which requires about 1400W), a scenario I’d gone through dozens and dozens of times without issue. (I always switch the A/C stepwise to minimize power surges to the extent possible.) I’m using the 30A output of course in the RV.

—————

I want to be able to be off-grid and ensure my dogs are safe in my RV (with air conditioning; I will be using a GPS based pet monitoring system) for short periods of time (<2hr), but I’m concerned that:
-I don’t have a reliable system in the EcoFlow Delta Pros. They simply keep falling prey to irreparable error
-The white smoke issue is a scary one, as there could be a fire hazard. Loss of air conditioning with a fire at the same time does not excite me.





When this second unit went down, I was on the road and needed to cut my trip short, as the off-grid form factor was no longer a possibility (b/c I didn’t have a backup unit, rendering my smart batteries essentially useless)


———


Are these issues being addressed, i.e., are the units coming out now having less of these errors?…
Am I just terribly unlucky here?
Should I perhaps try to sell my system? (I don’t want to sell someone something that doesn’t work, of course.)
It’s great that EcoFlow does indeed sent out replacement units as they should, but concerning that this seems to be par for the course, so to speak.




I’d welcome your thoughts…


-Scott


P.S. Three days after messaging support about the 3rd unit to go down, they simply sent me a new unit without any correspondence and then sent me a message a couple days later.
 
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I was going to buy 2 Delta Pro units as an emergency house backup. I'm glad I didn't. Based on all of the complaints I have read and the amount of reconditioned units on the market, I decided they aren't ready for prime time. Their price also seems high for what you get. Good luck figuring out what your issues are.
 
Only guess I've got: is it possible your AC power source is "dirty"? Overvoltage, not a good sine wave, something like that?
Thanks for that, man. It's power coming from the city (not a generator), but I don't know how likely factors in a home might be to blame for something like that. (I would hope the Delta Pro could handle a "dirty" modified sine wave without problem.)

-S
 
I was going to buy 2 Delta Pro units as an emergency house backup. I'm glad I didn't. Based on all of the complaints I have read and the amount of reconditioned units on the market, I decided they aren't ready for prime time. Their price also seems high for what you get. Good luck figuring out what your issues are.
This is partly why I posted this - as a service to others.

I literally just got a email from what I think is a higher up at EcoFlow apologizing for the bizarre customer service (which I didn't go into above - that's a whole other story) and I asked specifically what these issues were / are and what they've done about them. If I get any good info. back, I'll post it up.

The hard part here is that we can't know how representative the posts are from people who have had problems like me vs. the thousands of other users who may have had no problems. It's not at all a good sign, though, that the replacement for a replacement went down with essentially the same issue. (There was not white smoke when the last one went down, but I smelled that "electrical burn" smell.)

The good thing is that they have been decent at getting me a replacement unit, but it does take about a week (for me). The 2nd replacement process was nightmarish, but the 1st and last were fairly seamless.

-S
 
Just out of curiosity I looked up EcoFlow Delta pro. It seems that this is one of those battery power packs. Rather shocking the price listed for the unit. $3,699! This is for a listed 3600wh battery device. As comparison a simple 300amp-hour 12 volt battery is 3,600wh. Or a 150ah 24v battery.

Add in their so called Smart panel to allow home hookup and you are really paying out a lot for a little.

Beware marketing hype.
 
I received a response from EcoFlow about what measures they've taken to fix the issues with units that have gone down. I asked specifically about Overload Error Code 105 and this is the response I got back:

"1. For the DELTA Pro error code issue, actually, we have received such feedback before, and our R&D team reproduced the fault and found a solution. This is a fault caused by the switching of the inverter when the device is in EPS mode. We have released a new firmware version to optimize this issue. It is recommended upgrade the firmware to the latest to solve this problem. "

-Scott
 
I received a response from EcoFlow about what measures they've taken to fix the issues with units that have gone down. I asked specifically about Overload Error Code 105 and this is the response I got back:

"1. For the DELTA Pro error code issue, actually, we have received such feedback before, and our R&D team reproduced the fault and found a solution. This is a fault caused by the switching of the inverter when the device is in EPS mode. We have released a new firmware version to optimize this issue. It is recommended upgrade the firmware to the latest to solve this problem. "

-Scott
Hello Scott, you are defiantly not alone, I also brought 1 Delta Pro + 2 400w solar panels... I run it for a 1 month and last Friday I got a firmware upgrade, well I hit update button and go away, but I was not suspecting that after update complete I got dead unit with error 121 overload. I'm in Ukraine and for me it's really hard to send it to the service center now.

I'm actually don't understand what can happen with unit during upgrade and now it get 121 code overloaded and seems like stuck with this error.

Also for me as programmer it's not clear next:
1. Why units don't have shutdown button, why I can't turn it off?
2. Why I can't do factory reset?
3. Why during upgrade they not turn input/output off if this can damage unit? And why they start upgrade with connected appliance if this can damage unit
4. I see big list of protection that this units have, but seems like it's not enough. And seems like they have not good firmware...

For this money I'm expect to have "brain off" solution.

I'm not sure if it will be now replaced for free as warranty case, so I'm quite pissed off now on this American startup company...

I chatted with support to understand what I can do in place and how to reset it, but seems like it's not technically possible, so looks like software part is quite of garbage. But seems like there no "brain off" solution on marketplace rather then EcoFlow
 
EcoFlow Delta Pro - Reliable, Trustworthy?

I posted this is the EcoFlow FB group with minimal constructive input, so I'm turning to the veterans here.

TLDR: I’ve now gone had three EcoFlow Delta Pro units go down (overload errors), all within weeks of entirely normal use (two were not even providing output power when they went down). Wanting feedback os to 1.) Whether these are early unit issues that might have been remedied 2.) Whether there might be something I’m not doing or could be doing, 3.) Whether perhaps I should try to bail on EcoFlow.

—————

I tried make this short, but the story is a bit sordid. I’d like to gather opinions as to what I could do and what I might be doing wrong.

I went all in as a kickstarter backer, picking up 2 x Delta Pro’s, 4 extra batteries, 1 x Smart Generator, 2 x Smart Home Panel (for my RV and my Home), Double voltage hub, 2 x portable 400W solar panels, etc. I wanted to be able to travel with 1 x DP plus 2 batteries (or more) and move between home and RV as needed in the event our power outages.

Within a month of use both of the Delta Pro’s have gone down with overload errors, and EcoFlow has replaced both.

— First unit was sitting at home, plugged in to a wall outlet (resting at 100% charge), no load on it (I was preparing to start integrating to my home breaker box). It popped the breaker in that room and then was deemed in need of replacement. (An overload error)
— Second Unit had the magic smoke issue with Overload Error 105. Sent that one back.

<Crazy debacle trying to get replacement - the post I put on FB previously was deleted by a mod there (CYA) - as one of the returned unit was sent BACK to me, so I had to return that one a second time.>


— Now… one of the replacement units has succumbed to overload error 105 and after an attempt at a long-press reset (firmware is up to date), it won’t stay on, but reverts to standby. This is, from what I understand not fixable. I contacted Customer service <last weekend - see PS update, new unit on the way> - they know me well.

(Also, one of the remotes simply stopped working, and they sent a replacement, no questions asked.)


So, I’ve now had 3 EcoFlow Delta Pro’s go down, popping breakers in my home and producing white smoke. There seems to be no distinct use pattern to the issues as far as I can tell. First one was inside (air conditioned) with zero output. Second (White smoke) was in the RV on a cool morning, no heavy load - it just started smoking. Third was in the RV at maybe 85-90˚F running a ~200W load (fridge and overhead lights) and I turned on my A/C (which requires about 1400W), a scenario I’d gone through dozens and dozens of times without issue. (I always switch the A/C stepwise to minimize power surges to the extent possible.) I’m using the 30A output of course in the RV.

—————

I want to be able to be off-grid and ensure my dogs are safe in my RV (with air conditioning; I will be using a GPS based pet monitoring system) for short periods of time (<2hr), but I’m concerned that:
-I don’t have a reliable system in the EcoFlow Delta Pros. They simply keep falling prey to irreparable error
-The white smoke issue is a scary one, as there could be a fire hazard. Loss of air conditioning with a fire at the same time does not excite me.





When this second unit went down, I was on the road and needed to cut my trip short, as the off-grid form factor was no longer a possibility (b/c I didn’t have a backup unit, rendering my smart batteries essentially useless)


———


Are these issues being addressed, i.e., are the units coming out now having less of these errors?…
Am I just terribly unlucky here?
Should I perhaps try to sell my system? (I don’t want to sell someone something that doesn’t work, of course.)
It’s great that EcoFlow does indeed sent out replacement units as they should, but concerning that this seems to be par for the course, so to speak.




I’d welcome your thoughts…


-Scott


P.S. Three days after messaging support about the 3rd unit to go down, they simply sent me a new unit without any correspondence and then sent me a message a couple days later.
I've just posted here https://diysolarforum.com/threads/exploding-delta-pros.44387/ about my exploding Delta Pros. Perhaps admin would like to link the two stories? Sorry but I hadn't found another magic smoke report when I posted.

George
 
Hello Scott, you are defiantly not alone, I also brought 1 Delta Pro + 2 400w solar panels... I run it for a 1 month and last Friday I got a firmware upgrade, well I hit update button and go away, but I was not suspecting that after update complete I got dead unit with error 121 overload. I'm in Ukraine and for me it's really hard to send it to the service center now.

I'm actually don't understand what can happen with unit during upgrade and now it get 121 code overloaded and seems like stuck with this error.

Also for me as programmer it's not clear next:
1. Why units don't have shutdown button, why I can't turn it off?
2. Why I can't do factory reset?
3. Why during upgrade they not turn input/output off if this can damage unit? And why they start upgrade with connected appliance if this can damage unit
4. I see big list of protection that this units have, but seems like it's not enough. And seems like they have not good firmware...

For this money I'm expect to have "brain off" solution.

I'm not sure if it will be now replaced for free as warranty case, so I'm quite pissed off now on this American startup company...

I chatted with support to understand what I can do in place and how to reset it, but seems like it's not technically possible, so looks like software part is quite of garbage. But seems like there no "brain off" solution on marketplace rather then EcoFlow
Hronom,

Your issue is new in that you actually got an error after doing a firmware update, which was supposed to fix previously known errors... Wow.

Yes, there seems to be something very basic that was malfunctioning with the units that I received as well as one of the replacements. I wonder if the distribution schedule was such that you might have received some of the early production units (as I did) and that may explain your issues(?).

The good thing is, I suspect, that they will very likely honor a return in your case, so I imagine you will get a new unit. This doesn't excuse they issues, but is better than getting the runaround from customer service.

You will very likely need to send them a video of your unit (showing the lack / dysfunction) and, if it's done for the Ukraine as it is here, they'll send you a mailing slip and ask you to use your original packaging to send the unit back. All of my returns were picked up at my house, so I didn't have to take anything to shipping center.

The last replacement I got looked like it had been sent back and forth MANY times and was packaged poorly: The was NO tape to seal the flaps of the box and only two straps to keep the box from opening up. Both the top and bottom were untaped / not sealed. I had to shore the box up with a good bit of duct tape to ensure a safe return of the damaged unit.

Thanks for the post, and I'm sorry you're experiencing this.

-S
 
I've just posted here https://diysolarforum.com/threads/exploding-delta-pros.44387/ about my exploding Delta Pros. Perhaps admin would like to link the two stories? Sorry but I hadn't found another magic smoke report when I posted.

George
George,

Thanks for that - reading now. [Maybe better to leave as separate threads (?) to increase the number of hits for folks looking for answers / others in the same situation.]

-Scott
 
Update:

4th Unit is now down with symptoms similar to what I've experiences previously. (Overload Error 105 and 303, unit simply shuts itself down after attempts to turn it on, etc.) The load on this unit was <200W.

The units seem to last about 2-3 months (with minimal use at this point before they essentially self-destruct.)

Waiting to hear back from my good friends at Ecoflow.

-S
 
I appreciate the updates, sorry to hear you're having such bad luck with the ecoflow.

When I was considering solar generators, before deciding on the diy route, it was between the Bluetti ac300 and ecoflow delta pro. Still might pick up a solgen as a backup to the main system, but it definitely won't be an ecoflow after reading about so many people having issues with them.
 
Yikes!
That is kind of odd since @Will Prowse has had a system running for several months and has not had any issues and yet you have gone through four of them in roughly the same time period.

Yes, I'm not sure what's going on here. This unit was hooked up to 400W of solar, two "smart batteries" and external power (15A circuit). It was running a fridge and occasionally a light in the RV I'm building out.

It gets warm in there, but since I last checked on it (working) and when I found it not working, the temperature wasn't about 100˚F. (I was in the RV without A/C yesterday for a couple hours. Sweaty, but tolerable.)

-S
 
I appreciate the updates, sorry to hear you're having such bad luck with the ecoflow.

When I was considering solar generators, before deciding on the diy route, it was between the Bluetti ac300 and ecoflow delta pro. Still might pick up a solgen as a backup to the main system, but it definitely won't be an ecoflow after reading about so many people having issues with them.

Absolutely and thanks for the condolences!

I'm strongly considering getting this replacement unit and then selling the whole shebang (two Delta Pro's, 4 smart batteries, portable solar panels I might keep, etc.), at a loss, and letting folks know of my issues.

I've considered that something on my end could be the cause of this, and would gladly even just run the air conditioner in my RV if needed. (It's cooler in the last few weeks now here in Florida.) This simply isn't a system I can rely on. I would like to once again travel with the full complement of batteries, but really can't imagine that the system won't go down again.

It's amazing that a company like EcoFlow can't figure this out, TBH.

-S
 
Hi Scott,

Mine are all upgraded to firmware v 1.0.0.96 and appear to be stable although I must admit that now, after two bad experiences and the hassle of having to return them, I don't use them as planned. I had intended them to be in use 24/7 but now I'm afraid, yes, AFRAID to trust these very expensive and hugely unreliable monsters. Now I only use them as "backup, fully charged units". I see there's yet another FW update for the wifi/bluetooth but TBH I'm very hesitant to even try it as the last wifi update left me unable to connect for several hours.
Quite honestly, I'm somewhat old school and can't be convinced that every issue with gear today can be put right with a firmware update. Sooner or later (preferably sooner) Ecoflow are going to have to do someting positive or face the risk of their brand name going down the toilet.
A good friend of mine was wanting some decent capacity portable power but after my experiences with exploding units he went Bluetti. Could I recommend the Delta Pro to him? Not on your life mate! I value our friendship. In fact, if I had my time again or my money back I'd go Bluetti EP500 Pro.

George
 
Hi Scott,

Mine are all upgraded to firmware v 1.0.0.96 and appear to be stable although I must admit that now, after two bad experiences and the hassle of having to return them, I don't use them as planned. I had intended them to be in use 24/7 but now I'm afraid, yes, AFRAID to trust these very expensive and hugely unreliable monsters. Now I only use them as "backup, fully charged units". I see there's yet another FW update for the wifi/bluetooth but TBH I'm very hesitant to even try it as the last wifi update left me unable to connect for several hours.
Quite honestly, I'm somewhat old school and can't be convinced that every issue with gear today can be put right with a firmware update. Sooner or later (preferably sooner) Ecoflow are going to have to do someting positive or face the risk of their brand name going down the toilet.
A good friend of mine was wanting some decent capacity portable power but after my experiences with exploding units he went Bluetti. Could I recommend the Delta Pro to him? Not on your life mate! I value our friendship. In fact, if I had my time again or my money back I'd go Bluetti EP500 Pro.

George
Hey George,

Yes, I went with EcoFlow based on what I felt was a decent reputation and that I didn't expect that this could happen.
Ironically, I was told in the email exchange related to the third unit that went down that they'd fixed the error 105 issue with firmware. I'm left in a position where TBH, I'm just trying make the best of what I have in my situation, as are you, of course.

I was hoping I could move the EcoFlow Delta Pro's from my camper to my house as needed in the event of power loss, but I'm not sure I can count on them just for that purpose. (One of the units went down simply sitting in my air conditioned house, without an external load.)

I very likely will just go with something overpriced but with good support like a Tesla layout for my house (I'm in FL) and buy a large battery bank to go with the MPPT and inverter I already have from another project. (Those latter two are Renogy, though, and I'd not be surprised if both of those units aren't working... LOL Renogy's customer service is even worse than EcoFlow, IME...)

Nope, I'd not recommend these units from EcoFlow to anyone generally, which is the only reason why I've not sold them already, as I don't want to pass along a crappy product.

(Funny anecdote - Somewhere along the line, Ecoflow sent me a gift box for all of my trouble, incudling an absolutely bizarre customer service experience. As with most of my correspondence, there wer selective responses and I never got an answer as to what I was being sent as "gift." What arrived appeared to an EcoFlow River Pro - per the box. I have no need for such, as I've already got two smaller units, so I didn't open the box. I'm in FL - last week before Hurricane Ian arrived, I figured I'd pull out the River Pro as a backup for my CPAP, etc. I'll charge it up and put it to use!. Well, I opened the box and it contained an EcoFlow blanket, a EcoFlow shopping bag(?) and a rechargeable camping lantern (with USB). I thought it apropos that the packaging (Box for River Pro) suggested I was getting something completely different that what I actually received and could actually use. ;) )

-Scott
 
Well, I guess it's not surprising....

Another unit down. Overload Error 105 again. No smoke, just shut down and now the unit won't even turn on. It turns on, blinks off and then on again and then shuts itself down. (This was the behavior of one of the previous units that went down, too.)

So now, after a weeks wait for support to get back to me (week long holiday in China) I'm waiting on the 4th replacement (supposedly on the way) and now a 5th one.

It was 89˚F in the box truck when the unit went down. (It did run a ~1700W load - via the 30A outlet - for 3-4 min before deciding it had had enough...)

So, now a total of 5 units down. (I had the sense that one of these last units sent to me was refurbished / previously used, given a few scuff's on the encasing. Also, they are not sending replacement units to me in boxes that look like they have been back n' forth a few times. The last one sent to me was too torn up to send the "bad" unit back in.

I'll be looking for something to replace this EcoFlow setup and will be selling it (when I have working units) at a giant 'discount."

I've got a Renogy 60Amp MPPT and 3000W inverter that seem to work, so I will shopping for a large battery bank (on the order of 20kWh), if anyone has any suggestion (for a box truck RV with 1400W solar on the roof).

-Scott

P.S. FWIW, the Ecoflow smart batteries all seem to have worked just fine, although they've not been tested much d/t the Delta Pro's not lasting terribly long. This last Delta Pro managed less than 5hr use, I think. They are getting worse, rather than better.)
 
Well, I guess it's not surprising....

Another unit down. Overload Error 105 again. No smoke, just shut down and now the unit won't even turn on. It turns on, blinks off and then on again and then shuts itself down. (This was the behavior of one of the previous units that went down, too.)

So now, after a weeks wait for support to get back to me (week long holiday in China) I'm waiting on the 4th replacement (supposedly on the way) and now a 5th one.

It was 89˚F in the box truck when the unit went down. (It did run a ~1700W load - via the 30A outlet - for 3-4 min before deciding it had had enough...)

So, now a total of 5 units down. (I had the sense that one of these last units sent to me was refurbished / previously used, given a few scuff's on the encasing. Also, they are not sending replacement units to me in boxes that look like they have been back n' forth a few times. The last one sent to me was too torn up to send the "bad" unit back in.

I'll be looking for something to replace this EcoFlow setup and will be selling it (when I have working units) at a giant 'discount."

I've got a Renogy 60Amp MPPT and 3000W inverter that seem to work, so I will shopping for a large battery bank (on the order of 20kWh), if anyone has any suggestion (for a box truck RV with 1400W solar on the roof).

-Scott

P.S. FWIW, the Ecoflow smart batteries all seem to have worked just fine, although they've not been tested much d/t the Delta Pro's not lasting terribly long. This last Delta Pro managed less than 5hr use, I think. They are getting worse, rather than better.)
I would be shocked if they sent you another unit. This is the point where most companies Pro Rate the ownership time and offer you a refund on the purchase price. I honestly think that this is a problem on your end, it might just be something in the loads that these Inverters don't tolerate well.
Overall If these Inverters where that unreliable the company would have been out of business ages ago.
 
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