Setting Up BLUETTI AC500 + B300S for Cafe Emergency Backup: Seeking Advice on Handling High Load

[Zack han]

Hi everyone,

I’m in the process of setting up a BLUETTI AC500 + B300S home battery backup system for my cafe, primarily to provide emergency backup power for around 20-30 minutes. However, I’m facing uncertainty regarding the power consumption of my walk-in fridge and other appliances during an outage.

The main concern is the load pulling from the walk-in fridge, and I’m unsure about its estimated kWh consumption. This uncertainty makes it challenging to determine whether two units with split-phase capability would be sufficient to handle the load efficiently for the desired duration of 15-20 minutes during an emergency outage.

I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions or advice on how to approach this situation. Specifically, I’m interested in hearing about experiences with similar setups, recommendations on estimating the power consumption of the walk-in fridge, and insights into whether using two units with split-phase capability would be a viable solution.

Your expertise and insights would be immensely valuable in helping me ensure that my cafe’s emergency backup system is reliable and capable of handling the necessary load during power outages. Please feel free to ask if you need any additional information to provide more targeted advice.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

 

[12VoltInstalls]

This uncertainty makes it challenging to determine whether two units with split-phase capability would be sufficient to handle the load efficiently for the desired duration of 15-20 minutes during an emergency outage

You can buy inexpensive CT Wh/kWh meters to record the daily Ah that the compressors consume. Then you can assess this, and perhaps understand whatever start-up amps are.

insights into whether using two units with split-phase capability would be a viable solution

For the money I do not think these units make sense. You can get more battery ‘punch’ with separate batteries, for one.
For another, an AIO system would be logistically simpler and “always on” with their millisecond transfer times.

At that point you are approaching the cost of the bughetthi units, but with MUCH more capacity for both time and load. So you add some some solar panels which are incredibly inexpensive these days and you can reduce your monthly electricity bill constantly which won’t be huge dollars BUT will have both an ROI date and will turn the expense of merely providing backup (which you write off anyway) into a continually available profit. Since the blugatti units are an expense of a known number, any dollars saved (once dollars spent on panels are recouped) are 100% profit. That doesn’t negate the fact that utility power is most likely cheaper than solar kWh, it just changes how the expense is paid over time with an eventual return.