I wanted to provide a relatively long term daily use update of the Point Zero Titan 1.0 solar generator which has been in constant use at our fishing cabin. The original purchase was made in 04/25/2020 and the generator and batteries were delivered 08/31/2020. COVID and supply chain problems extended delay times considerably but communication was pretty good through the whole process. We purchased through PoweredPortaleSolar.com and Ben did a good jo dealing with my persistent emails, lol.
Our original setup included the Titan as well as 2 of the expansion batteries so we could maximize the AC inverter output capacity to the full 3000w which essentially matches our gas generator capacity. I also installed an automatic transfer switch to make the whole process of switching from gas generator to solar generator as foolproof and seamless as possible and so far it has worked perfectly.
Below I have outlined the pros and cons of the current Titan 1.0 model and how it has worked for us. Overall, we absolutely love it!
Titan Pros:
1. This thing is a beast! AC inverter output is 3000w continuous with a very good 6000w peak output. With our current two battery setup it has almost the exact same output capacity as our 3500w Predator gas generator so there really isn't anything we cannot run since everything in the cabin is 120v. This makes it supper easy for visitors to the cabin since there isn't anything we need to limit with regards to output.
2. Other than an initial AC inverter output issue we have had nothing but steady performance from the Titan. It runs 24/7/365. Warranty service was quick and easy for us!
3. Super rugged construction. We leave it in a semi-permanent install in our cabin and only take it back home if there is a large tropical storm. It has survived a few trips back and forth with no issues. Even though it is located inside the cabin this is a high salt environment and no issues from that at all.
4. Capacity is good with 2 batteries. We have only had them fully discharge a few times during winter when we had 3-4 days in a row of cloud cover or if someone forgets and leaves a high energy utility on like the 12kw mini-split air conditioner or water heater.
5. With the 1500w of solar input we are completely charged back to 100% by 2-3pm on a cloudy day and usually by noon or earlier on a sunny. I may work to optimize solar panel angles but we haven't really had any issues and they are mostly flat maybe at a 5 degree tilt.
6. Capacity is excellent with two of the 24V 74ah expansion batteries. Looking to minimize our gas generator usage and will be adding 2 more expansion batteries soon.
7. Very low standby energy consumption. With no load the AC inverter uses about 12-15w. Since the unit is on 24/7/365 this is important for us.
8. Customer service and warranty work has been phenomenal from Point Zero. I just sent an email out Saturday about our wall charger regularly blowing the fuse and a replacement charger was sent out Monday!
Titan Cons:
1. This is obviously not a very portable setup but the ability to separate the components does help with occasional transfer that takes place
2. The cooling fans do get loud during heavy loads. They also cycles on and off so I don't think it is something that would be very easy to place in a bedroom unless utilization was light.
3. We did initially have a weird low load power fluctuation issue with the AC inverter output and finally the AC inverter went out entirely. This was repaired under warranty without any issues from Point Zero energy and at no cost to us at all. Since the repair it has been rock steady and there is no more fluctuations in the AC output at lower loads. Also the LED light flicker has resolved since the AC inverter repair.
4. The original wall charger has had an issue with blowing fuses regularly. This is being replaced under warranty at this time.
5. There are no smart features for remote monitoring or limiting battery discharge. The Titan 2.0 seems to solve a lot of the "smart" feature wants for my use case scenario but the extremely slow rollout of the Titan 2.0 has kept us from pulling the trigger on a new unit. We have just decided to expand our current battery capacity to 4x of the 2000w batteries which should give us more than adequate battery capacity to not have to worry about setting discharge limits.
6. If the batteries do discharge to 0% and the inverter shuts off the system has to be manually reset and the batteries must be recharged either with the wall charger or 12V solar panels which is very hard for me to explain the process to guests of the cabin.
7. Obviously this is a relatively expensive solution but it's so robust and effective the value for us is in the support and out of the box functionality!
8. Lead time from purchase to delivery was very long partially because of COVID and supply chain issues and also they are a smaller company but for us the wait was worth it.
Overall I can recommend the Titan solar generator 100% for anyone interested in a very effective all in one unit which has provided excellent customer support for me when needed. If you can wait for a few months post purchase I do not think you will be disappointed.
Here is a link to my show and tell thread which I detail our remote fishing cabin solar application: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/fishing-cabin-solar-install-1-0-titan-solar-generator.12366/
Our original setup included the Titan as well as 2 of the expansion batteries so we could maximize the AC inverter output capacity to the full 3000w which essentially matches our gas generator capacity. I also installed an automatic transfer switch to make the whole process of switching from gas generator to solar generator as foolproof and seamless as possible and so far it has worked perfectly.
Below I have outlined the pros and cons of the current Titan 1.0 model and how it has worked for us. Overall, we absolutely love it!
Titan Pros:
1. This thing is a beast! AC inverter output is 3000w continuous with a very good 6000w peak output. With our current two battery setup it has almost the exact same output capacity as our 3500w Predator gas generator so there really isn't anything we cannot run since everything in the cabin is 120v. This makes it supper easy for visitors to the cabin since there isn't anything we need to limit with regards to output.
2. Other than an initial AC inverter output issue we have had nothing but steady performance from the Titan. It runs 24/7/365. Warranty service was quick and easy for us!
3. Super rugged construction. We leave it in a semi-permanent install in our cabin and only take it back home if there is a large tropical storm. It has survived a few trips back and forth with no issues. Even though it is located inside the cabin this is a high salt environment and no issues from that at all.
4. Capacity is good with 2 batteries. We have only had them fully discharge a few times during winter when we had 3-4 days in a row of cloud cover or if someone forgets and leaves a high energy utility on like the 12kw mini-split air conditioner or water heater.
5. With the 1500w of solar input we are completely charged back to 100% by 2-3pm on a cloudy day and usually by noon or earlier on a sunny. I may work to optimize solar panel angles but we haven't really had any issues and they are mostly flat maybe at a 5 degree tilt.
6. Capacity is excellent with two of the 24V 74ah expansion batteries. Looking to minimize our gas generator usage and will be adding 2 more expansion batteries soon.
7. Very low standby energy consumption. With no load the AC inverter uses about 12-15w. Since the unit is on 24/7/365 this is important for us.
8. Customer service and warranty work has been phenomenal from Point Zero. I just sent an email out Saturday about our wall charger regularly blowing the fuse and a replacement charger was sent out Monday!
Titan Cons:
1. This is obviously not a very portable setup but the ability to separate the components does help with occasional transfer that takes place
2. The cooling fans do get loud during heavy loads. They also cycles on and off so I don't think it is something that would be very easy to place in a bedroom unless utilization was light.
3. We did initially have a weird low load power fluctuation issue with the AC inverter output and finally the AC inverter went out entirely. This was repaired under warranty without any issues from Point Zero energy and at no cost to us at all. Since the repair it has been rock steady and there is no more fluctuations in the AC output at lower loads. Also the LED light flicker has resolved since the AC inverter repair.
4. The original wall charger has had an issue with blowing fuses regularly. This is being replaced under warranty at this time.
5. There are no smart features for remote monitoring or limiting battery discharge. The Titan 2.0 seems to solve a lot of the "smart" feature wants for my use case scenario but the extremely slow rollout of the Titan 2.0 has kept us from pulling the trigger on a new unit. We have just decided to expand our current battery capacity to 4x of the 2000w batteries which should give us more than adequate battery capacity to not have to worry about setting discharge limits.
6. If the batteries do discharge to 0% and the inverter shuts off the system has to be manually reset and the batteries must be recharged either with the wall charger or 12V solar panels which is very hard for me to explain the process to guests of the cabin.
7. Obviously this is a relatively expensive solution but it's so robust and effective the value for us is in the support and out of the box functionality!
8. Lead time from purchase to delivery was very long partially because of COVID and supply chain issues and also they are a smaller company but for us the wait was worth it.
Overall I can recommend the Titan solar generator 100% for anyone interested in a very effective all in one unit which has provided excellent customer support for me when needed. If you can wait for a few months post purchase I do not think you will be disappointed.
Here is a link to my show and tell thread which I detail our remote fishing cabin solar application: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/fishing-cabin-solar-install-1-0-titan-solar-generator.12366/
