Great recommendation for a portable power station! The Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series sounds like an excellent choice for outdoor enthusiasts and RV lovers. With its massive capacity, powerful output, and waterproof technology, it's perfect for camping trips or as a backup power solution for your home. Plus, the smart app control feature adds convenience and control. Definitely worth checking out!
You can take the hot from the EcoFlow and feed both phases at once. Just need to leave the 240 V breakers off. I did this during a power outage last Fall with my Delta Pro.
Yup, this. You don't need to pick; just wire both legs together. I am thinking you don't even need to flip your 240V breakers off because those loads will effectively receive zero volts because the two 120V legs are the same circuit. There might be some odd behavior if some of the controller/digital parts run at 120V (on for example a clothes dryer).
@@thesmallterror 240v breakers do not feed off the same bus bar. One leg of the breaker plugs into one bus bar and the other leg of the breaker plugs into the other bus bar. You cannot feed both bus bars with the same 120v source. The two phases cannot be in phase with each other. 240v electric motors need offset phases to work.
Exactly what I use with my little Honda inverter generator. The X and Y leads are connected in parallel in my custom cable. Currently works great for every 120V outlet, and with no additional house wiring someday will operate the electric range and air conditioner once I purchase a 240VAC-capable generator
@@RCinginSC You misunderstand. This non-standard generator cable connects the two bus bars together, and supplies the same 120V to both bus bars. You CAN absolutely feed both bus bars from the same 120V source, the question is what would happen if you did. All 120V loads would be powered inside the house, but the 240V loads will not operate because there is no voltage difference between the two legs. They also won't be damaged because, from the perspective of the 240V dryer/range receptacle, there is zero volts leg-to-leg and the 120V waves are in phase instead of inverted 180 degrees.
Watched some videos where people used off-the-shelf cords/adapters to plug the Delta right into the generator input, so I was super confused about why you were going through all the effort to build that switch. Then you explained it lets you switch between the two phases, and I was like OH! Clever :)
Makes no sense to build what he did in the video when you can feed both phases with a simple Parkworld 885446 NEMA TT-30P to L14-30R adaptor off Amazon. Way cheaper and much easier.
I just got through almost 4 days of no power in Michigan from the recent freezing rain that took out 700,000+ peoples power in MI alone. Main thing I used was this EcoFlow Delta Pro, also had an Anker 1.2kWh battery. Ecoflow was for furnace, internet (when I still had it briefly...), sump pump. Anker was for refrigerators intermittently and TV for a bit. Worked well enough but I did it all with extension cords. I may go with another battery + the Smart Home Panel but I'm not dead set on it yet. This was a great battery to get me through this though and have heat the whole time. I charged it at work, took just over 2 hours to go from 0 to 100.
Power is very important. Of course, lifepo4 battery is perfect for long life span, but ecoflow i think is a little expensive, so i will choose another brand.
For about $19 you can get a TT30P plug to a L14-30R outlet. Then you would not need a switch to create 120 on each leg. Now you can not use any 240 V items in your house, but you can get all 120 V items working in your panel
Great idea. I thought about making a 110V-only Sub-panel and a 220V main panel. The EcoFlow would power the 110V Sub-panel and I do not have to switch off the 220V breakers. Is the feasible?
@@Tykoon If your sub panel is isolated like my Reliant Gen Transfer switch, then powering the 120 V items can work with the Eco Flow delta pro unit. I can power the 120 v items needed during an emergency with my Firman W03382(120V inverter 3600W). When the delta pro ultra unit came out, I modified my design. I ran the 10/4 gen cable to my electrical panel and terminated in a L14-30 outlet. I added a L14-30 Plug to 10/4 cable attached that to the Reliant gen transfer switch. So the system is set up with one extra plug and outlet. But by using a plug and outlet design to the system, I could add a Delta pro ultra unit with 240 outlet in my basement and by adding a Gen interlock to the main panel I could power the 240v items when needed(electric stove, or AC, if needed). The important part is that the Delta Pro Ultra can be charged with 120(from Firman) and still power things with 240, so that may be my ultimate plan. But I am not sure yet. It has been a while since I had a power outage. So far, the Firman can keep the fridge/freezer cold and keep the main furnace running (Water is supplied by the town.). The only issue is cooking, but our option is the Coleman camp stove.
A key benefit of having a battery bank is that you can keep up with your home needs for a period of hours that you don't run your generator. Then you can run your generator (inverter style is best so you don't damage the EcoFlow electronics) for an interval of time to recharge the battery bank. Without the batteries, you would be consuming your propane or gasoline supplies whether or not your home needed all the generator's power at a given time. The battery smoothes this out and only uses what you need, then when you recharge it by generator, you only run your generator for an hour or two. Plus, the EcoFlow can put out significant power at 3,600 watts. You could refill it with a small generator putting out just 1,800 watts, like a Honda EU2200. If you had a natural gas line to feed your generator, I would be less concerned because we assume fuel will keep flowing. But if I am watching propane and gasoline supplies run down, it would be good to be efficient. Yes, there would be some DC-to-AC and AC-to-DC loss, which is why EcoFlow sells a generator which can recharge directly with DC and runs on propane or gas. Also, you might find that neighbors are more annoyed with a generator running all night, whereas in the daytime it may be less of an issue. The battery bank would allow you to space out your generator runs, and allow you to restore service for the first couple of hours while staying inside the house. As for the solar input, that EcoFlow Delta would accommodate 3 of those 400W panels in series, which would be enough to fill it during one sunny day. I wouldn't stop at just one panel. The biggest downside is the cost, but there is something special about the role it can play in adding options to your power backups. If it fails, just take it out of service and connect the traditional generator to the inlet again.
Agreed. My plan is to run the gasoline powered generator during the day, and then wheel it back in the garage at night, when I'll use the solar generator. No risk of the gasoline generator getting stolen in the dark.
@@HydraulicDesign A permanent standby generator costs over $10k in my area. One of these plus my 4500 watt gasoline generator, which cost me $700, comes in at well less than half the cost of a standby generator. Sure, the standby generator is much more convenient, but I can't justify the price difference.
I bought a 110 volt yellow suicide cable. Can I plug this straight to any outlets after turning off the main ? Let's say just to light up a specific part of the house during power outages ?
They have an adaptor wire for this. It has a jumper built in so it sends power to both phases. You just turn off the 240v brakers you have in your panel, (water heater, dryer. A/C, Heat pump, etc)
@@t.d.harris1311hey! I’m looking at the same thing. I want to run my split phase panel off of one delta pro. Would I damage anything doing that? I only have 120v breakers in my panel and all my devises are 120v. I just simply need pith sides of the panel to work. Im just worried I’d damage something. Pretty much how it works in theory would be like marretting the single 120v 30amp hot to two 120v 30amp hots to deliver 120v 30amp to both sides of the panel right?
So, I have a 240v non inverter generator, a transfer switch, an Ecoflow, and I also have a small inverter generator which of course is 120 volt. This seems obvious, but if you have an adapter you could use it for the Ecoflow or the inverter generator, right? Because they are both 120 volt one phase. BUT, the adapter in the comment has a male TT 30 plug. Whereas the Ecoflow has just standard two bladed receptacles like house ones. The inverter generator has them and an L5-30P, three rectangular blades. So it seems with an inverter with a L5-30P you could just use an adapter L530 to L14-40P (the 4 bladed 204 v)
I've been looking into these I'm a usmc veteran who's basically on the verge of homelessness. So I'm doing my research while I still can so I can have me some power when the inevitable happens. Thank you for the info.
Very useful for powering home using 240 VAC 2 phase with 120 VAC single phase. I lived at one time in an area which had storms that would knock out power grid for hours/days. Don't exactly know how illegal it is, but I (coming from a background in electrical) figured out how to power 120 VAC to both phases in home by simply making sure you switched all 240 AC breakers off in your breaker panel, such as Electric Water Heater, Clothes Dryer, Electric Furnace, etc. By doing this you could feed all the 120 VAC appliances at the same time no matter which phase it was on. Just had to make sure all 240 AC breakers were switched off. I had wood burning stove for emergency heat, so heat wasn't an issue. All other 120 VAC plugs, lamps and appliances operated just fine, just caution had to be used for obvious safety reasons, and you stayed within the power rating of your 120 VAC generator. Not recommended for someone who doesn't understand electricity. In other words. Should only be done by experienced electrician or someone who is at least has good electrical common sense.
So both sides of the panel work? In theory is it similar to taking 1 120v 30amp hot and marretting it to 2 120v 30amp hots to power each 120v side of the panel? As long as you have no 240v breakers and no 240v appliances it should be exactly the same as running two 120v hots from a 240v 30amp generator right? You just don’t actually have the potential though of operating anything at 240v’s…
@@blackridgeproductions2738 you also make sure you don’t have any shared neutral circuits in addition to actual 240V loads. In a shared neutral condition, this will double the neutral current and potentially melt the wire.
I have a few powerful solar generators, but I could watch this video 100x and still wouldn't be able to hook this up. I am so grateful for the perfect mate for me who does know how to do this stuff🙏🏽
I was thinking of the same setup but with the ability to have a plug inside the house and outside the house. The outside can run with the gas generator in the event the battery does not work or that I need to recharge it. The inside outlet would be used for the eco battery. Essentially you would have a switch to determine which outlet you want to use. I really like your setup. Thanks for sharing!
Just wire the same 120v to both phases. The 240v won't run because they'll see 0v instead of 240v. Then you can just use the load switches or breakers to power or not the critical loads.
@@chrisE815 Good point. That is a concern, but only if your 120v source is capable of sustaining more than 20 amps. And if 12ga wiring, it will support 30amp for a long time but some connections will exceed 60C and quite possibly exceed 75C. 30 amp is the maximum sustainable by the delta pro in this video. How many shared neutral circuits will be drawing 15 to 20 amps on both legs for a sustained time while nothing else is drawing any power?
@@Sylvan_dB I agree that during a power outage it wouldn't be likely but if your kitchen is fed by a multiwire branch circuit, I could definitely foresee someone running two high amp draw appliances in the kitchen at once and putting a lot of amperage on the neutral wire. Hopefully not enough to cause an issue, but best to be identified ahead of time and avoid. I'm willing to bet most issues with shared neutrals on the same leg occur after a long period of time overloading the neutral wire.
I did something similar. 5kwh battery and 3kw inverter on a hand cart, output of inverter into a small panel box with a main breaker feeding two 16 amp breakers, a hot coming to each hot of the 50 amp plug. The sub panel this powers consists of solely single pole breakers (gas furnace, water softener, all house 120v).
Very helpful and practical video! I have a portable 10,000 watt gas Generac. I bought this EcoFlow for backup in case of a breakdown; and it runs things at night so you can sleep and not bug your neighbor with a gas engine running all night. Very nice setup. I am going with this setup with the Ecoflow.
Just get a dual fuel generator, get a NG adapter if you have it, wire it directly to your electrical panel with an interlock and you can run critical circuits with all three fuel types. It’s what I did and works great👍
A bit late, but (always) use cable ferrules when clamping stranded wire. Especially with such high loads. It also makes the installment much easier. Small investment for set of ferrules and tool. Nice video!
Excellent point. When terminating stranded wire, ferrules are a must. Same thing goes for terminating stranded wire to the screw terminals on the 3-way switch where you would use crimp on spade wire connectors.
I have one, it is setup in my living room, we heat with wood pellets and I have it setup as a pass through or ups. Everything in that corner of the living room is plugged into it including the pellet stove. It ensures that any power interruption will keep the stove going, I also use it when camping and I run things like pa or sound systems from it at outdoor events. I have not yet setup any solar with it but that is my next step
I think one thing to be careful of here is the ability to now overload a shared neutral wire since you now have 2 120v legs that are not being delivered out of phase the way grid power would come in. This means if you were to activate a dual pole breaker for kitchen outlets, that it would be possible to overload the neutral wire on that circuit, effectively pushing it over what the cable is rated for. Most older homes without AFCI circuits do no have the neutral wire protected by a breaker. This is fine if you turn off all 240v breakers including your kitchen outlets. Many might think this is fine since they see those outlets as being 120v, but if they are on a dual pole breaker they should never be turned on.
I bought one of these and connected 6 400 watt bifacial panels. I ran a heavy duty extension cord to two of my 12K but inverter AC/heat units, all 6 of my aquariums, my work at home setup, my 65 OLED TV and denon 7.1 surround sound. On sunny days it runs everything with no issues. On cloudy days running ups mode it can fall back automatically on AC. The limiting factor is the 3.6 kWh capacity. At the end of the day, the battery ends up at around 40-50% in the morning. Even on rainy cloudy overcast days in Michigan my panels bring in 400 watts during the day.
I did much the same thing. i installed a double pole breaker box in garage . ran 3/10 to feed breaker in my house panel with the chnge over plate accross my main panel breaker. then i connected a 10/2 cable from my Ecoflow to the breaker box with the 1 phase bridge across to second phase input. that way both phases in my main panel are energised by the Ecoflow. no need for 3 way switch. shut off all 220 volt circuits on main panel
I have the Pro with one extra battery. Just tapped into a 4 panel 1300 watt solar array. This is definitely the way to go. The Pro has all the processing of power that can be such a hassle. The charging is impressive and NO generator to fuel and listen too. I bought these 4 panels for $400.00. I'm running my treehouse on the sun for a $5000 investment. FYI, high speed charging your Delta will excelerate the battery degradation. Slow charging much better!
That’s somewhat debatable…. The unit keeps the batteries cool as well as the mppt by the use of the fans…. Most of the time you won’t get 1600 watts by solar and it’s still a bit slower than the max of 3400 watts of charging power….. also the unit slows down charging when it’s above 80 percent either way if the units in the house it should last a long time some people have these in the garage with no a/c …..
I have 3 of these generators and they work excellent. I think a lot of people don't understand products. I don't even want to comment and start it. Because I just think that when people comment, they don't know what they're talking about. This guy does excellent video. And I've been in this industry for 25 years. It's hard to tell people things because they think that you get a portable battery generator that it's gonna last for weeks and upon weeks. They just don't understand what their needs are. That's why I take my hat off to the guys. Who make these videos because I've been in this industry for years and years. You'd say this to an average home owner and they freak out. People think that power outages are going to last for weeks upon weeks. Is like talking to the wall
I got a Bluetti ac180, a 200w Solar panel, and a champion dual fuel generator to run some stuff in a power outage. Each are under 40 pounds, portable, and can work off each other. The Bluetti can handle over 2100 surge from an air compressor just fine. Powering home computer, fridges, charging phones and a few lights for a few hours would be no problem.
This video nearly hits the nail right on the head with respect to my setup, currently in the process of completing installation. I'm eventually going with the Ecoflo Delta Pro 3600watt generator. I had installed the 30amp 120volt male power inlet box near my circuit breaker panel with the safety plate to prevent feedback. That 30amp 120volt male end power inlet box is compatible with the 30amp 120volt female end on the Delta Pro, allowing be to connect the battery to my circuit breaker panel with an "off-the-shelf" extension cord. Of course, I switch off all 240volt circuit breakers in my electric panel (hot water, elevator, range, dryer, a/c, air handler, etc.) I don't have a sump pump to concern myself with. I don't have any experience with this yet, as the install is not complete, however, I suspect my usage may be equal to or a little less than wat is shown in this video. I don't think I'll use solar panels to recharge my Delta Pro. Instead, I plan on recharging with my duel-fuel (propane/gas) generator, which, I think should top me off in 2-3 hours. I'd like the battery to keep my two refrigerators running overnight, hopefully, with only my internet and night lights on at night. Am I missing something? Let me know.
A very clever idea that addresses the need for two phases of 120V power for one's home. Also clever to use a commercial car charge site for "refueling." In an outage, I might choose to do my tv viewing on a small tablet computer. It's important to remember that you can't power any 240V loads with this system. That includes large electric stoves and electric dryers. Most important to us here in rural Oregon is that our water comes from a well with a 240V pump. Still, it's a smart and minimalist approach. Well done!
I have a generator input Box but I use a Generac 5500 W generator. The 5 gallons of gas lasts me about 12 hours. I try to keep the load to a minimum. But I run all my lights. My refrigerator and my furnace with no problem. I keep 30 gallons of gas in my shed just in case the power outage is widespread. I figure I can heat my house for at least a week. If I run my generator intermittently.
I'm not understanding the need for the switch. Amazon has plugs that provide 120v to both phases. Simply turn off your 240v breakers with your setup or the Amazon plug. No need for killing critical loads by swapping a switch back and forth. FYI I have a Delta pro and the Amazon dual phase plug. Just be smart what you run.
Thanks for all your videos. I'm thinking of doing this setup with my F150 Lightning with a 240V 30Amp outlet. With a 130kwh battery it should be able to power my house for a few days after a hurricane rolls through.
3,600 watt hours for $2,100 would allow 1 hour at max output. A $299 Wen GN4000iM will deliver that amount of power hour after hour for about 10 gal/day in gas, giving you about 50 days worth of power for the price of one Delta Pro from a cost standpoint (practicalities of storing that much gas aside!). This was a great test and these things definitely have their place, especially since the price has dropped about half of what it used to be, but energy storage is still silly expensive compared to on demand power generation unfortunately. The layperson might seek a combination solution.
A superior back-up to complement the Delta Pro would be a dual-fuel inverter generator. Fuel flexibility and recharging on your own schedule, especially in the cold weather, would be a bonus. I am considering this set-up as a back-up for my own modest family home here in Alberta. Thinking about my neighbours, too.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Good features for sure but that Smart gen has a running output of 1600w for $2,000.00 CDN. Far too expensive for the output and lacks the versatility that a similarly priced 3-5kW inverter generator has to offer.
Your video is by far the best I've seen on this backup solution. Definitely liked your 120 to 240 . That said, my issue with your solution is math. You didn't address the capacity of your battery or the actual total wattage of your devices. Additionally, your refrigerator? My refrigerator averages 107 watts but will surge to 1569 per my watt meter. The start isn't 107 watts. Mine was 600. Assuming your Ecoflow is 3072 watt hours, how long will it provide power to your furnace? Gas or Electric? Your recharge option, that recharge station isn't free, how much? My solution is to use a 1000 watt pure sine wave DC-AC inverter with my car's alternator and car battery. I ran this setup for 10 hours on 2 gallons of gas priced at the time at $3.23 a gallon. All lights LED, 5 of them, 2 air circulatory moving 5280 cu ft of air, my 39" HDTV, cable modem/router for a total of 535 watts per hour. The only way your solution is viable is its solar recharge capability. It's how long your portable panel would take to recharge the battery, how long will the battery last in a real world situation, the cost of the electrical vehicle recharge? My solution cost me $6.50. Push comes to shove a full tank of gas would last me 65 hours continously. There is a 250 amp alternator alternative for potentially a 3000 watt solution. I use a 20 amp inlet box for my inverter that allows me the option of using a future inverter generator. Im leaning on making my own diY battery backup but all and all, loved your video and how to wire it into your panel. Dead on. Thanks!
Nice video tutorial on the build. I have the Eco-flow Delta Pro tied to the Eco-flow Home panel which is just a overpriced version of what you’re showing. While it’s nice to be able to remotely monitor how much juice each circuit is pulling via the Eco-flow app while grid power is offline, I got less than 24 hours use having just the fridge and Wi-Fi network powered by the Delta Pro. I still need to work out the wiring to charge the EfDP via my 8 solar panels as they’re too many watts for it to handle. A tip I can share when charging at a public charger is, use a bay that doesn’t already have a second car charging from the same EVSE. ChargePoint splits the juice between both sides slowing things down.
Highly recommend a Sense Energy Monitor to folks who really don't have any idea of how much power they use. I've had one for about 3 or 4 years, it's great. It will discover devices over several months using machine learning, and end up telling you how much each device uses.
I looked through all your favorites but could not fine the TT-30P that you used in the video. Thanks. I have two delta pros and instead of using the ecoflow dual voltage hub I want to make my own by taking 30 amp 120v out of each DP and putting them to a 14/50 240v output. The reason I don't want to use the dual voltage hub is because once you plug that in and stat using it, it turns off all AC including the AC input. I have a 3500watt inverter generator that I want to charge my DPs while I am using them so this is really my only option...240V out and AC in at the same time.
Wish I had a couple grand for one of these portable power stations.. I live off solar and wind turbine, and my setup, built over time, is always drained. 4 batteries. 3 solar panels. I have to be very careful or I could drain before night time. These would fix my problem. Thank you for a good idea..
Actually, you can do something simpler and not have to choose which phase is powered. Build a cable from the generator or battery to the house and short the two house phases together. This powers both 120V phases in the house, but the 240V appliances see NO voltage between the two phases, and thus cannot run. You may have some that steal some power from one phase to neutral to run clocks and controls, (like one of my ovens) but they cannot turn on their main heaters or motors. I have done this for over 5 years with small inverter generators for several weeks of cumulative power outages over that time. If the idea makes you nervous, then just turn off the breakers for the 240V appliances. (I might do that if I had anything with motors that might turn on like water pumps or heat pumps.)
I've always wondered, when you have two 120V sources on a generator, aren't they coming from two different coils on the powerhead that are 180 deg out of phase anyway? You would thunk that an inverter would have a phase shift input during the generation and offer the same possibility.
They need not be as the devices are on individual 120 bars and do not care what phase they get the AC@@atubebuff This is only for 120 V - for 240 yes they need to be exactly 180 out of phase but in this case they need to be powered off anyway
@@ShyamRonline i'm asking if a generator that has separate 120 plugs (with separate breakers) is obliged to be out-of-phase with each other because they come from different coils, meaning that some 120V generators can be wired to be 240V.
we have a whole house generator that is fed by the natural gas line and with an auto-transfer switch. Super simple and a better investment. We also drive two EVs and have a server rack, so a whole house gnerator was a must.
Good video why not use a bridged adapter to put the same phase on both legs and then manage your loads i have one for my rivian 15a to generator inlet. The inverter is 12.5a continuous 130kwh powers most of my house for days!
I did this for one leg of my breaker panel as I only have a 2000 watt inverter generator 120v output, so it connects to the box with a special cord and the interlock is on the breaker panel. But I also have a Vtoman 1000 battery and I'm going to connect a second box, but inside by the breaker panel so the FIRST thing I do is plug the battery in, if the outage is going to be longer than a few hours I could disconnect the battery, plug it into a wall outlet, and run the generator outside with that special plug plugged into the outside box to charge the battery while running lights, fridge etc. I only have ONE of the special plugs, it is; Parkworld 885460 Adapter Cord 5-15 Male Plug to Locking L14-20 Female Receptacle. So no chance of having both the generator and battery connected together thru the interface, it's one or the other. I only need to run my fridge and some LED lights I normally use most, and my tower computer/modem/router/monitor on these. Last time I had an outlage it lasted a couple of hours, the Vtoman battery easily ran those, and in winter it would be enough to power the electrical part of my Goodman gas furnace. Everything else is 120v except for a 2HP blower motor which I wouldnt be running during a power outage ANYWAY! water heater and stove are non electronic 100% gas. I like the Vtoman battery as the FiRST choice in an outage, so I dont have to gas up the gen and 10 mins later the power is back on, now you have a tank of gas to deal with in the gen that can go stale or whatever. I would use the gen only for extended outages and to charge the Vitoman in about an hour or so for another 6 or so hours of power from it. All my important things I need to run are on the same bus bar in the breaker panel, so the 120v to just that does what I NEED, fortunately I don't use a lot of power, so the Vtoman 1000 sine wave battery works perfectly for me, I bought it around 5 months ago, was $999 but Amazon had a $300 off coupon, so it was a very reasonably priced solution for MY needs.
I'm real world situations for backup use you would really limit what you are running and this would last maybe 24hrs. Then charge it up with a generator for about 2hrs and you get another 22 or so hours of quiet backup support
I live off grid full time and we have been using a Bluetti B300 with one 3072 W battery as our main power source. We have a small fridge and some electronics and it does pretty well for us. I hope to get some solar connected to the battery system this spring so we are less reliant on generators.
I have done this exact setup during an outage, except I backfed both 120v phases into the one 120v phase of my solar generator. To my surprise some of my 240v appliances worked as we were cooking in the oven at the time. My oven worked just fine with 120 volt connected to it, but I did notice it was cycling a little slower but it cooked no problem at 350 degrees.
@@T4JQ3L I have a interlock generator transfer switch installed on my home electrical panel. The generator breaker is a two pole breaker. I run one regular extension cord to my small 2000 watt generator and connect the other end to a generator input plug. The generator input plug then goes to my electrical panel and the single hot wire is then split to the 2 pole breaker used on the interlock. So what happens is I plug in my generator switch off my main panel breaker slide the interlock and flip on the generator breaker. Now my house has all circuit breakers live with 120 volt. I was really surprised that my oven worked, maybe I should turn off the 240 volt appliances when I do this setup because it could be dangerous, but I didn't at the time and we cooked in the oven and it worked.
The mention of "...both phases running..." and similar statements was initially confusing and implied that there are two 120 volt phases that make up the single phase 240 volt input into the home. It may have been more clear to indicate that the switch that was built powers one leg of the main panel at a time. Other than that, your video was interesting. Thanks for posting it.
Scott, you can make the adapter even better by adding a single pole switch (rated at 30 amps) next to the three-way switch so you CAN have power on both phases at the SAME time which will allow you to power up everything at once on both phases. You'll connect the single pole switch to both the black and red wires on the three-way switch as well as the load wires and you'll use the single pole switch to "bypass" the three-way switch allowing you to power up the other phase at the same time and when you only want to have only one phase on, you'll turn off the single pole switch and use the three-way switch to select which phase that you want or need to have power. That suggestion will give you more options that you can use at once.
That's kinda what I'm doing, except I've got no switches at all. I just connect the 120v hot to BOTH 240v hots. This means the 240v loads (in your main panel) see 0 volts, but you're not going to be able to power 240v loads anyhow. One BIG caveat though. If your panel has any multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC), where two opposite phase hots share a neutral, this could be dangerous, because the neutral would be seeing twice its rated amperage, since the two hots would be IN phase, instead of the way they normally are in opposite phases.
Great video as always. After experiencing the 2021 Texas power crisis with rolling blackouts, I'm seriously considering a backup method. I need my pool equipment to run 24/7 during a freeze and it runs on 220V. That's a limitation I see to using just one of these. Otherwise I could do without every 220V load since I have gas.
I've done this too, and it does work well. The big problem might be that many houses are wired with 2 120 volt circuits using a common neutral with the 2 breakers on different phases. So theoretically, you could over current the common neutral by double. Will this happen, maybe. Probably not in a power failure situation, but you should be aware of it.
@@actodesco Yeah, that is exactly right. The way I solve that is by using a small 120 volt generator to power both phases. Its max power is 2200 watts so I am never worried about melting the neutral conductor.
This would be a good solution for your needs (I've considered the same), with 2 EcoFlows to provide 220V, but note that they'd only provide about 2 to 3 hours of pump time (assuming a 1KW pump motor). Also consider EG4 gear (at Signature Solar) for a better value solution if you're needing more power & energy.
Watched this to decide if I want an Anker or this. I came to a conclusion by sheer spite - a regular generator with one of these. Because while this is fun and pretty useful, where I am we get at least 8 hours of sun a day, high scorchers, and our fuel being as cheap as it goes it doesn't seen to warrant much of this kinda of tool. My biggest gripe is working indoors in yet to be electrified to be sold countryside homes with a generator running outside just making a ton of noise and when you pull the wires it never goes to where you want it to be. So yeah. Great for that track saw
That was a very clever fix for a problem many of us face. I power half my house with my HONDA EU2200 and it works perfectly (for half the house). I traced out an outlet that is on the other phase (leg) of my house and run an extension cord over to where the HONDA is plugged in. I swap back and forth (I do have a manual transfer switch as you do for the Main Breaker ). So I am about 1/2 legal and the other half "suicide plug". It works for me and I am the only one doing the connections. However, this is a fantastic solution and I am going to use your links and build my own switch box so I can use my legal generator-in connection. BTW, I know you are promoting the Fantastic EcoFlow solutions, I just want to say the HONDA EU2200 with the Hutch Mountian propane option added is an alternate solution that works reliably. I do want to get an EcoFlow to have all my bases covered. My house is 3,500 square feet two story.
7.5kw natural gas Auto switch generator is about $2200.00+. With the expectations of increased weather extremes one or the other should be on your radar for consideration.
What cord do you need to connect single unit delta pro to 30 amp inlet box ... not a 50 amp inlet box like shown in this video? Thank you for your time and help.
Look up BOEEMI Generator Transfer Switch Adapter Cord L5-30P Male to L14-30R Female, 30 Amp. You can use it with the Marvine Cable Shore Power Cord Set 30Amp Male TT-30P to Marine 30Amp Female L5-30R. This will do the same thing as it bonds the two poles together. If you have a 50 amp inlet there is an adapter you can then connect to it. This way you can't have to switch between the poles and will have power to all circuits.
I bought three medium size solar generators. And solar panels. And I direct plug-in to my Wi-Fi with one. Direct plug-in to my 65 inch wide screen. And direct plug-in to one table lamp. No wiring or extension cords needed. And it costing far less than $3000.
I overland quite a bit and was looking at generators to power our a/c on those really hot days. Everything in our camper minus the a/c can run off our DC lithium battery system. I was considering a small multi-fuel generator but I really like the idea of not having to haul an extra propane or gas tank. We do have a soft start on our a/c unit, so I’m wondering if the EcoFlow Delta Pro would power our a/c and for how long.
When there is a power outage, there is not going to be a charging slot open. There will be a line of anxious people. It seems to me that a real world solution requires perhaps two units, and a charging source (solar, gas) so that one unit is online and the other being charged.
He did mention having to drive somewhere else in the county for a powered EV station. I had a friend just realize same issue with his gas generator when the power outage took out all of the gas pumps around him for many miles, same issue. He now stores more gas. I have gas/propane as well as wind to augment the solar, if sun isn't shining wind probably blowing at my place. Now I don't hate the wind as much.
Have both the red and black wires to generator connection tied together , the neutral tied they and the ground tied they. Now all the 120 volt loads in the house will function on your battery back -up, only the 220 volt loads will not function. When I use my small 120 volt propane generator for fuel economy over my large one, I have said adapter which allows all my LED lights and receptacles to work. It’s convenient and there is no screwing around!
You do not want to have a bonded neutral in a system like this where he is interlocking at the main service. The bonding by NEC code says that your bond is to be at the point of dissconect. Having it bonded at your generator leaves you open for electrical shock with the frame of the generator.
@@Maxspeed996 yes, if you have a frame ground tied to the neutral, you would want to isolate them leaving the bond in the service panel. I am saying if you have a 120 volt source , that you have a adapter that connects the grounds thru, the isolated neutral thru and sends the L1 hot of the source to both the L1 and L2 of the generator transfer . You will only have 120 volts, no 240volt. This gives you the ability to select 120 volt loads on both halves of your service. Essentially making your service panel one big 120volt service! Allowing all 120volt lights and receptions to function, you will not be able to use 240volt load , because of lack of 240. You have the convenience of turning on any Light or your small appliances with out having half the house dead. You still must watch your load.
With only a 30AMP inlet, you should have installed a 6 or 8 circuit critical loads panel. Then you don't care which main panel side the load circuit is connected.
No, the interlock is far better. How do you pick which 6 or 8 circuits to move? And now when that changes what you need, how do you change it? In my case, there are 11 circuits that cover minimum essentials (pet life support, hall/stair lighting, sump pump) but I can just turn on ALL 24 smaller circuits at once (around 2000-2500W load typically) but if its an extended outage I might want to run something large like the stove (2500-3500W main burners, 4500W oven), well pump, water heater (4800W), or in summer even run one air-conditioner (2000-3000W) for a brief time so its cool and dry enough to sleep. In winter I can't run either heat pump (defrost cycle is 12,000-17,000W) I can run the gas fireplace and both central air circulatory fans (which takes up 4 slots for 2 air handlers but only 800W for both air handler fans) to move the heat around. My 7500W generator with 120/240-30A output can only handle one of those big loads at a time, all those are possible with the interlock, I can decide to shut off everything but the one large load and run that for a while then shut off the single large load and turn on all my essential small loads for aquariums/terrariums/fridge/freezer/lighting. Or if we decide that the freezer should be in the basement instead of the sun-room we don't have to hire an electrician to rewire anything, I just change the colored tape by the breakers to denote which we need on. I didn't actually realize the interlock was an option until the electrician recommended it as a more flexible and less expensive solution than moving a bunch of circuits to a sub-panel only to find out that I need to change the combination of them later.
I have expanded my power station inventory. I have (4) 1408Wh power stations (110V 15A). Each can connect to a backup battery, but I just connect a pair of power stations together using the cp3500 cable. That will give me 2 pairs each with 2816Wh. In each pair, both power stations can be charged individually at the same time, and have power pulled from both while having one of them connected to the L14-30 generator inlet box. I power both legs of the panel at the same time (240V breakers are off) from one pair of power stations. The other pair is a backup. I was thinking of building a "Y connector" and connect each pair to a leg in the panel. The ground and neutral are bonded in the main panel and I have the interlock kit. What is your opinion?
I use my Auris Hybrid car to power my boiler in case of power failure. An inverter (500w) converts 12v to 230v via an industrial socket attached to the house and a coupler to the inverter in the car. The car is then started and the engine will power on and off as when it is needed. My boiler uses approximately 200w.
this might be obvious for many of you. but if your power goes off during a snow storm use the snow as ice in bags keep your food snow in zip lock bags can keep your fridge cold
quick question. I have an adapter TT-30P to L14_50R. Testing with my multimeter, I get continuity between both X and Y hots on the L14-50R side, continuity between the hot on TT-30P and X on L14-50R, and continuity between the hot on TT-30P and Y on L14-50R. Long story short, the adapter is hot bridging X and Y and the hot on TT-30P. This should act like a junction, both legs of the L14-50R are receiving in-phase 120v. So my question: why would I need to wire up a magic box to flip between giving power to different legs of the panel? Shouldn't the adapter be delivering in-phase 120v to both legs of the panel (assuming I have the 240v breakers turned off to avoid appliance damage)?
Toy Battery you got there. I connect my e-car to my house in case something should happen, but in Switzerland there are actually no power outages, you can count on the supply here.
I would really like to hear some input from you on the new Delta Pro Ultra that will be coming out in January. I know information is fresh, but it seems that if we don't plan to take the battery with us, the Ultra would be the best option. I'm just curious price-wise how much better the new unit will be. They haven't said pricing yet, but on the website it shows that with the $1,500 coupon that you actually purchase for $300 (net -$1,200) the price will be "$4,xxx". I'm assuming that means $4,999. If that's the case, the retail price would be $6,499??
I like not having to have a gas powered generator running with the noise and fumes. The only things we'd need is fridge, on demand water heater, well, sump and furnace, all of which run on 120. I would just have to make sure they're all on the same phase. We would lose the stove but we'd cook on the gas grill and just hit the laundromat in a pinch. Sounds like a perfect solution for us. Now... how do you wire this up... and do you keep it charged or just charge it when it's necessary?
While I guess this is a nice academic exercise, this is a very expensive solution that is also VERY inconvenient! If I had $4k to spend (since an EcoFlow Delta Pro costs about $3,700), I'd buy a $2K, 7.6kW (running) inverter generator, then buy a nice 500 lb propane tank. During a power outage, you'd go out, start your generator, plug it into your interlock outlet and you're done. No hooking up solar panels that don't provide nearly enough power (forcing you to have to drive to get it charged up). No flipping between the two hot legs (who has time to be doing that?). If you're going to do solar+batteries, do it the right way. Get yourself 5-10 kW worth of solar panels on your roof (something that can actually harness the power of the sun!). Then hook that up to a deep cycle battery (or two or three or...), enough to actually have enough power to run your house at least for a day. Then you can charge your battery(ies) with your generator periodically. As a final step and if you have the money, sell the inverter generator (or keep it as an additional emergency backup) and get a whole house generator. I've done a lot of these projects when I was a kid. As I get older, I prefer setting up systems that work for me. I want convenience! Flipping a switch to power different legs? NO THANKS! But again, nice video that shows what's possible.
That is exactly "one" of the options I have. Along with solar panels and wind. If I had a stream I would also do water power. Cover all of the bases for as many options. I do like my electricity.
Woah, I recognize the EV charging station that is 20 miles from my home. I had lunch at the poke place in the strip mall across the street earlier this week.
Another great video. I don’t have many power outages, but I would like to have the piece of mind knowing that if the power goes out I’ll have a backup. I’m thinking about making a little solar array to provide power to a Bluetti power system. What’s your take on that brand? Thanks.
Thank you - excellent method to extract either phase of the 120 output. You could then add another junction box to extract the opposite phase to then create your own 240 volt input.? technique similar to using both sides of a standard panel.
I actually really like the method of using 2 Delta Pro Units and the voltage hub. Only things is a the price is hard to justify for a power outage every few years 😅 amzn.to/3Zfw0Cz
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Easier to justify if frequent power outages or wanting to go full off grid. That is my goal, fully off grid. Wait for a sale, got my dual Bluetti on Prime Day sale, was that or EcoFlow so picked what I thought was best deal at the time. The one 240V item, well pump. Looking to do a second well that runs from 120V.
You could bridge the 2 120V busbar lines running from your panel to your exoflow and energize both at the same time with single phase 120V out of the ecoflow, no need for a switch to go back and forth. I energize both 120V busbars in my house with an ecoflow delta max no problem. Obviously you cant run any 240V appliances I just switch off all those breakers before using this setup.
This is what I'm doing, except there's one BIG safety issue to be aware of. If your panel has any multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC), where two opposite phase hots share a neutral, this could be dangerous, because the neutral would be seeing twice its rated amperage, since the two hots would be IN phase, instead of the way they normally are in opposite phases.
I did the same thing for my Anker767 without using the 30amp switch. I just used the generator cable to a 30amp rv to a L14-30. When I put it in generator by pass with the interlock I just make sure the 240 breakers in the box are not on. I made readings of all rooms with normal things on so I can determine which breakers to have on while on the Anker767 which is a 2048wt pwr gen. My plan is to then use the generator to charge the Anker in the day. I'm even considering purchasing a camping(tiny) generator to charge the battery backup to use less gas to charge and maybe a solar panel or two.,
I was looking at two Ecoflow Delta Pro units and the double voltage hub but decided against it due to their cost, complaints, and small amount of battery storage. I decided to get a Growatt 12k inverter and (4) 48V Lifepower4 batteries w/rack for a total of 20kWh and high surge capacity to power my home. This system will run about 18 hours before it needs to be recharged and my Honda EU7000is generator, converted to tri-fuel, will only have to run a few hours per day during a prolonged grid down event. If we have an outage during a heat spell, the Growatt will be able to start our 4 ton HVAC...where the Honda and the Ecoflow units would not be able to handle the high inrush demands of the compressor. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, standalone battery storage systems are now eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, reducing system cost by 1/3rd. Having both a generator and an inverter with battery backup offers the best of both worlds and should prove much more efficient energy-wise during prolonged outages.
You can bring in the 120V from EcoFlow and then with the 3-way switch you can have both phases connected with the switch controlling which phase is connected to the 120V coming out of the EcoFlow.
The only thing I do not like is having a plug side on both ends of your adapter - I believe this is why you do not see them in the "wild" - like in the beginning of the TV show Hill Street Blues --> "Hey, be careful out there....."
Great video. Wondering if with this setup you could safely have rooftop solar activated to essentially power the home and charge the battery. Given that solar switches off when the power is out to avoid backfeeding the grid for safety, you've taken care of that with your disconnect and the battery can send power to the solar panels. Do you think this would be safe?
Not safe to enable your solar system (normally connected to grid) to a local power source. The solar system inverters would feed all their power into your local power source. Your local power source (Gen or inverter) probably is not designed for that and it just might suffer permanent damage.
EcoFlow Setup Used In This Video: amzn.to/3ITDPH5
Car Charger Adapter: amzn.to/3YlBcns
My Dream EcoFlow Setup (240V): amzn.to/3mqLGEP
What is the name of the blue tool you used to tighten up the conduit knockout plug ring?
Great recommendation for a portable power station! The Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series sounds like an excellent choice for outdoor enthusiasts and RV lovers. With its massive capacity, powerful output, and waterproof technology, it's perfect for camping trips or as a backup power solution for your home. Plus, the smart app control feature adds convenience and control. Definitely worth checking out!
You can take the hot from the EcoFlow and feed both phases at once. Just need to leave the 240 V breakers off. I did this during a power outage last Fall with my Delta Pro.
^ This. I would dump the switch. Not necessary.
Yup, this. You don't need to pick; just wire both legs together.
I am thinking you don't even need to flip your 240V breakers off because those loads will effectively receive zero volts because the two 120V legs are the same circuit. There might be some odd behavior if some of the controller/digital parts run at 120V (on for example a clothes dryer).
@@thesmallterror 240v breakers do not feed off the same bus bar. One leg of the breaker plugs into one bus bar and the other leg of the breaker plugs into the other bus bar.
You cannot feed both bus bars with the same 120v source. The two phases cannot be in phase with each other. 240v electric motors need offset phases to work.
Exactly what I use with my little Honda inverter generator. The X and Y leads are connected in parallel in my custom cable.
Currently works great for every 120V outlet, and with no additional house wiring someday will operate the electric range and air conditioner once I purchase a 240VAC-capable generator
@@RCinginSC You misunderstand. This non-standard generator cable connects the two bus bars together, and supplies the same 120V to both bus bars. You CAN absolutely feed both bus bars from the same 120V source, the question is what would happen if you did. All 120V loads would be powered inside the house, but the 240V loads will not operate because there is no voltage difference between the two legs. They also won't be damaged because, from the perspective of the 240V dryer/range receptacle, there is zero volts leg-to-leg and the 120V waves are in phase instead of inverted 180 degrees.
Watched some videos where people used off-the-shelf cords/adapters to plug the Delta right into the generator input, so I was super confused about why you were going through all the effort to build that switch. Then you explained it lets you switch between the two phases, and I was like OH! Clever :)
Just feed both
@@MrCorynick The switching stuff confused me so I had to ask my friend why he went this route.
Makes no sense to build what he did in the video when you can feed both phases with a simple Parkworld 885446 NEMA TT-30P to L14-30R adaptor off Amazon. Way cheaper and much easier.
@@Clapxiomatic It can cause issues depending on the electrical system. If there is multi wire branch circuit involved.
I just got through almost 4 days of no power in Michigan from the recent freezing rain that took out 700,000+ peoples power in MI alone. Main thing I used was this EcoFlow Delta Pro, also had an Anker 1.2kWh battery. Ecoflow was for furnace, internet (when I still had it briefly...), sump pump. Anker was for refrigerators intermittently and TV for a bit. Worked well enough but I did it all with extension cords. I may go with another battery + the Smart Home Panel but I'm not dead set on it yet. This was a great battery to get me through this though and have heat the whole time. I charged it at work, took just over 2 hours to go from 0 to 100.
Power is very important. Of course, lifepo4 battery is perfect for long life span, but ecoflow i think is a little expensive, so i will choose another brand.
Nice, thanks for the example! Perfect use case on why these units can be super handy especially in the multi-day outages.
Consider adding a 30 amp 120v generator to your system. With a couple tanks of propane and gas cans you could probably go for days if stuck at home
For about $19 you can get a TT30P plug to a L14-30R outlet. Then you would not need a switch to create 120 on each leg. Now you can not use any 240 V items in your house, but you can get all 120 V items working in your panel
Great idea. I thought about making a 110V-only Sub-panel and a 220V main panel. The EcoFlow would power the 110V Sub-panel and I do not have to switch off the 220V breakers. Is the feasible?
@@Tykoon If your sub panel is isolated like my Reliant Gen Transfer switch, then powering the 120 V items can work with the Eco Flow delta pro unit. I can power the 120 v items needed during an emergency with my Firman W03382(120V inverter 3600W). When the delta pro ultra unit came out, I modified my design. I ran the 10/4 gen cable to my electrical panel and terminated in a L14-30 outlet. I added a L14-30 Plug to 10/4 cable attached that to the Reliant gen transfer switch. So the system is set up with one extra plug and outlet. But by using a plug and outlet design to the system, I could add a Delta pro ultra unit with 240 outlet in my basement and by adding a Gen interlock to the main panel I could power the 240v items when needed(electric stove, or AC, if needed). The important part is that the Delta Pro Ultra can be charged with 120(from Firman) and still power things with 240, so that may be my ultimate plan. But I am not sure yet. It has been a while since I had a power outage. So far, the Firman can keep the fridge/freezer cold and keep the main furnace running (Water is supplied by the town.). The only issue is cooking, but our option is the Coleman camp stove.
A key benefit of having a battery bank is that you can keep up with your home needs for a period of hours that you don't run your generator. Then you can run your generator (inverter style is best so you don't damage the EcoFlow electronics) for an interval of time to recharge the battery bank. Without the batteries, you would be consuming your propane or gasoline supplies whether or not your home needed all the generator's power at a given time. The battery smoothes this out and only uses what you need, then when you recharge it by generator, you only run your generator for an hour or two. Plus, the EcoFlow can put out significant power at 3,600 watts. You could refill it with a small generator putting out just 1,800 watts, like a Honda EU2200. If you had a natural gas line to feed your generator, I would be less concerned because we assume fuel will keep flowing. But if I am watching propane and gasoline supplies run down, it would be good to be efficient. Yes, there would be some DC-to-AC and AC-to-DC loss, which is why EcoFlow sells a generator which can recharge directly with DC and runs on propane or gas. Also, you might find that neighbors are more annoyed with a generator running all night, whereas in the daytime it may be less of an issue. The battery bank would allow you to space out your generator runs, and allow you to restore service for the first couple of hours while staying inside the house. As for the solar input, that EcoFlow Delta would accommodate 3 of those 400W panels in series, which would be enough to fill it during one sunny day. I wouldn't stop at just one panel. The biggest downside is the cost, but there is something special about the role it can play in adding options to your power backups. If it fails, just take it out of service and connect the traditional generator to the inlet again.
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I mean, sure...but the cost of one of these and a small generator approaches just getting a permanent standby generator.
Agreed. My plan is to run the gasoline powered generator during the day, and then wheel it back in the garage at night, when I'll use the solar generator. No risk of the gasoline generator getting stolen in the dark.
@@HydraulicDesign A permanent standby generator costs over $10k in my area. One of these plus my 4500 watt gasoline generator, which cost me $700, comes in at well less than half the cost of a standby generator. Sure, the standby generator is much more convenient, but I can't justify the price difference.
I bought a 110 volt yellow suicide cable. Can I plug this straight to any outlets after turning off the main ? Let's say just to light up a specific part of the house during power outages ?
They have an adaptor wire for this. It has a jumper built in so it sends power to both phases. You just turn off the 240v brakers you have in your panel, (water heater, dryer. A/C, Heat pump, etc)
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Exactly!
Just got mine in from Amazon, TT-30p to L14-30 R, less than 25 dollars. Haven't put it to the test yet, but will soon.
@@t.d.harris1311hey! I’m looking at the same thing. I want to run my split phase panel off of one delta pro. Would I damage anything doing that? I only have 120v breakers in my panel and all my devises are 120v. I just simply need pith sides of the panel to work. Im just worried I’d damage something.
Pretty much how it works in theory would be like marretting the single 120v 30amp hot to two 120v 30amp hots to deliver 120v 30amp to both sides of the panel right?
So, I have a 240v non inverter generator, a transfer switch, an Ecoflow, and I also have a small inverter generator which of course is 120 volt. This seems obvious, but if you have an adapter you could use it for the Ecoflow or the inverter generator, right? Because they are both 120 volt one phase. BUT, the adapter in the comment has a male TT 30 plug. Whereas the Ecoflow has just standard two bladed receptacles like house ones. The inverter generator has them and an L5-30P, three rectangular blades. So it seems with an inverter with a L5-30P you could just use an adapter L530 to L14-40P (the 4 bladed 204 v)
I've been looking into these I'm a usmc veteran who's basically on the verge of homelessness. So I'm doing my research while I still can so I can have me some power when the inevitable happens. Thank you for the info.
Very useful for powering home using 240 VAC 2 phase with 120 VAC single phase. I lived at one time in an area which had storms that would knock out power grid for hours/days. Don't exactly know how illegal it is, but I (coming from a background in electrical) figured out how to power 120 VAC to both phases in home by simply making sure you switched all 240 AC breakers off in your breaker panel, such as Electric Water Heater, Clothes Dryer, Electric Furnace, etc. By doing this you could feed all the 120 VAC appliances at the same time no matter which phase it was on. Just had to make sure all 240 AC breakers were switched off. I had wood burning stove for emergency heat, so heat wasn't an issue. All other 120 VAC plugs, lamps and appliances operated just fine, just caution had to be used for obvious safety reasons, and you stayed within the power rating of your 120 VAC generator. Not recommended for someone who doesn't understand electricity. In other words. Should only be done by experienced electrician or someone who is at least has good electrical common sense.
So both sides of the panel work? In theory is it similar to taking 1 120v 30amp hot and marretting it to 2 120v 30amp hots to power each 120v side of the panel?
As long as you have no 240v breakers and no 240v appliances it should be exactly the same as running two 120v hots from a 240v 30amp generator right? You just don’t actually have the potential though of operating anything at 240v’s…
@@blackridgeproductions2738 you also make sure you don’t have any shared neutral circuits in addition to actual 240V loads. In a shared neutral condition, this will double the neutral current and potentially melt the wire.
I have a few powerful solar generators, but I could watch this video 100x and still wouldn't be able to hook this up. I am so grateful for the perfect mate for me who does know how to do this stuff🙏🏽
I was thinking of the same setup but with the ability to have a plug inside the house and outside the house. The outside can run with the gas generator in the event the battery does not work or that I need to recharge it. The inside outlet would be used for the eco battery. Essentially you would have a switch to determine which outlet you want to use. I really like your setup. Thanks for sharing!
That's my setup, worked great
Just wire the same 120v to both phases. The 240v won't run because they'll see 0v instead of 240v. Then you can just use the load switches or breakers to power or not the critical loads.
This is exactly what I did. Works perfect.
Wul, combody's thinking. I didn't know you could do that!
Identify any shared neutral circuits. Or you may be risking melting your neutral wire.
@@chrisE815 Good point. That is a concern, but only if your 120v source is capable of sustaining more than 20 amps. And if 12ga wiring, it will support 30amp for a long time but some connections will exceed 60C and quite possibly exceed 75C. 30 amp is the maximum sustainable by the delta pro in this video. How many shared neutral circuits will be drawing 15 to 20 amps on both legs for a sustained time while nothing else is drawing any power?
@@Sylvan_dB I agree that during a power outage it wouldn't be likely but if your kitchen is fed by a multiwire branch circuit, I could definitely foresee someone running two high amp draw appliances in the kitchen at once and putting a lot of amperage on the neutral wire. Hopefully not enough to cause an issue, but best to be identified ahead of time and avoid. I'm willing to bet most issues with shared neutrals on the same leg occur after a long period of time overloading the neutral wire.
I did something similar. 5kwh battery and 3kw inverter on a hand cart, output of inverter into a small panel box with a main breaker feeding two 16 amp breakers, a hot coming to each hot of the 50 amp plug. The sub panel this powers consists of solely single pole breakers (gas furnace, water softener, all house 120v).
Very helpful and practical video! I have a portable 10,000 watt gas Generac. I bought this EcoFlow for backup in case of a breakdown; and it runs things at night so you can sleep and not bug your neighbor with a gas engine running all night. Very nice setup. I am going with this setup with the Ecoflow.
Just get a dual fuel generator, get a NG adapter if you have it, wire it directly to your electrical panel with an interlock and you can run critical circuits with all three fuel types. It’s what I did and works great👍
A bit late, but (always) use cable ferrules when clamping stranded wire. Especially with such high loads. It also makes the installment much easier. Small investment for set of ferrules and tool. Nice video!
Solder all your connections...period
@@jonwilliams4047 Solder stranded wire to the plugs? I think you miss the point here.
Excellent point. When terminating stranded wire, ferrules are a must. Same thing goes for terminating stranded wire to the screw terminals on the 3-way switch where you would use crimp on spade wire connectors.
I have one, it is setup in my living room, we heat with wood pellets and I have it setup as a pass through or ups. Everything in that corner of the living room is plugged into it including the pellet stove. It ensures that any power interruption will keep the stove going,
I also use it when camping and I run things like pa or sound systems from it at outdoor events.
I have not yet setup any solar with it but that is my next step
I think one thing to be careful of here is the ability to now overload a shared neutral wire since you now have 2 120v legs that are not being delivered out of phase the way grid power would come in. This means if you were to activate a dual pole breaker for kitchen outlets, that it would be possible to overload the neutral wire on that circuit, effectively pushing it over what the cable is rated for. Most older homes without AFCI circuits do no have the neutral wire protected by a breaker. This is fine if you turn off all 240v breakers including your kitchen outlets. Many might think this is fine since they see those outlets as being 120v, but if they are on a dual pole breaker they should never be turned on.
I bought one of these and connected 6 400 watt bifacial panels.
I ran a heavy duty extension cord to two of my 12K but inverter AC/heat units, all 6 of my aquariums, my work at home setup, my 65 OLED TV and denon 7.1 surround sound. On sunny days it runs everything with no issues. On cloudy days running ups mode it can fall back automatically on AC. The limiting factor is the 3.6 kWh capacity. At the end of the day, the battery ends up at around 40-50% in the morning.
Even on rainy cloudy overcast days in Michigan my panels bring in 400 watts during the day.
I did much the same thing. i installed a double pole breaker box in garage . ran 3/10 to feed breaker in my house panel with the chnge over plate accross my main panel breaker. then i connected a 10/2 cable from my Ecoflow to the breaker box with the 1 phase bridge across to second phase input. that way both phases in my main panel are energised by the Ecoflow. no need for 3 way switch. shut off all 220 volt circuits on main panel
You're the man! I should have thought of this. Having a 3-way switch adapter on your toolbox would come in handy at times. Thank you!
I have the Pro with one extra battery. Just tapped into a 4 panel 1300 watt solar array. This is definitely the way to go. The Pro has all the processing of power that can be such a hassle. The charging is impressive and NO generator to fuel and listen too. I bought these 4 panels for $400.00. I'm running my treehouse on the sun for a $5000 investment. FYI, high speed charging your Delta will excelerate the battery degradation. Slow charging much better!
That’s somewhat debatable…. The unit keeps the batteries cool as well as the mppt by the use of the fans…. Most of the time you won’t get 1600 watts by solar and it’s still a bit slower than the max of 3400 watts of charging power….. also the unit slows down charging when it’s above 80 percent either way if the units in the house it should last a long time some people have these in the garage with no a/c …..
I have 3 of these generators and they work excellent. I think a lot of people don't understand products. I don't even want to comment and start it. Because I just think that when people comment, they don't know what they're talking about. This guy does excellent video. And I've been in this industry for 25 years. It's hard to tell people things because they think that you get a portable battery generator that it's gonna last for weeks and upon weeks. They just don't understand what their needs are. That's why I take my hat off to the guys. Who make these videos because I've been in this industry for years and years. You'd say this to an average home owner and they freak out. People think that power outages are going to last for weeks upon weeks. Is like talking to the wall
I got a Bluetti ac180, a 200w Solar panel, and a champion dual fuel generator to run some stuff in a power outage. Each are under 40 pounds, portable, and can work off each other. The Bluetti can handle over 2100 surge from an air compressor just fine. Powering home computer, fridges, charging phones and a few lights for a few hours would be no problem.
This video nearly hits the nail right on the head with respect to my setup, currently in the process of completing installation. I'm eventually going with the Ecoflo Delta Pro 3600watt generator. I had installed the 30amp 120volt male power inlet box near my circuit breaker panel with the safety plate to prevent feedback. That 30amp 120volt male end power inlet box is compatible with the 30amp 120volt female end on the Delta Pro, allowing be to connect the battery to my circuit breaker panel with an "off-the-shelf" extension cord. Of course, I switch off all 240volt circuit breakers in my electric panel (hot water, elevator, range, dryer, a/c, air handler, etc.) I don't have a sump pump to concern myself with. I don't have any experience with this yet, as the install is not complete, however, I suspect my usage may be equal to or a little less than wat is shown in this video. I don't think I'll use solar panels to recharge my Delta Pro. Instead, I plan on recharging with my duel-fuel (propane/gas) generator, which, I think should top me off in 2-3 hours. I'd like the battery to keep my two refrigerators running overnight, hopefully, with only my internet and night lights on at night. Am I missing something? Let me know.
A very clever idea that addresses the need for two phases of 120V power for one's home. Also clever to use a commercial car charge site for "refueling." In an outage, I might choose to do my tv viewing on a small tablet computer. It's important to remember that you can't power any 240V loads with this system. That includes large electric stoves and electric dryers. Most important to us here in rural Oregon is that our water comes from a well with a 240V pump. Still, it's a smart and minimalist approach. Well done!
Just buy a sogen directed at the European market because it will be 240v.
I have a generator input Box but I use a Generac 5500 W generator. The 5 gallons of gas lasts me about 12 hours. I try to keep the load to a minimum. But I run all my lights. My refrigerator and my furnace with no problem. I keep 30 gallons of gas in my shed just in case the power outage is widespread. I figure I can heat my house for at least a week. If I run my generator intermittently.
I'm not understanding the need for the switch. Amazon has plugs that provide 120v to both phases. Simply turn off your 240v breakers with your setup or the Amazon plug. No need for killing critical loads by swapping a switch back and forth. FYI I have a Delta pro and the Amazon dual phase plug. Just be smart what you run.
Thanks for all your videos. I'm thinking of doing this setup with my F150 Lightning with a 240V 30Amp outlet. With a 130kwh battery it should be able to power my house for a few days after a hurricane rolls through.
That is an awesome option. Waiting on my Cybertruck to do something very similar.
3,600 watt hours for $2,100 would allow 1 hour at max output. A $299 Wen GN4000iM will deliver that amount of power hour after hour for about 10 gal/day in gas, giving you about 50 days worth of power for the price of one Delta Pro from a cost standpoint (practicalities of storing that much gas aside!). This was a great test and these things definitely have their place, especially since the price has dropped about half of what it used to be, but energy storage is still silly expensive compared to on demand power generation unfortunately. The layperson might seek a combination solution.
For your sump pump, you can get a battery back up just for that and that would take the load off the EcoFlo
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A superior back-up to complement the Delta Pro would be a dual-fuel inverter generator. Fuel flexibility and recharging on your own schedule, especially in the cold weather, would be a bonus. I am considering this set-up as a back-up for my own modest family home here in Alberta. Thinking about my neighbours, too.
A good option is the EcoFlow Smart Generator since the Smart Generator will start up automatically when the battery needs to be charged 👍
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Good features for sure but that Smart gen has a running output of 1600w for $2,000.00 CDN. Far too expensive for the output and lacks the versatility that a similarly priced 3-5kW inverter generator has to offer.
Your video is by far the best I've seen on this backup solution. Definitely liked your 120 to 240 . That said, my issue with your solution is math. You didn't address the capacity of your battery or the actual total wattage of your devices. Additionally, your refrigerator? My refrigerator averages 107 watts but will surge to 1569 per my watt meter. The start isn't 107 watts. Mine was 600. Assuming your Ecoflow is 3072 watt hours, how long will it provide power to your furnace? Gas or Electric? Your recharge option, that recharge station isn't free, how much? My solution is to use a 1000 watt pure sine wave DC-AC inverter with my car's alternator and car battery. I ran this setup for 10 hours on 2 gallons of gas priced at the time at $3.23 a gallon. All lights LED, 5 of them, 2 air circulatory moving 5280 cu ft of air, my 39" HDTV, cable modem/router for a total of 535 watts per hour. The only way your solution is viable is its solar recharge capability. It's how long your portable panel would take to recharge the battery, how long will the battery last in a real world situation, the cost of the electrical vehicle recharge? My solution cost me $6.50. Push comes to shove a full tank of gas would last me 65 hours continously. There is a 250 amp alternator alternative for potentially a 3000 watt solution. I use a 20 amp inlet box for my inverter that allows me the option of using a future inverter generator. Im leaning on making my own diY battery backup but all and all, loved your video and how to wire it into your panel. Dead on. Thanks!
I would take that to work and charge it up and bring it back home to power my house 😎
Nice video tutorial on the build. I have the Eco-flow Delta Pro tied to the Eco-flow Home panel which is just a overpriced version of what you’re showing. While it’s nice to be able to remotely monitor how much juice each circuit is pulling via the Eco-flow app while grid power is offline, I got less than 24 hours use having just the fridge and Wi-Fi network powered by the Delta Pro. I still need to work out the wiring to charge the EfDP via my 8 solar panels as they’re too many watts for it to handle. A tip I can share when charging at a public charger is, use a bay that doesn’t already have a second car charging from the same EVSE. ChargePoint splits the juice between both sides slowing things down.
I will use my Firman Tri-Fuel generator running on natural gas. I do have 2 300W power stations and 2 100W solar panels as another backup (so far).
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Highly recommend a Sense Energy Monitor to folks who really don't have any idea of how much power they use. I've had one for about 3 or 4 years, it's great. It will discover devices over several months using machine learning, and end up telling you how much each device uses.
Thanks for the feedback, I actually almost used a Sense unit in this video. Super handy 💯
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I looked through all your favorites but could not fine the TT-30P that you used in the video. Thanks. I have two delta pros and instead of using the ecoflow dual voltage hub I want to make my own by taking 30 amp 120v out of each DP and putting them to a 14/50 240v output. The reason I don't want to use the dual voltage hub is because once you plug that in and stat using it, it turns off all AC including the AC input. I have a 3500watt inverter generator that I want to charge my DPs while I am using them so this is really my only option...240V out and AC in at the same time.
Wow, thanks answered everything I wondered about this backup, didn’t know about the charging station adapter, so again thanks
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Wish I had a couple grand for one of these portable power stations.. I live off solar and wind turbine, and my setup, built over time, is always drained. 4 batteries. 3 solar panels. I have to be very careful or I could drain before night time. These would fix my problem. Thank you for a good idea..
Actually, you can do something simpler and not have to choose which phase is powered. Build a cable from the generator or battery to the house and short the two house phases together. This powers both 120V phases in the house, but the 240V appliances see NO voltage between the two phases, and thus cannot run. You may have some that steal some power from one phase to neutral to run clocks and controls, (like one of my ovens) but they cannot turn on their main heaters or motors. I have done this for over 5 years with small inverter generators for several weeks of cumulative power outages over that time. If the idea makes you nervous, then just turn off the breakers for the 240V appliances. (I might do that if I had anything with motors that might turn on like water pumps or heat pumps.)
I've always wondered, when you have two 120V sources on a generator, aren't they coming from two different coils on the powerhead that are 180 deg out of phase anyway? You would thunk that an inverter would have a phase shift input during the generation and offer the same possibility.
brilliant!
They need not be as the devices are on individual 120 bars and do not care what phase they get the AC@@atubebuff This is only for 120 V - for 240 yes they need to be exactly 180 out of phase but in this case they need to be powered off anyway
Yes and if you had a lazy electrician wire up your house you might very well start a fire with that lame idea.
@@ShyamRonline i'm asking if a generator that has separate 120 plugs (with separate breakers) is obliged to be out-of-phase with each other because they come from different coils, meaning that some 120V generators can be wired to be 240V.
we have a whole house generator that is fed by the natural gas line and with an auto-transfer switch. Super simple and a better investment. We also drive two EVs and have a server rack, so a whole house gnerator was a must.
Put a ferrule on the stranded wire for a much better result!
Good video why not use a bridged adapter to put the same phase on both legs and then manage your loads i have one for my rivian 15a to generator inlet. The inverter is 12.5a continuous 130kwh powers most of my house for days!
I did this for one leg of my breaker panel as I only have a 2000 watt inverter generator 120v output, so it connects to the box with a special cord and the interlock is on the breaker panel.
But I also have a Vtoman 1000 battery and I'm going to connect a second box, but inside by the breaker panel so the FIRST thing I do is plug the battery in, if the outage is going to be longer than a few hours I could disconnect the battery, plug it into a wall outlet, and run the generator outside with that special plug plugged into the outside box to charge the battery while running lights, fridge etc.
I only have ONE of the special plugs, it is;
Parkworld 885460 Adapter Cord 5-15 Male Plug to Locking L14-20 Female Receptacle.
So no chance of having both the generator and battery connected together thru the interface, it's one or the other.
I only need to run my fridge and some LED lights I normally use most, and my tower computer/modem/router/monitor on these. Last time I had an outlage it lasted a couple of hours, the Vtoman battery easily ran those, and in winter it would be enough to power the electrical part of my Goodman gas furnace.
Everything else is 120v except for a 2HP blower motor which I wouldnt be running during a power outage ANYWAY! water heater and stove are non electronic 100% gas.
I like the Vtoman battery as the FiRST choice in an outage, so I dont have to gas up the gen and 10 mins later the power is back on, now you have a tank of gas to deal with in the gen that can go stale or whatever.
I would use the gen only for extended outages and to charge the Vitoman in about an hour or so for another 6 or so hours of power from it.
All my important things I need to run are on the same bus bar in the breaker panel, so the 120v to just that does what I NEED, fortunately I don't use a lot of power, so the Vtoman 1000 sine wave battery works perfectly for me, I bought it around 5 months ago, was $999 but Amazon had a $300 off coupon, so it was a very reasonably priced solution for MY needs.
Why don't you try to use a wind generator as well could you do a video on that? thanks...
I'm real world situations for backup use you would really limit what you are running and this would last maybe 24hrs. Then charge it up with a generator for about 2hrs and you get another 22 or so hours of quiet backup support
Exactly, not a bad option 👍
I live off grid full time and we have been using a Bluetti B300 with one 3072 W battery as our main power source. We have a small fridge and some electronics and it does pretty well for us. I hope to get some solar connected to the battery system this spring so we are less reliant on generators.
I have done this exact setup during an outage, except I backfed both 120v phases into the one 120v phase of my solar generator. To my surprise some of my 240v appliances worked as we were cooking in the oven at the time. My oven worked just fine with 120 volt connected to it, but I did notice it was cycling a little slower but it cooked no problem at 350 degrees.
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How did you do that? Did you simply run two extension cords from the solar gen backfed directly into two circuits that are on the different legs?
@@T4JQ3L I have a interlock generator transfer switch installed on my home electrical panel. The generator breaker is a two pole breaker. I run one regular extension cord to my small 2000 watt generator and connect the other end to a generator input plug. The generator input plug then goes to my electrical panel and the single hot wire is then split to the 2 pole breaker used on the interlock. So what happens is I plug in my generator switch off my main panel breaker slide the interlock and flip on the generator breaker. Now my house has all circuit breakers live with 120 volt. I was really surprised that my oven worked, maybe I should turn off the 240 volt appliances when I do this setup because it could be dangerous, but I didn't at the time and we cooked in the oven and it worked.
The mention of "...both phases running..." and similar statements was initially confusing and implied that there are two 120 volt phases that make up the single phase 240 volt input into the home. It may have been more clear to indicate that the switch that was built powers one leg of the main panel at a time. Other than that, your video was interesting. Thanks for posting it.
Impressive. What about connecting both phases at the same time to power the whole home? Of course while all 220V breakers off.
Scott, you can make the adapter even better by adding a single pole switch (rated at 30 amps) next to the three-way switch so you CAN have power on both phases at the SAME time which will allow you to power up everything at once on both phases. You'll connect the single pole switch to both the black and red wires on the three-way switch as well as the load wires and you'll use the single pole switch to "bypass" the three-way switch allowing you to power up the other phase at the same time and when you only want to have only one phase on, you'll turn off the single pole switch and use the three-way switch to select which phase that you want or need to have power. That suggestion will give you more options that you can use at once.
That's kinda what I'm doing, except I've got no switches at all. I just connect the 120v hot to BOTH 240v hots. This means the 240v loads (in your main panel) see 0 volts, but you're not going to be able to power 240v loads anyhow. One BIG caveat though. If your panel has any multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC), where two opposite phase hots share a neutral, this could be dangerous, because the neutral would be seeing twice its rated amperage, since the two hots would be IN phase, instead of the way they normally are in opposite phases.
Perfect exactly what I was looking for. thanks.
Great video as always. After experiencing the 2021 Texas power crisis with rolling blackouts, I'm seriously considering a backup method. I need my pool equipment to run 24/7 during a freeze and it runs on 220V. That's a limitation I see to using just one of these. Otherwise I could do without every 220V load since I have gas.
This setup is actually what I want, just waiting for a great sale 😂 amzn.to/3Zfw0Cz
I've done this too, and it does work well. The big problem might be that many houses are wired with 2 120 volt circuits using a common neutral with the 2 breakers on different phases. So theoretically, you could over current the common neutral by double. Will this happen, maybe. Probably not in a power failure situation, but you should be aware of it.
@@actodesco Yeah, that is exactly right. The way I solve that is by using a small 120 volt generator to power both phases. Its max power is 2200 watts so I am never worried about melting the neutral conductor.
This would be a good solution for your needs (I've considered the same), with 2 EcoFlows to provide 220V, but note that they'd only provide about 2 to 3 hours of pump time (assuming a 1KW pump motor). Also consider EG4 gear (at Signature Solar) for a better value solution if you're needing more power & energy.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs If you have a Costco membership you can get a pair for $6K
Excellently explained, thank you.
You can charge the ecoflow pro with rack mount batteries thru the dc input. No need to drive to a charging station.
Watched this to decide if I want an Anker or this.
I came to a conclusion by sheer spite - a regular generator with one of these.
Because while this is fun and pretty useful, where I am we get at least 8 hours of sun a day, high scorchers, and our fuel being as cheap as it goes it doesn't seen to warrant much of this kinda of tool.
My biggest gripe is working indoors in yet to be electrified to be sold countryside homes with a generator running outside just making a ton of noise and when you pull the wires it never goes to where you want it to be.
So yeah.
Great for that track saw
That was a very clever fix for a problem many of us face. I power half my house with my HONDA EU2200 and it works perfectly (for half the house). I traced out an outlet that is on the other phase (leg) of my house and run an extension cord over to where the HONDA is plugged in. I swap back and forth (I do have a manual transfer switch as you do for the Main Breaker ). So I am about 1/2 legal and the other half "suicide plug". It works for me and I am the only one doing the connections. However, this is a fantastic solution and I am going to use your links and build my own switch box so I can use my legal generator-in connection. BTW, I know you are promoting the Fantastic EcoFlow solutions, I just want to say the HONDA EU2200 with the Hutch Mountian propane option added is an alternate solution that works reliably. I do want to get an EcoFlow to have all my bases covered. My house is 3,500 square feet two story.
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7.5kw natural gas Auto switch generator is about $2200.00+.
With the expectations of increased weather extremes one or the other should be on your radar for consideration.
What cord do you need to connect single unit delta pro to 30 amp inlet box ... not a 50 amp inlet box like shown in this video? Thank you for your time and help.
Look up BOEEMI Generator Transfer Switch Adapter Cord L5-30P Male to L14-30R Female, 30 Amp. You can use it with the Marvine Cable Shore Power Cord Set 30Amp Male TT-30P to Marine 30Amp Female L5-30R. This will do the same thing as it bonds the two poles together. If you have a 50 amp inlet there is an adapter you can then connect to it. This way you can't have to switch between the poles and will have power to all circuits.
I bought three medium size solar generators. And solar panels. And I direct plug-in to my Wi-Fi with one. Direct plug-in to my 65 inch wide screen. And direct plug-in to one table lamp. No wiring or extension cords needed. And it costing far less than $3000.
Thank you so much for taking the time and sharring your experience! Your video really helped me make up my mind and go with this model. Thanks again.
I overland quite a bit and was looking at generators to power our a/c on those really hot days. Everything in our camper minus the a/c can run off our DC lithium battery system. I was considering a small multi-fuel generator but I really like the idea of not having to haul an extra propane or gas tank. We do have a soft start on our a/c unit, so I’m wondering if the EcoFlow Delta Pro would power our a/c and for how long.
I enjoyed your very informative video. Thanks
Thanks, I really appreciate the support 👍
When there is a power outage, there is not going to be a charging slot open.
There will be a line of anxious people.
It seems to me that a real world solution requires perhaps two units, and a charging source (solar, gas) so that one unit is online and the other being charged.
He did mention having to drive somewhere else in the county for a powered EV station. I had a friend just realize same issue with his gas generator when the power outage took out all of the gas pumps around him for many miles, same issue. He now stores more gas. I have gas/propane as well as wind to augment the solar, if sun isn't shining wind probably blowing at my place. Now I don't hate the wind as much.
Thanks for the video! Can I also use this with my PREDATOR 3500 Watt generator?
I had a similar idea, but didn't think of the 3 way switch to control which leg of the panel to backfeed. Brilliant!
Can you use it while wall charging? My use would be a generator topping it off during a power outage.
Have both the red and black wires to generator connection tied together , the neutral tied they and the ground tied they. Now all the 120 volt loads in the house will function on your battery back -up, only the 220 volt loads will not function. When I use my small 120 volt propane generator for fuel economy over my large one, I have said adapter which allows all my LED lights and receptacles to work. It’s convenient and there is no screwing around!
You do not want to have a bonded neutral in a system like this where he is interlocking at the main service. The bonding by NEC code says that your bond is to be at the point of dissconect. Having it bonded at your generator leaves you open for electrical shock with the frame of the generator.
@@Maxspeed996 yes, if you have a frame ground tied to the neutral, you would want to isolate them leaving the bond in the service panel. I am saying if you have a 120 volt source , that you have a adapter that connects the grounds thru, the isolated neutral thru and sends the L1 hot of the source to both the L1 and L2 of the generator transfer . You will only have 120 volts, no 240volt. This gives you the ability to select 120 volt loads on both halves of your service. Essentially making your service panel one big 120volt service! Allowing all 120volt lights and receptions to function, you will not be able to use 240volt load , because of lack of 240. You have the convenience of turning on any Light or your small appliances with out having half the house dead. You still must watch your load.
@@jeffcamp481 I'm trackin what you are putting down.
Please review the Anker Powerhouse 767
With only a 30AMP inlet, you should have installed a 6 or 8 circuit critical loads panel. Then you don't care which main panel side the load circuit is connected.
No, the interlock is far better. How do you pick which 6 or 8 circuits to move? And now when that changes what you need, how do you change it?
In my case, there are 11 circuits that cover minimum essentials (pet life support, hall/stair lighting, sump pump) but I can just turn on ALL 24 smaller circuits at once (around 2000-2500W load typically) but if its an extended outage I might want to run something large like the stove (2500-3500W main burners, 4500W oven), well pump, water heater (4800W), or in summer even run one air-conditioner (2000-3000W) for a brief time so its cool and dry enough to sleep. In winter I can't run either heat pump (defrost cycle is 12,000-17,000W) I can run the gas fireplace and both central air circulatory fans (which takes up 4 slots for 2 air handlers but only 800W for both air handler fans) to move the heat around.
My 7500W generator with 120/240-30A output can only handle one of those big loads at a time, all those are possible with the interlock, I can decide to shut off everything but the one large load and run that for a while then shut off the single large load and turn on all my essential small loads for aquariums/terrariums/fridge/freezer/lighting. Or if we decide that the freezer should be in the basement instead of the sun-room we don't have to hire an electrician to rewire anything, I just change the colored tape by the breakers to denote which we need on.
I didn't actually realize the interlock was an option until the electrician recommended it as a more flexible and less expensive solution than moving a bunch of circuits to a sub-panel only to find out that I need to change the combination of them later.
I have expanded my power station inventory. I have (4) 1408Wh power stations (110V 15A). Each can connect to a backup battery, but I just connect a pair of power stations together using the cp3500 cable. That will give me 2 pairs each with 2816Wh. In each pair, both power stations can be charged individually at the same time, and have power pulled from both while having one of them connected to the L14-30 generator inlet box. I power both legs of the panel at the same time (240V breakers are off) from one pair of power stations. The other pair is a backup. I was thinking of building a "Y connector" and connect each pair to a leg in the panel. The ground and neutral are bonded in the main panel and I have the interlock kit. What is your opinion?
I use my Auris Hybrid car to power my boiler in case of power failure.
An inverter (500w) converts 12v to 230v via an industrial socket attached to the house and a coupler to the inverter in the car.
The car is then started and the engine will power on and off as when it is needed.
My boiler uses approximately 200w.
HOW LONG DOES THE POWER LAST?
How about ferrules for the wires before they go into the terminals inside the dryer socket? Would that be appropriate, or no?
this might be obvious for many of you. but if your power goes off during a snow storm use the snow as ice in bags keep your food
snow in zip lock bags can keep your fridge cold
quick question. I have an adapter TT-30P to L14_50R. Testing with my multimeter, I get continuity between both X and Y hots on the L14-50R side, continuity between the hot on TT-30P and X on L14-50R, and continuity between the hot on TT-30P and Y on L14-50R. Long story short, the adapter is hot bridging X and Y and the hot on TT-30P. This should act like a junction, both legs of the L14-50R are receiving in-phase 120v. So my question: why would I need to wire up a magic box to flip between giving power to different legs of the panel? Shouldn't the adapter be delivering in-phase 120v to both legs of the panel (assuming I have the 240v breakers turned off to avoid appliance damage)?
I'm in Illinois to, don't know if that's good or not lol.. Good video! I subscribed, I love these.. 🙂
I would love to be able to test and keep one of those system
So can you just use one of your household outlets and plug in the battery and have it charging itself?
This is extremely cool, exactly what I want to do, EXCEPT wire to a 50 Amp Generator Power Inlet Box. Is that possible? Power Phases? Thanks....cpc
Toy Battery you got there. I connect my e-car to my house in case something should happen, but in Switzerland there are actually no power outages, you can count on the supply here.
If its a ford lightning that truck has a massive defect with the batteries
I would really like to hear some input from you on the new Delta Pro Ultra that will be coming out in January. I know information is fresh, but it seems that if we don't plan to take the battery with us, the Ultra would be the best option. I'm just curious price-wise how much better the new unit will be. They haven't said pricing yet, but on the website it shows that with the $1,500 coupon that you actually purchase for $300 (net -$1,200) the price will be "$4,xxx". I'm assuming that means $4,999. If that's the case, the retail price would be $6,499??
I 100% need this j1772 charging capability. Do you know if any other batteries have this ability?
I like not having to have a gas powered generator running with the noise and fumes. The only things we'd need is fridge, on demand water heater, well, sump and furnace, all of which run on 120. I would just have to make sure they're all on the same phase. We would lose the stove but we'd cook on the gas grill and just hit the laundromat in a pinch. Sounds like a perfect solution for us. Now... how do you wire this up... and do you keep it charged or just charge it when it's necessary?
While I guess this is a nice academic exercise, this is a very expensive solution that is also VERY inconvenient!
If I had $4k to spend (since an EcoFlow Delta Pro costs about $3,700), I'd buy a $2K, 7.6kW (running) inverter generator, then buy a nice 500 lb propane tank. During a power outage, you'd go out, start your generator, plug it into your interlock outlet and you're done. No hooking up solar panels that don't provide nearly enough power (forcing you to have to drive to get it charged up). No flipping between the two hot legs (who has time to be doing that?).
If you're going to do solar+batteries, do it the right way. Get yourself 5-10 kW worth of solar panels on your roof (something that can actually harness the power of the sun!). Then hook that up to a deep cycle battery (or two or three or...), enough to actually have enough power to run your house at least for a day. Then you can charge your battery(ies) with your generator periodically.
As a final step and if you have the money, sell the inverter generator (or keep it as an additional emergency backup) and get a whole house generator. I've done a lot of these projects when I was a kid. As I get older, I prefer setting up systems that work for me. I want convenience! Flipping a switch to power different legs? NO THANKS! But again, nice video that shows what's possible.
That is exactly "one" of the options I have. Along with solar panels and wind. If I had a stream I would also do water power. Cover all of the bases for as many options. I do like my electricity.
Woah, I recognize the EV charging station that is 20 miles from my home. I had lunch at the poke place in the strip mall across the street earlier this week.
Another great video. I don’t have many power outages, but I would like to have the piece of mind knowing that if the power goes out I’ll have a backup. I’m thinking about making a little solar array to provide power to a Bluetti power system. What’s your take on that brand? Thanks.
Nice. Love this one!!
If you want something with power, plug in your microwave, air fryer, space heater, or hair dryer... those use about 1500 W of power each.
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Thank you - excellent method to extract either phase of the 120 output. You could then add another junction box to extract the opposite phase to then create your own 240 volt input.? technique similar to using both sides of a standard panel.
I actually really like the method of using 2 Delta Pro Units and the voltage hub. Only things is a the price is hard to justify for a power outage every few years 😅 amzn.to/3Zfw0Cz
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@@EverydayHomeRepairs Easier to justify if frequent power outages or wanting to go full off grid. That is my goal, fully off grid. Wait for a sale, got my dual Bluetti on Prime Day sale, was that or EcoFlow so picked what I thought was best deal at the time. The one 240V item, well pump. Looking to do a second well that runs from 120V.
Nice video. What’s the possibility of connecting the inlet box outside if you are using a gas generator?
You could bridge the 2 120V busbar lines running from your panel to your exoflow and energize both at the same time with single phase 120V out of the ecoflow, no need for a switch to go back and forth. I energize both 120V busbars in my house with an ecoflow delta max no problem. Obviously you cant run any 240V appliances I just switch off all those breakers before using this setup.
This is what I'm doing, except there's one BIG safety issue to be aware of. If your panel has any multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC), where two opposite phase hots share a neutral, this could be dangerous, because the neutral would be seeing twice its rated amperage, since the two hots would be IN phase, instead of the way they normally are in opposite phases.
Question what is the 3 way switch for? Secondly when you use the car charger can you charge also extra batteries if you have them
I did the same thing for my Anker767 without using the 30amp switch. I just used the generator cable to a 30amp rv to a L14-30. When I put it in generator by pass with the interlock I just make sure the 240 breakers in the box are not on. I made readings of all rooms with normal things on so I can determine which breakers to have on while on the Anker767 which is a 2048wt pwr gen. My plan is to then use the generator to charge the Anker in the day. I'm even considering purchasing a camping(tiny) generator to charge the battery backup to use less gas to charge and maybe a solar panel or two.,
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The Delta Ecoflow EF 3.6 kw pair run a little over $5 kw.
A lot of this equipment is aimed at the USA in the UK we aer all 240 volt
I was looking at two Ecoflow Delta Pro units and the double voltage hub but decided against it due to their cost, complaints, and small amount of battery storage. I decided to get a Growatt 12k inverter and (4) 48V Lifepower4 batteries w/rack for a total of 20kWh and high surge capacity to power my home. This system will run about 18 hours before it needs to be recharged and my Honda EU7000is generator, converted to tri-fuel, will only have to run a few hours per day during a prolonged grid down event. If we have an outage during a heat spell, the Growatt will be able to start our 4 ton HVAC...where the Honda and the Ecoflow units would not be able to handle the high inrush demands of the compressor. Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, standalone battery storage systems are now eligible for a 30% federal tax credit, reducing system cost by 1/3rd. Having both a generator and an inverter with battery backup offers the best of both worlds and should prove much more efficient energy-wise during prolonged outages.
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Curious why you used a 3 way switch, the unit you made is controlled with one switch. What am I missing?
You can bring in the 120V from EcoFlow and then with the 3-way switch you can have both phases connected with the switch controlling which phase is connected to the 120V coming out of the EcoFlow.
The only thing I do not like is having a plug side on both ends of your adapter - I believe this is why you do not see them in the "wild" - like in the beginning of the TV show Hill Street Blues --> "Hey, be careful out there....."
Great video. Wondering if with this setup you could safely have rooftop solar activated to essentially power the home and charge the battery. Given that solar switches off when the power is out to avoid backfeeding the grid for safety, you've taken care of that with your disconnect and the battery can send power to the solar panels. Do you think this would be safe?
This is also a question I would like an answer for as I have the same situation.
Not safe to enable your solar system (normally connected to grid) to a local power source. The solar system inverters would feed all their power into your local power source. Your local power source (Gen or inverter) probably is not designed for that and it just might suffer permanent damage.