Really great review. I love the way you presented the info, while adding the detailed “picture in a picture” format. And you didn’t assume the audience knew ANYTHING about solar generates/batteries/etc (which I don’t!), explaining acronyms, describing processes; really good.
Thanks so much for the lovely comment! We knew nothing about solar when we started our build, so we understood the need to break things down a bit. We hope it's helpful to you!
@@dwnshifters6833 My 6000x the screws fell off out of nowhere. The screws that attach the cart to the generator. Goal zero didn't even offer to replace the screws.
@@dwnshifters6833 I spent around $8,000 dollars buying the 6000x and two ranger briefcases. Goal Zero didn't even offer to send me 4 small screws because of bad quality control 🙄
@@scmreport2457 we feel your pain. We have a contact now that has made our correspondence fairly streamlined, but it took over a year of barking to get there. It seems their product line and sales are scaling up much faster than their customer service, which is a shame.
Thanks for watching! We are alive - thanks for your concern. Sadly, both of our work schedules have been insane and our youtubing and other social media outlets have taken a hit because of it. You're not the first to ask about a one year update and we will get to one - we promise! If you scroll through the comments, we briefly shared our updated views, but a video will come in the near future. All the best!
First of all thank you for making the youtube video. I was really excited about the Yeti 6000X when I finally received it around May 2021, I used it for several months and didn't have any issues, until I stopped using it for about 4 months because I am renovating my house and I had to use Solar Panels from Goal Zero also. I been charging my Yeti 6000x for 3 straight days now and it only at 77% full. When I first plug it in to the same power outlet it shows 500W going in and after a minute it will go down to 50W. I also called Goal Zero Technical Support and we trouble shoot it but it turns our that it needs to be replaced with a new one (Hopefully New). The sad part is today is March 2022 and I haven't even paid the Yeti 6000X because I loan it through Affirm. I mean it has 2 years warranty but I just bother me that not even a year of using it, its broken already? I am very careful with it also and only use it for basic stuff in the house because I am afraid that It will stress the battery. What happens if the warranty expires? I will be stuck with a block of useless equipment and make it to a chair probably? I am freaking out really. Did anyone of you ran into this issue? Is there 3rd party where I can buy to extend the warranty? PLEASE HELP! Thank you!
Hi Christian! Thanks for having a watch! We have had our fair share of issues with the GZ products, but they have always come through with replacements and support. We'd suggest staying patient and creating a good relationship with customer service so get the issues resolved. We have had a number of issues, some of them with the programming on the units that created issues with our solar panels being compatible. Their engineers worked with us to update the firmware so our panels worked correctly. We were quite impressed. It wasn't an overnight solution, but our system has been working great since the firmware update. As for warranties, you can do a simple Google search for "Electronics extended warranties" and a number of options will pop up. We have used Asurion for our GZ products, as we bought our GZ products through Amazon and Amazon allows you to add an Asurion extended warranty at the time of purchase. All the best to you!
Thanks Cleo! They are running through the 120ac plugs. Here is a full diagram of our setup. www.dwnshifters.com/blog/2021/1/13/using-a-portable-power-station-in-your-build
That's great! We're glad to hear you've had such a good experience. As noted in the video, we had two 3000's and two 1400's with issues. Keeping our fingers crossed that we have the same experience as you are with our new 6000x! Thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 I am sorry to hear that. I took a risk. Hope you have a better experience now. Bought it out of necessity after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. After trying many different appliances the best so far for emergencies to me is a small Frigidaire freezer fridge those with the door on top. Office fridges need more power to run. They depleted my Yeti. I can go 24/7 with the small Frigidaire, 19 inch LED TV and table fans (35 watts on medium setting). I also have a two thousand watts inverter gas generator to complement. All the off gridders have gas generators. I have not had to use the gas generator while using the appliances I mentioned. Those appliances are for longer power outages. Best wishes to you and yours. English is not my first language.
@@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242 so glad it has worked so well, especially in a situation where electricity options are hard to come by. The boulder panels are expensive, but we've heard they work well. All the best to you. Your English is very good! Take care, Augustin!
can it run the Rooftop AC? thats the only reason I want it. I live in a very hot state. 100 - 105 on average for about 6 months out of the year. our winters are not very chilly at all. usually 55-70 so we don't need a heater.
Possibly. Depends on the draw of the ac unit in question. This power station has a 2000w inverter, so anything with less draw would run on it. Thanks so much for watching!
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching! If you're wondering how we wired up the Yeti in our van - we have an article all about that here: www.dwnshifters.com/blog/2021/1/13/using-a-portable-power-station-in-your-build
Thanks for the great review. Now that it's been a year using it what are your overall thoughts pros, cons and how is the alternator charging working out? Thanks
Hi Brain! Thanks for reaching out! We plan to make a video update to share all the details, but overall we are happy with the unit after a years use. As noted in another comment, the fact that the unit can only input 600w has been frustrating at times, as charge times can be slow. More panels would result in faster charge times and we'd really love for that to be an option. Alternator charging has been solid. We have a VERY long run on our cable from the alternator to the back of our van, which means that there is some loss (and heat) between the alternator and Yeti, but it sure is nice to see 300-400w of continuous charging from the alternator while we're driving. Something that is also nice about this setup is that the solar panels can still collect power as well. Stay in touch and keep an eye out for a video update in the near future.
Hi there! Thanks for such an in-depth video on the 6000X! I just purchased a 3000X for my van conversion and would like to get the Yeti Link as well. Can you share the amperage of your rigs alternator? We upgraded our van's to 250 amp and I am worried that the Yeti Link wont be able to handle it. The EC8 cable seems much too small. Do you have yours set-up with all the factory cabling that the Yeti Link comes with? If so, have you had any issues? Thanks!
Our pleasure! We have the Ford Heavy Duty Alternator (which appears to be spec'd at 220 or 230a depending on what article you read). We are using all original components from the Link System without issue. We did have to lengthen the cable, as our Yeti is located in the far rear of an extended Transit. Enjoy your 3000x!
Thanks so much for watching! We are using 6 COMPACT 100w Monocrystalline panels from Renogy mounted on our roof. Due to our roof configuration with skylight and fan, we needed a compact panel solution to get everything to fit. We actually have a video on our DIY roof rack that illustrates our layout.
Thanks for making this review. Just out of curiosity, how long/average time frame can you go in your daily routine just off the yeti 6000x and your current 600watts of solar to supplementally recharge. I know you said you run a fridge, water heater, stove, laptops etc… so real daily living. Thanks
Thanks for having a watch and reaching out, Joel! If the weather is agreeable (sunny), we can easily make it 5-6 days before needing to top off the unit with some alternator charging. If it wasn't for the fact that John uses a powerful laptop (16.9A draw) for his design work 8 hours per day, we could easily go much longer.
how do you fix the light flickering with the diesel heater? having that issue also. I have everything wired into a fuse block then into Anderson port (diesel heater, lights, max air fan)
Ours flickers as well - if we have other 12v components on. The draw from the diesel heater just about maxes out the output of the Yeti. Luckily, it only last a few moments for us and doesn't really bother us for the few moments. Just happy to have the heat! =)
Yes, we considered it and actually started with the 3000. Due to a ton of issues we had with the 3000, GZ upgraded us to the 6000x. We have never looked into how flipping between car mode and battery mode on the GZ Link would work, but we couldn't live without car-mode, so never dug too deep. If you're interested in a bit of our history with GZ, you can find it here: www.dwnshifters.com/reviews/2020/2/14/goalzero-not-worth-the-hassle-or-price
Great review! For the solar/ Ac charger it's a real bummer to be honest. You can cut the wire and plug it straight in the 2nd expansion port, then your solar in the mppt.
This may be the way to do it, as the expansion ports regulate voltage separately from the other inputs. Thanks for watching and leaving an interesting comment! We'd love to hear from someone that's tried this!
@@dwnshifters6833 yeah maybe the 600w ac charger should stay in the mppt controller. Then get a cheap victory solar controller for your solar array? Check this out: ua-cam.com/video/rqXscD69RvM/v-deo.html
Your diagram in one of the comments is great! I may have missed it, but are you manually switching plugs on the unit to go from solar to shore and back?
Yes, on the video that is what we're doing. In the real world, we attach shore power directly to our 120v system so we're not taxing our yeti when we don't need to. (This is done by plugging our power strip in the diagram directly to shore power). Glad you liked the diagram and thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 thanks for the reply! I'm considering one of the new offerings from Buetti, in part because I *think* they have separate ports for AC and solar charging.
Good info. Unfortunate you cannot ha e both PV and AC simultaneous charging!!! So assume you can’t then add a second AC charger to get this charged in 5-6 hrs??? 12 hrs is a long time to rely on it as a main generator!!
Yes. Since the video, I've discovered that you can only have one power source at a time (with the exception of Carlink and PV simultaneously). The Yeti is set up to accept the highest input and ignores any lesser inputs. So our 600w of solar on our roof can not be used in conjunction with a solar suitcase to get as close to 600w as possible. I have figured out an alternative to this, which is to wire the suitcase in parallel with the roof panels. This is getting us close to 600w at peak times... Thanks for watching!
So for clarification purposes, can I have the yeti link running with solar hooked up as well? And will it just stop charging from the solar if the link provides a greater source of power? I just don't want to manually disconnect the solar everytime I drive.
Hi thanks for the video! How do you run multiple AC outlets from the Goal Zero. Do you just strip an extension cord and wire it to multiple AC outlets? Been trying to figure this out and can't seem to find any info on this.
Hi Dr Emily! Thanks so much for having a watch and leaving a comment. John is writing an article about this as we speak. We'll send you the link just as soon as it's done!
You can run a power strip or surge (Pointless for surge because these don't have a ground plug. And nor do they need such.). for Optional 110volt AC ports. But you have to remember to keep track of your devices (1500 normal and 3000surge). If you go over, it'll trigger a circut breaker system and disable the AC ports. So remember to learn what your wattage (aka Voltage/Amps) are on your AC devices.
It would have been nice if you switched the units to volts to see whether the 12v port is really regulated, especially now your battery is at 50%. I think it would have shown app. 11,5%, as my 500x does, that should be regulated too.
@@christiannepogie5937 We would be concerned too. We'd probably leave it in the car when we're not near the tent or maybe chain it to a tree? (this seems like quite a gamble though).
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. I notice the APP output on top as well as on the front. Do they each provide 30 amps? Can they be combined to a single distribution panel?
Hi Ballan. Yes, they both provide 30a output. We're sure if they can be combined or not. I'd just recommend reaching out to GZ to ask. They're very responsive to questions. Thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 I just added my first appliance, a microwave oven. Installation instructions emphasize the use of a 115v grounded outlet. The Goal Zero inverter outlet does not appear to be grounded. What do you suggest: don’t worry about it? Run a wire from the microwave chassis to the vehicle chassis? Other?
Is the lithium battery system capability of the $150K Winnebago Boldt 4WD sprinter van RV roughly the same as having two goal zero 6000x units in my $60K Mercedes 2500 4WD bare unconverted cargo van?
The Winnebago Pure3 Advanced Energy System is rated at 9500WH compared to two GZ 6000x's that are rated at over 12,000WH. So you're getting more capacity with the GZ's. The Winnebago does have a more robust inverter that runs at up to 3600w compared to the GZ that has two 2000w inverters. So capacity wise you're better off with the GZ's. You'll def want to install a ton of solar panels or install an additional heavy-duty alternator to keep all that capacity topped off. Thanks so much for watching and getting in touch!
We did talk to them. They stated that it can be used, but that it doesn't work as designed yet. This is where we got our info regarding the firmware update in December.
I have a yetti 1500x I have that same 600 watt fast charger when it gets to 100% the last segment keeps blinking and the watts go down to 23 watts and it stays on that 23 watts and the blue light keeps flashing does this same thing happen with yours when it's fully charged please let me know thank you it seems like it's not stopping the charge for me I called goal zero he said that's normal but I don't seem to think it is
Is it showing 23w for the input or the output? We have our Yeti set up so it isn't charging to 100% to increase the battery life of the unit. I can try this out and see if ours has the same issue though.
@@dwnshifters6833 it's showing 23 watts input after it gets to 100% and the last segment is flashing along with the blue light like it's still charging and won't stop charging
@@dwnshifters6833 I did try putting it to battery saver mode and it will stop charging that way but in performance mode when it gets to 100% it keeps on charging its so wierd
@@harrypullen5915 that is odd. Is you unit drawing 23w all the time? Do you have something plugged in to it? Our blue light flashes when ever the charger is plugged in. We'll double check the 23w issue the next time we're messing with the Yeti or we top it off to 100%. Stay tuned.
@@dwnshifters6833 I have nothing plugged into it at all the inverter is turned off along with everything else just the charger plugged into it. It will charge at the 600 watts and when it gets to 100% it drops down to 23 watts and just stays there
It has heavy-duty computer style fans that kick on when it's either being charged or drawn quickly. Not noisy at all, but the unit isn't totally silent.
A Portable roller or Windows AC. Yes. They will use about 1000watts (1kw). with Compressor on. Without compressor, They run around 50watts for fan on max. If you have ability to get some power of same wattage back charged to the generator, Then you'll be able to power it forever. else it'll only last about 6hours straight on the 6000x, Without anything else plugged into it that is using power.
Hi for transporting, does it come with trolly and what are the necessary add ons to use it. ex what to you suggest for the solar panels etc... thank you
Yes. The 3000 and 6000 models come with a trolley. We don't use it, as our unit has a permanent home in our van. As for additional components, John is doing a full write up on what/how we use the Yeti in our van, complete with additional components and wiring. We'll post a link in this thread when it's done. Thanks for watching!
Buy 4 used valence lifepo4 batteries 138ah/ea @ $400/ea. = $1600 + $700 Growatt all in one 24v 3000w inverter/charger + $30 step down to 12v. $50 misc. Total: $2380. Less than 1/2 price. The above build is not that hard. There are lots of videos out there. One can also add a dc to dc charger and upgrade the alternator too. There’s plenty of options today. I have a goal zero 1000 that I bought a long time ago. Great product. But costly. I paid only $800 Costco sale. But after building my first DIY one. I’m never going back. It’s much easier to build one now, with more capacity and better performance for a fraction of the cost. But thanks for sharing.
Is it possible? Yes. Is it feasible? Not really, but this depends on how many watts your heater is. A small 500w heater would theoretically run for 12 hours on a 6000x - if you ran it from 100% charge to 0% charge (which you should never do, as it reduces the lifespan of the battery). So that 12 hours sounds pretty good, but you have to recharge the battery somehow and it would take about that same 12 hours to recharge the 6000x with the 600w power supply or 800w of solar panels. This is just to run the heater for 12 hours. If you have devices charging, a fridge, fan, or other items that require electricity, then your 12 hours quickly starts to look like 8 or 9 hours. If we had a 500w heater, we would use it only when connected to shore power at a campground or a friend's house. In fact, we have electric radiant floors that use around 250w that we don't use unless we have shore power or are charging off our alternator while driving. Our main source of heat in the van during very cold weather is our diesel heater. These are very inexpensive to run, are very hot, and safe to operate. If you're sold on an electric heat source, you'll want to look at heaters that are spec'd at 250w or so - or- an electric blanket. Thanks for watching and inquiring!
We purchased a 2kw diesel heater off eBay. Install is generally straight forward, but we added ours a year after loving in the van full-time. So ours is mounted under the van, which is atypical.
@@RTO1019 Correctly using the device. If you use a small 500 or 750watt heater (built mainly for a bathroom or small room.). You can, And if you have more then enough incoming power to the generator. Then you can run forever off it. Since these have bypass charging, Once it's topped. All power coming in, is reverted to passing out the power ports. Hance why their Solar generators.
Sadly, we're not familiar with this unit. If you can give us info on how many amps it is, we can tell you how long it will run on a GZ. Thanks for reaching out!
Read the info on the AC unit. Normally it says the voltage and ampage. But if it's a standard 3 prong home plug. Then it's normally gonna be about 1000watts, Which is yes will run for around 6hours of usage on the 6000x alone, without anything else running off the generator. If you have similar power of solar or wind/water turbine to send power back in at 1000 or more, Then you can power forever off it.
@@dwnshifters6833 out of warranty. I am not using the unit any more and just have it plugged into a solar panel for now to keep the battery conditioned. might use it to run the lights off 12v when i get my cabin built.
Correction. Yes. Tesla's come with a standard AC plug to use. But a 6000x is 6kw of power. A tesla needs over 100kw's. So. You're best bet, Would to find a way to get another 1500watts served back into the generator, to continue self charging the tesla, Or else you'll have the generator die within 4-5hours.
I wonder if this would supplement my regular solar system to help run a Harvest Right Freeze dryer at night.... anyone know of anyone who is doing this?
For over 6 thousand dollars I can build a HUGE!! 48v system with 400 amps of 48 v lifepo4 batteries or 20,000 kw that will run everything and more at the same time. Waste of money with this unit in my opinion $4000 for a 48v.400 amp lifepo4 battery , $ 1,200 for 3- 450 watts solar panels connected in series , $ 700 for an all in one inverter and about 300 to 400 bucks for wires and fuses.
No argument from us that the unit is expensive, that's for sure! As for the rest of your comment, you're comparing apples to oranges. The GZ products are portable, meaning they can go from the garage to the house to the van to the yurt with relative ease and all connected to an app for easy management. The system you shared sounds awesome, but its not moving anywhere once installed. Just like music - if you want to listed to music at home, get a record player. If you want to listen to music at home, the beach, while skiing down a hill - get an mp3 player.
Actually it is 6000 watts capacity equipment with a completely protected charge controller , inverter, battery and all kinds of input and output bells and whistles. This is actually cheaper than anything you can buy, even permanent home solar equipment. You are wrong. Your car has a battery. This is not a battery.
Solar generator. Not battery. Solar generators can give power directly to devices once they reach their full charged. So if you're not pulling more power then what it can get input power at. It takes 0% from the battery and sends it to the device. It's like a beefed up UPS. But better because there isn't any switching that UPS's go through when changing from AC to internal battery.
Terrible engineering and roll out of the entire x line. I ended up returning and getting a refund after 2 bad 1500x units. Goal zero customer service was not really able to address any of my issues other than just replacing defective unit with another defective unit and then offering to replace that with probably another defective unit. Good luck .
Yes. We have this same feedback to them as noted here: www.dwnshifters.com/reviews/2020/2/14/goalzero-not-worth-the-hassle-or-price Thanks for watching!
Goalzero has sadly rushed the X line, And partial of the normal of it's 400. Largely avoid it till Covid is done or wait another year/2. Ether that or get their Lead Acid versions which are more reliable and much more expandable. Heavier, But then again their still great usage.
I would never buy a branded item like that when I could build my own box my own way in a weekend for about 2500 and it would be way better. Yeti you pay a premium just for that Branded Name....A half way handy person could make their own box way cheaper.
Is it? Doesn't it depend on what the users load calculations and needs are? Seems like it's over kill for you, but stating that as fact for everyone seems a little short sighted. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a thoughtful comment~!
@@dwnshifters6833 you’re right, it depends what you’re running but I’ve never seen a van build yet that would need the 6000. I live full time in a Honda Element with the yeti 1000 and I run a fridge, laptop, cellphone, drone battery, instant pot, a full DJ setup with 2 6.5 inch subwoofers, cell signal booster, electric blanket and I rarely see the 1000 go below 50%
Ah. Add an electric hot water heater, electric radiant floors, induction stove, and a crazy powerful laptop for the day job to your list and the 6000x starts to sound more reasonable. We have a friend who really wants to explore the country in an Element. Post an IG link for him to check you out, if you like. Thanks for the reply!
Sorry, but your in a van, with an alternator, this is a stupid waste of money when you could add a few batteries and an invertor for much less.. what the hell do even need this for really
Hey Squishy! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us what we should be doing without knowing anything about us, our electrical load calcs, or our lifestyle! We're guessing you didn't consider that we like to stay in one spot for a few weeks to really enjoy the lake/mountains/trees/etc and not have to drive around and waste fuel just to charge our system. Our day jobs also require that we use high powered electronics, so we took the time to do electrical calculations that would enable us to live our lives exactly as we please - and we're doing just that. We hope you are too!
Not cool squish. Though it’s not for me, cuz I can build my own. I wouldn’t put someone down for sharing information about this unit. It’s valuable to some else. Keep sharing, because we are all in this to help one another learn. I love the solar, van life, homestead, offgrid communities. They are a great wealth of information. Thanks for sharing.
@@dwnshifters6833 you did all this research and decided spending 3 to 5 grand on this was the best solution ? You tube revenue was why you decided to buy it, lets be honest.. good luck with it
@Squish your funny, try to build such spec product in such a small format... sometimes cost is not the only reason to buy something. If you like making wires and chasing bugs and using 10x the space this unit takes have at her.
Really great review. I love the way you presented the info, while adding the detailed “picture in a picture” format. And you didn’t assume the audience knew ANYTHING about solar generates/batteries/etc (which I don’t!), explaining acronyms, describing processes; really good.
Thanks so much for the lovely comment! We knew nothing about solar when we started our build, so we understood the need to break things down a bit. We hope it's helpful to you!
@@dwnshifters6833 My 6000x the screws fell off out of nowhere. The screws that attach the cart to the generator. Goal zero didn't even offer to replace the screws.
@@dwnshifters6833 I spent around $8,000 dollars buying the 6000x and two ranger briefcases. Goal Zero didn't even offer to send me 4 small screws because of bad quality control 🙄
@@scmreport2457 we feel your pain. We have a contact now that has made our correspondence fairly streamlined, but it took over a year of barking to get there. It seems their product line and sales are scaling up much faster than their customer service, which is a shame.
I didn't even watch one sec and I liked it
😂 thanks!?!?
Nice honest review
Thanks for having a watch, Ben!
Thanks. Nice job. Just picked up my 6000 for home freezer backup and installed a 3000 in my Sprinter.
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment! Best of luck!!!
What was the price?
@@dracoarawn4002 They are running about $5000-
Has staying power!
Great review! You should do an update video that’s more recent. I noticed that you haven’t posted a video in over a year. Hope all is well.
Thanks for watching! We are alive - thanks for your concern. Sadly, both of our work schedules have been insane and our youtubing and other social media outlets have taken a hit because of it. You're not the first to ask about a one year update and we will get to one - we promise! If you scroll through the comments, we briefly shared our updated views, but a video will come in the near future. All the best!
First of all thank you for making the youtube video. I was really excited about the Yeti 6000X when I finally received it around May 2021, I used it for several months and didn't have any issues, until I stopped using it for about 4 months because I am renovating my house and I had to use Solar Panels from Goal Zero also. I been charging my Yeti 6000x for 3 straight days now and it only at 77% full. When I first plug it in to the same power outlet it shows 500W going in and after a minute it will go down to 50W. I also called Goal Zero Technical Support and we trouble shoot it but it turns our that it needs to be replaced with a new one (Hopefully New). The sad part is today is March 2022 and I haven't even paid the Yeti 6000X because I loan it through Affirm. I mean it has 2 years warranty but I just bother me that not even a year of using it, its broken already? I am very careful with it also and only use it for basic stuff in the house because I am afraid that It will stress the battery. What happens if the warranty expires? I will be stuck with a block of useless equipment and make it to a chair probably? I am freaking out really. Did anyone of you ran into this issue? Is there 3rd party where I can buy to extend the warranty? PLEASE HELP! Thank you!
Hi Christian! Thanks for having a watch! We have had our fair share of issues with the GZ products, but they have always come through with replacements and support. We'd suggest staying patient and creating a good relationship with customer service so get the issues resolved. We have had a number of issues, some of them with the programming on the units that created issues with our solar panels being compatible. Their engineers worked with us to update the firmware so our panels worked correctly. We were quite impressed. It wasn't an overnight solution, but our system has been working great since the firmware update. As for warranties, you can do a simple Google search for "Electronics extended warranties" and a number of options will pop up. We have used Asurion for our GZ products, as we bought our GZ products through Amazon and Amazon allows you to add an Asurion extended warranty at the time of purchase. All the best to you!
Best 6000 review on UA-cam. Do you have the outlets in your van pulling/connected to your 120VAC area of your yeti? Or from the USB-C Section? Thanks.
Thanks Cleo! They are running through the 120ac plugs. Here is a full diagram of our setup. www.dwnshifters.com/blog/2021/1/13/using-a-portable-power-station-in-your-build
I have a Yeti 3000. No issues. Mine is three years and five months old. Really good.
That's great! We're glad to hear you've had such a good experience. As noted in the video, we had two 3000's and two 1400's with issues. Keeping our fingers crossed that we have the same experience as you are with our new 6000x! Thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 I am sorry to hear that. I took a risk. Hope you have a better experience now. Bought it out of necessity after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. After trying many different appliances the best so far for emergencies to me is a small Frigidaire freezer fridge those with the door on top. Office fridges need more power to run. They depleted my Yeti. I can go 24/7 with the small Frigidaire, 19 inch LED TV and table fans (35 watts on medium setting). I also have a two thousand watts inverter gas generator to complement. All the off gridders have gas generators. I have not had to use the gas generator while using the appliances I mentioned. Those appliances are for longer power outages. Best wishes to you and yours. English is not my first language.
I use it with two Boulder 100 panels. Those are expensive. They didn't sell the anderson adapters back then in order to use other panels.
@@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242 so glad it has worked so well, especially in a situation where electricity options are hard to come by. The boulder panels are expensive, but we've heard they work well. All the best to you. Your English is very good! Take care, Augustin!
Thank you!
Thanks for watching, Garrett!
Great review. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
can it run the Rooftop AC? thats the only reason I want it. I live in a very hot state. 100 - 105 on average for about 6 months out of the year. our winters are not very chilly at all. usually 55-70 so we don't need a heater.
Possibly. Depends on the draw of the ac unit in question. This power station has a 2000w inverter, so anything with less draw would run on it. Thanks so much for watching!
Thank you for sharing, very useful information!
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Thanks for sharing such great information to all of us!🙏
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching! If you're wondering how we wired up the Yeti in our van - we have an article all about that here: www.dwnshifters.com/blog/2021/1/13/using-a-portable-power-station-in-your-build
Thanks for the great review.
Now that it's been a year using it what are your overall thoughts pros, cons and how is the alternator charging working out?
Thanks
Hi Brain! Thanks for reaching out! We plan to make a video update to share all the details, but overall we are happy with the unit after a years use. As noted in another comment, the fact that the unit can only input 600w has been frustrating at times, as charge times can be slow. More panels would result in faster charge times and we'd really love for that to be an option. Alternator charging has been solid. We have a VERY long run on our cable from the alternator to the back of our van, which means that there is some loss (and heat) between the alternator and Yeti, but it sure is nice to see 300-400w of continuous charging from the alternator while we're driving. Something that is also nice about this setup is that the solar panels can still collect power as well. Stay in touch and keep an eye out for a video update in the near future.
goal zero yeti 6000x lithium portable power station great👍👍👍👍
You got it! Thanks for watching!
Hi there! Thanks for such an in-depth video on the 6000X! I just purchased a 3000X for my van conversion and would like to get the Yeti Link as well. Can you share the amperage of your rigs alternator? We upgraded our van's to 250 amp and I am worried that the Yeti Link wont be able to handle it. The EC8 cable seems much too small. Do you have yours set-up with all the factory cabling that the Yeti Link comes with? If so, have you had any issues? Thanks!
Our pleasure! We have the Ford Heavy Duty Alternator (which appears to be spec'd at 220 or 230a depending on what article you read). We are using all original components from the Link System without issue. We did have to lengthen the cable, as our Yeti is located in the far rear of an extended Transit. Enjoy your 3000x!
@@dwnshifters6833 Thanks for the quick reply!
@@Anpatton of course!
Thanks for posting this! What is your source for 600W? Are you using 3 of the Goal Zero Boulder 200 Watt Briefcase Monocrystalline Solar Panels?
Thanks so much for watching! We are using 6 COMPACT 100w Monocrystalline panels from Renogy mounted on our roof. Due to our roof configuration with skylight and fan, we needed a compact panel solution to get everything to fit. We actually have a video on our DIY roof rack that illustrates our layout.
goal zero yeti 6000x lithium portable power station great 👍
So far, so good for us!
Thanks for making this review. Just out of curiosity, how long/average time frame can you go in your daily routine just off the yeti 6000x and your current 600watts of solar to supplementally recharge. I know you said you run a fridge, water heater, stove, laptops etc… so real daily living. Thanks
Thanks for having a watch and reaching out, Joel! If the weather is agreeable (sunny), we can easily make it 5-6 days before needing to top off the unit with some alternator charging. If it wasn't for the fact that John uses a powerful laptop (16.9A draw) for his design work 8 hours per day, we could easily go much longer.
how do you fix the light flickering with the diesel heater? having that issue also. I have everything wired into a fuse block then into Anderson port (diesel heater, lights, max air fan)
Ours flickers as well - if we have other 12v components on. The draw from the diesel heater just about maxes out the output of the Yeti. Luckily, it only last a few moments for us and doesn't really bother us for the few moments. Just happy to have the heat! =)
did you consider doing a 1500x or 3000x and just chaining more batteries to it?
Yes, we considered it and actually started with the 3000. Due to a ton of issues we had with the 3000, GZ upgraded us to the 6000x. We have never looked into how flipping between car mode and battery mode on the GZ Link would work, but we couldn't live without car-mode, so never dug too deep. If you're interested in a bit of our history with GZ, you can find it here: www.dwnshifters.com/reviews/2020/2/14/goalzero-not-worth-the-hassle-or-price
Great review! For the solar/ Ac charger it's a real bummer to be honest. You can cut the wire and plug it straight in the 2nd expansion port, then your solar in the mppt.
This may be the way to do it, as the expansion ports regulate voltage separately from the other inputs. Thanks for watching and leaving an interesting comment! We'd love to hear from someone that's tried this!
@@dwnshifters6833 yeah maybe the 600w ac charger should stay in the mppt controller.
Then get a cheap victory solar controller for your solar array?
Check this out: ua-cam.com/video/rqXscD69RvM/v-deo.html
@@sampep thats definitely an option!
Someone once told me that this carries as much power as the first generation of Tesla home batteries, which would be amazing if true.
Interesting. Those first versions must have ran for 15 minutes. 😂
Your diagram in one of the comments is great!
I may have missed it, but are you manually switching plugs on the unit to go from solar to shore and back?
Yes, on the video that is what we're doing. In the real world, we attach shore power directly to our 120v system so we're not taxing our yeti when we don't need to. (This is done by plugging our power strip in the diagram directly to shore power). Glad you liked the diagram and thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 thanks for the reply!
I'm considering one of the new offerings from Buetti, in part because I *think* they have separate ports for AC and solar charging.
@@bnrlabs5923 they seem like great units at a good price. We wanted the full capacity of the 6000x or we would have considered other brands.
Thank you👍🙋♂️
Thank you for watching!
Good info. Unfortunate you cannot ha e both PV and AC simultaneous charging!!! So assume you can’t then add a second AC charger to get this charged in 5-6 hrs??? 12 hrs is a long time to rely on it as a main generator!!
Yes. Since the video, I've discovered that you can only have one power source at a time (with the exception of Carlink and PV simultaneously). The Yeti is set up to accept the highest input and ignores any lesser inputs. So our 600w of solar on our roof can not be used in conjunction with a solar suitcase to get as close to 600w as possible. I have figured out an alternative to this, which is to wire the suitcase in parallel with the roof panels. This is getting us close to 600w at peak times... Thanks for watching!
So for clarification purposes, can I have the yeti link running with solar hooked up as well? And will it just stop charging from the solar if the link provides a greater source of power? I just don't want to manually disconnect the solar everytime I drive.
Hi thanks for the video! How do you run multiple AC outlets from the Goal Zero. Do you just strip an extension cord and wire it to multiple AC outlets? Been trying to figure this out and can't seem to find any info on this.
Hi Dr Emily! Thanks so much for having a watch and leaving a comment. John is writing an article about this as we speak. We'll send you the link just as soon as it's done!
You can run a power strip or surge (Pointless for surge because these don't have a ground plug. And nor do they need such.). for Optional 110volt AC ports. But you have to remember to keep track of your devices (1500 normal and 3000surge). If you go over, it'll trigger a circut breaker system and disable the AC ports. So remember to learn what your wattage (aka Voltage/Amps) are on your AC devices.
It would have been nice if you switched the units to volts to see whether the 12v port is really regulated, especially now your battery is at 50%. I think it would have shown app. 11,5%, as my 500x does, that should be regulated too.
Great feedback! I'll keep an eye out and report back to you when we get near the 50% mark. Thanks for watching!
Great video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 I wanted to ask for your suggestion, I mostly camp on a tent but I am worried that someone might steal my Yeti. Any suggestions?
@@christiannepogie5937 We would be concerned too. We'd probably leave it in the car when we're not near the tent or maybe chain it to a tree? (this seems like quite a gamble though).
@@dwnshifters6833 it’s just too heavy to move around. 🥲
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. I notice the APP output on top as well as on the front. Do they each provide 30 amps? Can they be combined to a single distribution panel?
Hi Ballan. Yes, they both provide 30a output. We're sure if they can be combined or not. I'd just recommend reaching out to GZ to ask. They're very responsive to questions. Thanks for watching!
I asked GZ. They say no.
@@ballancampeau6427 good to know! Thanks so much for sharing.
@@dwnshifters6833 I just added my first appliance, a microwave oven. Installation instructions emphasize the use of a 115v grounded outlet. The Goal Zero inverter outlet does not appear to be grounded. What do you suggest: don’t worry about it? Run a wire from the microwave chassis to the vehicle chassis? Other?
Is the lithium battery system capability of the $150K Winnebago Boldt 4WD sprinter van RV roughly the same as having two goal zero 6000x units in my $60K Mercedes 2500 4WD bare unconverted cargo van?
The Winnebago Pure3 Advanced Energy System is rated at 9500WH compared to two GZ 6000x's that are rated at over 12,000WH. So you're getting more capacity with the GZ's. The Winnebago does have a more robust inverter that runs at up to 3600w compared to the GZ that has two 2000w inverters. So capacity wise you're better off with the GZ's. You'll def want to install a ton of solar panels or install an additional heavy-duty alternator to keep all that capacity topped off. Thanks so much for watching and getting in touch!
Call up Goal Zero. That Yeti link is not yet compatible with the X series. From what I understand the X compatible link releases in April.
We did talk to them. They stated that it can be used, but that it doesn't work as designed yet. This is where we got our info regarding the firmware update in December.
Hi John , what was exactly wrong with your original Yeti 3000? If you dont mind asking.
Thanks
Rez
I believe this article documents our experience well. www.dwnshifters.com/reviews/2020/2/14/goalzero-not-worth-the-hassle-or-price
I have a yetti 1500x I have that same 600 watt fast charger when it gets to 100% the last segment keeps blinking and the watts go down to 23 watts and it stays on that 23 watts and the blue light keeps flashing does this same thing happen with yours when it's fully charged please let me know thank you it seems like it's not stopping the charge for me I called goal zero he said that's normal but I don't seem to think it is
Is it showing 23w for the input or the output? We have our Yeti set up so it isn't charging to 100% to increase the battery life of the unit. I can try this out and see if ours has the same issue though.
@@dwnshifters6833 it's showing 23 watts input after it gets to 100% and the last segment is flashing along with the blue light like it's still charging and won't stop charging
@@dwnshifters6833 I did try putting it to battery saver mode and it will stop charging that way but in performance mode when it gets to 100% it keeps on charging its so wierd
@@harrypullen5915 that is odd. Is you unit drawing 23w all the time? Do you have something plugged in to it? Our blue light flashes when ever the charger is plugged in. We'll double check the 23w issue the next time we're messing with the Yeti or we top it off to 100%. Stay tuned.
@@dwnshifters6833 I have nothing plugged into it at all the inverter is turned off along with everything else just the charger plugged into it. It will charge at the 600 watts and when it gets to 100% it drops down to 23 watts and just stays there
Does this make any noise when running?
It has heavy-duty computer style fans that kick on when it's either being charged or drawn quickly. Not noisy at all, but the unit isn't totally silent.
Did you have to pay additional money for the replacement?
Both units were under warranty, so they gave us a straight swap. This in part due to some customer service issues. Thanks for having a watch James!
Could I run an ac unit in my van routinely with this??
Depends on the power draw. Whats the power SPEC on the AC unit?
A Portable roller or Windows AC. Yes. They will use about 1000watts (1kw). with Compressor on. Without compressor, They run around 50watts for fan on max.
If you have ability to get some power of same wattage back charged to the generator, Then you'll be able to power it forever. else it'll only last about 6hours straight on the 6000x, Without anything else plugged into it that is using power.
Hi for transporting, does it come with trolly and what are the necessary add ons to use it. ex what to you suggest for the solar panels etc... thank you
Yes. The 3000 and 6000 models come with a trolley. We don't use it, as our unit has a permanent home in our van. As for additional components, John is doing a full write up on what/how we use the Yeti in our van, complete with additional components and wiring. We'll post a link in this thread when it's done. Thanks for watching!
Hi Lynne! Check out our article here to answer your other questions: www.dwnshifters.com/blog/2021/1/13/using-a-portable-power-station-in-your-build
can it run a heater that needs 2000W?
The 6000x has a 2000w inverter, so in theory yes. It's probably not the best option though.
But they're $5000?!!!! That's paying a huge premium for packaging. Building your own is less than 50% of that.
Where are you buying 550ah of lithium batteries for under $2500? Share your secrets!
@@dwnshifters6833 aliexpress
@@carlosreyes6448 Lol that's a lot of money to trust ali express with. Definitely won't get any customer service if your unit malfunctions
Buy 4 used valence lifepo4 batteries 138ah/ea @ $400/ea. = $1600 + $700 Growatt all in one 24v 3000w inverter/charger + $30 step down to 12v. $50 misc. Total: $2380. Less than 1/2 price. The above build is not that hard. There are lots of videos out there. One can also add a dc to dc charger and upgrade the alternator too. There’s plenty of options today. I have a goal zero 1000 that I bought a long time ago. Great product. But costly. I paid only $800 Costco sale. But after building my first DIY one. I’m never going back. It’s much easier to build one now, with more capacity and better performance for a fraction of the cost. But thanks for sharing.
@@ilingwang1168 interesting suggestion. Will probably be able to buy a used 6000x for half price next year.
It's it feasible to run any type of very small electric heater off of this?
Is it possible? Yes. Is it feasible? Not really, but this depends on how many watts your heater is. A small 500w heater would theoretically run for 12 hours on a 6000x - if you ran it from 100% charge to 0% charge (which you should never do, as it reduces the lifespan of the battery). So that 12 hours sounds pretty good, but you have to recharge the battery somehow and it would take about that same 12 hours to recharge the 6000x with the 600w power supply or 800w of solar panels. This is just to run the heater for 12 hours. If you have devices charging, a fridge, fan, or other items that require electricity, then your 12 hours quickly starts to look like 8 or 9 hours. If we had a 500w heater, we would use it only when connected to shore power at a campground or a friend's house. In fact, we have electric radiant floors that use around 250w that we don't use unless we have shore power or are charging off our alternator while driving. Our main source of heat in the van during very cold weather is our diesel heater. These are very inexpensive to run, are very hot, and safe to operate. If you're sold on an electric heat source, you'll want to look at heaters that are spec'd at 250w or so - or- an electric blanket. Thanks for watching and inquiring!
@@dwnshifters6833 thanks for the insight!!! What heaters do u recommend? Easy to install?
We purchased a 2kw diesel heater off eBay. Install is generally straight forward, but we added ours a year after loving in the van full-time. So ours is mounted under the van, which is atypical.
@@RTO1019 Correctly using the device. If you use a small 500 or 750watt heater (built mainly for a bathroom or small room.). You can, And if you have more then enough incoming power to the generator. Then you can run forever off it. Since these have bypass charging, Once it's topped. All power coming in, is reverted to passing out the power ports. Hance why their Solar generators.
Only $6000 what a steal!
Right?!?!?
Can it power Winnebago view AC?
Sadly, we're not familiar with this unit. If you can give us info on how many amps it is, we can tell you how long it will run on a GZ. Thanks for reaching out!
@@dwnshifters6833can it power 15000BTU RV AC?
Read the info on the AC unit. Normally it says the voltage and ampage. But if it's a standard 3 prong home plug. Then it's normally gonna be about 1000watts, Which is yes will run for around 6hours of usage on the 6000x alone, without anything else running off the generator. If you have similar power of solar or wind/water turbine to send power back in at 1000 or more, Then you can power forever off it.
i have the 1000w yeti. was great for a year but now the inverter no longer works.
Have you reached out to GZ?
@@dwnshifters6833 out of warranty. I am not using the unit any more and just have it plugged into a solar panel for now to keep the battery conditioned. might use it to run the lights off 12v when i get my cabin built.
wish i could draw more than 120w from the 12v outputs.
Can I charge my Tesla Model 3 with it using six 100 watt panels?
Sadly no.
Correction. Yes. Tesla's come with a standard AC plug to use. But a 6000x is 6kw of power. A tesla needs over 100kw's. So. You're best bet, Would to find a way to get another 1500watts served back into the generator, to continue self charging the tesla, Or else you'll have the generator die within 4-5hours.
I wonder if this would supplement my regular solar system to help run a Harvest Right Freeze dryer at night.... anyone know of anyone who is doing this?
Great question. We hope someone responds with experience in this regard!
How long is the warranty?
1 year.
However, we bought through Amazon and bought an extended 3 year warranty at checkout.
How much was that warranty. Seems worth it!
@@RTO1019 We don't honestly remember, but it is through Asurion, which Amazon suggests when you purchase electronics from them.
I like the idea, but 500 life cycles is way too low for me. Most other power stations have over 2,000.
Which ones? Jackery are also spec'd at 500 life cycles. Seems like a Lithium battery standard.
@@dwnshifters6833 bluetti comes to mind. Here's a video I found helpful about it. ua-cam.com/video/iBuvAk6Z4Wk/v-deo.html
GZ and Bluetti both use LG lithium cells. So, you should expect the same lifecycles.
@@dwnshifters6833 the bluetti ac200p has a lifecycle of 2500.
Needs more solar capacity
We agree!
Pls post again
What would you like to learn about?
@@dwnshifters6833 how life’s been gojg
@@user-ml1mt9zf5g Things are going well, thanks!
goal zero yeti 4 tank expansion battery
Yup!
For over 6 thousand dollars I can build a HUGE!! 48v system with 400 amps of 48 v lifepo4 batteries or 20,000 kw that will run everything and more at the same time. Waste of money with this unit in my opinion $4000 for a 48v.400 amp lifepo4 battery , $ 1,200 for 3- 450 watts solar panels connected in series , $ 700 for an all in one inverter and about 300 to 400 bucks for wires and fuses.
No argument from us that the unit is expensive, that's for sure! As for the rest of your comment, you're comparing apples to oranges. The GZ products are portable, meaning they can go from the garage to the house to the van to the yurt with relative ease and all connected to an app for easy management. The system you shared sounds awesome, but its not moving anywhere once installed. Just like music - if you want to listed to music at home, get a record player. If you want to listen to music at home, the beach, while skiing down a hill - get an mp3 player.
$5000 dollars for a battery? Ridiculous!
Actually $4999.95! We understand that it's not a budget conscious item.
Actually it is 6000 watts capacity equipment with a completely protected charge controller , inverter, battery and all kinds of input and output bells and whistles. This is actually cheaper than anything you can buy, even permanent home solar equipment. You are wrong. Your car has a battery. This is not a battery.
Solar generator. Not battery.
Solar generators can give power directly to devices once they reach their full charged. So if you're not pulling more power then what it can get input power at. It takes 0% from the battery and sends it to the device.
It's like a beefed up UPS. But better because there isn't any switching that UPS's go through when changing from AC to internal battery.
Terrible engineering and roll out of the entire x line. I ended up returning and getting a refund after 2 bad 1500x units. Goal zero customer service was not really able to address any of my issues other than just replacing defective unit with another defective unit and then offering to replace that with probably another defective unit. Good luck .
Yes. We have this same feedback to them as noted here: www.dwnshifters.com/reviews/2020/2/14/goalzero-not-worth-the-hassle-or-price Thanks for watching!
@@dwnshifters6833 Love the van !
Thanks so much, Rich!
Goalzero has sadly rushed the X line, And partial of the normal of it's 400. Largely avoid it till Covid is done or wait another year/2. Ether that or get their Lead Acid versions which are more reliable and much more expandable. Heavier, But then again their still great usage.
I would never buy a branded item like that when I could build my own box my own way in a weekend for about 2500 and it would be way better. Yeti you pay a premium just for that Branded Name....A half way handy person could make their own box way cheaper.
You're awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Way to expensive for what it is.
They are pricey, that's for sure!
That is extreme overkill for a van
Is it? Doesn't it depend on what the users load calculations and needs are? Seems like it's over kill for you, but stating that as fact for everyone seems a little short sighted. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a thoughtful comment~!
@@dwnshifters6833 you’re right, it depends what you’re running but I’ve never seen a van build yet that would need the 6000. I live full time in a Honda Element with the yeti 1000 and I run a fridge, laptop, cellphone, drone battery, instant pot, a full DJ setup with 2 6.5 inch subwoofers, cell signal booster, electric blanket and I rarely see the 1000 go below 50%
Ah. Add an electric hot water heater, electric radiant floors, induction stove, and a crazy powerful laptop for the day job to your list and the 6000x starts to sound more reasonable. We have a friend who really wants to explore the country in an Element. Post an IG link for him to check you out, if you like. Thanks for the reply!
@@dwnshifters6833 @zacharbell on IG
Why do you say AMMM SO MANY TIMES??makes my my head hurt lol....
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind and thoughtful comment! We really appreciate it! ❤️❤️❤️
Sorry, but your in a van, with an alternator, this is a stupid waste of money when you could add a few batteries and an invertor for much less.. what the hell do even need this for really
Hey Squishy! Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us what we should be doing without knowing anything about us, our electrical load calcs, or our lifestyle! We're guessing you didn't consider that we like to stay in one spot for a few weeks to really enjoy the lake/mountains/trees/etc and not have to drive around and waste fuel just to charge our system. Our day jobs also require that we use high powered electronics, so we took the time to do electrical calculations that would enable us to live our lives exactly as we please - and we're doing just that. We hope you are too!
Not cool squish. Though it’s not for me, cuz I can build my own. I wouldn’t put someone down for sharing information about this unit. It’s valuable to some else. Keep sharing, because we are all in this to help one another learn. I love the solar, van life, homestead, offgrid communities. They are a great wealth of information. Thanks for sharing.
@@dwnshifters6833 you did all this research and decided spending 3 to 5 grand on this was the best solution ? You tube revenue was why you decided to buy it, lets be honest.. good luck with it
@@jredd801 thanks for your thoughtful reply! We explain how and why we got the Yeti in the video.
@Squish your funny, try to build such spec product in such a small format... sometimes cost is not the only reason to buy something. If you like making wires and chasing bugs and using 10x the space this unit takes have at her.