There seems to be a channel using our profile image and pretending to be us. They are leaving comments on our channel asking people to contact them about winning a prize. THIS IS NOT US. DO NOT CLICK LINKS FROM THEM. We have contacted UA-cam to have the channel taken down.
Wow, you have grown SO FAST! So much new BIG ITEMS. Freeze Dryer, large Greenhouse, Huge Building, Solar Generator even A $400 Sun Oven. Promoting some big ticket items. Hmm, who is financing your once nice little Homestead? Your Amazon Store is growing too. Sorry, but just seems, after revisiting your older videos, you are going the all mighty buck route as many utubers have. Thats sad and might have to jump ship as i have orhers. I'll buy from other stores that are not so money hungry.
That is a great system. Should work out perfect for you! I love the portability of it all. Ease of mind just got better on the farm! Thanks for showing us. It is amazing how advanced things are getting in just a few years with solar. Look forward to seeing what’s going on next time!
Would it work for you to mount a couple of PVC pipes with an elbow to house all the cables so they don’t get blown around or chewed on by critters? Just curious. I appreciate getting to see into the life you guys have built there. God bless you and your family!
It's interesting seeing you guys discovering about solar when your homestead wasn't about that, but we are all learning more and more about solar, so thank you for sharing this. I appreciate your honesty about things, too. I agree, those solar panels wouldn't work for me like that, but the rack on the side of the building is great.
Agreed....but then comes the fan on the stove to move enough air to heat that much space. Couple hundred continuous watts. The lights drawing 300. Use tools, hundreds more. Now you're way past what the panels will put back in the battery and THAT is when you find out whether this works for you.
@@edsmith4414 if its that cold, you dont want lithium batteries out there because they don't handle cold real well. I was just talking about taking the chill off, not full blown heat
I agree, I’ve got a friend who runs a wood stove in his tractor repair shop. It doesn’t need a fan. Just need to warm the temp above the outside temp. Big enough stove will take the chill off, it’s not the house hee hee
@@edsmith4414 they have different size circulating fans that sit on top of stove and just the heat from the stove moves the heat. They are not expensive at all
Very clever Kevin! This is exactly why you’re doing so well on your homesteading! This is the old ways popping up where we had to make do with the brains and know how God gave us. Great job! God bless!
That setup is nice but I would have preferred that you DIY a solar set up. You would have had a system 3 times stronger if you had built it yourself. These systems are great for some people. Worth the money even. But with your knowledge, it kinda falls short of what you could have had. If they gave that to you in order to make a video, nevermind then. I love watching your channel however, this sounds like a script. I'm begging you, if you want solar in a stationary environment please research and install it yourself. It's as easy as plugging in those ready made panels they sent ya. You're a DIY guy. It's easy to do. Please do it and make a video about it! You will get a ton of views. It's also fun to build your own system. Let's be real. You didn't build that shop just to charge tool batteries. Get an all in one inverter/charger. MPP/growatt inverter all in one system. They go up to 6kw and you can put multiple in parallel if you need 12kw or more. For your location it's awesome.
Kevin, this is soo cool! A blessing as well! One question: Can you, or are you going to run a small heater off of this unit, if it would get cold enough?
I was literally typing a different comment about food security when you started talking about it! What a great investment for your farm/homestead journey!
Great video. The building looks wonderful. They did a good job. How much was the kit and who produces it? The solar system seems like something I could sure use on my homestead too.
If anyone has Fluent Solar come knocking do yourself a favor and kick them to the curb. They arm twist to get a signing the same day and rip you off for twice the cost of a reputable company.
Now that is simply ingenious, the set up on the solar panels outside. I'm investigating portable solar now for our freezer during outages, so this video is very timely. THANK YOU BOTH. ❤ your channel!
Fantastic video! I've got nearly the same Bluetti setup, but with two B230s. I am planning an array almost exactly like yours, but I want to be able to adjust the angle. Any chance you could share some info on construction, such as measurements of wood needed? Love the whole farm set up, that workshop is neat as a pin. I esp love how you have the battery chargers mounted on a wall board. Great idea, as all of my tools are battery powered as well. All the best in the New Year!
First thing I thought when I saw the solar panels: “Well, that ain’t gonna work in Missouri.” Kevin and Sarah are always coming up with ways around any problem. Love it. 👍🏼
I would install some permanent solar panels and just use the fold up panels for travel/camping. I don’t think they were intended to be used permanently.
Great video! I was shocked to see the air compressor actually work on the unit. I read that the solar panels are not to be used in the rain/wet....not good because of Missouri's winters when the power goes out. Love the rack! Great job. You need to provide us with measurements plans on your solar panel build. I believe a lot of us would buy a set.
The foldable panels are great for on the go but they are not made for being outdoors 24/7 so we got ridged panels for more permanent panels. Way more happy with permanent option
Hi Kevin, I watch your channel often and your not far from me ,I see you guys occasionally at auctions and around ava and I was wondering who did you get your building from , it looks like a nice quality building and job well done. I was wanting to put up one myself and want a good company and crew to do mine , your close by and I would definately go with the company who did yours with the same crew if they were available, so just asking to see if you can send me a company name , the bluetti is a great unit and I had looked at it and none were available , I ended up with a goal zero 3000x with 2- 200 amp hr battery's and 4x100 panels to charge the unit , it's similar to the bluetti that wasn't available but I actually think the bluetti is the better of the 2 it just wasn't available when I needed it so I went with the goal zero, thx
Our current shop is only on a 15 amp breaker. It's not sufficient to run a welder . We received a quote for $8k to install a new sub panel in the shop. Would you consider the Bluetti to be a viable option to run a shop welder? My thought is to use the 15 amp power from the house as a "trickle charger" of sorts for the battery backup system and then the backup battery would handle the huge demand in load when needed.
You can extend the life of the batteries if you don't drain them completely down every time but start charging when it gets down to 20%. This should give you roughly 4 to 7 more years of battery life. Also you don't have to use the Bluetti solar panels other brands of stationary panels are more efficient just watch the max input voltage so you don't exceed it.
I really liked the way you built the holder for the panels! Very nice. But I’d really like to know how you’re going to make any building “rodent proof” on a farm. I’ve grown up on a very very large farm and I can honestly say, none of our buildings are “ rodent free”, they always find a way. Lol
Oh my yes! Between expanding foam and stainless steel scrubbies and aluminum flashing we still have a huge mouse/vole problem in my house. Ive gotten over 9 critters in the past 5 days. We got a tiny bit of snow last night and boom invasion! 😳 Most with traps but a few from my 2 girls🐈⬛🐈 sure- I'd be happier if they'd stop dropping them on me while I'm sleeping but I still reward them with a piece of turkey meat(or chicken or even tuna depending on my protein of the day haha) every time they give me a present 🎁.
Hi! Is this unit still working out for you? I have read many reviews where people are disappointed later on. I would appreciate if you can give me a hint :) Thank you so much!
The unit has a safe operating temperature from -4 to 104 °F and a safe charging temperature between 32 and 104 °F. I will probably unplug the solar panels if it stays below freezing in the shop for the day. Our winters aren't that cold usually though so I don't think it will be a big concern here.
@@LivingTraditionsHomestead That's what several million people in Texas were saying last Winter. Always prepare for the worst, and pray/hope for the best. You're not getting any younger. Good Luck.
Also have you considered having fixed solar panels on the roof of your workshop - may prove even cheaper than your set up once the panels have been purchased.
Super fantastic work Kevin. I'm one impressed electrical engineer. Built our garage/barn/workshop/man cave over 44 years ago and love it even today. A bit envious of all the FUN your going to have.
Extremely interesting video on solar panels and you have the perfect application with your workshop! The ingenuity with the creation of the panel board is impressive. Thank you!
Kevin it’s so great that you can see something that needs to be done and figure out how to do no problem. It reminds me so much of my late husband I never had a Brand new Washer and dryer but what I had was just as good he’d take parts from 3-4 junk pieces and there you go I had a new whatever I needed. Anyway you two are a great couple and work so well together and you can tell how much you love each other and the Lord. Keep up the good work.
If you make your panel holder rack adjustable, you can change it with the seasons! Two upright 2x4s on the high side L & R, with holes drilled for bolts to act as pins. Or a single point above with coated wire rope or outdoor cord, and a window-blind pulley and tie point. Hope that helps! Either way, the bottom points then have to slide or be hinged...super easy.
Small solar is great for small continuous loads and the occasional load up to the limit of the inverter. But you're limited to about what you see in the way of tools shown, which frankly, isn't much. A large shop space begs for more and more tools that use a lot more power. Add a table saw....decent one will have a 2hp motor (1500-1800w) (mine has a 5hp motor), add a planer, and so on.....very quickly you're well past the ability of this unit and left in the dark. Lot of your work will be done on rainy non-solar days or in the evening when past peak solar generation period. That all draws from battery storage. Work 3-4 hours like that, and it will take 2-3 days to replace what you took from the battery.....maybe more. The amount of panels they sell with these units is totally inadequate for using them on a regular basis. I have a larger solar setup to run PART of my shop. 800amp/hr battery bank @24v = 19,200 watt hr. 18 panels @300w each = 5,400 watts peak. Two 3500w inverters. And still all my larger tools (table saw 5hp, planer 5hp+2hp, joiner 2hp, air compressor 5hp, dust collector 3hp,etc) are run off grid power because it would wear out the solar to even try to run them. These unit DO have a place in the world....but to call them a 'generator' is more a marketing ploy than actual fact. IF they want to say they are a 'generator', they should use the panel rating (500-600w), NOT the rating of the battery, to be truthful. And when you do that, you'd see a suitcase Honda EU1,000 puts out TWICE the power in terms of generation. The BEST way to own one of these is a combination of it AND a small REAL generator. The solar unit would handle small, continuous loads until the battery discharges to the point the solar infeed isn't enough and then run the gas generator to fully charge up the battery and cut it out.
That type of panel is not meant for permanent installation. The rooftop rigid panels you usually see are warranted for 25 years. They HAVE to be exposed to the elements and thus are built to withstand them.
Good ☕️☕️ Morning Kevin & Sarah,your workshop is so awesome!The Amish can build anything & do an excellent job!Very interesting video!Have a wonderful day!👏😊👍
Very timely! I've been considering getting this exact model so I appreciate the review. :-) However, what about heat in that uninsulated shop, when you are doing projects in the winter? It looks like it is almost too large to heat efficiently. Electric space heaters would probably draw way too much power when used for hours, correct? I'm sure you've already come up with a plan that we'll be seeing in future videos :-) :-)
@@GimiH1 You may want to re-enter your comment on it's own so Kevin can see it - with so many comments, they may miss one that is a reply to someone. :-)
Since they don't stay below freezing for more than a few days each year, they really don't need a heater. That metal will warm the interior enough just from the sunshine. While 18° outside, my metal room was 70° with sunshine.
You guys seem to have a good income from your homesteading to be able to afford such large purchases. Do you sell your produce at farmers markets or do you have a store neatby?
They didn't pay for this. Bluetti, like many other big companies give a lot of systems away to individuals on UA-cam for evaluation purposes. Most people mention this at the start of the video so people know they didn't pay for it.
@@nolawarren3560 I pointed that out in a comment, but it seems to have been removed. The vast majority of viewers can't afford the almost $9,200 (before the $409 discount, if my calculations are correct) that system costs.
@@ccwriter2544 truth. After the costs of all that. Sometimes I just get fed up with, the trying to put people into serious debt. It's doesn't matter, it's about the holy dollar anymore
Bluetti Should be proud of your Review Kevin , Hope they gave you a discount for the plug ! Well Done, may it serve you very well. Take care , Enjoy ALL !
OH BOY KEVY!!! Nice workshop!! That solar system looks awsome! Im so happy you took us along today; thank you! I know ive said it b4 but worth sayin again, you two are such great teachers!! Takes a lot to do these videos on top of chores n life, you are heartfully appreciated! Hava good weekend!
I built a much smaller farm workshop - 12' x 20', and I power it with AC200MAX. I also have a Greenworks riding mower with six large lithium ion batteries. With decent sunshine I can charge all six batteries over a couple of hours pulling 1800 watts, running solar ;panels and pulling from the AC200MAX battery. Thanks for going green and sharing your story! I hope to buy the B230 battery next year.
Did anyone hear him say $3,000.00 to run wire from one building to the other.... OK. Now look up what the Bluetti cost with the 2 batteries are... $3,700.00. LOL. And he still hasn't added the solar panels... So I would guess at least 600 watts of panels and hardware , $1,200.00 for panels and voltage controllers. Wire. You know , close to 5-6k dollars. Have the guy run the wire to the other building and put up a sub panel with breakers. Now someone is trying to take your UA-cam Money ? Oh Sh*t.... " Game Over " Well Days Of Having To Much Money To Play With Is Over.... Wow to haft to work for money !
You can build your own solar power kit, to run a workshop, around 5000w of battery and 2000w of solar, for about a 5th, or less, of the cost of the Bluetti AC200 Max. For cabling, to connect everything, buy heavy-duty jumper cables, cheap as chips these days.
Unfortunately some of us aren’t that smart. My biggest problem is I get caught up in trying to decide the right type of battery, the right type solar panel ...ect.
220V MIG/TIG/Stick welder? Most 220v welders go from 40AMP to 220AMP. Maybe a cheap 110V 30AMP welder but you cant weld heavy metal with that. No large welding projects. Maybe small fix-it projects that only need tacking. ??
Just yesterday we picked up 2 pallets of solar panels. I told my husband we just needed to check on Kevin and a few others for ideas for mounting the panels.
I have my 200max plus (1) b230. I also have the old 200P. I also have the Jackery 1000. I have learned you must have 2000 watt hrs minimum…also, the fold out panels are not efficient as glass. I recommend passing to buy 180 watt glass.
Wow! So EcoFlow Solar products are on a full court press with so many UA-camrs. Why isn't anyone asking way the massive push to EV and Solar products manufactured by Chinese companies?! FYI, I'm not negative about solar systems, I'm anti-Chine-A crap!
Well-done video! I bought an AC200 and 2 B230 expansion batteries, with the objective of using that combination of batteries to handle most of the power for our house. Your video is one of the most informative I've seen with regard to the AC200-B230 system for this objective.
AVOID BLUETTI. My personal experience as a Bluetti Customer. Do not trust all those paid videos. Products are of poor quality, and even there is no warranty. They ask you to ship it to them and give you the wrong address. People speak about batteries lasting for years, but the unit itself works for just a few weeks, and then you through it, leaving the world with a lot of pollution.
Are you going to heat the shop and if so how ?? We got powerhome solar with the generic battery system - STINK'S big time. Not what they say it can/will do and the $$... ! Don't get them. Very unhappy. Thanks for sharing. God bless
Hi Guys! It’s been about 6 months. Was wondering if you would consider doing a quick update about your solar unit-what you like, don’t like, would do differently… My husband is currently looking at solar options and would benefit from your experience.
I have the exact same setup for my RV 35 ft Diesel Pusher running a 10 cubic foot house fridge convection oven integrated vacuum system two TVs with 900 watts on board I am boondock Ready
kevin, i want to say you have sick workbench. I have a 20ft bench and can barely see my 3ft by 3ft project mat . just kidding of course. great looking shop and work area!!!!!!
Using Bluetti solar panels is a huge waste of money. There's no reason to use overpriced folding panels for a permanent installation like yours. You're paying $1800 for 600W of solar, vs
Even if you're not going to heat the shop, I think I would still put in 2-3 ceiling fans for air flow to keep humidity levels down. Tools can rust up quite quickly in dead air. Enjoy your new shop.
Ok so ive got my small radiant heater plugged into my generator (bluetti 2000w) and in 35 mins it went from100% down to 80%, y? The heater is probably about 12" tall.
So cool! I've been looking for a way to power my craft shed and I've gotten ridiculous quotes over $5k to run power out to it. This would make it a breeze!
@@heatherk8931 it definitely looks like it would be worth the investment. We have a freezer full of beef and one will full of pork in February... Plus I'm hoping my honey's boys tag out during deer season so even if it kept our deep freezers running during an outage, it would be worth it.
Kevin...This was a very well-produced video ! So interesting and informative. You also gave Bluetti a very special incentive to improve the product by making a windproof well-constructed product to offer to customers ! I, too, live in a windy area and your design would be excellent to use ! Maybe Bluetti could also use it. Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoy you and Sarah's videos very much. God Bless you and your Family :) Sincerely, Nancy
On our farm I had same issues but we bought a Westinghouse 4900:watt duel fuel generator it’s mounted in the farm truck so I back up too any building and juice it up and if power goes out I can drag in a big copper cord and power refrigerator internet TVs deep freezers it’s great. But I will go solar eventually but things must get better those wings should power a house and charge batteries . Or maybe wind …bigger cost up front but they’re coming down where cost wind generation was 4000.00 for a whole home but the stand costs a bit too and batteries . But I will always have gas back up . But they look great for you guys
Ah, the Amish dudes. I pulled my truck over once on a country road in western Illinois or “Forgotonia” to watch an army of Amish put up a barn. It was like ants building an ant hill. Beautiful!
I have the worst luck with batteries, but if they really last 10 years,(I'm skeptical) I would buy this system for a barn/shop I'm starting to build. Does that come in the form of a guarantee?
I would encourage you to check out making solar air furnaces as well. I’ve built 24 of them. You can heat the shop for 1/10th of the cost of a ceramic heater.
I'm so sorry Sara and Kevin!! When I wrote the comment I was thinking of another Homesteader who also was running into a similar problem and was thinking about telling her your solution and recommending she watch your video. Again, so sorry Sarah
Looks like if you didn't get your bluetti for free you would be at almost $5,000. 600 watts on a perfect day for a shop ? Not good. The bluetti does not charge the extra battery with the main unit. It's only good if the power goes out not to replace the grid.
Рік тому
Hi Kevin, Thank you so much for this video. Found some very useful information in here! Good luck with your new space! Seems like you will have some awesome time there in times when is bad outside! Adrian from Austria
Don't want to be nit picking but you really need to put these things under load to show the true tale... for a product review... that being said I can see how the benefit of being able to move the unit around is a bonus on NOT having run hardlines... tho I would have made the Panel Platform independent of the Workshop & utilized concrete & steel made it multi purpose just in case there is a tornado, high powered storms... that is now a hand that can tear up your new Workshop if it starts to fail in a strong wind... Still you guys have come a long way from the homestead & that is wonderful for you to share your story with everyone.
Hello @Living Traditions Homestead have you had the generator out in the shop over the winter? Wondering about storage/operating temperature and if it can survive the freezing of the rocky mountain winter?
I got the Ac200P. It will run my 26 cu ft frig for a full day off of battery. Or if I use the frig with my 2 355 watt panels, I could run it as long as the sun is out + most of another day. I have it for emergencies.
I won a Bluetti ac200P from another channell, I don't have the solar panells, or extra batteries, but mine can power all types of tools charge batteries and many other uses too! When I get my small cabin built I will use it for lights and fridge and it is an awsome product! and I won a raffle on the 2ooacp and it's a great thing to have! I'll buy another battery and I have solar pannells I'm going to have at my offgrid cabin. You can also use other solar panells also.I'll let an elecrtician hook them up but they are helpfull on solar and if your thinking about solar this is a great way to go!
There seems to be a channel using our profile image and pretending to be us. They are leaving comments on our channel asking people to contact them about winning a prize. THIS IS NOT US. DO NOT CLICK LINKS FROM THEM. We have contacted UA-cam to have the channel taken down.
Sorry to hear that, glad to know!
I got message from a whatsapp acct.
You're always looking out for us! I got one of these. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for the heads up!
Just got the message from what's app. So sad people have to use someone else to try get you to buy things. Please they ask for credit card info. 😡
Well presented and informative. Excellent job, Living Traditions Homestead. God bless you too!
That is one great workshop, Kevin. It’s really a man cave! Lol Congratulations. Well deserved. ❣️🙏🏼♥️🙏🏼❣️
Merhaba judy
Wow, you have grown SO FAST! So much new BIG ITEMS. Freeze Dryer, large Greenhouse, Huge Building, Solar Generator even A $400 Sun Oven. Promoting some big ticket items. Hmm, who is financing your once nice little Homestead? Your Amazon Store is growing too. Sorry, but just seems, after revisiting your older videos, you are going the all mighty buck route as many utubers have. Thats sad and might have to jump ship as i have orhers. I'll buy from other stores that are not so money hungry.
That is a great system. Should work out perfect for you! I love the portability of it all. Ease of mind just got better on the farm! Thanks for showing us. It is amazing how advanced things are getting in just a few years with solar. Look forward to seeing what’s going on next time!
Well done Kevin! Great replacement for gas generators. Like how you saw how to make it work for you.
P.s. great building and great camera work Sarah!
Would it work for you to mount a couple of PVC pipes with an elbow to house all the cables so they don’t get blown around or chewed on by critters? Just curious. I appreciate getting to see into the life you guys have built there. God bless you and your family!
Agree, protecting cables from critters will be important!
Great idea
It's interesting seeing you guys discovering about solar when your homestead wasn't about that, but we are all learning more and more about solar, so thank you for sharing this. I appreciate your honesty about things, too. I agree, those solar panels wouldn't work for me like that, but the rack on the side of the building is great.
A wood stove for heat for when you are working would take the chill off.
Agreed....but then comes the fan on the stove to move enough air to heat that much space. Couple hundred continuous watts. The lights drawing 300. Use tools, hundreds more. Now you're way past what the panels will put back in the battery and THAT is when you find out whether this works for you.
@@edsmith4414 if its that cold, you dont want lithium batteries out there because they don't handle cold real well. I was just talking about taking the chill off, not full blown heat
I agree, I’ve got a friend who runs a wood stove in his tractor repair shop. It doesn’t need a fan. Just need to warm the temp above the outside temp. Big enough stove will take the chill off, it’s not the house hee hee
@@edsmith4414 they have different size circulating fans that sit on top of stove and just the heat from the stove moves the heat. They are not expensive at all
@@maryarcher8484 And they move very little air.
Very clever Kevin! This is exactly why you’re doing so well on your homesteading! This is the old ways popping up where we had to make do with the brains and know how God gave us. Great job! God bless!
It doesn't hurt that he is getting the fancy stuff free or deeply discounted in return for the free advertisements.
That setup is nice but I would have preferred that you DIY a solar set up. You would have had a system 3 times stronger if you had built it yourself. These systems are great for some people. Worth the money even. But with your knowledge, it kinda falls short of what you could have had.
If they gave that to you in order to make a video, nevermind then.
I love watching your channel however, this sounds like a script. I'm begging you, if you want solar in a stationary environment please research and install it yourself. It's as easy as plugging in those ready made panels they sent ya.
You're a DIY guy. It's easy to do. Please do it and make a video about it! You will get a ton of views. It's also fun to build your own system.
Let's be real. You didn't build that shop just to charge tool batteries. Get an all in one inverter/charger. MPP/growatt inverter all in one system. They go up to 6kw and you can put multiple in parallel if you need 12kw or more. For your location it's awesome.
Kevin, this is soo cool! A blessing as well! One question: Can you, or are you going to run a small heater off of this unit, if it would get cold enough?
Electric heat is a huge power hog. Propane heat is a much better option and typically the blower fan only uses around 300-500W.
@@Off-Grid I agree. Even a small rocket stove would be easier in their situation. They have plenty of wood too.
@@Emeraldwitch30 Wood is great but messy too. All depends on how much time and energy you have. Can't beat the heat from a good wood fire though.
@@Emeraldwitch30 0
I was literally typing a different comment about food security when you started talking about it! What a great investment for your farm/homestead journey!
Solar is great! We've been off grid on solar for a year now and no issues
Great video. The building looks wonderful. They did a good job. How much was the kit and who produces it? The solar system seems like something I could sure use on my homestead too.
Our power company told us the first 600ft overhead from the main pole is free! Thankful for that. 😬
If anyone has Fluent Solar come knocking do yourself a favor and kick them to the curb. They arm twist to get a signing the same day and rip you off for twice the cost of a reputable company.
Oh, and the solar panel holder you made is fantastic Kevin.
Can we see a closeup of the wood stand you built? We have the exact same panels and I knew I didn’t want the flimsy set up with them.
Love the solar panel frame great idea and we agree the back on most brands of solar panels are flimsy so your workaround is ideal.
Now that is simply ingenious, the set up on the solar panels outside. I'm investigating portable solar now for our freezer during outages, so this video is very timely. THANK YOU BOTH. ❤ your channel!
Solar is the way to go
Fantastic video! I've got nearly the same Bluetti setup, but with two B230s. I am planning an array almost exactly like yours, but I want to be able to adjust the angle. Any chance you could share some info on construction, such as measurements of wood needed? Love the whole farm set up, that workshop is neat as a pin. I esp love how you have the battery chargers mounted on a wall board. Great idea, as all of my tools are battery powered as well. All the best in the New Year!
The portable panels seem like a lot of work.
Why not stationary panels on the roof 🤷🏾♀️
Ours are stationary on the roof and we haven't had any issues at all.
Not stationary so if main power fails he can move this to where his freezers are and save their food supply.
You're so smart to put together the solar stand outside. Love how the solar panels look.
First thing I thought when I saw the solar panels: “Well, that ain’t gonna work in Missouri.” Kevin and Sarah are always coming up with ways around any problem. Love it. 👍🏼
Good morning from Michigan near Indiana state line. Woke up this morning to a snow covered ground.
I would install some permanent solar panels and just use the fold up panels for travel/camping. I don’t think they were intended to be used permanently.
Pretty cool. So the portable solar panels were cheaper than panels on the roof? I need a backup for my freezer and frig.
Great video! I was shocked to see the air compressor actually work on the unit. I read that the solar panels are not to be used in the rain/wet....not good because of Missouri's winters when the power goes out. Love the rack! Great job. You need to provide us with measurements plans on your solar panel build. I believe a lot of us would buy a set.
I know you probably don't want to make it public but i would like to know how much that shop cost to build.
Kevin,the batterie package is an energy storage system not a generator as you were saying. The solar panels are the generating part.
Oh, ok
The foldable panels are great for on the go but they are not made for being outdoors 24/7 so we got ridged panels for more permanent panels. Way more happy with permanent option
Two great new additions to better self-sustainable "traditional living." So happy for you both!
Insulation an a wood burning cook stove with oven of course lol. Love the shop!
Peller stove would keep the shop toasty and clean.
Wow Kevin, what a great idea. This could defiantly open a lot of avenues up for out buildings.
Solar is very simple and getting even easier to set up and use.
Hi Kevin, I watch your channel often and your not far from me ,I see you guys occasionally at auctions and around ava and I was wondering who did you get your building from , it looks like a nice quality building and job well done. I was wanting to put up one myself and want a good company and crew to do mine , your close by and I would definately go with the company who did yours with the same crew if they were available, so just asking to see if you can send me a company name , the bluetti is a great unit and I had looked at it and none were available , I ended up with a goal zero 3000x with 2- 200 amp hr battery's and 4x100 panels to charge the unit , it's similar to the bluetti that wasn't available but I actually think the bluetti is the better of the 2 it just wasn't available when I needed it so I went with the goal zero, thx
Our current shop is only on a 15 amp breaker. It's not sufficient to run a welder . We received a quote for $8k to install a new sub panel in the shop. Would you consider the Bluetti to be a viable option to run a shop welder? My thought is to use the 15 amp power from the house as a "trickle charger" of sorts for the battery backup system and then the backup battery would handle the huge demand in load when needed.
You can extend the life of the batteries if you don't drain them completely down every time but start charging when it gets down to 20%. This should give you roughly 4 to 7 more years of battery life. Also you don't have to use the Bluetti solar panels other brands of stationary panels are more efficient just watch the max input voltage so you don't exceed it.
I really liked the way you built the holder for the panels! Very nice. But I’d really like to know how you’re going to make any building “rodent proof” on a farm. I’ve grown up on a very very large farm and I can honestly say, none of our buildings are “ rodent free”, they always find a way. Lol
Oh my yes! Between expanding foam and stainless steel scrubbies and aluminum flashing we still have a huge mouse/vole problem in my house. Ive gotten over 9 critters in the past 5 days. We got a tiny bit of snow last night and boom invasion! 😳
Most with traps but a few from my 2 girls🐈⬛🐈 sure- I'd be happier if they'd stop dropping them on me while I'm sleeping but I still reward them with a piece of turkey meat(or chicken or even tuna depending on my protein of the day haha) every time they give me a present 🎁.
I'm a fan of glue boards against the walls where pets can't touch them.
Hi! Is this unit still working out for you? I have read many reviews where people are disappointed later on. I would appreciate if you can give me a hint :)
Thank you so much!
Love you new workshop and really love the solar system I totally enjoy watching you guys as every chance I get
That's a good sized shop for sure. I'm surprised they framed the walls and didn't do a pole barn set-up.
Everything y’all post is interesting. Love your channel!
I just love this video so informative. Thank you.
Very nicely done. Sell Bluetti ur design….I’m sure u’re not the only one not crazy about those stands. Make some money off ur genius!
I've seen other setups that use the same portable panels. He really needs a traditional panel.
Great video. Assuming the building is not heated, is there a concern about your batteries or the solar batteries in extreme cold?
The unit has a safe operating temperature from -4 to 104 °F and a safe charging temperature between 32 and 104 °F. I will probably unplug the solar panels if it stays below freezing in the shop for the day. Our winters aren't that cold usually though so I don't think it will be a big concern here.
@@LivingTraditionsHomestead That's what several million people in
Texas were saying last Winter. Always prepare for the worst, and pray/hope for the best. You're not getting any younger. Good Luck.
Also have you considered having fixed solar panels on the roof of your workshop - may prove even cheaper than your set up once the panels have been purchased.
Don't know if they told u but you can't let them freeze
Super fantastic work Kevin. I'm one impressed electrical engineer. Built our garage/barn/workshop/man cave over 44 years ago and love it even today. A bit envious of all the FUN your going to have.
Extremely interesting video on solar panels and you have the perfect application with your workshop! The ingenuity with the creation of the panel board is impressive. Thank you!
Kevin it’s so great that you can see something that needs to be done and figure out how to do no problem. It reminds me so much of my late husband I never had a Brand new Washer and dryer but what I had was just as good he’d take parts from 3-4 junk pieces and there you go I had a new whatever I needed. Anyway you two are a great couple and work so well together and you can tell how much you love each other and the Lord. Keep up the good work.
I ordered an off grid system last week - DANG! I wish I had known about this one first!!!
Thank you - I learned a lot!
If you make your panel holder rack adjustable, you can change it with the seasons! Two upright 2x4s on the high side L & R, with holes drilled for bolts to act as pins. Or a single point above with coated wire rope or outdoor cord, and a window-blind pulley and tie point. Hope that helps! Either way, the bottom points then have to slide or be hinged...super easy.
Small solar is great for small continuous loads and the occasional load up to the limit of the inverter. But you're limited to about what you see in the way of tools shown, which frankly, isn't much. A large shop space begs for more and more tools that use a lot more power.
Add a table saw....decent one will have a 2hp motor (1500-1800w) (mine has a 5hp motor), add a planer, and so on.....very quickly you're well past the ability of this unit and left in the dark.
Lot of your work will be done on rainy non-solar days or in the evening when past peak solar generation period. That all draws from battery storage. Work 3-4 hours like that, and it will take 2-3 days to replace what you took from the battery.....maybe more. The amount of panels they sell with these units is totally inadequate for using them on a regular basis.
I have a larger solar setup to run PART of my shop. 800amp/hr battery bank @24v = 19,200 watt hr. 18 panels @300w each = 5,400 watts peak. Two 3500w inverters. And still all my larger tools (table saw 5hp, planer 5hp+2hp, joiner 2hp, air compressor 5hp, dust collector 3hp,etc) are run off grid power because it would wear out the solar to even try to run them.
These unit DO have a place in the world....but to call them a 'generator' is more a marketing ploy than actual fact. IF they want to say they are a 'generator', they should use the panel rating (500-600w), NOT the rating of the battery, to be truthful. And when you do that, you'd see a suitcase Honda EU1,000 puts out TWICE the power in terms of generation.
The BEST way to own one of these is a combination of it AND a small REAL generator. The solar unit would handle small, continuous loads until the battery discharges to the point the solar infeed isn't enough and then run the gas generator to fully charge up the battery and cut it out.
Agreed. That 3 set of 200w (600w), isnt nearly big enough to power that storage bank.
I'm interesting in the longevity of the solar panels being in the sun and elements. Only time will tell.
That type of panel is not meant for permanent installation. The rooftop rigid panels you usually see are warranted for 25 years. They HAVE to be exposed to the elements and thus are built to withstand them.
Good ☕️☕️ Morning Kevin & Sarah,your workshop is so awesome!The Amish can build anything & do an excellent job!Very interesting video!Have a wonderful day!👏😊👍
Very timely! I've been considering getting this exact model so I appreciate the review. :-) However, what about heat in that uninsulated shop, when you are doing projects in the winter? It looks like it is almost too large to heat efficiently. Electric space heaters would probably draw way too much power when used for hours, correct? I'm sure you've already come up with a plan that we'll be seeing in future videos :-) :-)
I just followed the link and the discount they applied isn't right.
@@GimiH1 You may want to re-enter your comment on it's own so Kevin can see it - with so many comments, they may miss one that is a reply to someone. :-)
Since they don't stay below freezing for more than a few days each year, they really don't need a heater. That metal will warm the interior enough just from the sunshine. While 18° outside, my metal room was 70° with sunshine.
You guys seem to have a good income from your homesteading to be able to afford such large purchases. Do you sell your produce at farmers markets or do you have a store neatby?
They didn't pay for this. Bluetti, like many other big companies give a lot of systems away to individuals on UA-cam for evaluation purposes. Most people mention this at the start of the video so people know they didn't pay for it.
@@laserguy3478 not everyone has that privilege. I don't take away from them, it's just out of the question for us common people
@@nolawarren3560 I pointed that out in a comment, but it seems to have been removed. The vast majority of viewers can't afford the almost $9,200 (before the $409 discount, if my calculations are correct) that system costs.
@@ccwriter2544 truth. After the costs of all that. Sometimes I just get fed up with, the trying to put people into serious debt. It's doesn't matter, it's about the holy dollar anymore
Solar systems are designed so much more compact than ever before! Very nice setup!
Great job anything we can do now to save our pocket books is amazing. Thank you for sharing a lot of information.
Great way to be non energy on electricity and no high bills !! Love the info and sharing it with us ! 😊💕
Have you ever done an update on the solar system you installed in the outbuilding to run your refrigerator/freezer?
Bluetti Should be proud of your Review Kevin , Hope they gave you a discount for the plug !
Well Done, may it serve you very well.
Take care , Enjoy ALL !
Didn't notice if he said they sponsored the video or notm
Congrats! Looks wonderful. What are you going to use for a shop heater?
Will it run a welder as a farmer you know you will need to Welder now and then? Especially in a shop
OH BOY KEVY!!! Nice workshop!! That solar system looks awsome! Im so happy you took us along today; thank you! I know ive said it b4 but worth sayin again, you two are such great teachers!! Takes a lot to do these videos on top of chores n life, you are heartfully appreciated! Hava good weekend!
They are easy to listen to
I built a much smaller farm workshop - 12' x 20', and I power it with AC200MAX. I also have a Greenworks riding mower with six large lithium ion batteries. With decent sunshine I can charge all six batteries over a couple of hours pulling 1800 watts, running solar ;panels and pulling from the AC200MAX battery. Thanks for going green and sharing your story! I hope to buy the B230 battery next year.
Great presentation! The panel holder is smart! Easy to take the panels off during a tornado warning.
Did anyone hear him say $3,000.00 to run wire from one building to the other.... OK. Now look up what the
Bluetti cost with the 2 batteries are... $3,700.00. LOL. And he still hasn't added the solar panels...
So I would guess at least 600 watts of panels and hardware , $1,200.00 for panels and voltage controllers.
Wire. You know , close to 5-6k dollars. Have the guy run the wire to the other building and put up a sub panel with breakers.
Now someone is trying to take your UA-cam Money ? Oh Sh*t.... " Game Over "
Well Days Of Having To Much Money To Play With Is Over.... Wow to haft to work for money !
You can build your own solar power kit, to run a workshop, around 5000w of battery and 2000w of solar, for about a 5th, or less, of the cost of the Bluetti AC200 Max. For cabling, to connect everything, buy heavy-duty jumper cables, cheap as chips these days.
Unfortunately some of us aren’t that smart. My biggest problem is I get caught up in trying to decide the right type of battery, the right type solar panel ...ect.
220V MIG/TIG/Stick welder? Most 220v welders go from 40AMP to 220AMP. Maybe a cheap 110V 30AMP welder but you cant weld heavy metal with that. No large welding projects. Maybe small fix-it projects that only need tacking. ??
Wow, that was well and honestly explained. Knowing zero about any of this stuff, after your demonstration I felt I could do that!!!
Just yesterday we picked up 2 pallets of solar panels. I told my husband we just needed to check on Kevin and a few others for ideas for mounting the panels.
Curtis Stone the urban farmer now living off grid in BC has an adjustable m
I see a lot of solar R.V. Systems with 2000 - 5000 watt inverters running a house on wheels with up to 3 15000 BTU A/C at once.
Solar on an RV seems to work good in the rigs I've seen.
I have my 200max plus (1) b230. I also have the old 200P.
I also have the Jackery 1000. I have learned you must have 2000 watt hrs minimum…also, the fold out panels are not efficient as glass. I recommend passing to buy 180 watt glass.
Wow! So EcoFlow Solar products are on a full court press with so many UA-camrs. Why isn't anyone asking way the massive push to EV and Solar products manufactured by Chinese companies?! FYI, I'm not negative about solar systems, I'm anti-Chine-A crap!
Well-done video! I bought an AC200 and 2 B230 expansion batteries, with the objective of using that combination of batteries to handle most of the power for our house. Your video is one of the most informative I've seen with regard to the AC200-B230 system for this objective.
Awesome workshops and great Solar system. I love the portability of it
What an awesome shop. Everything is looking awesome for you guys. Loving it.
AVOID BLUETTI. My personal experience as a Bluetti Customer. Do not trust all those paid videos. Products are of poor quality, and even there is no warranty. They ask you to ship it to them and give you the wrong address. People speak about batteries lasting for years, but the unit itself works for just a few weeks, and then you through it, leaving the world with a lot of pollution.
Are you going to heat the shop and if so how ?? We got powerhome solar with the generic battery system - STINK'S big time. Not what they say it can/will do and the $$... ! Don't get them. Very unhappy. Thanks for sharing. God bless
Hi Guys! It’s been about 6 months. Was wondering if you would consider doing a quick update about your solar unit-what you like, don’t like, would do differently… My husband is currently looking at solar options and would benefit from your experience.
I have the exact same setup for my RV 35 ft Diesel Pusher running a 10 cubic foot house fridge convection oven integrated vacuum system two TVs with 900 watts on board I am boondock Ready
kevin, i want to say you have sick workbench. I have a 20ft bench and can barely see my 3ft by 3ft project mat . just kidding of course. great looking shop and work area!!!!!!
Using Bluetti solar panels is a huge waste of money. There's no reason to use overpriced folding panels for a permanent installation like yours. You're paying $1800 for 600W of solar, vs
Even if you're not going to heat the shop, I think I would still put in 2-3
ceiling fans for air flow to keep humidity levels down. Tools can rust
up quite quickly in dead air. Enjoy your new shop.
Ok so ive got my small radiant heater plugged into my generator (bluetti 2000w) and in 35 mins it went from100% down to 80%, y? The heater is probably about 12" tall.
So cool! I've been looking for a way to power my craft shed and I've gotten ridiculous quotes over $5k to run power out to it. This would make it a breeze!
Lola, this will last for 10 years if not faulty, but $7-8,000. It's a good return, but costly and not tied to grid.
@@heatherk8931 it definitely looks like it would be worth the investment. We have a freezer full of beef and one will full of pork in February... Plus I'm hoping my honey's boys tag out during deer season so even if it kept our deep freezers running during an outage, it would be worth it.
Kevin...This was a very well-produced video ! So interesting and informative. You also gave Bluetti a very special incentive to improve the product by making a windproof well-constructed product to offer to customers ! I, too, live in a windy area and your design would be excellent to use ! Maybe Bluetti could also use it. Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoy you and Sarah's videos very much. God Bless you and your Family :) Sincerely, Nancy
On our farm I had same issues but we bought a Westinghouse 4900:watt duel fuel generator it’s mounted in the farm truck so I back up too any building and juice it up and if power goes out I can drag in a big copper cord and power refrigerator internet TVs deep freezers it’s great. But I will go solar eventually but things must get better those wings should power a house and charge batteries . Or maybe wind …bigger cost up front but they’re coming down where cost wind generation was 4000.00 for a whole home but the stand costs a bit too and batteries . But I will always have gas back up . But they look great for you guys
You guys must be making BANK to be paying for all you have going on with all the new buildings and tools. Good on you, you deserve it.
Ah, the Amish dudes. I pulled my truck over once on a country road in western Illinois or
“Forgotonia” to watch an army of Amish put up a barn. It was like ants building an ant hill. Beautiful!
I have the worst luck with batteries, but if they really last 10 years,(I'm skeptical) I would buy this system for a barn/shop I'm starting to build. Does that come in the form of a guarantee?
I would encourage you to check out making solar air furnaces as well. I’ve built 24 of them. You can heat the shop for 1/10th of the cost of a ceramic heater.
I'm interested
Would be interested in learning more
John post a link please.
I'm so sorry Sara and Kevin!! When I wrote the comment I was thinking of another Homesteader who also was running into a similar problem and was thinking about telling her your solution and recommending she watch your video. Again, so sorry Sarah
Looks like if you didn't get your bluetti for free you would be at almost $5,000. 600 watts on a perfect day for a shop ? Not good. The bluetti does not charge the extra battery with the main unit. It's only good if the power goes out not to replace the grid.
Hi Kevin, Thank you so much for this video. Found some very useful information in here! Good luck with your new space! Seems like you will have some awesome time there in times when is bad outside! Adrian from Austria
Don't want to be nit picking but you really need to put these things under load to show the true tale... for a product review... that being said I can see how the benefit of being able to move the unit around is a bonus on NOT having run hardlines... tho I would have made the Panel Platform independent of the Workshop & utilized concrete & steel made it multi purpose just in case there is a tornado, high powered storms... that is now a hand that can tear up your new Workshop if it starts to fail in a strong wind... Still you guys have come a long way from the homestead & that is wonderful for you to share your story with everyone.
Hello @Living Traditions Homestead have you had the generator out in the shop over the winter? Wondering about storage/operating temperature and if it can survive the freezing of the rocky mountain winter?
I got the Ac200P. It will run my 26 cu ft frig for a full day off of battery. Or if I use the frig with my 2 355 watt panels, I could run it as long as the sun is out + most of another day. I have it for emergencies.
I won a Bluetti ac200P from another channell, I don't have the solar panells, or extra batteries, but mine can power all types of tools charge batteries and many other uses too! When I get my small cabin built I will use it for lights and fridge and it is an awsome product! and I won a raffle on the 2ooacp and it's a great thing to have! I'll buy another battery and I have solar pannells I'm going to have at my offgrid cabin. You can also use other solar panells also.I'll let an elecrtician hook them up but they are helpfull on solar and if your thinking about solar this is a great way to go!
Nice workshop Kevin. The one thing I don't like about the AC200 Max is the long charging time around 5 hours.