If you can't lift your garage door without struggling, your door motor will also struggle. It means your door springs need to be adjusted. You should be able to lift your door with one hand if it's disconnected via the rope.
Haha. no strap on the handtruck, yet you built a handtruck portable build and strapped that smaller battery to it. CLASSIC. Great info, great, vidz, great channel. Has inspired me to build my own. Thanks.
I really like the chapters on your videos. The production quality of your content is demonstrably better than just about anything else out there. It's not just that your vids are more fun, they are also more informative because of how they are organized.
Hey Joe 👋 I used to be running the same inverter your currently running. I found when communicating with batteries it seriously throttles the charge controller output. Even worse is there is really no way to adjust out of it that I know of. It will however depending on the state of charge ramp the amps up and down accordingly. But this feature is for sure not needed. It makes zero sense with our modern batteries. Luckily in my case I didn't really need the Solar charge controler inside my Growatt inverter. I previously purchased a Victron SCC I use that instead so I can communicate with my batteries while still making full use of my available solar power. I do hope this is addressed in a firmware update from Growatt at some point. Without it people are defiantly missing out on a lot of potential power harvested. I've been able to get my entire house off grid now. Kind of like you I just needed to get some wiring done to make it possible. My whole system info is shared on the victron remote monitoring website. under the name "Solairus" located in the northern Utah area.
Price seems a little high compared to the "more expensive" model of the EG4 (EG4LL) both have 10 year warranty Condor: $4,450 (231Ah) as of this posting (and that's supposedly on sale from the MSRP of $6400!) EG4LL: $1,749 (100Ah) Condor: $19.26 per Ah ($377.12 / kWh) EG4LL: $17.49 per Ah ($341.60 / kWh)
Thanks for the indepth video on these big battery batteries. Because of you I've now placed an order for a condor elite 3 and am phasing out my 4s4p 48v redodo bank. Your code was a huge bonus too
@@AveRage_Joe what a refreshing transaction I had today ordering the condor elite 3 battery from big battery. Techs knew what they were selling answered my questions and concerns about adding it into my system for a few until I can order 3 more condors 3's. . . I did name drop you a few times and they were very very happy to hear this btw. . Your last videos of the dryer, range,ac sold me. That's one imagine what 4 will do
That is really great to hear! Im super glad you had a good experience with them! I am also glad they were happy to hear the name drop!😄 The battery is a beast and can run stove, AC and dryer. Yeah with a few.....you will be SET! What all are you planning with your system anyway and what inverter are you using?
@@AveRage_Joe currently running 2 eg4 6500ex in split phase, eg4 chargeverter for external charging when sun is gone. I can run my whole house/system with my predator 3,500watt gen with this charger. No more 12kw gas bills lol. Also have 40 >240watt solar panels. Looking to move eg4s and redodo bank to my shop and replace with growatt inverters and big battery
NICE!!! Sounds like a pretty sweet setup. I am in need of solar lol. Which growatts are you thinking. If the same as mine just remember they cannot be paralleled. Any reason why the switch from the eg4's?
2:09 "drop test is done." lol. damn, I really need good suppliers in Australia, everything is so expensive. but after I redo my inverter and solar, it was a butcher job I found out later. :'( 3:38 it's sexy, and super eletrostastic too :P
Great Stuff man. Good Video Review on them, I need to do an updated Video review on my bank of 24 volt batteries from them. I only wished I changed over to 48 Volt before hand. But still havent, It will be awhile before that happens I suppose .
Please do a short video with a Kill-a-Watt meter and list the "typical" draws on the home HVAC in winter, large TV, lights, electric room heater, refrigerator on start-up and when running, chest freezer, and also A/C, just to show how bad A/C is because in an emergency, people should avoid using the A/C if possible...
Awesome video review, as always. What BMS is used in this battery? Are the BMS settings locked, or is it possible to change the BMS settings? The manual switching of the active balancer is great, at least the user doesn't have to install it himself, as it is usually the case with similar batteries. The most ideal would be to have the active balancer integrated into the BMS and the BMS application with the possibility to switch it on and off there and to have the possibility to program it for automatic operation as in the neey 4th generation, but as part of the BMS. I was interesting in connecting the battery cells using pcb boards, I like this clean solution without a lot of wiring. Check out the products from Taranis Energy DIY project components: pcb boards 4s-8s-16s for 105Ah to 320Ah battery cells. Best regards from the Czech Republic.
Nice work. For outage coverage it's perfect, provided you are still using gas for supplying a major component of your energy supply. It's a bit of a different equation though when you are an all electric household (as we are). Then you need to also have the power and energy capacity to cover heating/cooling, water heating and cooking. Obviously you can forego many of those items during a grid outage (depending on how long power is out for).
Thanks! Yeah we use gas for out heat here in our house in the Midwest. Furnace and Water. I usually mention that in the video, must have slipped my mind this time. When I Power the AirCon in next video Ill mention that! Thanks for the reminder!
@@AveRage_Joe You may well have mentioned it (think you said something about keeping a furnace going), can be a lot of info crammed in. Here (nth NSW Australia - mild to hot climate) during outages we forego the ducted reverse cycle aircon, water heater, oven and induction cooktop. We have alternatives we can use if a grid outage is very long. Else the off-grid system will keep us going for as long as we need. If insufficient solar PV production from off-grid array then I can use a generator to top up the battery. I have 15 kWh LiFePO4 for daily cycling plus 20 kWh of sealed lead acid on standby for backup.
Good review, although I'll admit it certainly sounded "sponsored", even though I don't believe that was mentioned in the video (I apologize if I missed that disclaimer if so). So what was the cost per kWh on this battery and how does it compare to other popular batteries (such as the EG4)? BTW, was that really loud fan noise from your inverter? If so, is that normal for that inverter?
Thanks! Yes BB did send this battery and I checked the box so it should display that right on the screen. I also have it down in the description just in case ad blockers block that from showing. Comparing the 2 Cost wise. EG4 is cheaper per kwh but you would need 2.3 of them. EG4 is $1749 for 5.12kw and 100amp BMS. $4022/11.7kw= $343.7 per kw CNDR is $4450 for 11.8kw and 200amp BMS. $ 4450/11.8kw= $377.11 per kw Yeah the fans on the inverter are loud at times. One of the Cons I have. Its either on or off and no in-between. I think I remember "testing" with DB meter on my phone and it could of been around 85db right next to the fan. I am currently looking for a quieter replacement. Also keep in mind most probly have that in a shed or garage so usually doesnt matter. I have it in the cubby area so it seems louder then it is.
Like the whole process! Do you have time based electricity charges? My power is seriously cheaper at night and I'd like to use a battery to time warp the costs -charge battery over night and discharge it during the day.
Thanks! My electricity here is the same day and night but I hear many places do change the rate and I always forget that. Yeah you could do that for sure. My inverter you would have to manually change the setting either on the inverter or through the app but is easily done. Some newer inverters you can program them to change based on time of day ect! Awesome stuff!💥🤘
I am getting the impression that swag is the cash cow vector. .... I use your haircut strategy. Already have manual transfer switch. Looking at nominal off-grid functionality with SHTF aspects. Liking low frequency, pass through stuff. Conditioning is a good excuse to fully master our own electrics. [eg: secret tech advantages] Dreaming is free.
I watch a lot of stuff like this and have built two smaller power stations myself. I intend for my next project to be a 5K server rack battery and a 3K all-in-one. I'm just curious as to why a person would use one of these batteries when you can get two server rack batteries for under $3,000. Certainly less than half the price of the battery in this video. Granted yours is a couple K more, but for $6,000 I could have 20Kw storage. Thank you.
3 of these would give my kids' townhouse 3 days of autonomy in case of grid outage. There's only room on the roof for probably 2-3KW/hr of solar. Of course, a all-in-one with a generator input would solve that, wouldn't it?
Yeah 3 would be an Awesome setup. If 3kw is all you could squeeze up there then thats what you do. Yeah 100% a generator would be a great addition or a must if you didnt want to do the solar for extended outage. You can connect a genny to the growatt inverters. Just connect to the input like the grid would be. I have a generator that I will use in that way if I need it.
Funny how you got quite when you reduced the load. Quite low power usage time lol. Yeah the battery needs to float when it’s full. Whatever the loads need the solar should provide whenever the battery is full
Hmm, totally off grid on a remote island in New Zealand. Using Outback inverter and solar controller. 2.2kw panels and 12 x 2v 600ah lead carbon batteries. Backup generator which does about 25 hours per year. Thou when fully charged (floating) and sun shining I can use any load say 2000w and does not draw off batteries, straight of panels. When charging of panels seen 50amps, so 10 amps seems wrong.
1 of the best an informative videos of off the grid living Could you come and install that system for me and for how much Loved it I have great SUN exposure Can you Keep the solar panels on charging the battery all the Times And never have to depend on the grid ??
Thanks and Appreciate that! The install isnt to hard honestly. Yeah you can keep the solar on and charge as long as there is sun. Once the battery or (batteries) are full charged, you run everything off solar. Once the sun goes down, you run on battery. Thats what I do, I use the grid only as a backup or if I have to test another battery Ill have to switch over to swap out battery. JFYI this single battery will start a 4ton AC, Stove and a dryer. Cant run them all at the same time but it can run them! Did it today🤫😉😆💥
Obviously, it is not UL Listed. The DC output isn't even marked + & -. YIkes! Thank you for steering me away from BB. Also, Safety is First priority. From the inverter's Operating Manual, it says: CAUTION: For safety operation and regulation compliance, it’s requested to install a separate DC over- current protector or disconnect device between battery and inverter. It may not be requested to have a disconnect device in some applications, however, it’s still requested to have over-current protection installed. Please refer to typical amperage in below table as required fuse or breaker size. You could potentially have 3 batteries tied together with no protection between them other than their built-in, slow-blow fuse. I would be wary of that and add a DC sub-panel to combine them.
I normally do! I leave the system on 24/7 and use the auto transfer switch in the inverter. Only reason for switching manually on the sub panel was to disconnect the other batteries and connect the single Condor battery.💥🤘
Fantastic videos Joe. I’ve purchased 3 Kong Elites 300ah batteries and once fully built will have a 25.5kw array. Right now I’m testing/calibrating my Schneider xwpro 6848 using a 4250watt array and small load of about 10kwh per day. I’m stuck at once my batteries hit %100 it immediately flips and draws from batteries and solar goes into VOC. I also set user defined settings from BigBattery. It a little silly when I charge up by 1pm and start to pull from battery all day and night. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Hello @AveRage Joe, This is my first time watching your channel and I like it!!! My Wife and I are going to be building ab intendant OFF-grid home and I am guessing that we can be conservative around 10-12Kwatt system???
Thanks for watching. One thing I usually mention in my videos but forgot in this one. We use gas for furnace and water heat. Sometimes during the video I assume others have watched past videos were I have mentioned that many times, I dont think I mentioned it in this one🙄 If I had 12kw in solar and sun everyday I would be set!!! In your area, do you have periods of Zero sun or snow? Those are things I think about. Tell me about your off-grid home. Size, approx location, all electric or any gas appliances ect. I wanna help if I can
Hey ! Thanks for the awesome videos. Do you happen to have a video of you wiring the Growatt up to your house to use on and off grid. We are getting ready to do an install ourselves and want to make sure we are doing it properly. You you need a separate breaker box ect ?
Thanks for watching! I dont have a dedicated video of the wiring....yet. The panel I wired from was really old and scary looking so didnt want to show it lol. I have just replaced the main panel this past week so I feel a little more comfortable showing how to wire it up. Yes you do need a sub panel or seperate breaker panel to power your house ect. You also make use of the main panel to supply power to the inverter. I do have a drawing/wire diagram I could send ya. Just send me an email and I send it on over!🤘
Hey Joe, So...... A question...... When does the active balancer work? If you refer to Andy's video's you only want the active balancer working at the top end of the charge cycle if you have LiFeP04, you do not want it running the whole time, that is bad news and has been proven to throw a LiFeP04 chemistry battery out of whack pretty quickly..
@@AveRage_Joe AH!!! Ok, I missed that bit.... It would be nice if they could use a dry contact or something on the BMS to enable the balancer and once done disable it.... Maybe something you could mention to the fabricators?
Once the battery or batteries are full the inverter will power the house off the excess solar(actually will run house at the same time as charging). I could also add more load during the day to use more of the solar. Like AC😆
@@AveRage_Joe Well I guess that works out beautifully. I was looking in to grid tie to sell back the excess power, but if I plan to use it all up that could work too! I am rather upset with you at the moment as well... I was all set to order the Rhino and then you post this video about the Condor... LoL Do you have a preference between the two?
Grid-tie is fine an dandy but if the grid goes down...so does the grid-tie system and you cant use it unless you have the correct inverter. Yeah with this inverter you charge the battery and power your house at the same time. Once battery is full you just keep on a truckin. So honestly, rhino vs condor. Rhino is much nicer looking. Its kinda the battery you show off to others if that makes since. Its fancy and you can mount it on the wall. Cost is quite a bit more too. If you just want a backup system(which you can still show off if wanted) id go condor cause its a lot cheaper and just a little less in capacity. You get a lot of the same parts like 200amp bms. Its on wheels so you can move it easily if needed. Thats my 2 cents!💥🤘
Hi Joe maybe you could help me I have a growatt inverte just like that one I have a question I have a setup of solar panels 15 x 400 watts in 3S my 5 p to one combiner box so that is too much for one let of for the inverter mppt charger so I am think on using some splitter to connect that set of panels to the 2 legs at the same time what you think the reaction will be hope you understand my question thanks and regards
Thanks Man appreciate that! Cant go wrong with those! Both are a beast! Do you have solar or are you mainly using as a backup? Let me know if you have any questions💥🤘
@AveRage Joe well now that you opened the can, hehehe. I am looking at panels from santansolar. Was hoping to afford around 6 kilowatts. Could I ask the power of the strings and how many parallels you did and if your parallels combine to final 2 cables to your cut off switch. Or do you have any mini inverters installed. Cause growatt to battery seems real easy but still have a few doubts about connecting my solar to the growatt. Thanks
Nice! Yeah I got my panels from santan also. I have his page linked below vid 😆 Anyways I did 4 strings of 6 in series. So 12 panels are on PV1 and 12 on PV2. I used stranded 12awg thhn wire. I ran all 4 strings to a combiner box. In the combiner box I used 15a fuses and then a circuit breaker as a disconnect. Then used stranded 6awg thhn wire to the inverter. If I had more panels Id add another string to each pv input.
Joe I need math help and guidance for wire. I will be building my array with 3 strings. Pv1 will be 9 panels series open volts 46.7. Amps 9.4 so I come up with 420.3 volts 9.4 amps. Pv2 9 panels at 41.1 volts, short amps 10.31 or 369.9 volts at 10.31 amps. Pv3 will be combo 3 of pv1 panels and 2 of pv2 panels giving me (I hope I am right in using the highest amps) 163.4 volts and 10.31 amps. So when I parallel those 3 strings to run to house, I am thinking it will be (again assuming highest voltage since parallel) 420.3 volts at 30.01amps.. ... and if I fuse all the runs in the combiner would I be better fusing each string at 15 amps or the main line at 35 or 40 amps. .... then my question going to house, I have 85 feet run to inverter. So just going by 100 feet could I use awg 12 or should I increase to 10 for the 30 amps? So everybody chime in cuase I want to understand thus while building it plus really want it correct. Thanks so much kevin
Sooooooo the 12kw inverter that I have(assuming you wanted the same) the MAX pv input voltage is 250v. Hope that doesnt completly blow up your idea/project. Thats why I went with 6 in series. I could probly do a 7s BUT there is a thing called cloud peaking or whatever where its a cloudy day and the sun comes out from the cloud and solar panel PEAKS out voltage and current so another reason I went 6s. It also puts you right in the upper MPPT range so thats good as well. 100ft you could maybe do 12awg still but 10awg would be better. Yeah I would fuse each string. I also used a circuit breaker after the fuses for a quick shut off.
Yeah you would need to connect with an ethernet cable and change the settings like I did and then the battery % should show up or actually it may be the battery voltage. If I get some time Ill reconnect and check!
The temperatures of the PCB were a little bit scary. I don't think you are going to want to run Li-ion battery packs inside your car at 90°C. I didn't see any of the batteries getting that hot, but the PCB definitely did get way too hot. It's not easy to make bus bars that can stay cool with 7kw load on the battery pack. I wish I had a better way for you to add some more copper to the PCB. You said it had a bunch of layers of copper in the PCB, and it can carry tons of current, but I wouldn't exactly call the buss bars in the PCB 600 amp continuous, only because the temperatures went up past 75°C and kept climbing all the way up past 90°C. If you want to get rid of these packs, I'm sure there are use cases that will fit this pack of cells, like an industrial grade jump pack or even as car audio, but you are gonna need to be pulling a lot less current than 7k watts continuous. I would say that two 75Ah packs can probably carry that kind of load together, so if you get these packs, I would rather see people buy them as a pair, just so the PCB stays below 75°C and everyone can avoid a thermal runaway event, if worst comes to worst. I think these would make great jump packs. Good luck to anyone that buys them. The cells seem to work great, but I would love to see the PCB have thicker copper traces, or maybe someone has access to a nice sheet of 1/4 inch thick copper that could be used to double up on the bus bars and keep the temperatures lower on the PCB, so you don't have to worry about a thermal runaway event. I saw someone at a car audio show that was using C-Max cells, which are similar to these cells. They are Li-ion high output cells, and the guy somehow either pushed them way too hard, or he somehow had a short in his lithium bank. Everyone sat and just watched his car burn to a crisp. It was a shame too, because the guy had a very nice $15,000 audio build, with a lot of other cool stuff done. Just, please be careful running these at 400 Amps continuous or 600 Amps continuous for too long. Having a thermal camera or at least a laser thermometer to check your battery and connections. Having a 250 amp or a 350 amp high output alternator will definitely help take some load off of the battery. It's so easy to buy a 12,000 watt Brazilian amplifier these days. I think they are under $1000 if you get two Taramps Smart 5k's or an MD 12k. Having one 75Ah battery pack per 5k amplifier would be awesome, as long as they don't get too hot. I would prefer Lifepo4 in automotive applications, just because they can output lots of energy and Lifepo4 just doesn't have thermal runaway events like Li-ion can. Most car audio guys have used Lifepo4 or LTO cells for safety. I know I would much rather have a bank of Headway cells in a 4s5p configuration, at least. Maybe 4s8p would be better to keep your voltage up when large amounts of current are needed to power a couple 10k bass amplifiers or something ridiculous like that. LTO is even more safe, but it's also much more expensive to build 12v batteries with LTO cells. You can get good quality LTO cells from XS Power, but OMG it's crazy expensive to get six 40Ah cells just to have 1 single string of 6 LTO cells in series. You are gonna need at least 6s2p to have enough LTO power to try running a 5k amplifier or something similar.
@@AveRage_Joe Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing the CAN bus & RS485* communications ports!! Thank you Big Battery for this nice addition! However if your looking to connect multiple batteries thru CAN your going to have to purchase another piece of equipment that they don't sell 😑 (can bus 4 in to 1 output).... Also without the UL listing, I can't install this for myself or other projects without passing local state laws 😞... Thanks again Joe for the great work & review as always👍
Wire question. I have a long run from my panels to house about 70 feet. Can I use regular house wire, 20 gauge, to make the run, or does it need to be solar panel wire. I have a 100 foot spool left over from wiring my house and was wondering.
I used stranded 12awg thhn wire (house wire from lowes). I would not use 20awg solid core wire. 20awg is way to thin and DC voltage should use stranded wire.
@@AveRage_Joe thanks I really appreciate ya im sure I don't my power bill is usually about 147 a month so im going to say your right I don't know much about power so I ask people that do know.
I am using the xiaoxiang bms app from the app store for IOS. There is also a Bigbattery app but its very basic. I like to see all things battery related tho. I tried with android and I could see the bms but could not connect. I tried a few android apps as well, same story, couldnt connect.
@@AveRage_Joe I purchased the hawk battery before they started with the stupid animal names. Right before Will Prowse made his video about the leaking cells before he was forced to take it down. My batteries do not hold a full charge and my volt meter goes berserk. I have sent Big Battery videos and their response was pathetic their warranty is fake as hell. When I mentioned will's video the customer service rep became very Irate and rude after. I am linking a video of someone else who has similar issue with these early batteries doing similar stuff to mine.
NOT THE BEST OPTIONE!!!!!! And all of this cost u ur life savings and more to. Get real lithium car industry tested batteryes manufaktures in china. 1/10 id the prices
This prices do have Over 1number extra in the bills and prices. 1 number extra is extreme for leftover battery pack. Get real and learn about this fantasy grade A and B thats lowest of the lowest battery in world. Dont ever buy. Do invetegate car manufaktures test for lithium and get battery for 1 10 of this crazy prices 😅😂😂😂😂😂 Ofcorse them make money to promote this extreme overpriced batterys. Get real and stop screw all and start get real in this Chanel and make the best for all not give them the very most expensive and worst batteryes
If you can't lift your garage door without struggling, your door motor will also struggle. It means your door springs need to be adjusted. You should be able to lift your door with one hand if it's disconnected via the rope.
Haha. no strap on the handtruck, yet you built a handtruck portable build and strapped that smaller battery to it. CLASSIC. Great info, great, vidz, great channel. Has inspired me to build my own. Thanks.
I really like the chapters on your videos. The production quality of your content is demonstrably better than just about anything else out there. It's not just that your vids are more fun, they are also more informative because of how they are organized.
Thank You! I Appreciate that!😄🤘
GREAT JOB JOE!
WE ENJOY WATCHING YOUR PROJECTS
Do the update video. Thanx Joe
Hey Joe 👋 I used to be running the same inverter your currently running. I found when communicating with batteries it seriously throttles the charge controller output. Even worse is there is really no way to adjust out of it that I know of. It will however depending on the state of charge ramp the amps up and down accordingly. But this feature is for sure not needed. It makes zero sense with our modern batteries. Luckily in my case I didn't really need the Solar charge controler inside my Growatt inverter. I previously purchased a Victron SCC I use that instead so I can communicate with my batteries while still making full use of my available solar power. I do hope this is addressed in a firmware update from Growatt at some point. Without it people are defiantly missing out on a lot of potential power harvested. I've been able to get my entire house off grid now. Kind of like you I just needed to get some wiring done to make it possible. My whole system info is shared on the victron remote monitoring website. under the name "Solairus" located in the northern Utah area.
Price seems a little high compared to the "more expensive" model of the EG4 (EG4LL) both have 10 year warranty
Condor: $4,450 (231Ah) as of this posting (and that's supposedly on sale from the MSRP of $6400!)
EG4LL: $1,749 (100Ah)
Condor: $19.26 per Ah ($377.12 / kWh)
EG4LL: $17.49 per Ah ($341.60 / kWh)
Dude, you're living my dream. Whole house running off grid. So awesome 👍
26:00 All the tech in the basement and he has a microwave from 1987. ;)
I said we were going back in time lol😜💥🤘
I snuck in the back door to say boom baby. 😂
Thanks for the indepth video on these big battery batteries. Because of you I've now placed an order for a condor elite 3 and am phasing out my 4s4p 48v redodo bank. Your code was a huge bonus too
You Bet! They are badass batteries! You cant go wrong with the Condor Elite 3!💥🤘
@@AveRage_Joe what a refreshing transaction I had today ordering the condor elite 3 battery from big battery. Techs knew what they were selling answered my questions and concerns about adding it into my system for a few until I can order 3 more condors 3's. . . I did name drop you a few times and they were very very happy to hear this btw. . Your last videos of the dryer, range,ac sold me. That's one imagine what 4 will do
That is really great to hear! Im super glad you had a good experience with them! I am also glad they were happy to hear the name drop!😄 The battery is a beast and can run stove, AC and dryer. Yeah with a few.....you will be SET! What all are you planning with your system anyway and what inverter are you using?
@@AveRage_Joe currently running 2 eg4 6500ex in split phase, eg4 chargeverter for external charging when sun is gone. I can run my whole house/system with my predator 3,500watt gen with this charger. No more 12kw gas bills lol. Also have 40 >240watt solar panels. Looking to move eg4s and redodo bank to my shop and replace with growatt inverters and big battery
NICE!!! Sounds like a pretty sweet setup. I am in need of solar lol. Which growatts are you thinking. If the same as mine just remember they cannot be paralleled. Any reason why the switch from the eg4's?
Dude just found you channel straight up love it
2:09 "drop test is done." lol. damn, I really need good suppliers in Australia, everything is so expensive. but after I redo my inverter and solar, it was a butcher job I found out later. :'(
3:38 it's sexy, and super eletrostastic too :P
Nice battery sure we need to see the whole show with the wife at home as she is good for a couple of KW.
She is not shy about KW usage lol😜
Thumbs up 👍 as said by the wife “not again” 😂 between you and me thanks 😊
Great Stuff man. Good Video Review on them, I need to do an updated Video review on my bank of 24 volt batteries from them. I only wished I changed over to 48 Volt before hand. But still havent, It will be awhile before that happens I suppose .
I think your 24v for life. You have to much invested in all your 24v stuff
Thanks Man! Yeah we need to see a run test on your system! Get after it!😆🤘
How du you switch the cat to a solar powered mode? I would like my cat to be a little bit less active in the night, when there is no sun =))))
They have an APP for that!!!😜🐈💥
@@AveRage_Joe can you send me a link? 😅😂🐈⬛
Please do a short video with a Kill-a-Watt meter and list the "typical" draws on the home HVAC in winter, large TV, lights, electric room heater, refrigerator on start-up and when running, chest freezer, and also A/C, just to show how bad A/C is because in an emergency, people should avoid using the A/C if possible...
Fascinating. Lengthly but informative. Really nice setup you have. Thanks for sharing
No cons for me. I like it.🐱
Awesome video review, as always.
What BMS is used in this battery? Are the BMS settings locked, or is it possible to change the BMS settings?
The manual switching of the active balancer is great, at least the user doesn't have to install it himself, as it is usually the case with similar batteries. The most ideal would be to have the active balancer integrated into the BMS and the BMS application with the possibility to switch it on and off there and to have the possibility to program it for automatic operation as in the neey 4th generation, but as part of the BMS.
I was interesting in connecting the battery cells using pcb boards, I like this clean solution without a lot of wiring. Check out the products from Taranis Energy DIY project components: pcb boards 4s-8s-16s for 105Ah to 320Ah battery cells.
Best regards from the Czech Republic.
I assume you have a gas water heater? Would this power an electric water heater? I'm sure that wouldn't really be recommended...
Thanks Joe, Nice test
Thanks Man! I really enjoy seeing how long batteries can run!💥🤘
Great video. Subscribed back when you heaved that 12k on the wall. What’s your overall impression of that inverter and what is the avg idle draw?
Nice work. For outage coverage it's perfect, provided you are still using gas for supplying a major component of your energy supply. It's a bit of a different equation though when you are an all electric household (as we are). Then you need to also have the power and energy capacity to cover heating/cooling, water heating and cooking. Obviously you can forego many of those items during a grid outage (depending on how long power is out for).
Thanks! Yeah we use gas for out heat here in our house in the Midwest. Furnace and Water. I usually mention that in the video, must have slipped my mind this time. When I Power the AirCon in next video Ill mention that! Thanks for the reminder!
@@AveRage_Joe You may well have mentioned it (think you said something about keeping a furnace going), can be a lot of info crammed in. Here (nth NSW Australia - mild to hot climate) during outages we forego the ducted reverse cycle aircon, water heater, oven and induction cooktop. We have alternatives we can use if a grid outage is very long. Else the off-grid system will keep us going for as long as we need. If insufficient solar PV production from off-grid array then I can use a generator to top up the battery. I have 15 kWh LiFePO4 for daily cycling plus 20 kWh of sealed lead acid on standby for backup.
That's a lot of beer! 🍺😁 Cheers
😄🍻💥🤘
Good review, although I'll admit it certainly sounded "sponsored", even though I don't believe that was mentioned in the video (I apologize if I missed that disclaimer if so). So what was the cost per kWh on this battery and how does it compare to other popular batteries (such as the EG4)?
BTW, was that really loud fan noise from your inverter? If so, is that normal for that inverter?
Thanks! Yes BB did send this battery and I checked the box so it should display that right on the screen. I also have it down in the description just in case ad blockers block that from showing.
Comparing the 2 Cost wise. EG4 is cheaper per kwh but you would need 2.3 of them.
EG4 is $1749 for 5.12kw and 100amp BMS. $4022/11.7kw= $343.7 per kw
CNDR is $4450 for 11.8kw and 200amp BMS. $ 4450/11.8kw= $377.11 per kw
Yeah the fans on the inverter are loud at times. One of the Cons I have. Its either on or off and no in-between. I think I remember "testing" with DB meter on my phone and it could of been around 85db right next to the fan. I am currently looking for a quieter replacement. Also keep in mind most probly have that in a shed or garage so usually doesnt matter. I have it in the cubby area so it seems louder then it is.
We just made simulated coffee.
Oh….. not again.
Hah what a good sport.
LOL Im so glad that was loud enough to hear!!!!😆
@@AveRage_Joe it sounded so much like my wife I was rolling!
Its REAL🤣🤣🤣🤣
The most most common sense video of battery use in My life awesome next time show $
Careful. Ya only get one back! 💥
I messed it up 20yrs ago...I really should be careful tho🙄😆💥
Like the whole process! Do you have time based electricity charges? My power is seriously cheaper at night and I'd like to use a battery to time warp the costs -charge battery over night and discharge it during the day.
Thanks! My electricity here is the same day and night but I hear many places do change the rate and I always forget that. Yeah you could do that for sure. My inverter you would have to manually change the setting either on the inverter or through the app but is easily done. Some newer inverters you can program them to change based on time of day ect! Awesome stuff!💥🤘
I am getting the impression that swag is the cash cow vector.
....
I use your haircut strategy.
Already have manual transfer switch. Looking at nominal off-grid functionality with SHTF aspects.
Liking low frequency, pass through stuff.
Conditioning is a good excuse to fully master our own electrics.
[eg: secret tech advantages]
Dreaming is free.
I watch a lot of stuff like this and have built two smaller power stations myself. I intend for my next project to be a 5K server rack battery and a 3K all-in-one.
I'm just curious as to why a person would use one of these batteries when you can get two server rack batteries for under $3,000. Certainly less than half the price of the battery in this video. Granted yours is a couple K more, but for $6,000 I could have 20Kw storage.
Thank you.
3 of these would give my kids' townhouse 3 days of autonomy in case of grid outage. There's only room on the roof for probably 2-3KW/hr of solar. Of course, a all-in-one with a generator input would solve that, wouldn't it?
Yeah 3 would be an Awesome setup. If 3kw is all you could squeeze up there then thats what you do. Yeah 100% a generator would be a great addition or a must if you didnt want to do the solar for extended outage. You can connect a genny to the growatt inverters. Just connect to the input like the grid would be. I have a generator that I will use in that way if I need it.
Funny how you got quite when you reduced the load. Quite low power usage time lol. Yeah the battery needs to float when it’s full. Whatever the loads need the solar should provide whenever the battery is full
Lol I didnt even notice!😆
Hmm, totally off grid on a remote island in New Zealand. Using Outback inverter and solar controller. 2.2kw panels and 12 x 2v 600ah lead carbon batteries. Backup generator which does about 25 hours per year. Thou when fully charged (floating) and sun shining I can use any load say 2000w and does not draw off batteries, straight of panels. When charging of panels seen 50amps, so 10 amps seems wrong.
1 of the best an informative videos of off the grid living Could you come and install that system for me and for how much Loved it I have great SUN exposure Can you Keep the solar panels on charging the battery all the Times And never have to depend on the grid ??
Thanks and Appreciate that! The install isnt to hard honestly. Yeah you can keep the solar on and charge as long as there is sun. Once the battery or (batteries) are full charged, you run everything off solar. Once the sun goes down, you run on battery. Thats what I do, I use the grid only as a backup or if I have to test another battery Ill have to switch over to swap out battery. JFYI this single battery will start a 4ton AC, Stove and a dryer. Cant run them all at the same time but it can run them! Did it today🤫😉😆💥
Obviously, it is not UL Listed. The DC output isn't even marked + & -. YIkes! Thank you for steering me away from BB.
Also, Safety is First priority. From the inverter's Operating Manual, it says: CAUTION: For safety operation and regulation compliance, it’s requested to install a separate DC over- current protector or disconnect device between battery and inverter. It may not be requested to have a disconnect device in some applications, however, it’s still requested to have over-current protection installed. Please refer to typical amperage in below table as required fuse or breaker size.
You could potentially have 3 batteries tied together with no protection between them other than their built-in, slow-blow fuse. I would be wary of that and add a DC sub-panel to combine them.
Great video Joe as always
HOWdy A-R-J, ...
Thanks for the B I G Battery Review
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
Thanks for watching man! Appreciate you!!💥🤘
Why not use automatic transfer switch in the inverter?
I normally do! I leave the system on 24/7 and use the auto transfer switch in the inverter. Only reason for switching manually on the sub panel was to disconnect the other batteries and connect the single Condor battery.💥🤘
@@AveRage_Joe awesome, thanks. Btw, how to disable beeps from button pressing?
Fantastic videos Joe. I’ve purchased 3 Kong Elites 300ah batteries and once fully built will have a 25.5kw array. Right now I’m testing/calibrating my Schneider xwpro 6848 using a 4250watt array and small load of about 10kwh per day. I’m stuck at once my batteries hit %100 it immediately flips and draws from batteries and solar goes into VOC. I also set user defined settings from BigBattery. It a little silly when I charge up by 1pm and start to pull from battery all day and night. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Awesome thanks for all you do
Hello @AveRage Joe, This is my first time watching your channel and I like it!!! My Wife and I are going to be building ab intendant OFF-grid home and I am guessing that we can be conservative around 10-12Kwatt system???
Thanks for watching. One thing I usually mention in my videos but forgot in this one. We use gas for furnace and water heat. Sometimes during the video I assume others have watched past videos were I have mentioned that many times, I dont think I mentioned it in this one🙄 If I had 12kw in solar and sun everyday I would be set!!! In your area, do you have periods of Zero sun or snow? Those are things I think about. Tell me about your off-grid home. Size, approx location, all electric or any gas appliances ect. I wanna help if I can
Cool battery! 💥 You reaching for a broader audience with that title? 🤣
Yeah it is! I try to reach anyone that will listen🥳🥳😲😆
Now that’s a sexy battery 🔋
❤️🔥🔋🤘
I like that battery
Its a damn good battery to be honest!👊
It seems you have more than enough storage now.
Hey ! Thanks for the awesome videos. Do you happen to have a video of you wiring the Growatt up to your house to use on and off grid. We are getting ready to do an install ourselves and want to make sure we are doing it properly. You you need a separate breaker box ect ?
Thanks for watching! I dont have a dedicated video of the wiring....yet. The panel I wired from was really old and scary looking so didnt want to show it lol. I have just replaced the main panel this past week so I feel a little more comfortable showing how to wire it up. Yes you do need a sub panel or seperate breaker panel to power your house ect. You also make use of the main panel to supply power to the inverter. I do have a drawing/wire diagram I could send ya. Just send me an email and I send it on over!🤘
Yeah send me an email.
Hey Joe, So...... A question...... When does the active balancer work? If you refer to Andy's video's you only want the active balancer working at the top end of the charge cycle if you have LiFeP04, you do not want it running the whole time, that is bad news and has been proven to throw a LiFeP04 chemistry battery out of whack pretty quickly..
Thats exactly what I said in the video. Turn it on at the top and then once balanced, turn it off!🤘
@@AveRage_Joe AH!!! Ok, I missed that bit.... It would be nice if they could use a dry contact or something on the BMS to enable the balancer and once done disable it.... Maybe something you could mention to the fabricators?
Then ur get not 3000 to 6000 cycles but 25 to 30 000 cyclus at least
I dont run much, so it would work fine for me
So if the GrowWatt is not a grid tie inverter, what do you do with your extra solar wattage once the batteries are charged up?
Once the battery or batteries are full the inverter will power the house off the excess solar(actually will run house at the same time as charging). I could also add more load during the day to use more of the solar. Like AC😆
@@AveRage_Joe Well I guess that works out beautifully. I was looking in to grid tie to sell back the excess power, but if I plan to use it all up that could work too! I am rather upset with you at the moment as well... I was all set to order the Rhino and then you post this video about the Condor... LoL Do you have a preference between the two?
Grid-tie is fine an dandy but if the grid goes down...so does the grid-tie system and you cant use it unless you have the correct inverter. Yeah with this inverter you charge the battery and power your house at the same time. Once battery is full you just keep on a truckin. So honestly, rhino vs condor. Rhino is much nicer looking. Its kinda the battery you show off to others if that makes since. Its fancy and you can mount it on the wall. Cost is quite a bit more too. If you just want a backup system(which you can still show off if wanted) id go condor cause its a lot cheaper and just a little less in capacity. You get a lot of the same parts like 200amp bms. Its on wheels so you can move it easily if needed. Thats my 2 cents!💥🤘
Awesome stuff man!
Thanks and Appreciate that!!!💥🤘
Hi Joe maybe you could help me I have a growatt inverte just like that one I have a question I have a setup of solar panels 15 x 400 watts in 3S my 5 p to one combiner box so that is too much for one let of for the inverter mppt charger so I am think on using some splitter to connect that set of panels to the 2 legs at the same time what you think the reaction will be hope you understand my question thanks and regards
Great job. I've been watching a lot of your videos and think I am buying a condor and growatt 12k this week.
Thanks Man appreciate that! Cant go wrong with those! Both are a beast! Do you have solar or are you mainly using as a backup? Let me know if you have any questions💥🤘
@AveRage Joe well now that you opened the can, hehehe. I am looking at panels from santansolar. Was hoping to afford around 6 kilowatts. Could I ask the power of the strings and how many parallels you did and if your parallels combine to final 2 cables to your cut off switch. Or do you have any mini inverters installed. Cause growatt to battery seems real easy but still have a few doubts about connecting my solar to the growatt. Thanks
Nice! Yeah I got my panels from santan also. I have his page linked below vid 😆 Anyways I did 4 strings of 6 in series. So 12 panels are on PV1 and 12 on PV2. I used stranded 12awg thhn wire. I ran all 4 strings to a combiner box. In the combiner box I used 15a fuses and then a circuit breaker as a disconnect. Then used stranded 6awg thhn wire to the inverter. If I had more panels Id add another string to each pv input.
Joe I need math help and guidance for wire. I will be building my array with 3 strings. Pv1 will be 9 panels series open volts 46.7. Amps 9.4 so I come up with 420.3 volts 9.4 amps. Pv2 9 panels at 41.1 volts, short amps 10.31 or 369.9 volts at 10.31 amps. Pv3 will be combo 3 of pv1 panels and 2 of pv2 panels giving me (I hope I am right in using the highest amps) 163.4 volts and 10.31 amps. So when I parallel those 3 strings to run to house, I am thinking it will be (again assuming highest voltage since parallel) 420.3 volts at 30.01amps.. ... and if I fuse all the runs in the combiner would I be better fusing each string at 15 amps or the main line at 35 or 40 amps. .... then my question going to house, I have 85 feet run to inverter. So just going by 100 feet could I use awg 12 or should I increase to 10 for the 30 amps? So everybody chime in cuase I want to understand thus while building it plus really want it correct. Thanks so much kevin
Sooooooo the 12kw inverter that I have(assuming you wanted the same) the MAX pv input voltage is 250v. Hope that doesnt completly blow up your idea/project. Thats why I went with 6 in series. I could probly do a 7s BUT there is a thing called cloud peaking or whatever where its a cloudy day and the sun comes out from the cloud and solar panel PEAKS out voltage and current so another reason I went 6s. It also puts you right in the upper MPPT range so thats good as well. 100ft you could maybe do 12awg still but 10awg would be better. Yeah I would fuse each string. I also used a circuit breaker after the fuses for a quick shut off.
do you have a video to show how you wired to both panels?
Not yet but will here soon!🤘
Have a nice day Pro Regards from Holland And do they ship this battery to Europe ????
Is there a way to connect the condor elite 3 to shinephone app so it reads the battery percentage. Or to the growatt 12k thanks
Yeah you would need to connect with an ethernet cable and change the settings like I did and then the battery % should show up or actually it may be the battery voltage. If I get some time Ill reconnect and check!
The temperatures of the PCB were a little bit scary. I don't think you are going to want to run Li-ion battery packs inside your car at 90°C. I didn't see any of the batteries getting that hot, but the PCB definitely did get way too hot. It's not easy to make bus bars that can stay cool with 7kw load on the battery pack. I wish I had a better way for you to add some more copper to the PCB. You said it had a bunch of layers of copper in the PCB, and it can carry tons of current, but I wouldn't exactly call the buss bars in the PCB 600 amp continuous, only because the temperatures went up past 75°C and kept climbing all the way up past 90°C. If you want to get rid of these packs, I'm sure there are use cases that will fit this pack of cells, like an industrial grade jump pack or even as car audio, but you are gonna need to be pulling a lot less current than 7k watts continuous. I would say that two 75Ah packs can probably carry that kind of load together, so if you get these packs, I would rather see people buy them as a pair, just so the PCB stays below 75°C and everyone can avoid a thermal runaway event, if worst comes to worst. I think these would make great jump packs. Good luck to anyone that buys them. The cells seem to work great, but I would love to see the PCB have thicker copper traces, or maybe someone has access to a nice sheet of 1/4 inch thick copper that could be used to double up on the bus bars and keep the temperatures lower on the PCB, so you don't have to worry about a thermal runaway event. I saw someone at a car audio show that was using C-Max cells, which are similar to these cells. They are Li-ion high output cells, and the guy somehow either pushed them way too hard, or he somehow had a short in his lithium bank. Everyone sat and just watched his car burn to a crisp. It was a shame too, because the guy had a very nice $15,000 audio build, with a lot of other cool stuff done. Just, please be careful running these at 400 Amps continuous or 600 Amps continuous for too long. Having a thermal camera or at least a laser thermometer to check your battery and connections. Having a 250 amp or a 350 amp high output alternator will definitely help take some load off of the battery. It's so easy to buy a 12,000 watt Brazilian amplifier these days. I think they are under $1000 if you get two Taramps Smart 5k's or an MD 12k. Having one 75Ah battery pack per 5k amplifier would be awesome, as long as they don't get too hot. I would prefer Lifepo4 in automotive applications, just because they can output lots of energy and Lifepo4 just doesn't have thermal runaway events like Li-ion can. Most car audio guys have used Lifepo4 or LTO cells for safety. I know I would much rather have a bank of Headway cells in a 4s5p configuration, at least. Maybe 4s8p would be better to keep your voltage up when large amounts of current are needed to power a couple 10k bass amplifiers or something ridiculous like that. LTO is even more safe, but it's also much more expensive to build 12v batteries with LTO cells. You can get good quality LTO cells from XS Power, but OMG it's crazy expensive to get six 40Ah cells just to have 1 single string of 6 LTO cells in series. You are gonna need at least 6s2p to have enough LTO power to try running a 5k amplifier or something similar.
He was showing us temperatures in Fahrenheit, not Celcius. Hottest item shown was ~45°C.
UL listing? It's got everything that it should need for this.?!
No UL listing sadly. 🙃
@@AveRage_Joe Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing the CAN bus & RS485* communications ports!! Thank you Big Battery for this nice addition! However if your looking to connect multiple batteries thru CAN your going to have to purchase another piece of equipment that they don't sell 😑 (can bus 4 in to 1 output)....
Also without the UL listing, I can't install this for myself or other projects without passing local state laws 😞...
Thanks again Joe for the great work & review as always👍
Wire question. I have a long run from my panels to house about 70 feet. Can I use regular house wire, 20 gauge, to make the run, or does it need to be solar panel wire. I have a 100 foot spool left over from wiring my house and was wondering.
I used stranded 12awg thhn wire (house wire from lowes). I would not use 20awg solid core wire. 20awg is way to thin and DC voltage should use stranded wire.
Afternoon Joe,first, lol. Boom, Joe.
😆🤘💥💥💥💥💥 YOOO Hows it goin man!!!!
You should consider moving to a place with more Sun. Sounds like you live in a place that is Cold and Dark.😂
Its not healthy.... like at all and nobody survives here😲💥
I'm running a 24v growatt with a big battery 24v Mule. Can I add a 24v hawk max 2 to the system? I also have 820watts of solar.
Nice! Yeah you can add pretty much any of there 24v together. I have 3 diff 48v paralleled together and no issues!😁🤘
@@AveRage_Joe Thank you!
Getting it back up the stairs. “Problem’
Mmmmmm no problem here, just move to another house😲😜
Keep up the Great videos you make. “ Subsciber!,
Thank you and much appreciated!💥🤘
Get a garage door with battery
👏👏👏
😆💥🤘
I have a 200 amp breaker well I be able to hook up this too my house?
Yes because homes wont normally use 200amp....even with everything on. If a home was using 200amp, they would be using some SERIOUS power!!!
@@AveRage_Joe thanks I really appreciate ya im sure I don't my power bill is usually about 147 a month so im going to say your right I don't know much about power so I ask people that do know.
You bet!
👍👍
💥🤘
guaranteed the shipper did multiple drop tests for you.
Lol Im guessing you are 100% correct on that one🤣🤣🤣
What app are you using with the batt?
I am using the xiaoxiang bms app from the app store for IOS. There is also a Bigbattery app but its very basic. I like to see all things battery related tho. I tried with android and I could see the bms but could not connect. I tried a few android apps as well, same story, couldnt connect.
@@AveRage_Joe seems they didn’t put an antenna in condor elite2. Only works if I’m very close.
Pull the cover off the top and route it to the back. I usually pop it through a screw hole like from the fuse cover. Of course leave the screw out🤣
Oh wait....did you look for the antenna already
worst customer service out of all the solar companies
Really? Ive talked to a few people and they said they were great. One guy was even local to me! What issue did you have?
@@AveRage_Joe I purchased the hawk battery before they started with the stupid animal names. Right before Will Prowse made his video about the leaking cells before he was forced to take it down. My batteries do not hold a full charge and my volt meter goes berserk. I have sent Big Battery videos and their response was pathetic their warranty is fake as hell. When I mentioned will's video the customer service rep became very Irate and rude after. I am linking a video of someone else who has similar issue with these early batteries doing similar stuff to mine.
Hay Joe message me I have a better wiring idea for you to utilize your inverter to the fullest.
Just do not go with your test too far - do NOT simulate a natural disaster =))))))
It’s pretty big, but also pretty small. 😂
Best way I could easily......explain it🫣😆💁♂️🤘
Thats what she said!!!🥳
I'm calling you a liar, not because I think you are a liar, I just want to see the video lol
boom 3rd 'but nobody cares!'
I Care!!!❤😆💥💥💥💥💥🤘
NOT THE BEST OPTIONE!!!!!!
And all of this cost u ur life savings and more to.
Get real lithium car industry tested batteryes manufaktures in china.
1/10 id the prices
This prices do have Over 1number extra in the bills and prices.
1 number extra is extreme for leftover battery pack.
Get real and learn about this fantasy grade A and B thats lowest of the lowest battery in world.
Dont ever buy.
Do invetegate car manufaktures test for lithium and get battery for 1 10 of this crazy prices 😅😂😂😂😂😂
Ofcorse them make money to promote this extreme overpriced batterys.
Get real and stop screw all and start get real in this Chanel and make the best for all not give them the very most expensive and worst batteryes