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I purchased a BLUETTI EP500 solar generator as an AC power alternative to a gas generator living in the hurricane capital of the world and live kind of in the country where it takes a while sometimes for power to be restored. I purchased 4 portable 200W solar panels to go with it.
i have been reading most of the topics here in the solar, electric and many other areas and started pricing what it would take to get a comparable system just in parts (which I may actually do if I get a house in the mountains) and they are very impressive setups
But I kept coming back to using the solar generator in both places… I park the 5th wheel right next to the house so i won’t even have to pull the generator out. Just run some electrical cords into the house. The key difference between a solar generator and a gas one is the solar one really should not get wet as it is more like a computer with a lot of battery power
So with some help from our moderators I was able to support the garage floor of my 31MB with a fitted piece of plywood and I took the wheels off my generator so it would fit and there is just enough hight to fit in, standing up and being able to access the 30Amp DC power output on the top of the unit. I will be bracing it into place for travel and I will have to open up the whole where my solar panel wires are fed in from the roof, into the basement. The widened hole will be where I route two heavy duty 20amp extension cords that will plug into 2 of the 4, 20amp receptacles on the generator. If I want to mount my solar panels somewhere else to reach sun I will also route my 50ft. solar panel extension cords through the same path.
Once the cords are in the basement I am adding a new access point in the front of the plastic well on the driver’s side as the other one is for the water hose and I will route the 2 extension cords out through it to plug into an adapter that takes two 15/20amp input and joins them into a 50amp RV female plug. I plug my normal RV cord into that running it under the RV from the original grid connection point.
i turn off the large AC unit, water heater, converter and fire place at the inside panel.
For the DC side I have the 30Amp out put that I am connecting into a battery switch that will only allow one battery bank or the other (does not have the option for both). The house battery that came with the unit is in one side and the generator on the other. My switch has not come yet but my son came and helped me load the unit into the bay and there is absolutely no sag with the plywood base! I put my portable panels on the roof and connected them in series into the Jaboni connector and tested the front AC unit.
i am very happy with how it is going so far and will provide updates and more pictures as I finish. The beauty of this set up is that I can take it all with me if I sell my RV and I did it all very quickly as a plug and play solution. It is not fully automated but I can control the unit from my phone. I can turn on and off both AC power and DC power either from the device or my phone as well as receive alerts like over load shut down and battery capacity and solar input.
i have been reading most of the topics here in the solar, electric and many other areas and started pricing what it would take to get a comparable system just in parts (which I may actually do if I get a house in the mountains) and they are very impressive setups
But I kept coming back to using the solar generator in both places… I park the 5th wheel right next to the house so i won’t even have to pull the generator out. Just run some electrical cords into the house. The key difference between a solar generator and a gas one is the solar one really should not get wet as it is more like a computer with a lot of battery power
So with some help from our moderators I was able to support the garage floor of my 31MB with a fitted piece of plywood and I took the wheels off my generator so it would fit and there is just enough hight to fit in, standing up and being able to access the 30Amp DC power output on the top of the unit. I will be bracing it into place for travel and I will have to open up the whole where my solar panel wires are fed in from the roof, into the basement. The widened hole will be where I route two heavy duty 20amp extension cords that will plug into 2 of the 4, 20amp receptacles on the generator. If I want to mount my solar panels somewhere else to reach sun I will also route my 50ft. solar panel extension cords through the same path.
Once the cords are in the basement I am adding a new access point in the front of the plastic well on the driver’s side as the other one is for the water hose and I will route the 2 extension cords out through it to plug into an adapter that takes two 15/20amp input and joins them into a 50amp RV female plug. I plug my normal RV cord into that running it under the RV from the original grid connection point.
i turn off the large AC unit, water heater, converter and fire place at the inside panel.
For the DC side I have the 30Amp out put that I am connecting into a battery switch that will only allow one battery bank or the other (does not have the option for both). The house battery that came with the unit is in one side and the generator on the other. My switch has not come yet but my son came and helped me load the unit into the bay and there is absolutely no sag with the plywood base! I put my portable panels on the roof and connected them in series into the Jaboni connector and tested the front AC unit.
i am very happy with how it is going so far and will provide updates and more pictures as I finish. The beauty of this set up is that I can take it all with me if I sell my RV and I did it all very quickly as a plug and play solution. It is not fully automated but I can control the unit from my phone. I can turn on and off both AC power and DC power either from the device or my phone as well as receive alerts like over load shut down and battery capacity and solar input.
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