Hi, first post, I’m a newbie, not terribly technical, apologies if this has been asked elsewhere! I contacted Bluetti to ask for suggestions, with the power load listed below, and they recommended this Elite V2 model. I just wanted to run my queries past the wider community, for more opinions and confidence, before I buy.
This will be used in my Ford Transit Custom LWB. I’m not a heavy power user. I just want to future proof it a wee bit, by slightly over speccing it! This will be used to power:
a (probably) 5kW diesel heater
a 12V fridge, eventually, when funds allow
phone and laptop charging
LED lighting
Maybe… a single or double induction hob in the distant future…
I’m also planning to install 100W/200W? (not yet researched!) flat, magnetic solar panels on the roof, for a constant trickle charge.
My mate has an Apex 300, but that looks like it could handle Armageddon, too much for my needs, methinks.
@Haze First point, I have had 3 caravans with a diesel heater, the 2nd was an 18’ solid top, current a 15’ off road pop top. All have had a 2kW diesel heater which would turn the caravan into a Sauna if high enough. To give you an idea, the 18’ long van was 7’ 6" wide and 6’ 6"+ high = 877 sq ft of volume. Yes there are, cupboards, the bed, kitchen and shower taking up space, but I assume your Transit will have a similar space. My heater 2kW Webasto pulls around 8.5A on startup and 1-2A running at a certain noise level for 1-2 litres for 10hours use. I have friends here in AU with 5kW heaters, that sound like a jet taking off, use more fuel and exceed the 10A output limit of most power stations.
Excepting the 5kW heater an Elite 100 v2 will do what you want re lights n fridge. My caravan has 200Ah of LFP installed, I use the E100 for its 240VAC outlets i.e. microwave, induction cooktop, toaster etc with numerous outlets and hard wiring.
There are 2 cautions I’ll give
The 12V E100 outlet is rated at 10A. A 12V fridge can draw between 3-7A when cycling, LED lights 2-3A depending on amount and type, again within the E100 limit. However add close to 10A for a heater and you overload.
Re the heater, when set to an overnight temperature, its thermostat will cut in and out. i.e. I set mine to 14C as the bedding takes care of the rest. It might raise the temp to 15-16C, then cut out until the temp drops to something like 12-13C then start back up, much like a fridge. When this occurs, it again energises the glopin, drawing a high load until it self ingnites the diesel. A run load of 2A will use around 20Ah over 10 hours = 560Wh of battery.
So, your limits are 2 fold - 1. The 10A output limit of 12V and your actual energy needs in Wh to assess battery size. The newer nominal 3kW Bluetti is the Elite 300v2. It has a 2600W inverter that will run anything you might need, also a 30A RV outlet at 3 times most other portable power stations. And, 3,000Wh of battery, equivalent to 230+Ah. Unfortunately, the only way to assess your purchase is to look at the 3 things that limit you; Look at load ratings of everything you want to use, then multiply each of those by the time you use them. This will equal the Wh (or Ah) of battery capacity you need. The other is; in what combination of multi device use is your maximum amp draw, this will tell you the rating of any output port.
@Mandp - thank you so much for your reply Mike, lots of detail in there. I will go and do some sums now, regarding the electrical load. I live in Scotland, where it would be unlikely that I’d want both the fridge and the diesel heater on at the same time.
It’s also likely that I would only run the diesel heater until bedtime/goosedown duvet time, then switch it on again, briefly, in the morning. I’d never considered the fact that, of course, every time the temperature for heater or fridge requires a re-start, then this would be multiple times that a high load would happen. Thanks for pointing that out, I’d completedly missed that!
I’ll do some further research on whether I do actually need a 5kW heater, though it can get pretty nippy here, even when camping in summer.
Out of interest, what happens when a Bluetti accidentally overloads? Does it just cut out, or does it actually damage to power bank itself?
Overload causes a trip diconnect, unplug the load, turn off either DC or AC at the Bluetti (depending which overloads), turn back on and try again. If this fails, turn main power off on the Bluetti and go again.
Due to my using a diesel heater, having the fridge on all the time, plus lights, TV etc, my total run load is normally less than 10A. However, when needing 8-9A for diesel heater start up and around 6A for water pump use, that load can spike to nearer 20A. This is why I use 2 x 100Ah LFP deep cycle in the caravan, plus that equates to over 2,500Wh of capacity. So, I tend to use the house batteries to run the 12V DC system and the Bluetti for the AC loads noted. The added benefit is reundancy, i.e. if one fails, I have backup.
I grew up in England, however here, it is nothing to travel remote 500kms for a trip and getting stuck in the bush with no power, heating (in winter) or water is not fun.
The bare minimum Bluetti to drive my caravan would be the Elite 300 as it has over 3kW of capacity and a 30A 12VDC RV port.
After a couple of days of energy calculations, I can see that the Elite 100 V2 isn’t quite enough for my needs. Thank you Mike, I’ve researched, Youtubed etc, and you’re right, the Elite 300 is the perfect fit for me, with the 30A 12V DC outlet. I’ve just ordered one, and hope to be getting a (probable 5kW) diesel heater very soon. Oh, and solar panels…that’ll be another round of research! thanks again!
I think it’s usually better to get a bigger power station than you think you need. The Elite 300 looks great, and I hope you enjoy it. The Elite 100v2 is a good portable power station I bought one for day trips and secondary backup, but you would have soon found it limiting.
Thanks Sideffect, l did ponder long and hard, especially as the Elite 300 is soooo much more expensive. The 30A outlet solves my issues. Being a complete beginner, it’s reassuring to have advice from this very helpful community!
