So I presently have a 200W Bluetti panel and various other small power packs and panels (all Bluetti)
I’m thinking of going big and ordering an AC200Max. It would appear as though the one 200W panel would charge the pack (albeit very slowly).
I do some boondocking but we don’t use a ton of power so I was thinking of having the AC200Max fully charged when we leave the house and continue to use the unit daily while recharging. I realize we may end up at a deficit over time but our trips don’t take more than2 weeks.
My question is, has anyone been able to confirm is my 200W panel can indeed put power back into the AC200Max
I believe this was an issue with the original 200 and 200P
There’s lots of reference to the AC200MAX only needing 12V as a minimum for Solar. This would take for ever for this one panel to FULLY charge a dead power station but I don’t typically use tons of power throughout the day. So if I was to fully charge the AC200MAX before leaving the house and replenish MOST of the power each day, then it could last quite a long time.
In fact, we do typically survive our trips with two other units and charge them with 120V and a 200V panel while staying put, then after a few days, drive to another destination (charging with the car’s 12V outlets). My logic is if the 120V and the 200V solar keeps us going for each day, then it should still work if I take my EB70S and an AC200MAX
I probably don’t even need this much power but it can double as a home based system powering my gas furnace and the typical fridge and freezer during a power outage (which we seem to get every year, lasting 12-36 hours).
In the past I’ve managed with the EB70S running all the three above devices for the 8 hours each night. Then I run my genny to charge the EB70S and power the required devices.
So by upgrading the Power Bank to an AC200MAX, I can then run my generator less and have more standby power at the campsite.
Now, an interesting feature that makes this unit desirable is the 12V 30amp socket. If you follow many reviews about diesel heaters you see that they often need more than the 10amps that most power stations can provide. This is typically during startup as the glow plugs are a real energy hog. Once the heater is up and running the power consumption drops. This specific model of Bluetti has a unique 12V 30amp socket which should allow the diesel heater to start up.
Since my propane heater at my cabin is not working, and will cost me upwards of $1000 to replace, a diesel heater for this off grid cabin may be just the ticket.
For what it’s worth, I did contact customer support about which Power Stations I can use with my 200W solar panel but failed to mention it was a Bluetti Panel. Had to answer that question from them, so now I’m waiting for their second response.