I took the leap and fully charged my EP500 Pro. I wanted to do a test run to see how it would perform in an emergency situation. I purchased it as source of power for my spouse’s room. After charging I plugged the hospital bed into an AC spot on Pro. I figured this beast should power the bed for, at least, 2 to 3 days. It’s only been 10 hours & Pro is at 71%. The pro says it’s using 145w. I have no clue what that means. My thing is how can the Pro be an ups for a house if it can’t handle a hospital bed. The bed does have an air mattress it’s keeping filled. But it looks like Pro will need recharging long before 3 days is complete. Am I doing something wrong?
Sorry for not answering your question. I don’t have an EP500Pro. Can you hook up solar panels to keep it charged?
Rough calculation, 145w x 24 hours = 3500w per day
As the battery capacity is 5100 this gives about 1.5 days of power.
Using the 10 hours experience so far it is about 1.4 days of power.
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It looks as if that maybe the only way to keep it charged. I just don’t understand how 2 of these could possibly be standbys for a whole house f it can’t handle one item for more than 1.5 days?
A standby power system is to provide emergency power in the case of utility power outages. It is not as long running as a gas or fuel powered generator, since it only has the battery capacity as its source of energy in watt- hours* as specified on its labeling, while a generator can supply continuous power as long as its fuel is fed in.
The Bluetti power stations are quiet and cleaner, but limited in time. You need to measure the load consumption ( the 145 watts of the hospital bed), then divide the battery capacity (5100 watt-hours) by the load to find the time of usage. You can extend the time by only using the power when needed, or reducing the load. The only other alternatives are to feed power externally (using PV panels) or adding more batteries. Both will cost but you determine if your spose’s life is worth the extra expenses.
*The correct unit of energy is the Joule which is a watt-second but this unit is small, so utilities prefer to use the watt-hour which is 3,600 joules.
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Thank you for the explanation. I can’t reduce the load as only the bed was using the Pro. My souse’s well-being is my priority. I bought a B300 battery actually I have 3 B300 batteries & an AC300. I plan on buying a 4th B300. I also have 3 x PV350 I had planned to use for charging. Tbh I am really feeling my way through all of this solar stuff. I’ve no clue what your * sentence is about. Again, thank you for your explanation & I appreciate any advice you can give.
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I am an EE and I was explaining what is the official definition of a unit of energy. Scientifically it is the joule, but all utilities and power suppliers, including Bluetti and their competition, use the watt-hour. Look at your utility bill and see how they charge your consumption, then how they bill that consumption, all using the watt-hour.
I am also using the AC300 and B300 batteries in a dual, split phase setup to supply 240 VAC power to my entire home and substituting my gas powered emergency generator. I had it in operation since we suffered Hurricane Fiona (yes, that was its name) in September and the utility power was out for three days. I have 18 kWh available for over 12 hours, then I recharge with 3.2 kW of photovoltaic panels. I plan to add the last 6 kWh of B300 soon to fulfill the maximum capacity. Maybe in the future I will upgrade to the AC500.
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Is having 240 VAC a necessity? I recently bought a book that will, I hope, give me a better understanding of how to connect panels & power stations and what the end results will be. I don’t know what “split phase” is. I can’t wait to get the book. I’m really hoping it’ll make all this solar & electric talk understandable. 
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The U.S. electrical power system uses 120 and 240 VAC as created by Nikola Tesla over 100 years ago. Most appliances use 120 VAC but for larger loads, such as ovens, cooktops, clothes dryers, and water heaters, need 240 VAC due to the heating elements that use up to 50 A. And by the NEC (National Electric Code) the 120 VAC loads are distributed between the opposing phases of the 240 VAC lines, so every modern building needs 240 VAC.
If your home is a stand-alone with few appliances that all use 120 VAC, then you can work with just 120 VAC. The Bluetti power stations were initially designed as a substitute for small fuel generstors, and mostly for remote power needs, such as camping. They can accept external power sources to store in its battery and supply as AC power. Now with the new AC units, starting with the AC300 last year, they can be setup in “split phase” mode with two units in parallel to supply 240 VAC for home and business applications. In addition, they are modular so each application will determine how much battery in kWh is needed to buy and attach.
My own setup can supply my entire home (a two-story concrete structure with three bedrooms and three bathrooms), because I rewired my AC input at the main panel for a power gas generator 27 years ago, due to outages cause by hurricanes. Now this AC300 setup with 12 kWh of battery can do the same without the generator, but gets its energy from photovoltaic panels. In a way I am almost completely independent from my utility service, except if we get another hurricane and many days with little sun.
Any professional electrician can explain what I just did here.
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To speak to what @Raymondjram said, I only use 120V and I do not need 240V however, in a power outage the following will not work - stove (unless you have natural gas), central air conditioner (window unit or room unit would work but will draw a LOT of power) and clothes dryer (unless you have gas).
Other than those I can power the whole of my house with an AC200MAX. For how long depends on how much solar I have and how many things I use at once.
I’m trying to understand what you expect from a backup power supply. It is designed to provide power when no other source is available. The most efficient way to use it is to keep it charged and turn it ON when you need it. Most hospital beds have 2 motors but are only used intermittently. That means the unit can last from hours to weeks depending on how much motor usage is. It’s not an unlimited supply. It’s difficult to compare grid power to battery backup power.
OP is saying that he/she has an air mattress that uses electricity to keep filled. It may be a specialized active anti decubitus mattress that is automatically inflated in different sections to prevent pressure ulcer wounds.
If you need backup power for days you will need either a far bigger battery or a fuel powered generator to keep the EP500 Pro charged up. If you decide to buy a large battery powered powerstation you should consider efficiency in situations where AC load is small and AC inverter is on. For example: I got a Bluetti AC300 + B300 and out of a 3kWh battery I get 2kWh of usable AC power due to internal losses, with around 350 watt load.
Even with the losses, this unit provides far more runtime than any traditional UPS system with lead-acid batteries. But there may or may not be far more efficient units out there. Do your research.
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You’re correct. There’s an air mattress in use for the very reason you described. I bought the AC300 & B300 x3. I’m looking to buy the 4th to complete the whole AC3 + B300 thingy. I just expected a longer use time from the EP500 Pro on a single charge. I’m not at all solar or electrical savvy. I’m learning. What I learned is the Pro needs to be continuously connected to panels (3 PV350 panels) to keep the bed functioning. The room with the bed will be the only room using the 500 as a backup power source. The AC300 will be used for the remaining items I want powered. I just have to learn how to properly connect everything.
Heh, 3x B300 these will last for a while. Even with the internal losses.
Here is how you connect them:
Be aware that these units are HEAVY. You will need two persons to carry them to the location you set them up.
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