I am building out my own van and am strongly considering the Bluetti AC200p. Great price, great review and it looks like it will almost do everything. But, I am finding a few limitations I am hoping you guys can help me with…straight to the source!!
Bluetti has a lot of dc outputs. I am only going to be running a MaxxAir fan and Iceco Fridge. Lights will be USB rechargables. My issue is if I run the fridge to the DC Car outlet, I only have USB’s for the MaxxAir without creating a fuse box, which I really do not want to do up front to hold down the costs. Suggestions?
I am running several AC outlets directly from the AC200p. If I put the fridge on an AC outlet, I am assuming the power waste will be huge? Ways around that?
I saw Bluetti has ‘reconditioned’ units for sale. With a 2 year warranty, is there any reason I should not buy a reconditioned one. Looks like the customer support is amazing so I would think it should be fine.
Thanks in advance. My initial plan was to run everything AC powered. But the fridge is much more efficient with DC. Any help would be really appreciated
since I know very little about electrical wiring, which is what drew me to the Bluetti in the first place!
Andy
Theres a few different routes you could take for your setup. The AC200p has a 12v/25a aviation style output that is what I currently use to power all my DC appliances in my scamp camper. I ordered the RV adapter kit with the AC200 and wired it directly to my campers 12v fuse box. Heres a link to the RV plug/adapter… https://www.bluettipower.com/products/12v-25a-aviation-plug
Now if you didnt want to use a fuse box and that 12v/25a aviation plug/outlet, I would recommend finding out how many amps your maxxair fan and 12v fridge pulls when the compressor kicks on initially. This can also be referred to as the “surge”. The AC200P does also have 2 of 12v/3a DC5521 DC barrel plug outlets on the front that can be utilized for many DC appliances. They even make fridge adapters to plug into these, but not sure if the 12v/3a ones on the ac200p will be sufficient for your fridge due to the 3a rating?? I actually have both an iceco jp50 and iceco go20 running off my Bluetti EB3A 5521 outputs ( but those are rated to 10amps ) Heres a link to those adapters…
You could also possibly use a 12v cig plug splitter out of the ac200 if the combined rating of your maxxfan and fridge doesnt exceed 10amps…
As far as the efficiency of the AC vs DC… honestly with the AC200/AC200P models… it doesnt really matter, as they both arent the most efficient with small loads… Heres a graph one of our buddies Jeff Hagen made of the discharge efficiency numbers for the AC200MAX at different loads. (Not the AC200p but believe the figures are pretty similar)
As you can see, these units with the large inverters are beasts and are more intended for heavier >100w loads. So in your use-case, I probably would suggest picking up a EB3A or EB55/EB70s unit for your smaller DC loads. EB3A has a small capacity, but its a beast, and can be charged rather quickly from your AC200p when needed.
And I wouldnt be worried about purchasing it as “reconditioned” as long as you’re purchasing from an authorized Bluetti store, they will stand behind any warranty as long as its not a third party seller.
So hope this all helps… please holler if you have any questions!
Cheers
Thanks M.briney!
So, this might be a stupid question, but again, I know very little about electricity…
Why would I not save almost $1000 on the new and $500 on the refurbished and buy 3 EB3A’s? 600W for the EB3A times three is 1800 watts. I get three Car dc outlets, no wiring required and I have a spare to either charge the others or run something else on?
Or am I missing something? WH are significantly less, but watts would be the same.
Or would it be smarter to buy the ac200p and the eb3a? I think that gives me a bigger inverter?
Thanks
Hi @MTBoiler01 ,
Based on your situation (using it in a van), we would recommend that you buy the AC200 series instead of the EB3A, which has a maximum output of 600W and a smaller capacity. It is more suitable for camping or carrying small electronic devices.
Your mini-fridge contains a compressor and will start with more power, which the EB3A may not be able to carry.
For detailed parameter comparison you can refer to the post on our home page.
@MTBoiler01 I think Bluetti meant to say they recommend the EB3A instead of the AC200 for your use case above. And I agree, the EB3A will be much more efficient for running your smaller loads. BUT… keep in mind its a much smaller capacity battery, so your run times wont be as long compared to a “bigger” unit, and you wont be able to power high draw appliances in the future if you need to. I like to suggest to people to pair your draws to the sogen (power station). Meaning if you’re planning on using high draw appliances, get a unit with the larger inverter/capacity.
So I would suggest getting the EB3A to get you started, and once you get more familiar with how they work and hammer down your needed draws, expand to a larger unit like the AC200P/AC200Max for the future.
But be warned… this stuff is addicting man… hahaha
Cheers and let us know if you have any questions or need anything in the future.
I found both as refurbs from the Bluetti Dealer page and bought them both. Extra power is not a bad thing! I have a dual purpose for both of them too! Even better
@MTBoiler01 Excellent choice!! You’re going to be covered on all power load aspects now! And I def recommend that adapter I linked above that allows your cooler to be plugged into the 5521 dc port. I dont know about you, but I dont have many “rechargeables” that have that kind of connection, so it works out perfect for my cooler and frees up the cig port for other items. Plus… ive had issues in the past where the cig port adapter will push itself out from the outlet, and the 5521 connection just seems to be more stable and trustworthy.
Now ya just gotta get yourself some portable panels and you’re gonna be really setup!!
I have one other quick question…ok, I saw this on the net, so you cannot believe everything, but…
What would happen if I sliced the two 12v/3a outlets together to run the MaxxAir fan? Max amp is 4.6, constant around 2.5 to 3. Do I get a 6v outlet?
Or is the USB-C able to power 5amps? USB is DC power, I think?
Thanks,
Andy
@MTBoiler01 The AC200p has the 12v/25a aviation port output, that with that RV adapter kit that I linked above, allows you to easily plug it into a 12v DC fuse box in your camper, that you then could power pretty much all DC appliances simultaneously (up to 25amps at a regulated 12v feed). I know that the “standard” 12v cig output on the unit is capable of putting out 10a, but I’m not sure if the usbc port would allow 10amp as well. It says its limited to 60watts, so its more then likely 4-5amps?
By splicing the 12v/3a connector and putting in a dual outlet of sorts, youre still going to be able to get the 12v, but your totals amps are still going to be limited to the 10a total. They make dual cig port splitters…
But like I said, that total amount usable from that is going to be limited to the 12v/10a from the cig port.
Pick up one of these…
And connect the ends of the RV plug adapter to the DC positive and negative on the box, then you could hardwire all your DC appliances directly to the individual fused load outputs on the panel. This way you’ll never have to worry about running out of available power to your DC appliances, and it also allows your AC200p to be free from all the different splitters and adapters from the individual outputs. You could actually then plug in a bunch more appliances to the AC200P directly when needed too. :)
Have anyone come across Bluetti refused to refund the item just bought less than 3 days?
After checking with support, they said your two orders have been received and unpacked, and do not meet the current no-excuse return policy. Details are subject to their email response to you. Please contact our order support via email at sale-au@bluettipower.com if you have any further questions, and thank you again for your understanding.
reply from sale-au@bluettipower.com -
Unfortunately, we do not normally accept returns of products after opening the box, as you will find in our returns policy, and if you insist on returning them, we will charge a breakage fee of A$200 per item, which we reserve the right to refuse your refund request if you are not willing to pay.
Ac300 purchased end of nov 2022 already failed. CHECK REDDIT or costumer service…. It will explains everything help you decide to go on opposite direction
