I have a transfer switch on my outside panel for my well. It’s just for that. My inside panel is where this will go. I’m going to have a electrician price it out for me. It just seems that everything would be so much neater than extension cords everywhere. Plus, I’d like to get some use out of this besides just emergencies.
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I hope there is still some people monitoring this thread, it’s covering the subject I’m struggling with right now, hooking up a AC200Max to be battery backup system for the house.
I have a L14-30 Box for my generator if the power goes out. It’s wired similarly to the way Scott-Benson wired his house, cut the main power from the grid and switch over to the generator. This is wired into my main, outdoor panel. I’ve used it for my 6000watt gas generator and it worked well.
I found an adapter to take RV plug (120v/30amp) on the AC200Max to the L14-30 box, so no problem plugging into the same outlet used for the gas generator. However, my critical house components during a blackout is my well pump and pressure tank. The submersible well pump is a 230v appliance that can draw 1200watts during normal use, probably a 2400 watt surge at startup. Amps are probably between 8 - 10 which may get up over 20 amps at startup (the well pump is on a 40amp circuit, however, it probably only needs 30amp). The 20gln pressure tank is on a 120v / 20 amp circuit so probably a sub 300 watt load when working (it only kicks on briefly to fill the tank every so often).
Long story short, I wanted to see if I could hook up two AC200Max (or an AC200 and AC300) and double my output voltage and watts so I could run the well pump. I thought I might be able to use the AC300 Split Phase Fuse Box (Fusion Box Pro – BluettiPower), but not sure. Bluetti’s Smart Home Panel (Smart Home Panel – BluettiPower) may also be an option if two AC200’s can hook into it.
The idea is to have a backup to the generator so I still have water. In my mind, it’s worth the money to have two AC200 or AC300, or a combination thereof, for this capability. However, this only works if I can get 240v and double the inverter wattage to get the well pump going.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Any info on the Split Phase Fuse Box and/or Smart Home Panel being usable with AC200’s? Thanks for your thoughts an suggestions.
-Matt
I may have answered my own questions, so I’m posting for future reference.
The Split Phase Fuse Box and Smart Home Panel allow two EP500’s or AC300’s to be “joined” together so you can double your voltage to 240v and wattage to 4000 or 6000 depending on which models you own. This appears to be possible through the programming of the units themselves. The Fuse Box and Home Panel both come with a data cable that is used to join the two separate units. Then, one unit is programmed to be the master unit which controls both units as if they were one. This programming is the necessary component to allow the two separate units to act as one for doubling the voltage and wattage.
To use two AC200’s in the same manner my assumption is you would need a separate inverter which could then take the output of both AC200’s and convert it into 240v and 4400 max wattage. Thus, I would probably need to buy a 5000 watt inverter and then plug two AC200 into that. The Inverter could then be plugged into my main panel and problem solved. I could probably use the DC outputs on the AC200s if the inverter can convert 12v to up to 240v (most can).
Thoughts?
The dc outputs of the ac 200 are limited to a max of 25 amps ea. This would limit the power of your connected ( to these dc outputs) 220 volt inverter to around 500 watts maximum which is not near enough for your needs
A transfer switch can work all of the home circuits together. It is simpler than the interlocking system because you don’t have to touch any of the original breakers in the main panel. I have installed a 100 A transfer switch between my utility master breaker and the main panel in 1995. I survive Hurricane Maria in 2017 because I had a 5 KW 240 VAC Onan generator that kept my home powered for seven weeks.
Now I have a new 7.2 kW 240 VAC Firman tri-fuel generator, and I am waiting for Bluetti to send me my dual AC300 controllers with two B300 batteries and the Fusion box. I will add solar panels later because I can get a great price locally (less than 50 cents per watt). The transfer switch was upgraded with a 120 VAC relay and audio alarm that will notify me when utility power returns.
You can use the Fusion box to join the AC outputs of the two AC 200 units. I can supply the exact wiring of the cables to the Fusion box if you need it.
I did the same thing with a Jackery 1500 unit, it only has 1800W of output (but can surge to 2500w for a minute), and only 1.5kWh battery. However, I am charging it around 600W through 2 AC adapters from my EV thorough a 1000W inverter. So the run time can be extended significantly as long as I don’t use more than 600W or so averages out. I am going to replace this with an AC300 as soon as it is available in Canada.
I would imagine one can do the same with a bluetti unit. Use it as a high output inverter with a battery buffer. Have the EV as a extra large battery.
The reason why you don’t want to hook the house directly to the EV through an inverter is that the most EV today is not meant to supply a very large load. If I draw more than 1.2kW or so, the car will complain something is wrong. So I draw only 800W to charge the power station and the power station act as a buffer to supply surges beyond that.
A wiring diagram would be much appreciated!
I would love to have the AC300s but I didn’t wan to wait. The boats from China have been a “thing” lately and who knows how long it’ll really take to get them in and shipped to my house.
Modern EVs may allow direct access to their HVDC battery to charge other EVs and that will give access to many kilowatts of electric power. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning truck will allow EV to EV charging, plus it has a DC to AC inverter built in. You can get up to 9.6 kW of AC power from this EV truck to power a medium sized home for many hours.
There will be third party vendors that will offer converter/inverter interface add-ons for some EVs on the market out of the manufacturer’s warranty. I may buy or even build a 230 VAC inverter to use the 450 VDC, 1.8 kWh battery in my Ford Fusion Hybrid after its 8-year factory warranty expires. It is cleaner and less noiser than my Firman genetator.
I look forward to the day when most EV allow bi directional charging. Tesla doesn’t officially allow it today and they are most EV here in North America, though their cybertruck must given it had a 240V outlet, that won’t likely hit the road till 2023. Some trims of Ford lighting also has it but that is a relatively low production be vehical for now.
It makes so much sense to have a EV do dual purpose for backup as it is likely the largest battery most people will have. A dedicated house backup battery will sit idle most of the time, an EV battery won’t.
When that happens, we should have EV battery warranty measured in kWh discharged rather than miles driven. Which is fair.
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Hi Raymond,
Wanted to know if you could provide the wiring diagram for two AC200’s using a Fusion Box (EP500 or Fusion Box Pro?). I want to get 240v for my well pump and thought about ordering AC300’s with B300’s but the shipping delays have me nervous about sending back the AC200Max. Besides, if two AC200’s can do the job that’s good enough for me! Thanks for you help.
-Matt
I have to review the AC200 specifications, because a communications cable is needed between both units, and a Master/Slave setting applied as the two units must be synchronized in opposition for 240 VAC. The Fusion box manual explains it but not clearly. If they are not in sync, the output voltage will be less.
Up to now, only the Nissan Leaf allows DC access to its traction battery. The 2023 Ford F150 Lightning will offer access for EV to EV charging, and has on board inverter for up to 9.6 kW at 240 VAC. Maybe other brands will offer some access if it has some way to protect that traction battery from damage.
Ford will produce up to 200,000 Lightnings per year so it will not be “a relatively low production vehicle”.
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That’s the problem, there is no data cable port on the AC200max, and even if one of the other ports could be used (like the USB-C) you don’t have the programming in the software for a master/slave setup. My idea is to use a separate inverter which could step up the voltage but I may still be limited by the max wattage (2200). I’m sure this is solvable with software, but I doubt Bluetti will spend time developing this idea considering they have the AC300 and EP500 to sell.
As a reply to my post about EV as a power source, GM announced today that the 2023 Chevy Silverado EV will allow EV to EV charging. And it will have an onboard inverter for 10.2 kW of power at 240 VAC, a bit more than the Lightning.
Hi Scott, I have two AC200P generators and want to know if I can use a Parkworld 886115 Combiner, Household (2) 5-15 Plug to Generator Twist Lock L14-30 Receptacle Y Adapter Cord to connect both generators to the Reliance 30 amp generator Inlet Box with an interlock also installed on the main electrical panel? An electrician installed the interlock and the inlet box inside my home instead of outside. I am wanting to run all of my electrical outlets, ( except for 220 EV outlet), lights, furnace, refrigerator. It’s a small ranch home. I would like to use the generators with solar panels to save on my electric costs. Will this work for what I am trying to do?
Thanks for any help,
Jeanetta
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You cannot combine multiple units for increased power. You can use that plug for one at a time with each Ac200.
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Thank you! So is it even worth buying the splitter? If I got it, I would just plug it into two of the ac outlets on one generator to split up the power between two outlets instead of one outlet? Or just a waste of money?
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Waste of money. You can simply plug it into a single outlet which gives you more than enough capacity for the output is it AC 200.
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Thanks, much appreciation!