A lesson I learned about a portable power station and generator

Posted by XilodonZ@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 55 comments

I used to depend on a generator during outages, but it was loud and sometimes fuel was used faster than I expected. How to get more fuel in a long outage was also a concern.

After seeing suggestions on this sub, I started to try this hybrid setup - using both a generator and a power station together. I got a bluetti apex 300 power station, and it has worked well with my generator for me. Here is how I use them:

I don't plug devices directly into the generator. Instead, I use the generator to recharge the power station.
Using the power station to power lights, wifi, and small appliances. It is quieter, and turns on right away when the power goes out. Also provides stable electricity that is safe for sensitive devices.

This combination works reliably. The generator helps when the battery is low, and the bluetti provides quiet power the rest of the time. If you are preparing for winter outages, this might be a useful approach to consider.

Just want to share, this is what I learned here, and has been put into practice and proven useful :)

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LastEntertainment684@reddit

This is what I do with my EV. I get up to about 5 days powering the house off the EV’s battery.

Then it takes about a day of running the generator to charge it back up fully.

It lets me run the generator when it’s convenient for me and I’ve found it to be more fuel efficient and predictable just running the generator at a constant load, than having it try and compensate on it’s own.

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ye3tr@reddit

Doesn't that wear the battery more? Seems like a medium custom power station will be cheaper than a whole new EV battery in the long run

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LastEntertainment684@reddit

I’m at about 90,000 miles and still showing over 99% battery State-of-Health so I’m not particularly worried. These batteries are proving to be pretty robust long term.

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Beebjank@reddit

That number is likely highly inflated at that mileage but I wouldn't be surprised if it's still above 85%. Battery degradation happens fast within the first \~80k miles and then very slowly afterwards.

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Mouser_420@reddit

How do you go from vehicle to house? There doesn’t seem to be any easy to use tech here in the US that will allow me to do that. What am I missing?

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Blakk-Debbath@reddit

Most Nissan Leaf have E2L.

https://www.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/16vrixx/v2l_from_leaf/

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SignificantGreen1358@reddit

My Chevy Volt has about 10 kWh of batteries. I installed a 2k sine wave inverter off of the 12v battery. The car will convert about 1kW continuous, and the car has a 9 gallon gas tank to recharge the battery when it gets low. Last week, I tested using my car to charge my 48v, 11kWh home batteries hooked to my hybrid inverter using a 500W and a 1kW charger. It worked! I also used my 2kW inverter generator to power both chargers for 1.5kW into my home batteries. So, if the 11kW solar panels aren't putting out enough due to snow or several days of clouds, I can use my generator or car to assist. I can charge the car battery during the day to increase the battery storage of the house. I can also use the car setup as a portable generator. I threw a three-outlet extension cord in my trunk to move that power where it might be needed.

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FilteredOscillator@reddit

Hyundai / Kia e-gmp platform cars have vehicle to load adapters. Some people just run an extension cord off the car or some even plug the car into a generator input on the house panel. As long as you don’t draw over 1,800W the car can run basic house appliances for a week. (84kW battery)

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Karma111isabitch@reddit

U can do it w some cars: F150 and Rivian I think

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IndianOcn@reddit

Thank you bro, this help me a lot. I just looking for some car to try this:)

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No_QuarterGiven@reddit

The F150 has two options. The Powerboost has 110v that does not require the truck to be running to use the AC power (except to recharge). And the Ecoboost that does require the truck to be running to use the 110v. Just something to think about when considering fuel storage and use.

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IndianOcn@reddit

Thank you!

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ratcuisine@reddit

Cybertruck has the best setup - Tesla has an automatic transfer switch so it will switch over to truck battery after a few seconds of grid outage. It covers the whole house so you don't have to run extension cords or use a generator inlet. We really enjoyed it when we had a week long power outage.

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myself248@reddit

Look for "V2L", vehicle to load, capability in the car's marketing material. Some just have an inverter with outlets in the cabin that you can plug stuff into, some have a dongle that fits into the charge port, some require integration with a v2l-aware EVSE, etc. It's a mess but it's cool once you figure out which one yours does, if any.

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rainbowkey@reddit

Extension cord. Convenient if you garage or driveway is next to your kitchen to plug in your refrigerator.

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NopeNeverReddit@reddit

I run a portable power station in the house plugged into my EV. EV tops off the power station as needed. Could last for weeks!

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b18bturboek9@reddit

You forgot to add it’s portable in case you have to leave home and where you’re going there’s no power either. Having solar panels and dual fuel generator can help keep the lights or fridge going for days or weeks depending on how much power you require. Living in California made me adda few solar generators and extra batteries because of brown outs. My new place in Las Vegas we have solar and plan to add a Tesla power wall or something for our 12,000 watt solar setup.

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CountyRoad@reddit

I’ve got an AC200max from way back in the day plus solar panels and a B300. Gets me about 5kW for lights and fridges and entertainment at night. Love it and been great during fire season.

I would love an Apex and the new B500 battery.

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SmoothieBiscuit456@reddit

Could you explain this process in more detail?

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XilodonZ@reddit (OP)

Sure, if I've got this right... Run the generator for about 2 hours to fully charge my 2700Wh bluetti, then shut it off and let the power station run quietly for 6-10 hours. When the battery drops to 30%, just restart the generator and repeat the cycle.

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PrisonerV@reddit

Yeah, I don't understand people who are dead set against power stations. What you're missing is an array of solar panels that charge the power station during the day and you may not even need to use that gas/propane generator.

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XilodonZ@reddit (OP)

Yea I do plan on getting solar panels. I just like the peace of mind of having a generator because sometimes there might not be enough sun.

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nits3w@reddit

I bought a Jackery homepower 3000 on sale and got a 300 as a free gift. Came with two 200w panels. I don't have any delusions of it powering my whole house, but I should be able to run the deep freeze and fridge for a while, recharging with solar (provided good sunlight). Most outages are short lived here, with the longest stretching to maybe 1-2 days. In the event of a longer one, I think I could at least keep food from spoiling for a bit.

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newagedefiance@reddit

I'm a Journeyman Electrician and Renewable Energy Technician, and I'd like to point out a few things I'd like to point out for backup power and things you should have hooked up. A battery bank is great for charging and running smaller things or if you're in an apartment.

Other things you should consider.

Furnace, so you don't freeze in winter.
Sump pump, so the basement doesn't flood.
The refrigerator and deep freeze so food dosent go bad.

3.5 Cook your meals on a BBQ to save on power.

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ninjadude1992@reddit

Do you recommend a certain type of solar panel? I'm looking to buy something around 400 watts

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hkr@reddit

Sump pump, so the basement doesn't flood.

Is this a US thing? Never heard of here, on the other side of the pond.

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newagedefiance@reddit

I'm in Canada. Yes we have them they are in a hole in the floor of your basement to prevent ground water from rising so the water collects in the hole and gets pumped outside.

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hkr@reddit

Wow. Thanks for the info.

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newagedefiance@reddit

No worries.

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concreteandgrass@reddit

Or just cook inside if you have a gas stove

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bwong00@reddit

Just be aware that some modern gas stoves don't work if the electricity is out. The gas valves won't open without it. Some will work, and you just need a lighter to light the gas, but others won't even do that.

A BBQ should work fully independent of the electricity status.

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concreteandgrass@reddit

Mine works with a lighter to start it. I also have a camping stove.

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newagedefiance@reddit

Also to consider if where the exhaust goes when cooking with gas and the fumes hood isn't working.

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concreteandgrass@reddit

A couple of days cooking without a exhaust fan won't kill you.

I have always had a exhaust fan/vent to the outside. What percentage of people have a recirculating indoor range hood??

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bwong00@reddit

Yeah, the "electronification" of everything from cars to stoves is not always conducive to having a backup when everything is falling apart.

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Paranormal_Lemon@reddit

Sump pump, so the basement doesn't flood.

That needs it's own dedicated backup.

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OtherwiseAlbatross14@reddit

It's also important to be able to plug your furnace into a backup power source.

This is a pretty inexpensive project to do before you actually need it, whether DIY or hiring an electrician. It allows the furnace to be plugged directly into backup power power like a battery or generator.

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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preppers-ModTeam@reddit

Commercial spam

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Well done. Even most of us with full home solar & battery have a generator on hand to top off the batteries if need be during long periods of clouds. It is little more than a scaled up version of what you have.

For me, it was easy enough to setup. I installed a rotary transfer switch with 2 in 1 out, so I can change from house to generator input and make a change on the inverter to start pulling from "utility" input to charge batteries as needed.

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east21stvannative@reddit

My powerstation setup allows me to draw and charge at the same time. I have a super small generator that will charge my powerstaion in about an hour.

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D1rtyH1ppy@reddit

I've got a whole home generator and an Eco Flow Delta 2. This will be our first winter with the battery and my plan is to charge the battery and use it during the evening and times when it's just me at home.

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Longjumping-Day7821@reddit

This is really the best way to get through a power outage. The 3000 watt units from EcoFlow and Jackery have dropped to about a $1000 and you can get a 1000 watt unit for $300 now. If you keep them charged with 2000 watt inverter generator that’s fuel efficient you can get buy for days with minimal amounts of fuel.

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Lost_Engineering_phd@reddit

This is great advice. I might add that even with all the conversion efficiency losses, in most cases with portable generators this method is still more fuel efficient. Engine efficiency is directly related to BMEP, so the higher the load the more efficiency you get. In the case of a small engine, which almost always have fixed spark timing based on maximum power, this difference can be huge.

It is not often that you find a solution that works so well and has so few drawbacks.

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johnavery66@reddit

Yes have EcoFlow now want to add solar to charge it

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drifter5@reddit

Thanks for this practical, tested tip! I've dealt with generator noise issues too, your hybrid setup is perfect for quiet, stable power. Super helpful for winter outages. Appreciate the share!

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WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

I presume that a standard, non-inverter gen? Makes sense.

If it was an inverter gen it would be quieter, more efficient, cleaner power …. Like half way toward your solution

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XilodonZ@reddit (OP)

Yeah! I think an inverter generator is a good middle ground between a traditional generator and a power station.

Mine is an inverter generator, because the generator using to charge my apex 300 needs to be a pure sine wave type.

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Financial-End2144@reddit

. Spot on. We run a similar setup up here in NH. You get quiet, clean power for crucial electronics from the power stations. Then top them off quickly with the generator. It’s way more efficient for outages

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XilodonZ@reddit (OP)

This!

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MGTOWmedicine@reddit

The issue with gennys is that have a lot of put put that isnt captured. The power bank is the key.

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androgenoide@reddit

I had a power station for my internet router. It gave me more than twelve hours backup-not sure of the exact time since we never had a failure that long. Eventually it failed. That was when I discovered that the inverter was running 24/7. I have a Bluetti now that has pass-through power so the inverter only runs when the AC fails. One less point of failure, I hope.

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