Power banks (1 Viewer)

[POH]

Do I need one of the power banks ie ecoflow, jackery etc don't normally stay off grid but going to france in April and will be staying on Aires some of the time and of course some of the camp sites will only have 6 / 10 amps , next question is are they worth it ?

 

[Guigsy]

They are effectively just a leisure battery in a box. And they aren't cheap.

If you're in a tent or you've only got a basic van conversion, they make sense. But for most motorhomes, just use or upgrade your battery.

 

[Lenny HB]

Spend far less money on more solar panels & if you only have one battery fit a second.

 

[suavecarve]

Do I need one of the power banks ie ecoflow, jackery etc don't normally stay off grid but going to france in April and will be staying on Aires some of the time and of course some of the camp sites will only have 6 / 10 amps , next question is are they worth it ?

If you let us know your solar capacity and habitation battery capacity and whether it is "normal" or lithium and then what you used electricity for in your van as they do have a use, just not for many of us.
If youre just thinking of recharging laptops or phones get a 30 quid one that charges a phone 5 times and recharge that when youre on the move from 12 volt

 

[kevenh]

If youre just thinking of recharging laptops or phones get a 30 quid one that charges a phone 5 times and recharge that when youre on the move from 12 volt

that’s a good idea. Well, it must be as it’s the route I took
For the when I’m off grid at a music festival for example I bought this

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The powerbank holds a good amount of charge for keeping iPhones and similar gadgets charged for a few days.
But the solar bit is a gimmick.

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[chaser]

Do I need one of the power banks ie ecoflow, jackery etc don't normally stay off grid but going to france in April and will be staying on Aires some of the time and of course some of the camp sites will only have 6 / 10 amps , next question is are they worth it ?

People have been going to Europe for 100 years and always seemed to have managed without one.

 

[Jo662]

Well iv got 2x100ah lithium batteries. Iv also got a Ecoflow Delta,which I have had for three years,and i use it to top up the batteries when iv been in one place for a few days and not had much sun for the solar panel.
imo they have there uses.

 

[Shrimp]

Powerbanks they sound a good idea until you find it’s flat and it needs charging up again!
They are a gimmick and not worth wasting time, effort and money on them!
No we don’t have one, never had one, don’t need one.

 

[GMLS]

The above advice on upgrading your m/h infrastructure is very sensible unless like me you also have a need for a standalone system for other needs.I purchased the Anker 767 with a couple of folding panels to use in our classic vw which we will be using far more and for longer periods off grid this year while the wait for the new motorhome continues into a 2nd summer.We also suffer from power cuts and used it to power our fridge during a recent 10hr blackout plus I use it in the out buildings.Very impressed with it and probably won't need to add an inverter to the new van to run the induction hob.

 

[eddie]

A power bank is a battery in a box with and inverter

As many have said, much much cheaper options

Or, if you really fancy lugging a box around that needs independent charging, take a spare battery away with you, and, if your running low on your leisure batteries, connect up the spare battery

Its the same thing, a lot cheaper.

Or, fit lithiums halves the weight and doubles the usable battery capacity

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[DangerMousy]

There was a long discussion on this recently which showed there seem to be to two camps: one which thinks they're a waste of money and you'd be better upgrading your MH, the other which can see a use for them under certain circumstances.

My take on it is that if you need (or want) an inverter and don't already have sufficient battery capacity to support one, then these all-in-one power banks might be a cost-effective option compared to the cost of upgrading your batteries and installing an inverter.

If you don't need the inverter function though and you just want to charge things that can be charged via 12v, then its far cheaper and simpler (in most cases) to just add another battery and/or solar.

 

[chaser]

If you have a motorhome and never actually run out of battery, or you only go to sites, or rarely go off grid for more than a couple of days or have a good amount of solar you don't need one.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Do I need one of the power banks ie ecoflow, jackery etc don't normally stay off grid but going to france in April and will be staying on Aires some of the time and of course some of the camp sites will only have 6 / 10 amps , next question is are they worth it ?

6 or 10 amp EHU never becomes a problem for us. We don't need 16 amps. We don't run hair dryers etc.

I have a 1500 Wh power bank at home. It has many practical uses, e.g. for DIY power tools instead of a very long extension lead, as well as an emergency source of 240v in the event of a power cut (as happened recently) so it is not a waste of money. If I did take it away in the van, it has an in-built charger (as well as an inverter output for up to 2 Kw), that would charge it up on EHU in about 4 - 5 hours at less than 2 amps. Then if I was off-grid, it could easily recharge my leisure batteries.

 

[POH]

A power bank is a battery in a box with and inverter

As many have said, much much cheaper options

Or, if you really fancy lugging a box around that needs independent charging, take a spare battery away with you, and, if your running low on your leisure batteries, connect up the spare battery

Its the same thing, a lot cheaper.

Or, fit lithiums halves the weight and doubles the usable battery capacity

Hi Eddie was thinking along those lines any recommendations of which batteries.

 

[dpsuk999]

For the cost of one of these power banks you could install extra solar, upgrade to lithiums and also install an inverter/charger which when you have got limited EHU amps (6,8 or 10) and you don’t want to have to remember to switch off the hot water heating or fridge to be able to boil the kettle. It all depends on your abilities to do the work and your power useage and without this info we are limited in our ability to help you

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[pappajohn]

Should have got one of these.....

9000ah

 

[DangerMousy]

For the cost of one of these power banks you could install extra solar, upgrade to lithiums and also install an inverter/charger which when you have got limited EHU amps

I'd have thought it'd be much more expensive to upgrade the batteries and add an inverter. For example Costco was recently selling an EcoFlow Delta (1260Wh battery, 1800W PSW inverter, surge to 3300W) for £900 - can you really get all those upgrades for less than £1k?

 

[Lenny HB]

I'd have thought it'd be much more expensive to upgrade the batteries and add an inverter. For example Costco was recently selling an EcoFlow Delta (1260Wh battery, 1800W PSW inverter, surge to 3300W) for £900 - can you really get all those upgrades for less than £1k?

Yes if DIY 1260w is only 105ah.

 

[autorouter]

Should have got one of these.....

9000ah

Is this one of the new Di-lithium crystal batteries?

 

[Jo662]

For the cost of one of these power banks you could install extra solar, upgrade to lithiums and also install an inverter/charger

So you could do all that for the cost of a Ecoflow Delta?
Could you tell me where and how much you could do it for please?

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[DangerMousy]

Yes if DIY 1260w is only 105ah.

I'm assuming that's just the battery though....what about the inverter and solar? dpsuk999 says that its possible to "install extra solar, upgrade to lithiums and also install an inverter/charger" for the same price as one of the all-in-one powerbank/inverters - which I seriously doubt, even DIY.

I'm happy to be proved wrong though, and if that's the case then I'd love to know where to get it done....whilst I'm happy changing the batteries DIY, I'm not competent enough to install an inverter and solar myself.

 

[Lenny HB]

I'm assuming that's just the battery though....

105 ah Lithium now under £400.

 

[Just smiffy]

So you could do all that for the cost of a Ecoflow Delta?
Could you tell me where and how much you could do it for please?

I'm assuming that's just the battery though....what about the inverter and solar? dpsuk999 says that its possible to "install extra solar, upgrade to lithiums and also install an inverter/charger" for the same price as one of the all-in-one powerbank/inverters - which I seriously doubt, even DIY.

I'm happy to be proved wrong though, and if that's the case then I'd love to know where to get it done....whilst I'm happy changing the batteries DIY, I'm not competent enough to install an inverter and solar myself.

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Lithium batteries have a longer life cycle compared to AGM and GEL batteries. The 12 volt batteries are the solar batteries most cost effective.

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All of the above comes to £1049.98 and all of the equipment is considered to be some of the best you can buy, I’m pretty sure you could get some good alternatives for much cheeper….

 

[DangerMousy]

200w Solar Panel — Craig Solar

148x68cm, Craig Solar. 21.2% Monocrystalline High Efficiency. Bypass Diodes in junction box to protect partially shaded cells.

www.craigsolar.co.uk

3000W 12V to 230V/240V Pure Sine Wave Inverter With English Standard Socket (with UPS Function)

Renogy 3000W Inverter transforms the DC electricity stored in batteries into standard household AC power. Free Shipping!

uk.renogy.com

Lithium Battery,Leisure Battery,Solar Panel Battery|Renogy UK

Lithium batteries have a longer life cycle compared to AGM and GEL batteries. The 12 volt batteries are the solar batteries most cost effective.

uk.renogy.com

Energy Solutions | Victron SMART BlueSolar Charge Controller - 100/20A

Energy Solutions | Victron BlueSolar SMART CHARGE Controller With terminal clamp Connection - 12/24/48V - 100/20A (SCC110020160R)

www.es-store.co.uk

All of the above comes to £1049.98 and all of the equipment is considered to be some of the best you can buy, I’m pretty sure you could get some good alternatives for much cheeper….

Interesting thanks. If you're confident and competent to DIY then the parts are a bit cheaper than I thought. But not everyone is able to DIY and I suspect most trustworthy professionals will also want to supply the parts themselves (which is understandable if they're going to warranty them). For example this place wants £1284 to supply and fit just the 2kW inverter.

But just for sake of argument.......

• 2 x 100ah batteries (need a minimum of 2 for a 2kW inverter according to the Renogy website): 2 x £455 = £910
• 2kW inverter: £250
• Solar panel: £165
• Charge controller: £125

= £1450

Plus installation. I've no idea how much it would be, but our local domestic electrician charges £50 per hour, so let's say £300 (which seems a bit low)? Making a grand total of somewhere in the region of £1800. I stand by what I say.....£900 looks quite attractive for an all-in-one unit, which also has the benefit of portability, other non-MH uses, and can be transferred to another vehicle if we decide to change the MH.

 

[dpsuk999]

As I said in my previous post “it all depends on your abilities to do the work yourself”. If you’re paying someone to do the work for you then the cost will be higher.

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[Just smiffy]

I myself have just recently bought a renogy 1000w inverter, two 200w panels and two 95a gel batteries and a victron 100/30 controller for £930

I am the first one to admit I know nothing about electrics, but I have now seen and learnt how to do it by looking at YouTube and reading on here and asking for advice which I got in bucket fulls of expert advice….

Now for the ability to do it myself (yourself)…. I am a 63yr old man permanently in a wheelchair with no legs waiting for a triple heart bypass… I have confidence and will confidently fit them all to my van conversion all on my own with no physical help at all…

I’ve just saved probably as much again.

If I can do it, anyone can….

 

[POH]

If you let us know your solar capacity and habitation battery capacity and whether it is "normal" or lithium and then what you used electricity for in your van as they do have a use, just not for many of us.
If youre just thinking of recharging laptops or phones get a 30 quid one that charges a phone 5 times and recharge that when youre on the move from 12 volt

hi suavecarve piccy of battery best shot I can get due to location,solar is 100watt tell me what you think , the more advice I get the better ta.

 

[suavecarve]

hi suavecarve piccy of battery best shot I can get due to location,solar is 100watt tell me what you think , the more advice I get the better ta.

View attachment 722017

What do you use electricity for ?
Light (12 volt presumably)
TV (240 or 12 volts) and how many hours a day
Presuming not for fridge as that wont last long
Charging phones laptops ? how many how often
How long do you stay in one place before doing how many miles to the next stop ?
Do you have solar and if so how much - 100 watts just noticed
Do you use motorhome in UK in winter or just in summer - just noticed youre concerned about April in France - Whereabouts in France and how long ?

 

[MisterB]

So you could do all that for the cost of a Ecoflow Delta?
Could you tell me where and how much you could do it for please?

Hi - where in east anglia are you? you could always check out my setup of 300ak lithium and 2kw inverter? its far from perfect but works !

to me the only advantages of a power bank is that you can use it away from the motorhome or charge it up away from the motorhome,

 

[Langtoftlad]

can you really get all those upgrades for less than £1k?

And have them fitted ?
Not all of us are blessed with (any) technical skills

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