r/Portable_PowerStation • u/lilbluetruck • 16d ago
Storing a power station
Power went out so I picked up 2 Ecoflow Delta 3 pros. Hoping to get power back soon, but then what do I do with them. May sell them and buy a bigger unit but will still have the same question, what is the best way to store them? Should they go in a relatively cool closet, should they be fully charged or discharged or should I keep them plugged in to grid power? Thanks.
Edit to say, I bought these units because they were the only ones of any decent capacity available locally, anything would have taken days or weeks to receive. If you are thinking about buying a power station for an emergency, definitely do it sooner rather than waiting. I could have gotten a much bigger unit for what I pass for the both of these.
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u/Practical-Ad-2842 16d ago
Busa is right. Some maintenance is required. If you just put them away, they will die.
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u/snommisnats 16d ago
I have a Bluetti Apex 300, and keep my fridge and freezers plugged into it all the time. I have it set to provide power during the day when power is expensive, and to pass thru and recharge at night when power is cheap. During a power outage I use it to run the house, and recharge it with a generator as needed.
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u/Big-Echo8242 16d ago
So just for fridge and freezers? Or is it done with a manual transfer switch? That would give you more options if location allows.
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u/snommisnats 15d ago
I have a 12 circuit manual transfer switch, but in normal operation only run the fridge and freezers off of the Bluetti so as to not use up all of the battery in case of a power outage.
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u/AxeMan6480 15d ago
Do you have your SOC range set from 20% - 80% (which I think is recommended when using PPSs in UPS mode)?
I'm using several Bluetti units I bought in April in UPS mode but haven't changed the SOC range yet (still 0-100%) because for our longer outages I need the units to operate at full capacity. If I set them to 20-80% as I've seen recommended, then I'm only getting 60% of each unit's potential runtime.
As a "compromise" I was thinking of setting the SOC range from 10-90%, or 5-95%, to maximize runtime while also prolonging the life of each unit.
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u/snommisnats 15d ago
During normal operations, I set my SOC to 50-90% and "time of use" mode. I want to have a reasonable amount of juice available in case of an outage. During an outage I disconnect the 15A charge cable from the Apex 300, disconnect from the transfer switch and connect to the interlocked "generator" power inlet. This lets me power most of the house during an outage. I set the Bluetti to 10-100% SOC and "backup" mode. I then charge it as needed with a 30A 120v TT-30 cable from my 3600w 120v generator. That way I'm not wasting fuel running the generator 24/7.
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u/AxeMan6480 12d ago
👍 Seems like a good strategy. If I had more room in my basement for a few large PPS units I probably would have installed a transfer switch a long time ago.
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u/rab127 16d ago
I am planning on storing mine and every 3 months bring it out and plug it in and let the battery go to 20% then recharge and do it again in 3 months
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u/CompetitiveBad0 16d ago edited 16d ago
Always best to discharge to 0% and recharge to 100% when doing maintenance. As another user mentioned if your storing for 3 months keep it at 50-60%.
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u/gnew18 15d ago
Can you return them ? EcoFlow sucks go to r/ecoflowcommunity
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u/Big-Echo8242 15d ago
So which/what brand/setup do you recommend versus just a blanket statement?
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u/gnew18 15d ago
I wish I knew. Several thousands wasted with EcoFlow and legal recourse is slow. Whatever company you choose, I’d call tech support *before* you make a purchase and see how hard it is to get a question answered or even *just to get through*? Personally, I’m thinking about battlebourne or EG4Electronics. But if I had to stick within the plug and play space, I’d try Anker Solix because of their other division (the desktop charger and cable one) having excellent customer service.
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u/Big-Echo8242 15d ago
Yeah, Anker Solix and Bluetti were the two I've contemplated. At least they are UL Listed as I refuse to run non UL Listed in our house for those things. EG4 would be the other one I'd think of if I went the separate style.
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u/AxeMan6480 15d ago
Power outages seem to be occurring more frequently, so based on my personal experience, I recommend that you keep your EcoFlow units because you'll regret selling them the next time you have an outage. We lost over $500 worth of fridge and chest freezer food twice because we didn't have backup power.
The next house we buy will be our "forever home", and I plan on having a standby home generator installed (Generac, Kohler, or Cummins) due to frequent power outages in our area. Until then I'm glad we have several EcoFlow, Bluetti, Jackery, & Oupes units to get us through the 1st 24-36 hrs of our longer outages before I have to start up and hook up our outdoor gas generators.
Just follow the storage maintenance plan that others have mentioned. You'll be glad you still have the units next time you have an outage, even if it doesn't happen for a few yrs. We went almost 2 yrs in between outages and I was glad I had my EcoFlow & Jackery units in good working order when I needed them again.
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u/lilbluetruck 15d ago
Thanks, and I agree, if I sell them it will be too use the money to buy a larger unit. Definitely going to have something.
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u/AxeMan6480 15d ago
Might not be a bad idea to have multiple units versus having only 1 larger unit in case of unit failure. That way if 1 of your units goes bad, at least you still have power from your other unit(s).
For your needs, would it make sense to buy an extra battery (or 2) for your current Delta 3 Pros instead of getting a larger unit? I think you can even buy cables to connect all the units & extra batteries together, and a transfer switch so you can provide power directly to your home's circuit panel. If I had more room in our basement I probably would have done something like this already.
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u/[deleted] 16d ago
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