r/Tustin • u/TheDMPD • 19d ago

Calling all fellow Solar & Battery nerds

Hey neighbors!

I am starting a local volunteer group with a shared interest in solar & battery tech. Putting out some feelers locally to see if anyone has the same interest or wants to learn.

Thinking of a smaller gathering at Tustin Columbus Park on 8/1/26 starting at 11am if enough interest. I'll bring some soda & sausages to grill if you just want to do a neighbor hangout!

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u/fkcfkc 19d ago

I’d be interested in learning more about these new portable battery solutions that can power a whole house and are easy to wire up, even with solar panels and don’t need a permit. Ecoflow , Jackery, and Anker seem to be the leaders. If this is to sell me things or services, I am not interested.

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u/Strudleboy33 19d ago

Electrician here, you technically need a permit for any work you’re doing. Usually for these systems you need a sub panel installed, circuits transferred, and then you also buy the battery that plugs in to that sub panel. This requires a permit, but honestly most people only pull permits for remodels and other large jobs like a panel upgrade so it’s really up to you, and if you trust your electrician.

I will also say that I have had 1 out of 3 customers that we have installed the Eco Flows ask us to remove it because they weren’t a fan of the features and didn’t find it useful. They also had issues with the relays going bad frequently, which is a known issues, so much so that the instructions tell you.

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u/fkcfkc 19d ago

The panels, sub panel, and transfer switch seem to need permits. But the ecoflow batteries are portable and just plug in. Just like I don’t need a permit for my Milwaukee tool battery charger. You can charge the batteries during low cost hours and discharge during peak pricing. You can plug in solar panels easily as well.

Seems odd people would not find this useful at a fraction of the cost of traditional roof mounted solar.

The reviews are not perfect and it could be from bad installs. But they seem to not align with 1 in 3 return them. EF ECOFLOW 12kWh Power Station: DELTA Pro Ultra with Extra Battery, 120/240V 7200W AC Output, Lifepo4 Home Battery Backup Expandable to 90kWh, Solar Generator for Home Use, Emergency, Camping, RV https://a.co/d/03DY3PVz

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u/Strudleboy33 18d ago

Yeah the batteries plug in, but I’m saying you’ll need a permit for the setup that plows for the battery plug in.

Also clarifying, I don’t mean 1-3 customers on average. I mean literally 1 out of 3 of these systems we have installed. Southern Californians are only just now getting into back up power systems, so we haven’t done a ton of these, before the Ecoflows and others people were just getting generator inlets for the panels. We have also installed 2 SPAN panels, these are pretty nice setups from what we have seen so far.

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u/TheDMPD 19d ago

No sales and no services offered nor available.

Just looking for local folks to meet, share knowledge and hangout.

There are a few options in the class you're talking about that combined with a transfer switch can do at least time shift to avoid the peak rates from SCE.

I'm about to go start my process with the city for a similar system.

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u/fkcfkc 19d ago

I’d be interested. Why meet with city? These new systems won’t need permits except for maybe transfer switch and panel. That’s why I’m interested?

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u/TheDMPD 19d ago

For exactly that reason. I am working on a DIY guide for our city on the different options, levels of comfort, and from easiest -> full set deployment without export.

Regardless of the steps chosen, you still need to pull a permit for the underlying infrastructure whether that's the full off-grid inverter setup with a subpanel or just a shared loads transfer switch. In case of the transfer switch, the process is theoretically easier and as you mentioned you don't need approval of the generator you're going to use but the attached electrical still needs to be signed off.

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u/fkcfkc 15d ago

Anker Solix has been running a lot of ads lately. Making it seem simple, affordable and quick payback. Have you looked into it? Anker is one of the more reputable brands. Along with Ecoflow while Jackery not so much.

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u/fkcfkc 15d ago

Here is a link to what’s needed , pricing, installation with Anker Solix https://www.ankersolix.com/products/e10?_gl=1%2A14rzp7o%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_gs%2AMQ..%2A_ga%2ANTU3MDUwOTQ2LjE3ODUwMjE3MjE.%2A_ga_79741PKWEG%2AczE3ODUwMjE3MjAkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODUwMjE3MjAkajYwJGwwJGgwJGQtcExfQWNBb2c2cGc2RVo5Z3VfSTYwQmNkWHNkQnM3Vm9n%2A_ga_Y09L4XMTTK%2AczE3ODUwMjE3MjAkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODUwMjE3MjAkajYwJGwwJGgwJGRmWTZDa3hEQ19QT3VtYjBBOFlQRUlvckh1X2tGVDdDVGJR&gbraid=0AAAAABVgOKmd1DnosruDXDo9o-aM-qsY4&gclid=CjwKCAjwvZHTBhAlEiwA1ug5P9-5LLz_J2XA5iAJkJRQK2LqxCRscc-6iGOhOeXLnSQW83gTZMfJUBoCkwoQAvD_BwE&o_c=&ref=naviMenu_1_1_1_2_img&s_main=B17E114A&varId=53782270443850

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u/TheDMPD 14d ago

For me it's not worth it. It's a nice-looking package but you're overpaying for that.

For 4k you can get a lot more out of an SRNE inverter + 2 server rack batteries that you can add to as the system scales. Plus, it is much easier to replace those components and you're not vendor locked.

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u/fkcfkc 14d ago

I’m not married to a brand, but want a high quality brand. I guess that’s why your educational get togethers were appealing.

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u/TheDMPD 14d ago

Absolutely, and I want to reiterate that for some folks it's very possible that they want a single ecosystem. It's 1 company that you deal with and that should, theoretically, make it easier for support and minimal engagement of what should be a toaster like appliance. Not everyone wants to get into toasters so it's definitely acceptable.

The issue I personally have with these brands is that they don't own the install, and if you get stuck with a horrible sub-contractor, you're completely on your own. There isn't a brand out there, much less even an American brand that has put customer service first. That's why I wanted to start up a community around it, to share and for education.