Goal Zero Yeti 1000 Lithium

dirtdrawz said:

I only get > 12V above around 90% state of charge. At 100%, it's 12.5V.

It drops much lower as the battery discharges.

For my fan, lights, and water pump, it's not an issue.

But for my Dometic fridge, it's been a huge PITA. There's a battery protection system in the fridge that you can't disable that assumes you're powering it from lead acid batteries, and it will turn off the fridge somewhere around 11.1V. I'm at about 60% SoC with the Yeti when that happens.

I'm planning to add a small 12v-12v DC converter in front of the fridge to regulate that voltage so that I can power the fridge without issue.

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Something is wrong with your lithium pack. The big advantage of lithium aside from light weight is that the voltage discharge curve is nearly flat until they are about 90% discharged

chromisdesigns said:

Something is wrong with your lithium pack. The big advantage of lithium aside from light weight is that the voltage discharge curve is nearly flat until they are about 90% discharged

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Li-ions are flatter than most, but it really still is a slope.

My understanding is that LiFePO4 is super flat, but NMC, which is used in the Yeti, is not as flat.

FWIW, engineers at Goal Zero confirmed I'm seeing a typical discharge curve for their cells. This is my second unit from them, and the first that I replaced had a similar discharge curve.

DieselFumes said:

Good point. I meant sexier in a product marketing kind of way. Large numbers sell more, and if you change the frame of reference it's harder for people to make a comparison with other products.

Ah might not be the best unit of measurement, but if we're talking about 12v house and starter battery systems, it gives people a comparison point.

There was a recent thread in the Unity section where someone had found a 4000 Amp jump start battery and thought it would be great to hook up to an inverter to run a blender. The 4000 A figure is based on 22500 Joules for 3 seconds. That's around 0.5 Ah at 12v. Again, converting the sexy large marketing numbers into Ah gives a comparison with a known point like starter batteries. Maybe not the fairest comparison in the world, but workable.

I'd still argue that Goal Zero are charging a lot for a system with <100 Ah of 12v battery inside it. I guess you're paying for convenience, and for some folks it's worth it.

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Can you point us all into the direction of where you buy al of your 100 Ah lithium batteries?

Because I find they seem to cost more than what goal zero is offering.

https://www.lithiumion-batteries.com/products/12v-80ah-lithium-ion-battery/

mtbkers said:

I think I was probably the first to bring the issue to their attention as initially I had a hard time convincing them that the problem was with their equipment, not my wiring. Plus, they had not put any kind of plan in place for customers returning lithium battery products as they took 2 weeks to find anyone willing to deal with a hazardous item. I was the guinea pig ?

I've not had any problems with the cigarette lighter socket. and all the 110v outlets are fine. I haven't used the 6mm output, but maybe wiring a fan up to one of those might be more successful?

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Quick update on my experience - I rewired my fuse box to a 6mm port with the adapter provided by GZ and nothing turned off for our whole 10 day trip. For fun, I wired my water pump to the APP and it still randomly turned off like expected (which is fine - if I forget to turn off the pump, it'll do it for me now)

Bonus: Got a response from GZ about a firmware update to fix the issue, see below:

I apologize for the delay in my response. The firmware has been tested and released. We are currently in development of an easy way for customers to be able to update the firmware on their units. If you’re on a tighter schedule, I can arrange to have a trade done. This route might involve removing the battery and exchanging the shell as the battery requires the sender to have a certain certification.

noercarr- are you happy with it... How did you update the firmware?

smokie said:

noercarr- are you happy with it... How did you update the firmware?

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I did not update it as I wasn't in a rush and am currently not using the APP. I'm also considering upgrading to the 1400, not sure yet though.

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$2K for 1425Wh... Dang...

fourgonbound said:

$2K for 1425Wh... Dang...

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That's a fairly simplistic way to look at it... It's more than a battery. There are a great deal of benefits to this system. I've seen a lot of DIY setups and none are as compact, light or portable.

It's also going for $1500 at the Costco roadshow right now. I'm not sure any other DIY system you'd purchase has the same return policy as something bought from Costco either.

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Interesting thread! a few thoughts:

The Orton second inverter setup is cool and probably more ideal in some setups vs others, particularity as a water heater.

Owning the Sterling Battery to Battery charger here's a few things to consider.

For $375 I got 55 Amps at 14.8v, with voltage compensation for long cable runs and temperature compensation at the battery by running the included sensor. The Sterling has appropriate 4 stage charging for my FLA, and also includes the ability to upgrade batteries to AGM or lithium in the future and just change the setting on my Sterling to the new battery type. The newest Sterling also features user programmable charging. And it auto detects vehicle startup, no need to push any buttons, shuts itself off, is more efficient than an AC inverter to a DC charger, considerably less complicated to install (run two cables, a ground, and the temperature sensor) is very small, and is also completely isolated from the vehicle power system, so no vehicle warranty issues.

Temperature compensation is awesome! Not only will it drop the voltage as the battery warms, it will also raise the voltage when the bank is cool. It can vary from 15v on morning startup to 14.5v in high heat. To me it's an important feature.

Graphite Dave said:

Added cost of second inverter system - $500

1. You charge your house battery with the correct charge profile for longer battery life.
2. You have 120 volt power available while you drive.
3. You can have a cheap $200 shower water heater.
4. You can have electric heat in back of van with engine running.

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Graphite Dave said:

The primary use of the vehicle powered inverter is to simply heat shower water electrically.

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Vantastic: Which Sterling charger did you purchase and where did you purchase the unit? Thanks in advance.

Dave

vantastic adventure said:

Interesting thread! a few thoughts:

The Orton second inverter setup is cool and probably more ideal in some setups vs others, particularity as a water heater.

Owning the Sterling Battery to Battery charger here's a few things to consider.

For $375 I got 55 Amps at 14.8v, with voltage compensation for long cable runs and temperature compensation at the battery by running the included sensor. The Sterling has appropriate 4 stage charging for my FLA, and also includes the ability to upgrade batteries to AGM or lithium in the future and just change the setting on my Sterling to the new battery type. The newest Sterling also features user programmable charging. And it auto detects vehicle startup, no need to push any buttons, shuts itself off, is more efficient than an AC inverter to a DC charger, considerably less complicated to install (run two cables, a ground, and the temperature sensor) is very small, and is also completely isolated from the vehicle power system, so no vehicle warranty issues.

Temperature compensation is awesome! Not only will it drop the voltage as the battery warms, it will also raise the voltage when the bank is cool. It can vary from 15v on morning startup to 14.5v in high heat. To me it's an important feature.

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noercarr said:

That's a fairly simplistic way to look at it... It's more than a battery. There are a great deal of benefits to this system. I've seen a lot of DIY setups and none are as compact, light or portable.

It's also going for $1500 at the Costco roadshow right now. I'm not sure any other DIY system you'd purchase has the same return policy as something bought from Costco either.

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Sure it is. But I thought you just got your 1000 one.

Didn't Costco change their return policy for electronics to 90 days? So not much better after that. But I agree, for $1500, it's a good deal.

Dhan said:

Vantastic: Which Sterling charger did you purchase and where did you purchase the unit? Thanks in advance.

Dave

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I have the BBW (Battery to Battery Waterproof) 1260 (12 Volts, 60 Amp input) from Bay Marine Supply. Looks as though the price increased a bit to $390.

Now I would get the BB1250 for $367. It's 50A in 45A out, but that's closer to Mercedes recommended 40A draw anyway, and it has the option for user programming. BBW1260 does not. Both offer 9 different user charge profiles for various battery types, including LiFePO4.

Either are great for slightly different reasons.

The Yeti lithiums aren't LiFeP04, because of that you can only expect 500 charge cycles out of them. Which is about the same as an AGM or Lead Acid.

At this point I've installed Victron lithium system, Elite Power Solution (GBS), and LifeBlue. I still think the Elite Power Solutions setup is the most complete ''dummy-proof'' and long last system out there.

Also, best bang for your buck if you're going big. You'd be way happier building one of those systems that going with a Goal Zero.

In my humble opinion, of course!

OTGcamper said:

At this point I've installed Victron lithium system, Elite Power Solution (GBS), and LifeBlue. I still think the Elite Power Solutions setup is the most complete ''dummy-proof'' and long last system out there.

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I'm considering LifeBlue batteries (300-400AH) for my new conversion or perhaps GBS. Starlight Solar has free shipping for LifeBlue and it's supposed to be plug and play. The GBS comes with a BMS, but it looks like a bit of work to put together. Would you mind providing the pros and cons between the two systems? Thanks!
Dave

DirtDrawz,
Pardon my ignorance, but why a 12/24 DC Converter, not 12/12 DC 18 AMP? Specifically:
1. Why 24V and
2. Why not up the Amperage to the Power Pole, which GZ lists as
Power Pole Charging Port (input): 14-22V, up to 30A (360W max).

Thanks!

dirtdrawz said:

An update - I went with the Victron converter for charging my Yeti 1000 Lithium off the alternator. It all works fine.

Here's the install in my Chevy Express - http://imgur.com/a/7Ddec

I connected the remote switch on the converter to a fuse on the fuse box that's only live when the key is in the IGN position, with an add-a-circuit. Ideally there'd be a circuit that's only live when the engine is running, but I didn't find one, so I just can't leave the key in the IGN position without starting the engine. The ACC position is fine for listening to the radio and whatever else I'd want to do with the engine off.

The Victron converter louder than I'd prefer, much more so when the alternator is running and it's getting 14V instead of its nominal 12V, but tolerable, and can likely be mitigated with a bit of sound deadening in its install location.

If you go this route, be sure to factor in the 88% efficiency of the converter when sizing wire runs. I did not, and ended up with a bit more voltage loss than I had planned.

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