Anyone experience with a Goal Zero Yeti Li Power bank?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Anyone experience with a Goal Zero Yeti Li Power bank?

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#250850 28-May-2019 13:57

I'm looking for an emergency power supply to be able to run our fridge/freezer & charge phones. First, I was this Chinese version but I found it a bit too cheap, or is this a hidden gem?

Anyway, looking further I found the Goal Zero Yeti Li Power bank with similar specs, for double the price though. Planning to add 200W solar panels which is another $1100.

I can find decent reviews online. But still it's twice as expensive as the Chinese one.

Some questions:

1. Assuming I only use it infrequently (some camping trips, and in power outages), how long is it expected to last?

2. Based on my usage, would I need the more expensive one, or would the Chinese one be sufficient as well?

Thanks :)

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#2247067 28-May-2019 14:06

In all seriousness you are trying to find a very expensive solution to a problem that is currently best solved with one of these, (on special now for $2299) -( use the money you save to plant trees, or buy carbon credits to offset the emissions-)

https://www.hondapowerequipment.co.nz/products/generators/portable-generators/eu22i/

Maximum AC Output 2200VA

Rated AC Output 1800VA

DC Output (Generator/Charger) 8.3A

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2247072 28-May-2019 14:13

Thanks for your reply @wellygary . But I don't want to be dependent on fuel. The emissions aside, I don't want to be dependent on fuel. So LPG is no option either for me. If there's a major disaster there may not be any fuel delivery.

My solution is about $3600 (they offer a 10% discount) but is not dependent on fuel, can be put inside and doesn't make any noise. It will provide continuous power, of course dependent on sunlight.

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#2247174 28-May-2019 15:31

boland:

Thanks for your reply @wellygary . But I don't want to be dependent on fuel. The emissions aside, I don't want to be dependent on fuel. So LPG is no option either for me. If there's a major disaster there may not be any fuel delivery.

My solution is about $3600 (they offer a 10% discount) but is not dependent on fuel, can be put inside and doesn't make any noise. It will provide continuous power, of course dependent on sunlight.

If you are talking about disaster prepping, and are prepared to spend 3K then change the residential fridge/freezer... they have minimal insulation and are designed for a grid connection, so are pretty electrically in-efficient.

There are plenty of RV/outdoor suppliers that (for less than $3600) can provide a much better insulated fridge that can directly run on 12 V solar/minimal battery with (no conversion losses)

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2247228 28-May-2019 15:54

wellygary:

boland:

Thanks for your reply @wellygary . But I don't want to be dependent on fuel. The emissions aside, I don't want to be dependent on fuel. So LPG is no option either for me. If there's a major disaster there may not be any fuel delivery.

My solution is about $3600 (they offer a 10% discount) but is not dependent on fuel, can be put inside and doesn't make any noise. It will provide continuous power, of course dependent on sunlight.

If you are talking about disaster prepping, and are prepared to spend 3K then change the residential fridge/freezer... they have minimal insulation and are designed for a grid connection, so are pretty electrically in-efficient.

There are plenty of RV/outdoor suppliers that (for less than $3600) can provide a much better insulated fridge that can directly run on 12 V solar/minimal battery with (no conversion losses)

Thanks, hadn't thought about that yet. A decent portable fridge/freezer is still around $1500 though (e.g. https://www.rvworldstore.co.nz/dometic-waeco-cfx-50-fridge) and it probably wouldn't fit everything we have in our fridge/freezer, and would require moving everything there.

And, after I add a Yeti 400 at $899 to power it and a 100W solar panel at $599 it's about $3000...

Unless I'm missing something, but it's only slightly cheaper with the tradeoff that I have to move everything to a smaller fridge/freezer and eat/dispose certain items that won't fit in a big power outage.

rp1790

738 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2247492 29-May-2019 08:24

@bloand, not sure where you are in the country but if close by to Wellington region I have a couple of 280watt PV panels, 2000watt inverter and all the cables you need to get started plus a 105 amp/hr battery. I started a project to do something similar but ran out of energy (pun intended).

The inverter is more than sufficient to run the fridge at startup.

boland

545 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2247528 29-May-2019 09:14

@rp1790 I've sent you a direct message :) Thanks