Chaining lithium batteries to a Goal Zero Yeti: DIY Tank expansion for Battle Born LiFePO4 batteries

Looking to expand the battery capacity of your Goal Zero Yeti solar generator but don't want to use the expensive link and tank? Use the 12v car charger cable connected to your favorite lithium ion or LiFePO4 12v battery - Battle Born, Renogy, Expert Power, etc. Any battery works.
A 100ah battery should easily fill a Yeti 11 and using the external battery to trickle charge the Yeti under load stretches your power output even more. I tested this running a full sized refrigerator and was able to run it to 36 hours vs. 14 for the Yeti alone.
Expert Power 100ah FLP:
amzn.to/3jngLYi
Goal Zero 12v car charger cable
amzn.to/3PKm1Br

[@EagleOne49]

Another great video, Todd! So much helpful information. I've watched it several times, making a shopping list. Looking forward to your next video on the ExpertPower Lithium Iron Phosphate experience. You have always been my GZ Yeti go-to content creator. Keep 'em coming.

[@todd.parker]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mariomarez2223]

Great hack! I have used a couple of your hacks in real life. The quad charger hooked up to the Ryobi Propane that goes to Yeti. Sun was not out and had to get the power into the Yeti at a fast pace to power my fridge and other items in the house during a power outage. Since then, I gave my father my Yeti and he has used it in real life outages also. I moved to a bigger home and got a couple of Bluetti’s for upstairs and downstairs. We live in California with lots of outages. Thanks for this tip!

[@todd.parker]

Wow, great to hear you tried my fast charger and propane generator setup. Glad you like my videos!

[@RayLacks]

bypass for tanks! well done sir 👏🏻

[@yooperdog]

Great video. We are getting a truck camper with a goal zero 1000x and want to use induction cooktop and this is a great hack.

[@patrickcasey1664]

Very in depth video. I’m a Vanlifer with 200amp hour of gel battery and solar/alternator power but I find myself struggling with power from time to time large in part of my dometic 75 fridge/freezer. Looking into adding a dedicated battery for it being a yeti goal zero. This video helped me start looking into the right direction to go! Thank you!

[@todd.parker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@allaboutroofing2]

You should swap out for a LP fridge freezer of you are full-time rving. 45 days on a 30 lb tank is what i get.

[@davesdiversions8078]

Great idea and video. Gonna go take a look at the LiFePO4 12v battery now. Thanks.

[@vvsbzone9058]

Thanks for your help, this is what I needed ❤️🙏👍

[@jenniferhill1750]

Hey Tod. Love listening to you. Thank you

[@sr8080]

Hello. I just wanted to thank you for this video. I copied almost everything you did to connect two Lion Energy lithium batteries to our GZ 3000x. Works perfect!

[@todd.parker]

Great to hear!

[@mongo1243]

Another great GZ Yeti vid Todd!

[@todd.parker]

Thanks for watching!

[@adriancortez6544]

This video shows the amazing properties if DC - DC charging! AC wall adapters have so many losses from conversions. Thanks for the video I actually just bought a lifepo4 battery to use as a dual battery setup but never thought about using it as a battery bank like this.

[@todd.parker]

Yeah, DC is so flexible. Just learning myself but seems that as long as the voltage is right and you’re not pushing too many amps, there’s so many ways to make the power flow

[@vanchinh1948]

After reading many reviews and watching a lot of videos, I chose this option for my first backup power station. kzbin.infoUgkxHypYDKHAN93Lp2RQpfvU_ksc70wJ00pt I was between this and a larger option that could power a wider range of items, but the price/size/capacity blend seemed right for this unit. Hasn't gotten a ton of use yet, but the build quality is solid and it charges fine via the Rockpals solar panel I purchased to pair with it. One thing to note is that the screen is optimized for a top down viewing angle, which makes sense, but this means it washes out at other angles - especially low angles. Not a huge deal, but perhaps a better option for the display could be used to provide wider viewing angles.

[@travelingtophe]

I have the GZ Yeti 6000 powering my RV. I think I read that 94% capping on charges is programmed into the yeti from the factory to help increase battery cycle life. Using the app, you can bypass this so I don't think it's a meter malfunction. Regardless, I love the idea of using additional batteries to keep the yeti topped off. On successive cloudy days when solar isn't topping it off and I run the generator, I could charge the yeti AND the auxiliary battery the same time, giving me a boost before the next generator run. Great idea, Todd.

[@todd.parker]

Glad this was helpful! If you didn’t want to use the car charger to top off the 6000 since it’s so limited in output, if your external batteries had a high enough voltage, you could directly wire them in without the adapter. Since the Yeti needs 16v or more, that would mean 2x 12v batteries in series for 24v.

[@jrinventormusic]

Todd you are a legend. Thanks for doing this for all of us!

[@lamasteve6905]

Two 100ah lithium batteries and a 2000 watt inverter might save you some big money ! A good Solar Controller or Lithium battery charger works great ! One screw driver and turns few bolts can save you a lot of money ! Good Video !

[@astoddard1967]

Hi Todd, I have a GZ 1400 with MPPT charger & I installed the HIK to power 4 circuits. I just ordered 10 renogy panels to power those circuits during the day & to recharge the Yeti. The plan was for the Yeti to continue to power those circuits over night then recharge the next day. After testing, it was clear my fridge & other circuits would discharge the battery after a few hours & it wouldn't last the night. I was considering buying the expansion link setup with 2 1200w lead batteries from GZ but then I have to ditch the MPPT. I figured that way I could get 3800w with the extra 2 batteries & Yeti linked together & that should last the night. I saw that GZ sells the Victron that you can plug into the last 1200w battery so that way I could charge those 2 batteries with the solar through the victron & also charge the Yeti with solar through the pwm input. Question: using this method, I could do the same thing but only use lithium instead? I assume I could recharge the lithium batteries with solar with a similar victron charger? Not sure if it would be better to do that or just use the GZ lead battery kit they already offer.

[@christiannepogie5937]

First of all thank you for making the youtube video. I was really excited about the Yeti 6000X when I finally received it around May 2021, I used it for several months and didn't have any issues, until I stopped using it for about 4 months because I am renovating my house and I had to use Solar Panels from Goal Zero also. I been charging my Yeti 6000x for 3 straight days now and it only at 77% full. When I first plug it in to the same power outlet it shows 500W going in and after a minute it will go down to 50W. I also called Goal Zero Technical Support and we trouble shoot it but it turns our that it needs to be replaced with a new one (Hopefully New). The sad part is today is March 2022 and I haven't even paid the Yeti 6000X because I loan it through Affirm. I mean it has 2 years warranty but I just bother me that not even a year of using it, its broken already? I am very careful with it also and only use it for basic stuff in the house because I am afraid that It will stress the battery. What happens if the warranty expires? I will be stuck with a block of useless equipment and make it to a chair probably? I am freaking out really. Did anyone of you ran into this issue? Is there 3rd party where I can buy to extend the warranty? PLEASE HELP! Thank you!

[@todd.parker]

Sorry to hear that. It’s good they are replacing it but I agree that all these units run the risk of becoming expensive paperweights. GZ did replace my 1000 out of warranty so depending on who you talk to in the future there may be options. Just keep it between 20-80% when not using it and try to cycle it every month or two and it should be solid.

[@CriticasDeCineEn2Minutos]

this answer so many questions, tahnks

[@michaelturner8073]

Not going all the way up is also like a Prius battery. That answer was because the surge needs a buffer zone. I can top my batteries when running down hill using my battery break. I love saving that power and my brakes.

[@marcosmt8831]

Hi Todd, and thx for all the research. It is so helpfull. So basically I could buy a Yeti 1500 to start with and top it up with a LifePo4 100ah. Wonderfull news. Since i'm planning to power up a camper van, I was wondering how to charge the extra 100ah battery, without a complete parallel set-up of DC/DC. The problem being that the tank expansion is an AGM and not a LiFePo4. Thank you so much for your feedback.

[@todd.parker]

You can plug a battery charger into the AC plug if the yeti to change the external battery. Even better, find a DC based battery charger.

[@sprinterdiscovery]

Excellent video Todd! These Goal Zero hacks are great! It's like having one of their Yeti tanks on the cheap. Very flexible way to charge the Yeti from an external battery. The Victron IP65 works very well too to charge your vehicle battery from the Yeti while running an Espar D2 diesel heater if your doing vanlife stuff. I've also encountered the battery meter issue but I think it's due to age of my Yeti - it's over 3 years old now. Too bad the Yeti can't perpetually charge itself. Excellent hack! Looking forward to your next video!

[@todd.parker]

Thanks, glad you liked it. I may end up buying the Victron DC charger you recommend, would be useful to also charge the external lithium battery

[@sprinterdiscovery]

@@todd.parker If you do, there is another test we can do. Use the Victron Orion attached to the external Lithium battery which in turn charges the Yeti. It would charge the Yeti at 360W. And then use your Victron IP65 to charge the 12v external battery again.

[@pywiack]

hi and thanks for the great video. new to solar and got the new yeti1500x with 6 100w panels. we are just running our tv system off it which draws 150 watts so it works all day and night into the next days charge from the sun . i would like to expand the capacity with a 100ah lipofepo4 battery. what would be the best way now that all these other folks have tried various routes. should i get a Victron Energy BlueSolar MPPT 100V 30 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller to charge the 12v battery off some panels and then use it to charge the yeti? or can i run the yeti through the Victron Controller to charge the 12v and then use the 12v to charge the yeti? thanks!

[@joshuaswan18]

Thanks for the info!! I am using this set up now. I was having the same problem with my goal zero 1400 not saying 100% charged. Just found they have a firmware update when I connected it to my WiFi and now it charges to 100% every time!

[@todd.parker]

Good to hear. The 1000 doesn’t have Wi-Fi so I don’t think it can get firmware updates

[@peterkellogg-smith5296]

Hello Todd, I really appreciate your videos. The recordings and voice-overs are super easy to follow. Love that I have an alternative to the more expensive Goal Zero tank system. I'd like to use this chaining approach along with the Victron charger. In this configuration, I'm assuming that once my yeti 1500x is fully charged, the external lithium would then fully charge. Correct? Also is there any reason I wouldn't just leave the external lithium battery connected to the yeti 100% of the time. Thanks again.

[@todd.parker]

Think of the charge and recharge as totally separate systems. When you plug the external battery into the Yeti, it will charge the Yeti battery and stop when full. When you plug the charger into the AC port and turn it on, the Yeti will recharge the external battery. If you leave them connected, it's not a big deal but you wouldn't want to leave the charger on because the idle AC consumption is pretty high

[@colin.mcguire]

Hey, great video. I have a question I’m hoping you can help with: how would you charge the external battery efficiently in a van setup so that when you’re charging the yeti, it charges the external battery? You’re literally the only channel that has made a video outlining how to daisy-chain and I’ve scoured the internet for days. You’re doing an incredible service to people who are researching this stuff. I’m just trying to figure out how I will charge the external battery in my van setup. Also, did you do another video? I couldn’t find it.

[@todd.parker]

I show how I charge it with my Victron charger plugged into the AC outlet on the Yeti but charging via the alternator with a DC to DC charger is most efficient

[@LETMECHOOSEANAME1]

Hey new subscriber here, I have the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 and you've helped me out a ton with how the yeti works and I've ordered the mppt module because of you which I'm currently waiting for so thank you for that, but I have another question as I have the 12v charger too, I see you have two running into the yeti but wouldn't that exceed the 22v max input of the pwm controller? I was under the impression the top compartment 8mm inputs are part of the one pwm controller? Or are there two? I ask because I have two cigarette sockets in my van and if I could run two chargers in the pwm + solar in the mppt controller that would sort out my electrical demand issue. Sorry for the long comment, its just that there isn't much information that I could find regarding these questions, I hope to hear back from you and look forward to future videos!

[@todd.parker]

Thanks! Although I have 2 car chargers I’ve found that the 10A setting stresses out my car and most batteries I’ve tried so I now just use one at 5A which is slow but feels safer. You’re right that all the inputs are part of the single PWM charger so you could use one plugged into the MPPT module to keep it happier.

[@localguide7147]

Hey Todd, can you recommend how to select a charger according for the external battery? I have 2 3000yeti, but broke one. The battery is still good. I plugged it in to charge the one that is working, but now I’m wondering how to get it to charge back up using solar. Can I just connect a solar panel to it or do I need a charger controller? How would I know what size charge controller to get? Assuming there are different specs that ably allow so many watts/ amps/ etc. Thanks I’m advance!

[@ronsanderson99]

Excellent video! I am thinking of buying a Yeti 3000, but based on this video would getting a Yeti 1500 with an extra 100Ah LifePO battery be a better idea?

[@todd.parker]

I think if you really need the integrated capacity of the 300, go for it. This is a good hack if you already have a smaller unit you need to expand a bit but it's not the same as having 3000. I'd also look at other competitors like Ecoflow or Bluetti that might be a better value, esp if you don't need the most powerful inverter (GZ has that in spades)

[@FrogLegz52]

Love the video! I was wondering if this was possible to toss an extra 100aH battery or two onto my GZ 1000X. I also am trying to figure out a way to wire 110 Outlets in my van and have it hooked up to my Yeti. Im trying to figure out if the home integration would work and just buy additional wire to have them ran. Any thoughts or resources you could provide? Thanks!

[@todd.parker]

The HIK is a transfer panel but if you just want to distribute power, you could use a standard electrical box and breakers which would be cheaper.

[@david-holmes]

Good work. Have you looked into using an outlet timer that could only let the refrigerator run on a schedule? Running the fridge for say 15 minutes out of every hour or 1 out of every 4 hours would cut the battery usage. I'm not sure if the fridge would just use the same amount of power to catchup from the cooling losses or not.

[@todd.parker]

Good question. I’d assume it would use the same amount of power because you’re trying to remove the same amount of heat energy but that would cause larger temperature swings (say 8 degrees instead of 3) so it’s probably not as good for the food.

[@Followmyleash]

Hi Todd, Thank you for making this video and share your knowledge! I had been waiting for it before buying a lithium battery. May I ask where you got the fuse for the charger? I couldn't find it locally and kept getting the wrong side when buying it online.

[@todd.parker]

Yeah, I’ve been burned before too! You want the 6x30mm size, 250V, 15A, fast blow style. This mix lot has a bunch at that size as well as the smaller size. amzn.to/2LFLpvG

[@Followmyleash]

@@todd.parker Thank you so much, Todd!

[@leftofone]

I think you are correct. I tried charging my Yeti 1000 with a 12 to 19vdc converter on a 12v deep cycle battery. The wires heated up and the Yeti mppt kept pulling more power. The voltage sagged badly on the battery. Perhaps one could connect a Victron Orion dc to dc in charger mode directly to the EC8 terminals on the Yeti for the most efficient answer. But I think it would not be a "trickle" charge.

[@todd.parker]

Yep. I think a DC to DC charger like the Victron or Renogy would be the heavier duty version of the car charger setup I have. It would let you safely charge the Yeti quickly, but not too quickly

[@RubbiiMcC]

thank you for making this video! Im trying to work out the best way to link up a 12v battery to my yeti in my van conversion and something like this seems the best way ... but im still not sure on whether I should be linking it all in a way like : Van 12v port -> yeti 400 -> 12v extra battery + with a solar input to the yeti also, or - Van 12v port -> 12v battery ->yeti 400 + solar I want to create a circuit that can charge from solar and from the alternator but has the 12v battery as extra battery storage for my yeti, i hope this makes sense and would love to hear your input! thank you

[@todd.parker]

Hi. Good question. I’d probably use the yeti as the brains because it has the solar charger built in. You can use a charger plugged into the yeti to charge the external battery.

[@lyndon5478]

Great idea

[@todd.parker]

Thank you! 😊

[@senbeman]

Thanks again for thinking out of the box and sharing your results with us! Can you please provide a link or info. for the plug-in battery meter you used?

[@todd.parker]

Sure! INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVWDU0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_G1YH33HQECZT6CF9FG6N

[@senbeman]

Thank you! Btw new subscriber here👍🏻

[@cgilfill1]

Hi Todd, awesome video. I was wondering if the GZ 12 volt 5-10 amp charger would work for charging the lifepo4 battery from the cars lighter port? I have a unique application where I would be using a rental car for camping and would not be able to hard wire a dc-dc charging source. I would be using a single 100amp lifepo4 battery only with assorted lights and a refrigerator. Thanks. Todd!

[@todd.parker]

Glad you liked the video. I don’t think the GZ car charger would work because it isn’t a battery charger per se, it’s more of a regulated power supply that I think keeps the Yeti from pulling too much current. I don’t think it monitors the battery voltage and would prevent overcharging. If you have a battery charger for the battery, maybe you could use a cheap AC inverter to run it off the car’s DC port?

[@tomdixson3841]

Awesome video… which noco charger eyelet are you using m6 or m10 eyelet… thanks… enjoy your vids…

[@todd.parker]

Hmm, I'm not sure but it mostly depends on the terminals on your particular battery. Whatever fits works.

[@ricardogonzalez7270]

Hi, Your videos have been very helpful. I just got a Yeti 3000x, I want to add an expansion tank to my Yeti. I found a 12v Battery Lithium 120Ah 1.5kwh LiFePO4 LFP solar from BatteryEvo. Is it recommended to do my expansion tank using this batteries with the Yeti link expansion module? What do you recommend?

[@todd.parker]

You can definitely use that 12v battery to trickle charge the Yeti via car cables. I found the 10A setting didn't always work well but the 5A (60w) is very reliable - I hate GZ's car charger cables, they are terrible compared to Ecoflow and Bluetti but it works. That is much better than the link/tank since those are heavy lead acid batteries.

[@MississippiTwilight]

Hey Todd - amazing channel. I've learned a lot. I've had a Yeti 1400 lithium for a couple of years and recently bought a 100ah lithium to do what you're talking about here. Question: Is it ok to use the MMPT connection for this? I'm sure it would be faster...Just making sure I'm not missing something before I try that. thanks!

[@todd.parker]

You can use the MPPT input for this as long as you use the Yeti car charger to make the connection. I usually get see the PWM on input but it should work

[@MississippiTwilight]

@@todd.parker awesome thx. I bought 2 of those chargers based on your video. Thanks again!

[@pnk4444]

dude , you've been very helpful with your tips. i know dumb question , but could you dump this battery into the solar port of the delta 1300 .. solar port is 10-65V/ 10amps max ... thanks for your help

[@todd.parker]

You could definitely use the car charger cable from your Delta to get a longer runtime by adding this battery. Just get a female 12v socket to attach the the battery and plug in the car charger

[@jonnyvegasxd4058]

First time I've ever subscribed after watching just one video from someone. So I'm thinking about getting the yeti and goal zeros solar panels I assume I should be able to run a refrigerator maybe another appliance off the yeti with the solar panels and not have to worry about the yeti going dead? I'm new to all of this so thanks for being patient.

[@todd.parker]

Glad it was useful, thanks for subscribing. If you have a portable compressor fridge, those should run for a few days on a yeti 1000 or similar. A home fridge will last less than a day

[@chrisbivona8062]

do you have a link to the proper cords? i have a new 1500x and a 120ah lithium battery, thanks

[@mattnow13]

Hey Todd, cant find my previous question so not sure it registered. @freelyroaming made a video talking about 12v-24v boost converters for additional power to Solar Generators that seems like it might be a nice work around to up the voltage to use the APP input and still limit it to 3 or 10amps (to push 72 or 240 watts, respectively). Curious for your thoughts on that working with the Yeti (considering it for my 1500x and additional 12v 100ah Lifepo4 to extend). Far cheaper than the Victron DC-DC, though clearly also quite limited.

[@todd.parker]

Those should work great. I actually bought a boost converter to do this but never got around to it. The one I bought drew a lot of power starting up but mine was pretty cheap

[@davidpatrick1813]

At 17:54 plugged into the bluetti ... I have an EB55 and when it is top charging or balance (notice the 80 to 100%) the input does ramp back the amps (thus watts)... try it with 60% and maybe the higher watts will show.

[@danswezey3657]

Hi Todd, thanks for a great video. Apologies for a potentially ignorant comment, but am I understanding correctly that you can can have the two adapted DC inputs from the external LiFePO4 running power to the yeti and the AC charger adapter simultaneously sending power back to the LiFePO4 continuously? I.e. leave that setup (3 connections on LiFePO4 terminals) in place in perpetuity, assuming you are delivering an additional power input to the goal zero? Just wondering about any concerns leaving it wired that way in the long term. Cheers

[@todd.parker]

I've noticed that the Goal Zero car adapters are a bit wonky and although I could connect 2 of them, they didn't like charging at 10A so I had to use the 5A setting for long term use. I don't think leaving them connected long term is a problem because the Yeti will just stop pulling power when charged. The weak point on all this is the GZ chargers so I found that it's simpler to just use one and trickle charge the Yeti at 5A (60w) rather than try to push things. With any other power station, you'd be able to use a simple cigarette connector (no buzzy box) and charge at 8A (100w).

[@robertmelton5484]

Great content! New to the channel. I have the GZ 400 and wanted to get your thoughts on using this battery to charge it back up with my 100w panel.

[@todd.parker]

This kind of setup would easily recharge your Yeti 400 a few times over, yes. I’d go with a single car charger to not charge it too fast which can limit the lifespan of the Yeti battery

[@robertmelton5484]

@@todd.parker The battery that you used for this test, are you worried at all on the length of warranty (1year)? Seems BB, Renogy and DL are all about $900 with somewhat pretty close in warranty time (7-10 years)

[@todd.parker]

@@robertmelton5484 if you want the best, definitely go with BattleBorn. I kind of took a chance on this brand based on Will Prouse’s teardown but the short warranty is a big downside. That’s why I’m not going to make any recommendations on this battery, it’s sort of a risk I was willing to take but probably not for everyone. In hindsight I probably should have just bit the bullet and went with BB because if I want to add more batteries I’d rather not stay with this brand

[@renrosado7191]

Hi todd excelent video, which dc to dc charger do you recomend ?

[@todd.parker]

Depends on your needs but look at Renogy and Victron

[@larrysiegle5345]

Todd, I got brave today & decided to run a test where I directly connected a BattleBorn 100ah Lithium to the GZ Yeti Link installed in my 1500x using a GZ EC8 to ring cable. This was after reaching out to GZ and asking for specific reasons why we can't use a Lithium battery in lieu of their AGM based Tank. My concern was that there was something special about the Yeti Link circurity that would get fried by connecting a non-agm battery. From what I can tell, the test was a success. At one point I was pushing almost 790 watts into the 1500x. You can tell from their response they misunderstood my question when they discussed swapping out the AGM for a Lithium INSIDE the Tank. Setting that aside, my only real concern is the statement about waking up a locked out BMS. My Battleborn isn't smart, so I'm guessing that's not an issue I would have to worry about. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ GZ's response: "With LFP(LiFePO4) 100Ah packs the main difference I saw compared to AGM was the Link does not have a way to "wake up" a locked out BMS on a smart LFP pack. The second difference is the link is expecting an AGM based chemistry's voltage profile and limits so you may not get the full voltage & capacity range of the LFP pack (but you will get killer cycle counts!) Other than those two issues, it is "theoretically possible" to be able to drop in replace an LFP battery into a Yeti X AGM Tank enclosure, remove the fuse because the LFP's BMS will handle the over current and move the foam to the side that was padding the top of the AGM. You would need to assume all risks and verify functionality on your own and as always, pre-balance any batteries to the same voltage(+/-0.2VDC) BEFORE you connect them in parallel 🧯"

[@todd.parker]

I’m guessing discharging is going to work well but as they mentioned the charging profile of lead acid is different than LFP so it’s not going to charge them fully. If it was this easy, why didn’t they offer a lithium battery charging profile option? This article explains the difference in charging profiles and why it’s not safe to mix and match: glider-battery.eu/post4-1/

[@larrysiegle5345]

@todd.parker Thanks. My primary intent is to extend my run time during extended power outages. Having watched your videos, I have all kinds of ways to properly charge back up using solar, N/G & propane generators, vehicle alternator directly connected to the link, etc

[@larrysiegle5345]

And I just ordered the PD9145ALV, so once installed I should be all good!

[@markcosta2216]

Hey Todd. Have you seen the Dr. Prepare Power max with MaxHub 100ah Battery. Its relatively inexpensive. I'm thinking it would be perfect to chain to a Goal Zero Yeti. No need for the Noco connectors or battery charger. Just need the car charger cable to connect it up. Although I think it will be limited to the 5amp setting. Then recharge the Dr. Prepare battery with a solar panel into its app input. What do you think?

[@todd.parker]

The issue is the Goal Zero needs a minimum of 16v to charge and that’s around 12.5v like any other battery so I don’t think that would work unless you attached a boost converter or use GZ’s junky car adapter

[@nevrsurender]

hey there Todd, love your videos man very informative and well done. in this video towards the end you tried to charge the yeti to itself. u said it kinda worked. can you expand on that. I want to chain three solar power stations together the bluetti ac200p with rv 12v cable to goal zero 1500x then useing this charger to a goal zero 500x. would the 1500 to the 500 not work with this cable? thanks so much

[@nevrsurender]

I want to pass through charge with them to each other useing 12 v

[@todd.parker]

As long as the unit has a regulated 12 V output, it should be able to charge another unit using the car connection cable. Keep in mind that there are losses every time you transfer energy this way so if you can directly use the power from the smaller units that’s the way to go. I was using this technique because my 12v battery doesn’t really have any sort of AC or DC output other than 12v.

[@proto662]

I was looking at buying the victron orion 12/24 15 amp dcdc charger to charge my yeti 1500x from alternator. Would I need the victron orion 12/12 dcdc charger to charge a 12v external lif4po4 battery from the yeti 1500x? Maybe I could buy a 24v external lif4po4 battery and tie that into the powerpole connection for charging yeti and use the orion 12/24 dcdc to charge the external 24v battery as well?

[@todd.parker]

I’m not sure but I think you can’t charge both the Yeti and a battery from the same charger since they are different Capa use and voltages. You could use that Victron to charge the Yeti or battery but both seems like it might be problematic. You could hook a battery charger from the Yeti to the battery and trickle charge the Yeti from the battery like I showed for sure since both are charged independently.

[@roosemoose91]

Yo Todd, this video is v helpful thank you. If I have 2 x 200ah LiFEPO4 batteries (Same type) and connect them in series would that all work the same?

[@todd.parker]

Yes, that would work and since it would double the voltage, it would charge faster. You can skip the car adapter and just wire it up to the solar inputs

[@roosemoose91]

@@todd.parker Thanks for getting back to me - So If I get a wire with an Anderson Pole connector I could go straight into the MPPT port? Awesome :)

[@VarsityVolleyballWestlakeHighW]

What a fantastic video, can you run a 12 V 65 Watt car fridge from an output both from the car accessory plug 12 V and the output of a solar generator, hardwired in parallel with the accessory plug from the car. The goal two have power from the solar generators battery when the car is off, and there's no alternator 12 V accessory plug power. Thanks

[@todd.parker]

That might work. What I do is just plug the fridge into my solar generator so I know it has steady power and keep the car charger plugged into the solar generator so when the car kicks on and the 12v plugs go live, it charges the solar generator. You can also plug solar in so it charges from either/both sources.

[@VarsityVolleyballWestlakeHighW]

@@todd.parker Thanks Todd for taking the time to reply, great videos by the way, that sounds exactly like how I was going to do it. Just the solar is later. Thanks so much..

[@davesdiversions8078]

Todd, I curious. Have you attempted to charge your Ecoflow Delta using the Goal Zero 12v Car Charger with your Lithium battery of choice?

[@todd.parker]

Yeah, you can charge the Delta 2 via the Ecoflow car charging cable attached to a 12v battery or another power station. The Goal Zero car charger is a bit of kludge with the wrong tip so I wouldn’t use that with anything else

[@rodney5269]

Hey Todd, thanks for the video. Goal Zero uses Lithium NMC so I am guess the charge controller is for Lithium NMC only? I am not sure. Hence I was wondering since you can expand it with a Li iron phosphate battery, does that mean the charge controller in this yeti can also charge Li Iron Phosphate batteries?

[@todd.parker]

Right, the internal charge controller in the Yeti is designed for the internal NCM batteries. In this setup, I'm using the Victron battery charger that has a setting to charge LFP batteries so the Yeti doesn't charge the external batteries directly, it just supplies AC to the Victron charger. I don't think there is much of a difference between NCM and LFP from a charging profile perspective. www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip65-charger#manuals

[@Brooke-Eisen]

Question: For an AGM 1250, would it be more efficient and cost effective to just run another AGM 100ah through the provided Anderson connector in the back doubling capacity? Or, because these units cannot be converted to lithium internally or used in parallel, use this method in order to upgrade to lithium but through this car charger trick? Not sure if I'm missing anything. Seems like one could just spend the money on a parallel battery using the provided Anderson connector rather than car adapters? Thanks!

[@todd.parker]

I’m not super familiar with how the expansion batteries work on the older lead acid Yetis but my assumption is that if you use the same chemistry and size, should work

[@Brooke-Eisen]

@@todd.parker yeah, I understand that. I was thinking, since my yeti can't chain lifepo4, use a large capacity lifepo4 via car charger like this method. this may have more merit than buying a 100ah AGM to chain, was my thinking anyway?

[@DarrLaw]

Todd, what do you think about charging the lithium off the yeti via a dc-to-dc victron controller? Then you could charge or deplete both batteries from yeti input and output and keep the lithium battery hardwired. Any pitfalls I’m missing?

[@todd.parker]

That would be the preferred way to go. Let me know how it works out for you

[@mattnow13]

@@todd.parker how might that ideally work?Lifepo4 hardwired through victron (with settings to limit draw) to either the ec8 or via mppt with APP, to charge the yeti from external lifepo4. Then to use yeti to charge external lifepo4 could you use the APP DC out from yeti back through victron (different settings?) to charge external battery? I have a 1500x with a 100ah lifepo4 and a car charger but would love a more capable system to link to the yeti and charge back instead of using AC.

[@todd.parker]

Yep, exactly as you described. I don’t think the Victron needs any special settings to get power from the Yeti - it just needs regulated 12v the Yeti puts out. The biggest downside is this is not automatic - you need to plug and unplug things but it’s a nice way to give your Yeti more runtime. I wouldn’t recommend leaving these plugged in because you’d end up with a lot of water energy as it loops around so I’d plug the battery in to trickle charge the Yeti when it’s under load and needs help, then unplug it when full. The next day when there is sun and excess solar, plug in the charger to charge both batteries.

[@blakefrei3015]

Todd, my issue is that I've got older Yetis. All three of their lead acid models. I don't want to repay for all new units, but I'd like to incorporate lithium add-ons to improve charge time using solar. Specifically, I'd like to add a lithium to a Yeti 1250 (their big one). Can I drop one in (replacement). Or chain one? Thanks for the videos.

[@todd.parker]

I don’t think you can just drop in a lithium battery because of the different charging profiles. I saw a post where someone did that but it was a bit more involved. Google around because people have tried it

[@blakefrei3015]

@@todd.parker You know how you can add an external lead acid battery to a yeti 1250? Gives longer charge. I wonder if you can add a lithium in the same way. Not a drop-in, just a hook up. You'd think that power is power, so what's the difference? Thanks

[@N_R_S_07]

Great video! Thank you! Do you think it would be possible to chain multiple LifePO4 batteries utilizing this configuration?

[@todd.parker]

Definitely would work with those in parallel or you could get a bigger 200ah battery. If you have a higher voltage battery like 24v or 48v, it would charge even faster because it would look like solar input. If your batteries can be connected in serious you can also do that to increase the voltage and charge faster

[@N_R_S_07]

@@todd.parker Thanks! I just ordered a Goal Zero 1000X to use with my two 100W briefcase solar panels and home integration kit. I would like to eventually build an external LifePO4 battery bank to tether into the system. Thanks again!

[@kenjboyd6233]

Todd, I'm always serious when connecting batteries! ;-)

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

Hi Todd. I am thinking about connecting a voltmeter with display directly to the Yeti battery. I find the Yeti display volts reading in discrepancy with the percentage display. It will allow me to operate well within my parameters. I think the volts reading on the Yeti is not accurate. Please let me tell you why I take it so seriously. It's all about the shtf scenario we went through here in Puerto Rico after the Hurricane Maria ravaged the island. Things do happen. I even lost a daughter during that period. Please comment.

[@todd.parker]

Seems possible to do but I’m not sure you will get much different values. What makes you think it’s off?

[@marcbolduc2460]

Quick question for you Todd: I used to own a Yeti 1000 and now own à delta two. I Still own the car adapter of my yeti. You think I could do the "expanding" hack with a lithium battery using my yeti car adapter on my Ecoflow delta 2 ? (Assuming I have an adapting cable)

[@todd.parker]

Sure. You can just use the Delta 2's car charging cable to connect to the Yeti's cigarette plug to trickle charge at 100w

[@user-rt3uo9rb9d]

The HPP port on the 3000x can accept up to 600 watts. Could you wire directly from the Lithium battery to the HPP to charge at 600 watts? Or would the input be too high? Or could you wire say a 700 watt inverter and use the GZ 600 watt charger off that from the Lithium battery?

[@todd.parker]

You can wire the battery to the HPP but it may not charge that fast with a 12v battery. Usually, charging speed is proportional to voltage so you'd want to max out the voltage limits on that input for fastest speeds

[@davesdiversions8078]

Would I be correct in assuming the process would be the same if using a 12v 206Ah battery?

[@todd.parker]

Yep, just more capacity

[@vincepaiz3254]

Could this be done with a 20ft run. I have 3 100 BB batteries. If so what size cable should I use.

[@todd.parker]

I’m sure it could. Tim not sure exactly what gauge wire to use but there are calculators online. Heavier the better

[@rwcox123]

Hi Todd, In my van, I have 2 "cigarette lighter" power ports, each independently up to 15 amps. I was thinking of trying this "two chargers at once" approach to charging up my Yeti X while driving -- it would be cheaper and simpler than the Vehicle Integration Kit. Do you have any opinion on this idea?

[@todd.parker]

If you car can handle it and they are fused separately, go for it. It’s not as fast as the VIK but it’s honestly good enough

[@rwcox123]

@@todd.parker Wow - thanks for the fast answer!!

[@rwcox123]

@@todd.parker I tried it. Alas, it doesn't work on my 3000X. I tried using the combiner cable (8mm to HPP) to merge the two inputs, but that limits the power input from the two car chargers to 118 Watts, which is actually less than one car charger alone gives into an 8mm port. How that happens I don't understand, but there it is.

[@user-zq9lx8bu6q]

Could u chain an external lithium battery to the yeti expansion module using the ec8 to ring terminal connector?

[@todd.parker]

Hard to know. It might work to recharge the Yeti but I doubt it would charge correctly

[@campwoodwings]

Hey Todd. Thanks so much for the video!! Would it be an option to connect the external battery directly (with a fuse inbetween) to the anderson input of the Yeti without using the car adapter? The car adapter is only for safety purposes? Thanks!!

[@todd.parker]

Hey! I tried that originally but the 12-13v battery isn’t enough to charge the Yeti. It needs 16v at a minimum so my hunch is there’s a small boost converter in there. I’d suggest buying a bigger boost converter or hooking two 12v batteries in series to get to 24v for faster charging

[@leftofone]

@@todd.parker How about using a 24 volt battery with a quality mppt connected directly to the battery? Will Prowse did a video showing how to connect a victron mppt in this fashion. Just program it for 12.5 volts output to match the GZ parameter. Using the GZ car charger creates two losses, stepping up then stepping down again in the GZ Yeti.

[@todd.parker]

@@leftofone yep, that would an ideal setup

[@leftofone]

@@todd.parker With this setup, I wonder if drawing max amperage such as running a full size fridge while chaining external battery via my 20 amp Victron mppt might not be advisable... could it damage the mppt?

[@todd.parker]

@@leftofone I don’t think so. The MPPT will just pull as much current as it wants, up to its max. Exceeding the voltage is when you can fry things

[@Sochmo18]

I have a gz yeti 400 lithium which has just one 8mm input with max input voltage of 22v. I’m hoping I can run solar panels through a charge controller to a lifepo4 battery (50 or 100ah) and then connect the battery directly to the 8mm input on the yeti, with or without a step up converter. Do you think this would work or am I missing something? Thanks!

[@todd.parker]

You’ll need a step up converter or the Yeti car charging cable since it needs 16v minimum to charge and your battery will be 12-13v but otherwise that will work great

[@gramspepin8729]

Can I use a SOK 12V, 206ah lithium battery instead of the 100ah you use in this excellent video?

[@todd.parker]

Sure thing. This will work with any 12v battery? You’ll just get longer runtimes

[@gramspepin8729]

@@todd.parker Thank you! I am so happy I found your videos.

[@1Chimonger]

There might be good reasons for choosing lithium, instead of flooded/lead-acid batteries. Here’s a video of well-tested differences: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6qWmZqXlLVoj7s

[@jgreber1790]

Very interesting video! I watch the video where you charged a goal zero battery from an external optimum battery. In that video you were able to charge the goal zero. This issue seems to be the reverse of what I need to happen and that is expand the goal zero by adding additional external lithium ion batteries, With the goal of increasing the runtime of the goal zero unit itself. Goal zero offers a rapid charger that you plug into the wall and it will charge my goal zero 3000 pretty damn fast.If you connected to peripheral batteries to the goal zero and then use this fast wall charger will the charge go the opposite way on top of the external batteries along with the goal zero unit?

[@todd.parker]

With external batteries you need to add a battery charger like I showed. They Yeti won’t charge anything but it’s internal battery.

[@starkermann51]

How can I charge one or more LifePO4s via the Yeti 1000x, with YETI 12V MAX CURRENT CABLE and GC018 15A 14AWG 12V adapter, heavy-duty cigarette lighter plug and socket with eyelet terminals? I was planning to connect several LifePO4s to charge them via the Yeti and thus expand my memory, which at the same time also discharges from the LifePO4 first when used, in order to prevent the Yeti from discharging so that no more cycling takes place. The LifePo4 batteries then do all the work. Do you have any ideas on how to do this, this circuit?

[@GospelOutside]

Hi Todd. Can I chain to a Goal Zero 500x Lithium? Right now I can only change from the usb-c pd port. No other ports work. Sadly, Goal Zero will not let me replace the unit after the known issue of the 12v ports blowing out via the defective charging panel. I am trying to find a way to efficiently charge the unit via the usb or the ACs. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!

[@todd.parker]

Dang, that's terrible. So the AC and solar charging don't work at all? If you can only use USB-C via PD your best bet would be to use another powerstation with 60-100w USB-C outputs. From a 12v battery, I found these converters but they all seem to be 15w so it would take forever to charge - www.amazon.com/Type-C-Step-Down-Converter-Output-Waterproof/dp/B086KTGRH1/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3611QI8XAKG6Q&keywords=12v+to+usb-c+converter&qid=1663358108&sprefix=12v+to+usb-c%2Caps%2C477&sr=8-3

[@Nozzlejockey2]

Thank you for this great video. I now have a GZ 3000X and a 1500X. and the 3000X has a WiFi connection, but when I go to use it either by Bluetooth or WiFi either the anywhere connect or Direct connect. it connects but after 5-10 Mins. it shuts off at the power unit. I have to go to the power unit and turn on the WiFi again and reconnect. Can you do a video on this set up PLEASE!!!!

[@todd.parker]

I wish I had a Wi-Fi unit to help you out on this. I’d try resetting the unit to see if that helps. I have 2 videos on the topic

[@Nozzlejockey2]

@@todd.parker I really like your videos on the goal zeros and comparisons. I will try the reset and see. I have an email into support, but so far no response. I will go back and see if I can find the videos you speak of. what are they titled?

[@michaelaos]

I have that same Victron charger.

[@todd.parker]

It’s a good one. Making a video on it now...

[@planetmikeus]

Thank you for this. How would you apply this to a standalone solar system? I would like to increase my Yeti capacity. Not sure how to daisy chain another lithium battery?

[@todd.parker]

You could connect as many batteries as you want in parallel for more storage, just make sure they are all identical with n size and state of charge

[@planetmikeus]

@@todd.parker Thanks for this reply. I considered this. The solar cables come into a weatherproof box and currently connects to the Yeti MPPT module. I have other devices drawing from the Yeti's output ports. I was wondering if there is (a SAFE) way to connect another battery (like Renogy w/BMS) to the Yeti which would allow the Yeti to charge the extra battery when it is full and also receive charge from the external battery when as the Yeti depleted?

[@todd.parker]

@@planetmikeus I think the only way to do this is what I’ve shown. Basically, you can trickle charge the Yeti via the car adapter plugged into the external battery. You can then connect a battery charger to the Yeti to charge the battery when you have excess energy coming in. You wouldn’t want to leave both connected all the time because I think you’d just be shuffling energy around with big losses,

[@planetmikeus]

@@todd.parker Thank you again. I was considering using a 12V source connect to the extra battery and use a 12V isolator to connect the extra battery to the YETI input.

[@louisboustani7193]

Why can you directly connect the battery to the yeti using Anderson plugs? Instead of using the chargers ? I saw a KZbin video that did that to a yeti 400

[@todd.parker]

Good question. I think if you do it may pull a lot of current and cause safety issues. Lithium batteries have low resistance compared to a lead acid battery so they are very thirsty for energy.

[@MichaelEricMenk]

It will work fine if the Goal Zero has a current limiter in the PWM charge controller, and this limit is set lower then the carrying capacity of the wires. Goal Zero Sharpa have this limit set to 2A, so they can be connected directly, and will never draw more than 2A. (This is to protect the small battery) The reason for those cables with the boxes in the video is to reduce the current below what the cigarette lighter contact can handle. A Yeti 400 (old one with lead acid) have high internal resistance so that the battery will limit the current. The Anderson Power Pole can handle 45A. The Yeti 400 (lead Acid) have APP on the side, and is directly connected to the battery. They are intended to directly connect a battery to them, daisy chaining in them in parallell for increase capacity. You can connect a LiFePO4 in parallel with the lead acid inside, but they need to be the same voltage when connected. You can also remove the internal battery if it's end of life, run from an external LiFePO4 battery. BUT... do not charge with the Goal Zero. If they have an advanced Lead Acid charger (with temperature compensation and/or with reconditioning), you will destroy LiFePO4 battery. Use a LiFePO4 compatible external charger.

[@fastereddieb]

I just tried this, using 2 car chargers and my truck battery. It doesn’t seem to work, still maxing out at about 130W even with both plugged in at the 10A setting. My Yeti is a 1000 Core and appears slightly different than yours. My 2 input ports are rated at 150W each, but it doesn’t seem capable of accepting current from both simultaneously.

[@todd.parker]

I found that running multiple chargers at the higher setting may not work well with some batteries/cars. It's strange.

[@insidelineracing]

Does anyone know if there is a Anderson plug to 8mm and Anderson? Want to plug in the car charger and solar at the same time. Thanks.

[@todd.parker]

Goal zero sells those on their site

[@thehighriseconstructionob9679]

Wich version of yeti ? That makes so much difference

[@todd.parker]

This will work with any model of power station that has a car charger cable

[@leftofone]

I'm thinking the most efficient method of "chaining" an external battery to a Yeti 1000 might be to connect a 24 volt lifepo4 to the Yeti mppt... no losses other than the mppt itself. As Todd proved in his video, 24vdc input works on a Yeti 1000 mppt. Other thoughts appreciated!

[@todd.parker]

That would be worth trying. Two questions with this, I’d need someone smarter than me to answer: 1. Is is ok to plug in a power supply to the MPPT? I’ve heard that’s not recommended, maybe because of how that controller keeps ramping up the amps and volts to try and find the sweet spot 2. Is it dangerous to plug a battery in directly w/o the car charger? I’ve heard that the low internal resistance of lithium batteries will pull lots of current. The Yetis were melting wires on the older car charger because they pulled so much power. I saw a video recently where someone ran 1ga wire to from the alternator and their lithium battery bank and it was pulling 100amps (!) and obviously causing issues. The car adapter acts more as a break to slow down the draw to a reasonable amount. Anyone have info?

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@todd.parker I have connected 80 amps (800) watts solar input into the mppt module and the mppt module handled it just fine. The mppt module limits output to 25 amps even though you have more power supply connected on its input. My input voltage was 36 volts 72 cell panels. Side note; I even tried putting over 40 amps 18 volt solar panels into the pwm controller and the GZ beeped at me due to overcurrent. Then I reduced the pwm input to 30 amps and it resumed charging.

[@MadameBlackMagic]

Does this setup still work if you're boondocking with solar? As in, will solar panels still recharge the yeti AND the new add on batteries or.. nah?

[@todd.parker]

These are loosely coupled systems so...no. The solar panels you connect will only charge the Yeti. You could get a cheap solar panels and controller and connect it to the 12v battery but it's a separate charger setup from the Yeti

[@MadameBlackMagic]

@@todd.parker tysm for such a quick reply, wow! i'm trying to find a way to charge my yeti+chained battery with my panels instead of two diff setups.. i guess i may have to go with the yeti link after all 😅

[@Denniejones]

Hey Todd, how can we chain lithium to Yeti so both get charged? Or has GZ made this a one-way streak? Thx

[@todd.parker]

You basically have to treat them as 2 separate systems but linked. You can't just attach two lithium batteries of different sizes/voltages and expect it to work but using the car charger cable at least allows the external battery to charge the yeti, and you can use a battery charger attached to the yeti to charge the external battery.

[@CalmTurtle2023]

@@todd.parker ... it's me again. 😀 I'm debating whether to use the additional LiFePo or get another GZ, an X model. Question... I like that the new X series has a "bigger" inverter and the GZ app... can I connect 2 GZ batteries via Anderson Power Pole connector directlyfrom? Why you may ask? GZ is telling me that my Link for the 1000 cannot be used on the X series.

[@todd.parker]

@@CalmTurtle2023 I don’t think you can link two Yetis like that but I don’t have a link to test. It’s always better to get a unit that is large enough that you don’t need to use an external battery since it’s not as easy if efficient as one large internal battery. If you’re looking to buy a new Yeti, maybe look at the larger ones or the Bluetti AC200S, this external battery trick is good if you already have both things and want a quick way to charge the Yeti but it’s not as integrated

[@CalmTurtle2023]

@@todd.parker actually I was thinking of the regular APP ports not the Link APP ports. As for a single battery… I’d like to but I’m sitting in the middle where I can’t afford the larger one as I spent part of my battery budget on the GZ 1000 😖

[@stantheman4722]

I have many Goal Zero products, and like you I had questioned why if you charge up the Yeti, it will stop at 94, or 95 percent, but then turn the inverter on and it jumps upwards in percentage. After doing my own watt hour comparisons on several yetis, and talking with Tech support, it is normal. As the pack ages and capacity declines, the timers in the software adjust. The BMS also has a hand in this. So don't think the unit is defective...I've done several tests and verified that the capacity declining is the reason for counters not syncing up. Also, if you don't drain the pack down occasionally and charge up, the counters never really reset

[@todd.parker]

Thanks for the details, good to know I’m not alone. On one hand, it’s good I suppose to know my pack is down 7% in its capacity but it’s just unnerving to never get to 100%. Guessing other companies handle this differently.

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

@@todd.parker Don't worry your Yeti will deliver that 96. It will sometimes charge more that that but one day it will stay at 96. My Yeti 3000 stopped charging at ninety six after three years and five months. It's ok. You might want to check out Will Prowse advice. The vid is about the longevity of lithium batteries. There was a guy talking about how to extend the life of ebike batteries. To balance its batteries make sure to charge them all the way up every two or three months.

[@agustinmoralesrodriguez1242]

I checked the Noco chargers and products thanks to you. I think they are great. They may not be Victrons but they're still good.

[@stantheman4722]

I agree with Agustin. And yes, Will is very knowledgeable. As with all Lithium batteries, try not to let your pack discharge below 10 or 15 percent, and don't charge to 100 percent all the time. I own a ton of lithium products and over the last 15 years I have learned to not let them sit at either end of the charge or discharge spectrum. I also own a Chevy Volt, and engineers also have designed this theory into many EV's as well. My Yeti 1500x also let's you select its battery profile, which keeps it at 15 discharge max, and 85 charge max percentages.

[@todd.parker]

That’s great to hear about the 1500x, I didn’t know it had that feature. I’ve abused my 1000 in the interest of science but it’s taken it’s toll. Still really like mine.

[@dbau21]

so all this is rocket science to me. Could you please dumb it down for some? How do you actually connect the external battery to the yeti? I see he's using the 2 Yeti Car chargers. How are those connected to the external battery? The Victron battery charger only has the M8 connectors he used earlier in the video and the wall 🔌 plug. How do you "trickle charge" to prolong the yeti? 😞 I know... Thanks though

[@lllzergeouslll74]

I would want to see what happens or if it will work to have a constant charge on 2 deep cycle batteries using 500w solar panels for each battery while having the batteries charge the yetti and also a 500w solar panel charging the yetti while the yetti constantly powers say a game system and tv

[@lllzergeouslll74]

As well as something to charge while solar isnt an option like a gas generator as a backup

[@todd.parker]

I did a video showing how I use a propane generator to augment my solar setup with the Yeti: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioSrqoutr7Ngr9U

[@malanalan1]

The question is how do you now charge the source battery? I guess you would reverse the process. I must say that after watching all those videos about Li-ion battery packs, I am leaning towards a quiet, low power generator plus AGM batteries.

[@todd.parker]

When I’n generating power via solar or generator into the main unit, I use a battery charger plugged into the AC output.

[@johnlitten6434]

@@todd.parker Would it be possible to charge the external Li battery using a Victron (or other brand) MPPT charger while also having the Li battery connected to and charging the GZ either via the car charger or dc/dc charger? This is what I'd ultimately like to do so I don't have to continually connect/disconnect the Li Battery. Would you need 2 batteries in that situation wired together with the first battery connected to the MPPT and the second to the dc/dc charger?

[@Followmyleash]

Hi Todd, I just connected the victron dc-dc between my car battery & battleborn. Then I connected the battleborn to the yeti with the Noco cigarette connections. It getting busy under my car seats :). I'm thinking of using a single Anderson cable to conect the battle born to the yeti instead but not sure how I can control so the yeti won't be overcharged. Would you have any advice, suggestions?

[@todd.parker]

Nice setup! I’d stick with the Yeti lithium car charger cables instead of straight wiring them just to limit how much current the Yeti pulls to avoid overheating. If you have heavy gauge wires and a way to closely monitor it, you could give it a try but I’m not sure if there are safety concerns.

[@Followmyleash]

@@todd.parker Hi Todd, I just chatted with Battle born and Yeti. They both said 100ah /12v battle born battery won't be able to charge yeti 1000. They were surprise that it does. So it seems that we shouldn't worry about over charge yeti? gosh.... :)

[@todd.parker]

@@Followmyleash heh, well ok. Goal Zero says a Yeti needs 16+v to charge but they happily charge off a standard car port which is around 14.5v max so I wondered if their car charger cable had a boost circuit but they claim it doesn’t. Anyway, it does work and if you want to try it direct wired, might as well give it a go. Worst case, it won’t charge by the sound of it.

[@Followmyleash]

@@todd.parkerTodd, thank you for your brilliant mind and your willingness to help!!! It's very kind of you. With your clear, detailed videos, I was able to get my system set up. Here are some of my test connections: 1) car battery -> victron -> battle born -> goal zero cigarette charger to yeti. It works! It got up to about 260 Ah. 2) car battery -> Victron -> battle born -> Yeti (using Anderson cable connect to Yeti). It didn't work. 3) car battery -> Victron -> Yeti (using Anderson cable to MPPT) (this credit to Sprinter Discovery on KZbin. It works. I got about the same amount of charge from above. I may fully recharged my car battery to see if it make any difference between method 1 or 3. Love to hear your thoughts :).

[@todd.parker]

@@Followmyleash good to hear! 1 is more about expanding your battery capacity while 3 is for charging from the car efficiently. You might be able to use the Victron charge both the Yeti and BB and then use 1 to give you more battery capacity when you need it

[@Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

I want to Charge a Bluetti Ac200p with a backup battery. Their own batteries are kind of expensive right now

[@todd.parker]

This setup would work with a Bluetti - just use the car charger cable

[@b3owu1f]

Man.. this is exactly what I am trying to figure out. Not sure you'll see this 2 years later.. my thought is to get a 600watt capable LiFePO4 battery that puts out 110ac.. to power my computer/monitor.. which I run about 14 hours a day. I'd consider a second battery to keep the AC battery topped off. My goal is to be able to use battery all day to reduce my day time high energy cost.. and then charge it up at night when energy is about 1/3 the price. However.. I'd like to ALSO see if I can buy a couple of those 100watt solar panels.. and use those during the sunny months to keep the LiFePO4 charging during day.. so as to reduce/avoid any need to charge via my AC outlet. IS this possible? Can solar panels (the ones you can buy with these Yeti/etc batteries on amazon) be able to keep the LiFePO4 battery charging decently during the day? How silly is it to run your main appliances..e.g. fridge, computers.. etc on battery all day, and charge up via solar and/or AC to reduce energy use? I have AC units and 6.5Kw solar panel system on the house.. so ideally that reduces/eliminates my use of AC.. but in California where PGE has graciously passed on their mistakes and lawsuits to all of its customers.. our energy costs have gone up 2x to 3x in price in the past couple years. Prior to solar.. we ran about $600 a month in summer. With 2.5Kw solar.. we were down to about $150. Now.. with 6.5Kw system our energy bill is still over $500 a month now.. thanks to the insane hike. It's literally unaffordable for many residents who now go without AC in 110+ heat. So my hope is.. I can run the few things I use all the time.. basically fridge, couple computers.. TV.. on battery power and charge it up during day if possible via solar.. or at night with AC at much lower cost. What would you recommend? I found a couple LiFePO4 options for a few hundred bucks (600watt to power computer/monitor). Ideally want USA made if possible.

[@todd.parker]

You can definitely run a few appliance “off grid” like this to lower your monthly bills. To go the DIY route, you’ll need to learn about solar and battery system design - solar charger, battery charger, inverter, fuses, etc. (check out WIll Prouse’s channel) or go with a power station like the Ecoflow Delta 2 that has everything integrated - just hook up solar panels or AC power and plug stuff in. To run something like a full sized fridge for a full day, you need about 2,000wh of battery storage and 400-600w of solar to recharge it during one day. If it’s cloudy or raining,you’ll only get about 10% of the solar power so you need even more batteries to account for bad weather (or babysit it and plug into into AC power on days it gets low). Look for used residential solar panels to save money.

[@mlaney54]

This was a great concept, i bought the shopping list, question, I got two NOCO GC018 15A 14AWG 12V Adapter, Heavy-Duty Cigarette Lighter Plug attached to the battery and two Goal zero 12v to 8mm cables, both seem to work one at a time, i get around 140 watts charging with each, once both 8mm are plugged in i still get around 140, Yeti 3000x by the way. All fuses are good, lights are green, was expecting the 240 ish I saw in the video. You can unplug one and get 140 and unplug the other and get 140, so both are working techincally. Any ideas?

[@todd.parker]

I noticed that too. I think that may be pulling too much power from the battery and the car chargers aren’t happy? Those boxes are real squirrelly and I never had luck running them at 10A consistently

[@mlaney54]

Battery = LOSSIGY 100Ah Lithium Battery, 12V Deep cycle Lifepo4 Battery, 1280WH Built in 100A BM

[@mlaney54]

@@todd.parker Thanks Todd, really enjoy your videos, well put together very helpful in putting my setup together.

[@mlaney54]

@@todd.parker More feedback from GZ today, separate issue but related to this topic I believe. I installed solar, 2x320w run to the HPP for 600w max (got about 550 max, life was good) and recently installed 2x 225w panels running to each 8mm input on the 3000x. Website states "1200W* Rated Panels (4x Ranger 300/etc.): 6 Hours of sunlight" which would make you think you can use multiple inputs to get close to 1200w, the 600w HPP and 150w on each 8mm means a max of 900w in my logical mind. So after installing running cables etc, I find that all inputs work individually but when they are all plugged in the 8mms do nothing, therefore a waste of holes in my roof, panels and install time. Back to this topic, GZ confirmed that you can only use one input at a time, so possibly why the 2x 8mm coming from the battery never go to the wattage a combined 8mm to HPP would. Severely disappointed in GZ and the lack of clarity on their website. Why ever advertise 1200w solar charging option if you cant technically never go over 600w

[@todd.parker]

@@mlaney54 that’s super disappointing. I feel like I’ve used multiple inputs at once but now that I know more, it must just be connecting them in parallel which means you really shouldn’t mix panel types. The solar input on Yetis is really weak with super low voltage limits that make it hard to do much. Thanks hit the update!

[@N2UPROD]

Have you actually tried connecting the 2 car chargers and a solar panel ? I got 2 car chargers getting ready to purchase a goal zero 4 x 8mm combiner cable that you have and add ( my solar panel is 12v 200 watt panel ) not sure if this is correct I don’t want to pass the 50v the goal zero mention My goal was that while the sun is out I can collect from both battery and sun and while the sun is gone I have the battery trickle charging the goal zero at night ( the battery has its own solar and charge controller )that way in the am both are getting recharged via there own solar panel Where I’m located I get very good sun otherwise I can just stick to the 2 chargers maybe add one more

[@todd.parker]

Those combiner cables connect things in parallel so the voltage remains the same and the amps add so you’re safe. I wouldn’t suggest connecting solar panels and car chargers to the same combiner because the amps will be limited by the lowest source so just use a different input port for the panels than the car chargers.

[@marcinmichigan2772]

Am I missing something here, could you not just run directly from LifePO4 battery to GZ power pole inputs (fused of course) and bypass all the GZ "jumpers" ?

[@todd.parker]

The issue is the 12-13v output of a standard 12v battery is less than the 16v my Goal Zero needed to charge so the car adapter boosts the voltage to get there. Yours might work differently.

[@matthewmoore6223]

Hey there. Great video! I was wondering, could you use the expansion module and the MALE EC8 TO RING TERMINAL and connect your additional lithium batteries that way? I notice on the goal zero web site it specifically states lead acid batteries but didn’t know how exclusive this was. Alternatively, I suppose you could use an APP to ring terminal cable and plug into the front yeti input. Thanks

[@todd.parker]

Hi. I don’t think that would work because that is only designed for lead acid batteries so I assume the BMS can’t handle other chemistries. You can either connect a 12v lithium battery via the car charger or if you had a 24v battery (or 2 in series), you could charge it via the solar inputs and recharge via a AC charger

[@matthewmoore6223]

@@todd.parker I guess I figured as much. But do you have to use a car charger or could you connect using the andersen power port directly to battery terminals? maybe add a fuse for additional protection.

[@todd.parker]

Yep, as long as you stay under the max voltage of the APP input. It basically treats the battery as a solar panel. You need to be careful because it may pull a lot of current so use heavier wires and monitor it closely at first

[@kenjboyd6233]

@@todd.parker , would not a lithium battery w/ BMS built in correct this situation?

[@N2UPROD]

Would this work on a 12v 400ah lithium battery ?

[@todd.parker]

Sure would

[@RayLacks]

can you do a yeti power wall with the yeti 1000 as the brain? 10 extra batteries would be awesome

[@todd.parker]

I think if you're investing that much in batteries, you're much better off buying a proper inverter, charger, etc. since this technique is limited to what you can trickle charge into the Yeti and there isn't a super efficient way to charge the batteries. You can buy an all-in-one box were you just add batteries and solar panels which is a better way to make a bigger system with the simplicity of the Yeti. kzbin.info/www/bejne/baPIdGyHobV7oqM

[@uhjyuff2095]

Unfortunately the yeti 1000 doesn't communicate/charge the 10 external batteries in this setup with the included goal zero wall charger(that's what the GZ Yeti link does). You would have to purchase a separate charger for the 10 external batteries.

[@todd.parker]

@@uhjyuff2095 Right. At this scale, you should use a larger charger that can monitor and charge all the batteries

[@kamrankp85]

just a question.. Why do you whant to charge the unit with a second battery when you can expand the yeti with the second battery?

[@todd.parker]

Yetis can be expanded with their Link/Tank system but the Tanks are lead acid batteries which are garbage for longevity and depth of discharge (you only get 50% of the rated capacity). They don’t offer a lithium expansion battery like Ecoflow and Bluetti

[@kamrankp85]

@@todd.parker Aha🙂Thanks for clarifying that.Is there no hack for that? frack.. I thought I had a plan.

[@todd.parker]

@@kamrankp85 not really. Mixing battery sizes and chemistries doesn’t really work. The way I show it works because it isolates the external battery as a separate system with its own charger. If you have an external battery bank that is over 16v (min input for charging via solar/wall) you could connect it w/o the car charger cable and charge the yeti faster but that’s it

[@9B-Adv]

I’m not understanding why one would want to charge one battery from another, what am I missing?

[@briancook6158]

Can you do 2 lithium batteries and 4 car chargers to hit 480 watts?

[@todd.parker]

In theory, yes but I have a pair of Yeti car chargers and that didn't work as I hoped. I find they get really strange on the 10A (120w) setting so I tend to have better luck on the 5A (60w). Every other company limits the cigarette output to 8A because most cars can't handle more and the connector can melt so 10A is a stretch. Honestly, if you have 2 batteries that can be connected in series you'd have a 24v source that can charge directly via the solar inputs which would be better because you can skip the buzzy charger boxes. The car chargers are only needed to limit the current and they must have a set-up converter to go from 12v to 16v which is the minimum voltage it needs to charge.

[@done.4059]

Any idea why my 110 plug on my escape 150 seemed to stop working after i plugged in the wall charger to a yeti 1250? And if it popped the fuse does that mean it was to much draw?

[@todd.parker]

Yeah, if it blew a fuse it was pulling too much power. The 150 has a really small inverter, right?

[@done.4059]

@@todd.parker i would assume so. Being that the ac charger for the 1250 was only two prongs with out the round ground and the sticker on the 1250 saying inputs are 12-24v i didnt think its draw would over do the 150... Still havent checked fuses and am very new to this stuff. So if the inverter on the 150 is to small to handle how much something what's to take a fuse pops?

[@done.4059]

5a 3a and 20a fuses still have little connections between inserts intact... Solo maybe something inside the housing is out of place?

[@todd.parker]

The 150 should have overload protection and if the fuses seem ok, maybe something else is up? You could try taking it apart and disconnecting the battery for a hard reset