What to expect from my 1500x.
We purchased a Yeti 1500x for our pop-up tent trailer and used it for the first time last week. I was disappointed with how quickly the unit was drained of power and am wondering if the use was wrong or what to expect the unit to charge.
The first use was to plug the unit into the entire camper system at the outside plug, like you would at a RV park. The goal was to run the refrigerator. Nothing else was operating, but I expect all the plugs were charged with power. The Yeti battery was drained in two hours. I recharged the battery to 44% using a goal zero car charger connection.
The second use at the 44% level was to power a mini toaster oven. This was the first use for the oven also. It required the first burn at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then I baked a dish for twenty minutes and completely drained the battery.
Any thoughts or suggestions for the next trip out?
-Erin
Best Answer
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I'm just a user and a Civil Engineer, so I'm not a "battery guy."
I will suppose that you charged the Yeti 1500 before you took it out to use. Mine was delivered with about 75% charge, so I had to charge it to 100% using the wall charger when I received it. I believe once you use the Yeti, it is best to fully charge it before you use it again.
When you use the AC plug as outlet power you lose some power, not an insignificant amount. My guess is you lose 20%-ish, but that is a guess. This is because to create a sine wave of voltage output, the circuitry has to "throw away" some power. When you have products that run on other systems that will not come from an AC output, your power you receive from the Yeti will be better than when you have to use the AC outlet.
I don't know, but if you could plug the fridge directly into the Yeti, you may avoid some other losses.
When using the Yeti, only turn on the output sockets you need to use. Turning on a band of sockets uses a little power even when they are not being used according to the literature.
All that being said, I purchased a Yeti 1500 to power my two fridges if we lose power in a storm at home. My plan is to plug each fridge in for an hour right after breakfast, and for an hour each right after dinner. During the day I plan to have it outside charging on the solar panel I purchased when I bought the Yeti 1500.
Based on the figures they publish on the Yeti 1500, it should run a fridge for 28 hours. Well, that is a little hard to understand. Fridges don't run constantly. They usually run for about ten minutes or less and then they cut off. So is the 28 hours just the number of ten minute cycles you expect to see on an average day? If so, then I may not get the performance I hope for, but I'm not saying that is so. I am only saying that at this time it is unclear to me.
But the initial cooling down of your camper fridge may be a high load.
I don't think this provided you the help you want, but I hope it gives you something to consider as you use it. I hope you get as many enjoyable cycles from your Yeti that I hope to receive. My son brought home a small dorm fridge from college. Maybe I'll pull that out as a test of my unit. Best wishes.
Answers
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Thanks, Thomas, for taking the time for the informative reply. Being new to power supply, there is a bit of a learning curve for sure. I took some time today to watch reviews and demos on the product. I also tried powering a few things to check the watts and amp usage. Next trip, we'll get the refrigerator cold before we go. Ha.
In learning about expansion kits, etc., I did see that GZ sells30-foott power extension cords that may help you not move the station around.
Best wishes to you too!