Power station vs AC

Jul 23, 2009
926
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
I've been sitting at the dock with the shore power disconnected for about an hour with the AC running. The Percon f3000lfp shows that I've used about 30% of the battery, not too bad. My AC compressor has been running 95% of that hour, but it isn't that hot outside. The power station starts and runs my 16k btu AC no problem, my Honda 2200 will not do that. My battery charger runs happily on it too, not that I would do that on a regular basis. I haven't tried the coffee maker or the water heater but I have little doubt that they will work too. Obviously I can't running everything at once. Questions comments?
 

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jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,454
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I looked at the Amazon page. The power under the hood was not stated. I asked the question and received this reply.
"The Pecron F3000LFP Power Station has a 3072Wh LiFePO4 battery with 48V nominal voltage. However, the product page doesn't specify the amp hours (Ah) directly—this can be calculated as approximately 64Ah (3072Wh ÷ 48V = 64Ah)."
 
Jul 23, 2009
926
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
I looked at the Amazon page. The power under the hood was not stated. I asked the question and received this reply.
"The Pecron F3000LFP Power Station has a 3072Wh LiFePO4 battery with 48V nominal voltage. However, the product page doesn't specify the amp hours (Ah) directly—this can be calculated as approximately 64Ah (3072Wh ÷ 48V = 64Ah)."
Those are the numbers I've got too.
 
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Jul 23, 2009
926
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
What kind of power does it have under the hood and how long to bring it back to 100% SOC ?
Its has more starting and running power than my Honda 2200 inverter generator. The power station obviously doesn't have as much "gas in the tank" compared to a fuel burning generator. My observation is that the power station will absorb 1700 watts from line power, it's rated at 1800 watts. So, the recharge is very fast @ about 2 hours if you can feed it at the full 1800 watts. I throttled it back to about 1100 watts on the boat. It can also be recharged with solar or a DC source above approximately 28 volts, I don't remember the specifications of the DC/solar input. They do sell a charger that boosts 12 volts from an alternator to a usable voltage and a claimed 500 watts of charging, my 100 amp Balmar should handle that.

I am impressed with the surge capacity and the recharge rate.

It's about 69lbs but it has 2 handles that make it easier to carry than my Honda generator. No carbon monoxide to worry about, unless I pair with the generator.

I'll have access to all the dock side amenities while I'm not at the dock, even if it's only for a few hours.
 

BarryL

.
May 21, 2004
1,114
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 409 Mt. Sinai, NY
Hey,

That's pretty impressive performance!
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,668
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Maybe someone can explain - whats the benefit of these battery/inverter combo units over simply adding battery/inverter capacity to an existing boat electric system?
 
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Jul 23, 2009
926
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
Maybe someone can explain - whats the benefit of these battery/inverter combo units over simply adding battery/inverter capacity to an existing boat electric system?
The added capability is the benefit. It comes down to comfort mostly. To a lesser degree it's safety, I get overheated easily and now I can run the AC away from the dock. No noise or CO to worry about.

I've always been interested in power storage and generation. I like to share information when I find something that works or something that doesn't.

My next boat will likely have two house banks, two alternators and a large inverter/charger. 12 volt for the basic loads and 48v supporting the inverter and larger loads. The capability of the new batteries is amazing.
 
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Feb 26, 2004
23,308
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Maybe someone can explain - whats the benefit of these battery/inverter combo units over simply adding battery/inverter capacity to an existing boat electric system?
Don, it's brought to you by the same guys who think jumper cables are the answer to paralleling batteries instead of a switch! :banghead::yikes::clap:
 
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Feb 26, 2004
23,308
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Please explain.
Sure, some people think that in an emergency when they need to connect two battery banks it's just as easy to use jumper cables than to flip a switch. This means they think a more complicated method is easier. Don's example means that instead of using something already built in, i.e., batteries and an inverter, one would choose to obtain yet another source. That's all.
 
Jul 23, 2009
926
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
Sure, some people think that in an emergency when they need to connect two battery banks it's just as easy to use jumper cables than to flip a switch. This means they think a more complicated method is easier. Don's example means that instead of using something already built in, i.e., batteries and an inverter, one would choose to obtain yet another source. That's all.
I'm guilty as charged. I used a jump box to start my boat when the start battey failed. Sure, I would like to have a paralleling switch, but not enough to install one. I'm capable, power storage and generation is my profession.

This thread didn't drift off topic, it derailed.
 

Johann

.
Jun 3, 2004
570
Leopard 39 Pensacola
Maybe someone can explain - whats the benefit of these battery/inverter combo units over simply adding battery/inverter capacity to an existing boat electric system?
Simplicity, time, cost. You just buy an $800 power station, an adapter for your shore power cord, and plug it in. This gives you a 3kWh LFP battery with a 3kW+ inverter. To install a proper whole boat inverter system with LFP battery is going to be a significant and expensive undertaking. I replaced my genset with a 48V LFP battery, 3kVA inverter/charger, and 6kW alternator. The battery and inverter installation alone was near $3k and several days of work.
 
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