I mentioned a few days back that I'd ordered this solar-powered generator from Home Depot. Retail is $1,599, but it was on sale for $1,199.
Before I went to pick it up this morning, I noticed that Home Depot had marked down the price to $949. They refunded me $250.
Florida's sales tax holiday continues until June 14. If you're in Florida and so inclined, this is a great time to order.
@LnzyHou $949!
Yeah, I was shocked when I logged onto the Home Depot web site to post a review, only to see it was down from $1,199 to $949. Customer Service had no problem with giving me a refund.
Included solar panel too? I did buy the Jackery case to store my alternate J500. I use the nightlight a lot too.
Good on you!
@LnzyHou Two solar panels ... The refund receipt says CLEARANCE, so maybe Jackery has a new model coming out.
Good. Solar charging is slow process.
As Jackery customer for almost 4 yrs, they always have a new model coming out. Solid products that keep me comfortable in 80° plus weather by powering my MaxxFan over my bed.
I’m glad to know you’ll have back up during storms. Gonna be a rough season they say.
@LnzyHou I'm going to charge it up from the house, then experiment with the solar panels.
Takes few hours
@LnzyHou Ah, it was in the zip pocket! I didn't look.
I'm primarily interested if they recommend keeping it at 100% or 80% or whatever. Tesla typically recommends 70-80%.
@LnzyHou I emailed Jackery and will find out.
When we rented the Model Y, we were supposed to return it at >70% but Budget gave it to us at 40%. Above 80%, the charge rate really slows down. If I could leave the car, I'd let it charge to 100% because, as a renter, I don't care about the long-term battery life. It's one reason why I won't consider buying a used Tesla.
@WordsmithFL That's an excellent observation and one that I hadn't considered.👍
@LnzyHou
@LnzyHou Per a Jackery customer support email:
"We recommend setting the battery charge level to 85%. This will help keep the battery healthy and extend its durability."
News to me. Also, based on my usage for refrigerator, speed required on MaxxFan, lights & device charging, that would require me to get up & change out batteries in the middle of the night.
Not gonna happen.
@LnzyHou BTW, it looks like they're phasing out the Explorer 880. The Jackery site has it at $799 without the panels. So $949 at Home Depot is about the same as from the vendor. But no sales tax through June 14!
https://www.jackery.com/products/explorer-880-portable-power-station
Jackery is a great product. Works for me to rotate (2) 500s. My days of extended, off-grid camping are over.
I stay in campgrounds with power/water available.
Maybe pick up that 880 as back up ?
@LnzyHou The 880 is what we bought. It's a good idea to have a second one. I wonder if they can be daisy-chained?! If we had to leave for several day, could we daisy-chain two or three to keep the refrigerator working several days?! Rhetorical question.
I would call Jackery for engineering support.
@WordsmithFL Not sure if they'll be interested or have something to add, but @MookyTroubadour was asking about a similar thing the other day. I am also interested. We have grid-tied rooftop solar on the house, and I'm considering some battery backup in case of outages for necessities that don't cost $15k!
#GoSolar
@LnzyHou
@Ironworker229 I opened the boxes this evening. It all seems very straightforward. I used it to recharge my smartphone; it recharged at the same rate as usual.
I'll fiddle with the solar panels tomorrow. They're much heavier than I anticipated.
@WordsmithFL Lol! Lotsa silica in those panels. They're heavier than they look! I'm looking for something that can power the chest freezer and fridge plus a few things for a day or two as a bridge to a full house backup system that is still ungodly expensive. I do have high hopes for new battery tech (some of which @corlin has posted some interesting links for). With the smaller packs, that would be one by one plugging the items into a battery. No auto switching. @MookyTroubadour @LnzyHou
@WordsmithFL I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the unit that you bought and the pros and cons as you become acquainted with its use.
@corlin @MookyTroubadour @LnzyHou
@Ironworker229 @WordsmithFL @MookyTroubadour @LnzyHou
Check these out.
I won't be buying anything Tesla, so these are some alternatives.
We are still gathering info, before we buy.
Thank you. This is very helpful. We'd like a Powerwall or similar. This article gives us an idea of the cost.
Nearby in Cocoa is the #Florida Solar Energy Center. Despite #DeSantis 's efforts to shut it down, it's still around. They're very willing to provide advice and insight. I know someone at FSEC who's gone full solar -- EV, powerwalls, solar roof.
@WordsmithFL @corlin @Ironworker229 @MookyTroubadour @LnzyHou
I get emails from Anker about their Solix X1.
https://www.anker.com/anker-solix/x1-energy-storage-system-hes
@InvaderGzim Glad to see there are so many options.
@Ironworker229 @WordsmithFL @LnzyHou I don’t know the Jackery product line, but the EcoFlow have the ability to daisy chain (at least some of the Delta 2 models are capable).
@MookyTroubadour That's a cool feature!
@WordsmithFL @LnzyHou
@WordsmithFL
Surprised. I’d call HD & tell them no instruction book. Comes with every battery in zip packet with 120v charger.