Another EcoFlow question.

[spigot]

I am now the proud owner of an EcoFlow Delta 2 but notice when connected to the EHU socket on the van the reversed polarity light comes on.
I am told this is because there is no earth.
Is this OK & safe?, will it harm the appliances?
I am a total dickhead when it comes to electricity ️ & am wondering if some sort of earthing groundspike can remedy this?
I am relying on the advice of you ‘Sparks’ out thereafter

 

[molly 2]

I emailed eco flow about that exact problem ,I was told it was because it was double wired and it was normal ,I would suggest you email ecoflow and got the answer from ecoflow ,

 

[Moped]

The polarity light indicates no earth as well as reverse polarity. Regardless the RCD fuse box should cut power in the event of an electrical overload short in a faulty device when using the power bank as hook up.

 

[Obanboy666]

I emailed eco flow about that exact problem ,I was told it was because it was double wired and it was normal ,I would suggest you email ecoflow and got the answer from ecoflow ,

Had the same reply from Ecoflow 3 years ago when I had the same issue.
Presently away for a shakedown trip in my new caravan. Borrowed my mates Delta 2 max + extra battery, arrived on site Tuesday pm and to date have used it in the ehu to power everything. Weather drastic so I have had the tv and heating on all day and its just about to stop so its saved me £30.00 ehu charge. An expensive piece of kit but im seriously considering investing in one.

 

[st3v3]

Had the same reply from Ecoflow 3 years ago when I had the same issue.
Presently away for a shakedown trip in my new caravan. Borrowed my mates Delta 2 max + extra battery, arrived on site Tuesday pm and to date have used it in the ehu to power everything. Weather drastic so I have had the tv and heating on all day and its just about to stop so its saved me £30.00 ehu charge. An expensive piece of kit but im seriously considering investing in one.

Over 400 nights of EHU for the same price...

And that's not including the cost to recharge the pack.

 

[Fisherman]

Personally if it’s possible I think before buying one of these power banks, I would rather simply install another lithium battery. It’s also important to maximise your solar harvesting. I do understand the versatility and convenience they offer, and adding additional batteries may prove difficult for some. So in this case they do have a roll to play.

 

[wildebus]

These Power Stations are improving all the time but they are still an expensive option. Sure, they have come down in price notably compared to the original costs, but then so have Lithium Batteries so the price differentials are still similar.

If tent camping, or 'roughing it' in an unconverted van, then excellent option, but I don't really get the point if being used inside a fully-converted or factory Motorhome, Campervan or Caravan. Adding another Lithium battery (plus an inverter if not already present) will give you all the same functionality and extra power at a significantly lower price.

 

[Obanboy666]

The caravan is a short term fix until I return to motor homing late this year or deffo next so I have no intentions of spending a fortune on solar panels, lithium batteries, a suitable charger as the charger built into the control unit is the usual basic caravan charger, inverter etc, etc. which I would have to leave in the caravan when I sold it. I have measured up the existing battery box and only space for a 100 amp lithium and limited space under bench seats without a major rewire which I couldn't do.
Probably just manage with my present set up and either borrow this ecoflow or take one of my 2 generators with me when off grid or on a site without ehu like Melon Udrigle.

 

[molly 2]

The cost of converting an older van to lithium can be very expensive especially if using Victron
New battery
new charger
New solar regulator
New 1500 w inverta
New cables
New B to B
More solar
Labour cost or DIY
Ecofloe delta 2 £ 799

 

[Fisherman]

Tt

The caravan is a short term fix until I return to motor homing late this year or deffo next so I have no intentions of spending a fortune on solar panels, lithium batteries, a suitable charger as the charger built into the control unit is the usual basic caravan charger, inverter etc, etc. which I would have to leave in the caravan when I sold it. I have measured up the existing battery box and only space for a 100 amp lithium and limited space under bench seats without a major rewire which I couldn't do.
Probably just manage with my present set up and either borrow this ecoflow or take one of my 2 generators with me when off grid or on a site without ehu like Melon Udrigle.

exactly, it’s horses for courses.
My comment was meant for someone with a lithium set up using one of these.

 

[wildebus]

I remember speaking to a lady who wanted an electrics installation in a van conversion.... trouble is the van was pretty high mileage, she wasn't sure if she was going to keep it more than a year before getting a different one or even dropping the idea of a camper and she was a bit 6's & 7's anyway after a bit of a personal life change.
She wanted me to do the normal regular full installation, but I actually recommended she postpone the idea and get herself some kind of power pack or 'solar generator' (this was before 'Power Stations' were around) to avoid a potential pointess expense. So in the right situation, for sure But as an addition to an established long-term RV .....

 

[Okta]

I am now the proud owner of an EcoFlow Delta 2 but notice when connected to the EHU socket on the van the reversed polarity light comes on.
I am told this is because there is no earth.
Is this OK & safe?, will it harm the appliances?
I am a total dickhead when it comes to electricity ️ & am wondering if some sort of earthing groundspike can remedy this?
I am relying on the advice of you ‘Sparks’ out thereafter

That is because it is an inverter output. Lots of inverters instead of having a 230V output down the L wire put 115V down both the L wire and the N wire. These 115V outputs are out of phase so that when they meet at the appliance the effect is 230V, however they may trigger polarity warning lights. Most of the world doesn’t care about polarity but in the UK we sometimes rely on it being right because we use switches that only turn off one wire (single pole) instead of both wires (dual pole). It will not harm your appliances and is perfectly safe as long as you properly disconnect devices before sticking your fingers in them. Always assume that both wires are live not just the L wire.

 

[Moped]

Over 400 nights of EHU for the same price...

And that's not including the cost to recharge the pack.

Not forgetting the saving of 400 nights of campsite fees?

Also as the years pass EHU and campsite fees only go one way so year by year the Ecoflow owners grin gets bigger and bigger!

Also not forgetting if you prefer to use an off grid site for location or convenience reasons grass only basic sites are half the price or lower than those sites that offer hook up. You don't get EHU sites for £10 a night.

 

[st3v3]

Not forgetting the saving of 400 nights of campsite fees?

He's on a campsite. And with a caravan, less likely to wild camp.

 

[Nabsim]

I almost weakened and plugged into an EHU point last night until I saw it was £5 for an hour. I only wanted to run my mains chargers for an hour or so. Didn’t bother, wasn’t desperate enough for that lol

You still have to charge power banks, for long term use I just don’t see the point

 

[Fisherman]

Costco are doing Ecoflow Delta 2 for £707.98

 

[Obanboy666]

He's on a campsite. And with a caravan, less likely to wild camp.

Will be wilding and using sites as per when I had the motorhomes when up the west coast of Scotland which is my second home. Rarely use hookup so will be saving the charge every night.
Obviously I will have to be more selective regarding poi's I use but I know of dozens of places that are suitable.

 

[Boris7]

EHU generally means your parked with other vans, no offence meant but that don’t flout my boat.

At race circuits there’s little choice, but I still make efforts to be secluded as much as possible, but generally if I’m on EHU it means I need a waste point and water and I didn’t plan well enough.

 

[1 Cup]

My van powers to cuts my grass, heats my hot tub at home as its just a portable power bank. Thus saving on home meter reading cost's
Mine will only get more use as I settle in with van power bank. You'll need to buy both for short term thinking .

they all need charging = panels or driving. All Extra costs . But will never recover 50% of cost of unit as all prices are dropping. The next big thing will be £100 cheaper . As there Still a lot of profits to be made from portable power bbanks.2024 evan vans

 

[Thistle]

Main downside with many of these batteries in a box is relatively low DC charge current meaning they can take a long time to recharge read the blurb carefully!

Brands like the Clayton are designed to be installed in commercial vehicles so have very good dc charging capabilities.

The branded add on solar panels are often extremely expensive and some are unwieldy to use efficiently

At the beginning when the prices were eye wateringly astronomical they were being handed out like confetti to the typical ‘sell our souls for anything free’ YouTube brigade which overhyped them and I think ultimately gave the units a bit of a bad reputation.

They tend to run them at 48v internally so the inverters can sustain high loads without needing massive current carrying cabling inside the unit.

The new Blueti reviewed by Alex Froud recently has a 48v dc output designed to integrate with a soon to be released DC to DC interface permanently mounted in a vehicle.

If I didn’t already have a 3kva multiplus properly wired with 70mm cable in my van I might have considered one for the AC output, but right now I can’t justify the cost.

However as the novelty wears off some are beginning to appear second hand on eBay now.