Goal Zero Lithium Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station Review

Yeti 1400G

oal Zero was truly the first company to make portable solar generators a big deal. With their launch of their big Yeti 1250 many years ago they entered the market and told everyone about it. The Yeti 1250 used a lead-acid battery which is very old technology, but, Goal Zero has come a long way with their lithium line of generators. From that line up the Lithium Yeti 1400 power station is my favorite one.

The Lithium 1400 seems to have a very good balance of inverter power to battery output power as well as simple to use setup. It is readily available on a plethora of websites and is backed up by a great warranty.

Click Here to Buy the Goal Zero Lithium 1400

The 1400 has many key features that set it apart from the competition. It is a well-rounded system that allows for some decent customization for each person’s situation. From upgrading to an MPPT charge controller, expanding the solar input capability and being able to use the full inverter capacity until the battery is dead are just a few of the great things about it.

Battery

It’s obvious from the name that the Yeti 1400 Lithium uses a lithium battery. Specifically, it uses a lithium-nmc or “lithium-ion” as it’s more often called. The lithium-ion is leaps and bounds better than what they were using before in their Yeti 1250 since that used a Using the Goal Zero Yeti 1400lead-acid battery. The lithium-ion battery is far lighter and has many more cycles.

It’s a 12v battery and is rated to 132-amp-hours. In easy terms, it’s a 1,425-watt-hour battery which is fairly large for its size. 1,425wh is enough to power a fridge, freezer, lights, fan and CPAP machine for the whole night. Running those items would mean the battery would be completely drained by morning though so it’s important to save as much power as possible. For this reason, it is always recommended to use an outlet timer to control how often the fridge and freezer run. This will save a lot of power and allow for less charging to be needed the next day.

Battery Draw Capacity

The draw capacity of the battery is the full 1,500 watts of the inverter. This is incredible since most solar generators on the market will either not pull the full inverter capacity for very long or have small inverters. This means if I need to use something like a toaster oven, microwave or hot plate/electric cooktop I can do it with no problems. Obviously, they can’t be run simultaneously since that would be more than 1,500 watts.

Other generators like the ExpertPower Alpha and MAXOAK Bluetti are other great generators because they can run the full capacity of the inverter. Their inverters are rated to 1,000 watts though so I can’t run things such as a hot plate which I often do during power outages for cooking. Both have 1,500wh batteries.

Then you have another such as the Inergy Apex which has a 1,500-watt pure sine wave inverter just like the Lithium 1400, but the Apex can only draw 550 watts continuously for more than a few minutes. The Apex uses a 1,100wh battery. It seems like the Goal Zero Lithium 1400 is the combination of those two units since it has both the bigger inverter and the bigger battery.

The Yeti 1400 is really one of the few on the market that can actually pull its weight in regard to using the inverter to the full capacity until the battery dies.

Inverter

The pure sine wave 1,500-watt continuous inverter has a peak value of 3,000 watts which is exactly what it should be. The peak wattage really should always be at least twice as much as what the running wattage is. This makes it easier to run heavy-duty items with large surges of power. Or when multiple items are running at the same time and then one of the items turns on a condenser are starts up a motor. The 3,000-watt peak allows the system to continue running without any interruptions.

Since the inverter is pure sine wave it will also have no problem running any kind of device that uses 1,500 watts of power or less.

Lifetime Cycles

Lifecycles of Goal Zero 1400 LithiumOne of the very limited number of things that is a weak point on the Goal Zero 1400 is how many lifecycles it has. Many lithium-ion based solar generators have a 2,000 lifecycle rating. This means it can be discharged and charged 2,000 times before the battery reaches about an 80% efficiency level. With the Yeti 1400 it is only 500 cycles before it reaches that point.

With that in mind, it’s important to understand how this is not that big of a deal. Too often people get caught up in the numbers and specs and don’t think of the real-world application. I use my solar generators semi-often and most of the time I never drain them below 50%. If I were to use my Yeti 1400 Lithium every single day for 500 days, I would then have a battery that is 80% efficient, or in other words, 1,200wh not 1,500wh where it first started.

Seeing as how I use mine maybe once a week it’s more like I have 500 weeks before I reach that point. 500 weeks x 7 days a week = 3,500 days (9.6 years) before my battery reaches that point. Plus, the fact that I only drain it to 50% at the most so it’s more like a 20-year battery. That is plenty of time to use the Yeti 1400 without having to worry about if the battery is still in good condition. Essentially, I don’t have to worry about it at all.

Yes, it is a weak point when comparing against other solar generators because it doesn’t have 2,000 lifecycles but it really isn’t that big of a deal since I will likely never reach that many cycles any time soon. The fastest way I could see it being reached quickly is if I were using this in my RV/camper all summer long. Even still if I use it every day for a few weeks each year while traveling in my travel trailer the battery will last years before reaching that 500 cycle point.

Click Here to Buy the Goal Zero Lithium 1400

 

 

Solar Input

The charge controller inside the GZ 1400 Lithium is a PWM controller. PWM is definitely not the top of the line and I don’t know why they even put it in there in the first place. The good news is that it is inexpensive to upgrade to an MPPT charge controller.

A PWM charge controller works perfectly fine on bright sunny days to charge up the Yeti 1400. It will let in a max of 360 watts of power from the solar panels. It is limited to 22v and 25 amps which means solar panels should be connected in parallel into the Yeti 1400.

Where a PWM lacks is when there are not perfect sunny days. When there are clouds the PWM controller can’t compute how to use the panels and make more power. Whereas the MPPT charge controller is designed for making more power in non-ideal conditions. Unless it’s summer it’s more common to have non-ideal conditions, even during summer it happens.

Goal Zero MPPT Charge Controller Before

When it’s cloudy or partly cloudy the MPPT charge controller vastly outperforms a PWM charge controller. The beauty of adding the MPPT charge controller is that it doesn’t replace the PWM. It is a small black box that fits inside the top of the lid of the Yeti 1400 Power Station and very easily attaches. By plugging in the EC8 cable and the USB cable in the top of the Yeti it will allow it to be charged with a second set of panels.

The second set of panels has the same limit as the first set of panels that are plugged into the PWM. Both are limited to 22v and 25 amps. Personally, I use three 100-watt solar panels in each solar charging port to make a max of 600 watts of power. But the limit according to Goal Zero is 720 watts combined between the two solar input ports.

Generally speaking, there are 5 hours a day where the maximum amount of power can be made from solar panels. This makes it pretty easy to calculate my maximum power production per day. If I have 700 watts in panels connected then I multiply that by 5 hours for a total of 3,500wh created each day. I will obviously make power outside of those 5 hours each day but the base number used is 5 hours per day.Goal Zero MPPT Charge Controller After

3,500 watts per day is great. This means I could drain the entire 1,425wh battery during the night if I needed to and the next day within about 2 hours can have it fully charged again. Or even better, I can continue to run my fridge, freezer, laptop, and fans while still charging the battery. After 5 hours I will have a full battery and all of my equipment will still have been running all day long.

It’s important to note that it’s not common to get full production from solar panels each day. Between the 5 prime hours and the rest of the day though it is common to get that much power over the entire day.

Connections

The Yeti 1400 Power Station uses two types of input power connections. Primarily it uses an 8mm barrel connector that is universal throughout all the Goal Zero power stations. It also has an Anderson Powerpole connector which is one of the most common solar power connectors worldwide. It’s great the Goal Zero didn’t try to make everything 100% proprietary because that generally makes people unhappy.

It’s very easy to get an PV Connector to Anderson Powerpole adapter and use that for connecting to other brands of solar panels besides Goal Zero. The Goal Zero solar panels use the 8mm connector.Anderson to PV Connector

The Yeti 1400 Lithium is able to charge simultaneously mostly do to the fact that it can have the second charge controller added to it. This means it can have solar panels in one charging port and the wall outlet charger in the other. This will not harm the battery or the system and will help it charge faster.

If just the wall outlet charger is being used it will take about 24 hours the charge the battery up from zero to full.

Wifi

The newest Yeti 1400 generators now come with built-in Wifi. What this means is that a phone can be connected to it wirelessly and can see what the input, output, and usage levels are of the generator. This is a really exciting feature because it allows people to watch their battery levels and solar panel production levels without having to go look at the screen.

This makes it perfect especially for people out camping or using it while RVing since the Yeti can often be in a spot that’s not easy to get to. Also during power outages, it’s nice to be in the living room with the Yeti 1400 in the garage and see how much power is being made and used.

Charging

There are multiple ways to charge up the Yeti 1400. Primarily is the wall outlet charger and solar panels. It also has the ability to charge from a car DC cigarette lighter port but that car charger seems to be unavailable from anywhere.

It does have a very special car charger called the “Link.” Most car chargers pull power directly from the battery. This is perfectly fine when driving from place to place because the alternator is charging the battery. What the Link does though is it charges directly from the alternator. This allows it to charge up to a rate of 500 watts which is about 5 or 6 times more than you could get with just the normal car charger.

The big drawback to the Link is that it plugs into the exact same spot as the MPPT charge controller. So there’s no way to charge from the Link and panels connected to the MPPT charge controller at the same time. Really it simply makes it a hassle to constantly have to disconnect the Link in order to install the MPPT. I personally prefer just to charge off of solar and a wall outlet so I keep just the MPPT charge controller plugged into that spot.

Weight

The Yeti 1400 comes in at 44lbs. It’s heavy. It’s not so heavy I can’t move it around but it is a bit of a hassle to pick it up and move it around. Every time I pick it up I feel like I’m at the gym lifting a large 45lb weight. I guess it would be possible to save on the gym membership and just workout with the Yeti Lithium 1400. Most likely not recommended by Goal Zero though.

Carrying the Goal Zero 1400

It’s important to look at it in terms of end-users. Many people are using solar generators simply because they understand that gas is hard to get during power outages, they don’t want dangerous fumes, or because it’s much easier to use than gas generators. 45lbs is above my comfort zone of 35lbs so it is considered to be a heavy solar generator.

Outlets

When Goal Zero first launched their Yeti 1250 with the lead-acid batteries it had three 110/120v outlets. I think four should be the minimum that companies go for because it seems like it’s very easy to fill up two or three outlets when running a fridge, freezer, laptop, CPAP, TV or whatever else. I generally don’t like having to put power strips into solar generator outlets because it makes it much easier to overload them.

The Yeti 1400 Lithium only has two 110/120v outlets. Why Goal Zero decided to put fewer outlets on there we’ll never know but I wish it had four instead of just two. To run multiple items there’s no choice but to run extension cords and or power strips to multiple items.

It has one 12v DC cigarette port for items that use DC power. It also has two USB A ports, one USB C port and one they call USB PD. Basically the USB PD port is a stronger version of the USB C port. These ports are enough to easily charge phones, some laptops, and other personal devices.

It does not include a 30amp RV plug which is too bad. With a 1,500 watt inverter and a 1,425wh battery, this could definitely connect to small or medium-sized RVs and give good power. Plus it’s very easy to mount solar panels to the roof of an RV which makes it all the more reason why it should have an RV plug.

Using the Goal Zero Lithium 1400

 

Warranty

As usual, it is recommended to charge/use the Lithium 1400 Yeti every 3 months. This keeps the battery is a healthy state so that it lasts for a very long time. It seems like if it’s fully charged and left for one year that it is still in good condition though.

The warranty that Goal Zero provides is somewhat general yet at the same time very unique. It as a one-year manufacturer warranty on it meaning anything that’s not the user’s fault will be able to get it fixed for free if it happens I the first year. This is why it’s so important to get it out and use it so that any issues come out and can be fixed before the one-year mark hits.

What sets their warranty apart is that the warranty is both transferrable and resets when sold to a new customer. For example, if someone owns the Yeti 1400 Lithium for 9 months then decides to sell it, the new owner gets a one-year warranty from the day they bought it, not from the day the original owner purchased it. This is a great move by Goal Zero to ensure that people are satisfied with their generators.

X-Factor

There are a number of things that set the Goal Zero Lithium 1400 apart from the other solar generators on the market. First that it can expand it’s solar with the MPPT charge controller up to 720 watts is great.

Also that it has the Link car charger is not available on any other brand of solar generator to this date. That is a great way to charge when in the car not only because it’s fast but it also means that when the car is turned off it won’t drain the battery of the car.

Weakness

It’s really too bad that the MPPT charge controller is an upgrade. It is so common for solar generators to have MPPT charge controllers as the standard now. Goal Zero should have redesigned an upgraded unit that has prebuilt MPPT charge controllers already in it.

The fact that it only has 500 cycles instead of 2,000 cycles is a weakness too but not a bad one.

Click Here to Buy the Goal Zero Lithium 1400

 

 

Conclusion

Whereas the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station is not my #1 choice it is definitely a top choice. For people, those needing moderate power needs during power outages or out on the road it definitely fits the bill. It can make and store enough power to easily get by day to day with essential power needs. I would definitely recommend it to anyone needing light to moderate power.

Continue ReadingGoal Zero Lithium Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station Review

ExpertPower Alpha Generator Review

Alpha What Comes in the Box

I always get excited when I receive a new solar generator and get to try it out. I purchased the ExpertPower Alpha and put it through its paces to see how well it would do. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was right up there with the few good solar generators on the market.

It is often compared to the Bluetti solar generator made by MAXOAK. For more info on the direct comparison between the two click here.

Click Here to Buy the Alpha

 

Battery

The ExpertPower Alpha has a nice sized 1,500 watt-hour lithium-ion battery. The battery is big enough to run important items through the night since that is when the battery is mostly used. The solar input offsets the battery capacity as I’ll talk about down below. It uses LG batteries which are considered very high quality. The 1,500wh capacity is enough to run plenty of items once the sun has gone down.

Commonly run items during the night are things like TVs, phone chargers, laptop chargers, humidifiers, de-humidifiers, CPAP machines, fridges, freezers, fans and so on. It all depends on the application. If I am using the Alpha while camping then I just need to run an air pump shortly, charge phones, maybe my walkie talkies depending on the type of camping trip.

If I were using the Alpha for RVing then I’d want to run a blender, lights, fans, chargers, TV, and so on. There are so many different applications for the Alpha because it’s not a large generator. It is quite portable and easy to store.

Alpha Solar Generator Kit

Complete Alpha Solar Generator Kit

1 Alpha
100w Solar Panels (Option 1)
4 100W Solar Panels (Option 2)
Set 70ft 12 AWG Panel Cables
Set 2-Way Cable Branch Connectors
Outlet Timers
1ft High Amp Extension Cords
Solar Panel Watt Meter
Solar Panel Carry Case
Cable and Accessories Carry Case
XXL EMP Faraday Bag

 

Inverter

It has a 1,000-watt pure sine wave inverter. I was sad to see that it was only 1,000 watts of continuous power because some appliances such as coffee makers, electric cooktops, and microwaves will use more than 1,000 watts continuously. It would’ve been nice to have a 1,500-watt inverter but there’s a good reason as to why it only has a 1,000-watt inverter which I’ll get into in just a second.

The inverter is a pure sine wave that will allow it to run all appliances normally just like at home. I was surprised to see that even at the low price point that it wasn’t a modified sine wave since those are more affordable and the Alpha is for sure on the more affordable side when it comes to solar generators. It will easily run older non-energy-efficient items to brand new LEDs and other energy-efficient items.What does the Expert Power Alpha Power?

The peak power that the ExpertPower inverter can give out is only 1,200 watts. That really should be higher too but for the most part, I am not running equipment that has a huge start-up. Since I can’t run things like a toaster oven, microwave or hot plate then I don’t have to worry about high surges. I do like that they sized the inverter and battery properly together.

Draw Capacity

My understanding of the solar generator market is that companies understand solar, electricity, volts, amps, watts, loads, and all of those things very well. People on the other hand generally have no idea how that works. Sadly, MOST solar generator companies take advantage of people’s lack of understanding and will use that against them. I obviously don’t think that is right at all.

Unboxing Alpha Solar Generator

ExpertPower has not done this though which is one of the reasons I like them. They have a 1,500-watt-hour battery, with a 1,000-watt inverter and the battery can use 1,000 watts until the battery is dead. This is important for one major reason:

Other solar generators will have a 1,500-watt inverter, a 1,100-watt-hour battery and a draw capacity/battery can only use 550 watts continuously for more than a few minutes. What this means is that other companies use batteries that are not sized to the inverter. Or the inverter is too large for the battery since the battery can only do 1/3 of what the inverter can do. This to me is very misleading and can cause some serious buyer remorse.

The Alpha is different. It has a large battery which is nice, and the inverter is 1,000 watts and the battery is matched to what the inverter can do. This means I don’t have to overpay for a feature I can’t use. If the Alpha had a 1,500-watt inverter and the battery can only put out 1,000 watts continuously then that would mean I would be paying a higher price for the 1,500-watt inverter but couldn’t use 1,500 watts. Nice going ExpertPower.

Lifecycles

The Alpha is rated to 1,000 lifecycles at a 60% draw. What this means is that if I use the Alpha every day and drain it down to 60% before charging it, I will be able to do that 1,000 times before the battery has degraded. This is less than 2,000 which is the max lifecycle capability of a large lithium-ion battery.

Most of the time I use my Alpha I don’t drain it much farther than 60% because I don’t have a ton of things to run. This means I could do that every single day for 3 years before I must worry about my battery being degraded. For most users, they will never reach 1,000 cycles on the battery. Therefore, I am okay with the 1,000-lifecycle rating.

Powering Up

The first time I turned on my Alpha it took me a second to figure it out. I pressed the power button, and nothing happened. Naturally, I held the button down and that did the trick. I had to hold it down for about 2 to 3 seconds for it to power on. After doing that there was still no power in the plugs.

Display Screen on Alpha Solar

The Alpha has three buttons on the front of it: Power, DC Power and AC Power. To see battery level, input power and screen info all I have to do is turn it on.

If I want to run the DC plugs on it then I hold the DC Power button for 2 to 3 seconds and it will turn that on. Then if I want to use any AC power from the house outlets, I turn on the AC power by holding that button for 2 to 3 seconds.

Pretty self-explanatory when it’s in front of you but it definitely confused me at first since I didn’t know I needed to hold the buttons down.

Solar Input

The Alpha allows up to 500 watts of solar panels to be used for charging. I love that! The reason is that 500 watts of power from the sun is quite a bit when the battery is 1,500wh. That means I could charge it from 0% to 100% in 3 hours in ideal conditions. There are about 5 hours a day that can be counted on in the USA where the sun is bright enough that the panels can make their full potential.

Effectively what this means is that I can make 2,500 watts of power in a clear ideal day. 500 watts of panels x 5 hours max charging power = 2,500 watts. Realistically though it’s not going to be ideal conditions every single day. I will be able to make power outside of that 5-hour window though because the sun is obviously out and shining for more than 5 hours a day in the USA.

Charging the Alpha

That means even in non-ideal conditions I will likely be able to make anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 watts of power a day from those panels. When the battery is 1,500wh that means I can fully charge the Alpha each day while still running important equipment such as a fridge, freezer, fans, computer or whatever.

One point to understand though is that it cannot exceed 60 volts or 10 amps going into the power plug or it will shut off the input charge ability. ExpertPower says it’s best to chain five 100-watt solar panels together to achieve the 500 watts wanted. The problem is that often 100-watt solar panels will make about 18 volts of power each. When I chain solar panels together that increases the voltage but keeps the amperage the same.

This means if I have five 100-watt solar panels it would be 18v x 5 panels = 90 volts! That’s way too much and would definitely not work.

If I connect the solar panels in parallel, then the volts stay the same and the amps go up. Each panel makes about 5 to 6 amps each. 5 amps x 5 panels = 25 amps! That is more than the allotted 10-amp max. So how on earth can I connect my panels to make this work?

Because of the voltage and amperage range that is allowed to go into the Alpha it’s really only possible to get a max of 400 watts in panels to go into the Alpha. The way that is done is by making two sets of two panels for a total of four 100w panels. See this diagram on how that connects together.

Alpha Connection Diagram

 

Connection Style

The Alpha uses a semi-common DC7909 barrel connector. In the world of barrel connectors, it’s fairly common however in the world of solar it’s not used very often. The only other solar generator I am aware of that uses that same DC7909 connection type is the Bluetti.

ExpertPower Alpha Power Plug Type

This means it’s very important to not misplace the DC7909 to PV Connector adapter cable. The adapter allows me to use any solar panel that uses PV Connector connectors, which is about 95%+, and use it with the Alpha. If I lose it, I will have to get ahold of ExpertPower and order another one since it is not a common cable.

Because it only has one charging port for both AC wall charging and solar charging, this means I cannot simultaneously charge from two sources. For me, it’s fine since I never charge from two types of power sources, but some people like to do that.

Car Charging

There is no car charger. This is the biggest let down of the system. It’s nice when I’m on the road on the way to my camping location or wherever and I want to top off the unit before arriving. Or even when I’m coming home from a trip, I like to have my equipment ready for use again. If I were able to charge it while driving, then I could to it off and have a ready unit when I arrive.

There is a way around this though. The simplest way to do it is to simply buy a car DC inverter and plug the wall outlet into that. This is an easy solution that I like but it’s sad that it doesn’t come with the ability to charge from a car. I have to get a third-party item to make it work.

MPPT or PWM

The Alpha comes with an MPPT charge controller which is very nice. This means that even on cloudy days I will have a far better chance of being able to charge my Alpha faster. The MPPT charge controller is essentially a computer that figures out how to work the solar panels so that they make more power with the amount of light that they are receiving. This makes charging a lot more consistent and faster.

Weight and Size

Measurements and Weight

The ExpertPower Alpha weighs in right at 38lbs which can be a bit hefty for some people. For me my comfort zone is 35lbs and under. This is just outside of my comfort zone but is still absolutely manageable. I don’t know if they could’ve shaved off a few pounds on the internal components in order to have a lower weight but in the end is probably not necessary.

It measures 14.4” tall x 6.5” wide x 14.6” long.

Plugs and Ports

It is quite simple when it comes to ports and plugs on the Alpha. It has two 110/120v house plugs on the backside of it. Four 5v USB ports. One USB-C 45W port. One DC cigarette lighter style port rated to 9 amps. The charge port is rated to 60v and 10a.

What Do all The Ports and Plugs Do?

As far as the ports go, I really wish they would’ve added at least two more 110/120v house plugs because that is what I use the most. I don’t use the USB ports very much so I would’ve preferred more house plugs so I can plug more things in at one time.

There is also no 30amp RV plug which is too bad because that makes life so much easier when camping with an RV or camper. However, this system would be a bit light to run a lot of RV type items since the inverter is rated to 1000-watts. I’m glad they didn’t put an RV plug on there and then limit it to 10 amps or something like that because that would make it pointless.

Shelf Life

The user manual says that it should be used and charged every three months. I have never had an issue though that if I leave the unit charged at 100% and then come back to it in one year it still works perfectly fine and the battery is full.

Warranty

It comes with a complete 1-year manufacturer warranty. This is nice because since I use my solar generators often if there is an issue it will usually present itself in the first few uses. I think it is important that once people receive this item, they put it through its paces and see how well it works. If there are any manufacturer defects they will come up and it will be fixed quite easily.Reading the User Manual

Click Here to Buy the Alpha

 

 

Conclusion

Do I think that ExpertPower Alpha is worth having around? Yes. I think it’s a well put together product. There are just a couple things I would change but they are not big deals as previously mentioned.

I like that it will also fit easily into an XXL EMP Faraday Bag for protecting from an EMP attack as well as water, dust, and abrasion.

It is very competitively priced and seems to be worth every penny.

Continue ReadingExpertPower Alpha Generator Review