Hello,
Brand new to portable power and looking for some quick help with a power solution question.
Specifically I am interested in the Yeti 400 for all the reason others are - in summary it's a slick package.! However, I want to expand past the 33ah internal battery. While I know I can chain multiple Yetis together I am looking for a cheaper solution, even if it voids the warranty.
In previous threads I read Matts statement that you can chain another battery to increase the ah rating. I understand how this would work in theory by adding another 12vdc battery in parallel.
Before buying a Yeti and breaking into it I am looking to answer a few questions:
-What type of battery should be used? (Match Yetis type?)
-what is the max ah battery can be connected and they system still works properly?
-Any suggestion of a specific battery to connect to the Yeti? (Looking to push past 100 ah if possible)
Thank you for your time!
I was contemplating this myself when I upgraded to a Yeti400 along with my Extreme350 because I wanted the digital readout with input and output wattage on the Yeti and I wasn't going to recoup the cost of the new battery I installed in the 350. But you can add another battery to double capacity for just the cost of a battery and some wire. So, you can have around 70amp hours of capacity with the addition of another 33 to 35 amp hour group U battery you can find on Amazon from $60 to $100. Add some 10 gauge wire with anderson connectors and connect/chain it to your Yeti for the same capacity as an Optima yellow Top group 27 (66 amp hrs) with the convenience of an inverter, USB, charge controller, auto battery separation and solar plug-n-play. The key here is to only connect similar size batteries and similar condition batteries, so only 33-35 amp hours group U with the Yeti and your new battery in good condition. GZ says you can chain up to 4 Extreme350 or Yeti400s together but again, they need to be similar capacity for adequate charging. That said, if you chain 4 33amp hr batteries together, it is going to take a lot of solar or a long time to charge them up but you will have a lot of capacity.
I bought this as my replacement 35am hr battery (
http://www.amazon.com/VMAX857-Battery-Performance-minnkota-trolling/dp/B008974VFG/) but it was about $20 cheaper when I bought it. It was a direct replacement for the Extreme350 or Yeti400. There are other 35 amp hr sealed lead acid batteries for around $70 that will probably work fine, but they aren't AGM.
I am working on a solution to secure the Extreme350 in the spare tire location with anderson connectors to the Yeti above next to my ARB fridge which will be wired into my Blue Sea fusebox in the rear of my range rover. I then will have my modified ARB plug into the 8mm output into the ARB. Previously, I was using anderson connectors from the 350 to the ARB and killed my GZ battery prematurely because the Anderson plugs bypass the battery protection. Do not use the anderson plugs to run devices from.
I bought my new Yeti400 from the Costco roadshow for $350, an excellent price. Search for goalzero roadshow to find the schedule at a Costco near you.
Is this by any chance, the JBriggs from DefenderSource? If so, please PM me.
