Ecoflow River 2 issues with DC output

[Vetekli]

So i recently got myself a Ecoflow River 2 on the black friday sale. Through the AC outlet it powers my Tunze wavemaker for 14 hours, which i thought was okay but not great. So i thought i would use the DC outlet instead for better efficiency, i got myself one of those car outlet to dc cables.

Plugged it in, realized its only 12v and the tunze controller normally runs on 24v. However it does also run on 12v (Tunzes own safety connector supports 12v batteries), but it runs slower. No problem, i dont even use my wavemaker above 50% so i just increased the flow percent. Worked well, i now had 60 hours on battery. But! Then the controller started to act super strange, switching modes without me touching the buttons, leds flashing etc. I soon realized this happens when the ecoflow is charging its battery and providing power through dc at the same time. Has anyone else had this problem? Seems like theres some kind of interferance/instability on the dc output when its charging. Once its done charging the controller functions normally again.

 

[Troylee]

@telegraham

 

[Vetekli]

I realized that the river has a USB-c port that can deliver 12v and there are cheap USB-c to DC cables so i think ill give that a try.

I did try a dc step up to 24v but that thing broke after a few minutes.

 

[telegraham]

I soon realized this happens when the ecoflow is charging its battery and providing power through dc at the same time. Has anyone else had this problem?

I don’t have Tunze gear, so I can’t test this specific problem, but I haven’t experienced the problem you describe. Might you have a friend with an EcoFlow?

I did try a dc step up to 24v but that thing broke after a few minutes.

You connected a 12 to 24V boost converter, and the boost converter fried?

 

[Vetekli]

I don’t have Tunze gear, so I can’t test this specific problem, but I haven’t experienced the problem you describe. Might you have a friend with an EcoFlow?

You connected a 12 to 24V boost converter, and the boost converter fried?

I tested some more and def the problem occurs only when the ecoflow is charging the battery. When its not charging it works fine. Sadly i dont have a friend with an ecoflow, i think ill try the USB-C to DC route.

Yes well the boost converter is this one: https://www.turascandinavia.com/en/products/computer/power-charging/12v/200009

It did work at first but after a while it started making scary noises like loud buzzing and other weird electrical noise. Kind of like a tune that changed pitch. Im not sure but this might also have happened when the ecoflow was charging. I unplugged it quickly and now whenever i plug it in at 24v mode it makes that sound and the ecoflow reports 60-70 w draw even though the booster is not connected to anything. The other voltages seem to not have this issue.

EDIT: I have the new tunze controllers with cloud function.

 

[telegraham]

I apologize for not being able to test your specific problem, and if you're within the return window, I would contact EcoFlow to see about a return. If you are not within the return window, consider a DC-to-DC converter such as this. https://a.co/d/9x7A44U

 

[VintageReefer]

How many watts are you pulling when in ac and dc mode?

Unfortunately your only options are ac mode, which would be seamless when charging, or dc mode, which Is limited to 12v on that model, and if it’s a 24v native controller that’s pulling 12v you are possibly maxing out the unit. When it charges it’s pulling a lot of amps and it might not be able to handle having a direct dc to dc feed, while also trying to charge the battery. Running through the inverter would allow it, regardless of 12 or 24v as that’s well under the 1000w rating of the inverter.

I would give all the specs of your setup - volts, watts, to ecotech and ask if the unit is powerful enough to handle this draw on the dc or usb outlets

 

[VintageReefer]

Usb specs

Would need to identify what type of usb c is built in the unit

 

[VintageReefer]

Why dont you just power a dc return pump? I get 30+ hours using a dc return pump on my station’s a/c port

 

[telegraham]

Unfortunately your only options are ac mode, which would be seamless when charging, or dc mode, which Is limited to 12v on that model, and if it’s a 24v native controller that’s pulling 12v you are possibly maxing out the unit.

With the addition of a boost converter, the EcoFlow supports higher voltage devices. Using a boost converter, I've powered my 24V return pump with the River 2. https://a.co/d/dorznYV

 

[Swede's Reef]

^ I used a stepup 12 to 24v converter with my River 2 Pro and it has been working fine for abou9+ months. I run my return at around 20w. No issues. When I added my wave pumps it maxed drew a bit to much current. My current setup is return and Nero 3 on dc. The rest is plugged into ac which I can shut down if I have an extended outage. Works great.

 

[Vetekli]

So i got the USB-C to 12V dc cable today but sadly the problem is exactly the same. The controller freaks out while the river 2 is charging, otherwise it works well. The River 2 has USB-C PD so the shouldnt be a problem. The power draw is only 8w on full power according to the app.

According to chatgpt the controller is likely sensitive to ripple or noise generated by the River 2’s charging circuit. I will try an old tunze controller i have and see if it has any problems. I dont have a sump so i cant run a return pump on it.

Annoying since this makes it unusable with DC-DC for me, it switches away from the cloud mode to manual and analog.

 

[Vetekli]

So i tried my old tunze pump with 12v DC and it also has problems while the river 2 is charging, it doesnt swap modes but it does turn off for a few seconds at a time. Dont really know if a 12-24V will fix this?

 

[VintageReefer]

What’s the power draw when connected via ac inverter outlet

 

[Vetekli]

What’s the power draw when connected via ac inverter outlet

21 watts with pump on full power.

Well i think it might have found a soloution. I had no idea i could charge the river 2 through USB-C. I happened to have a 65W USB-C charger at home so i hooked that up as a charger and connected the Tunze controller to the 12v output and the problem seems to be gone. BUT, then when i connected the Tunze controller to the AC side again to check the power draw it started acting weird again, which i have never seen before on AC.

Super strange but it seems like the DC-output becomes unstable when i charge through AC and the AC-output becomes unstable when i charge through DC (USB-C). Will test some more tomorrow.

 

[VintageReefer]

21 watts with pump on full power.

Well i think it might have found a soloution. I had no idea i could charge the river 2 through USB-C. I happened to have a 65W USB-C charger at home so i hooked that up as a charger and connected the Tunze controller to the 12v output and the problem seems to be gone. BUT, then when i connected the Tunze controller to the AC side again to check the power draw it started acting weird again, which i have never seen before on AC.

Super strange but it seems like the DC-output becomes unstable when i charge through AC and the AC-output becomes unstable when i charge through DC (USB-C). Will test some more tomorrow.

Can you dual charge ? Many units support this but I’m not sure on the eco flow

 

[VintageReefer]

21 watts with pump on full power.

Well i think it might have found a soloution. I had no idea i could charge the river 2 through USB-C. I happened to have a 65W USB-C charger at home so i hooked that up as a charger and connected the Tunze controller to the 12v output and the problem seems to be gone. BUT, then when i connected the Tunze controller to the AC side again to check the power draw it started acting weird again, which i have never seen before on AC.

Super strange but it seems like the DC-output becomes unstable when i charge through AC and the AC-output becomes unstable when i charge through DC (USB-C). Will test some more tomorrow.

Is yours the 256 wh river 2?

 

[Vetekli]

Is yours the 256 wh river 2?

Yes that is correct. I dont know if it can dual charge but i think just 65w through the USB-C is enough for me.

EDIT: Seems like dual charge is a no on river 2.

 

[Vetekli]

I have tested some more and the problem is gone when charging through DC (USB-C). The pump works on 12v but the power is lower, not a problem for me though since i was running the pump 34% at peak. I just changed it to 68 %. The river 2 then gives me an estimate of 60 hours runtime on battery, which im very happy with.

The inverter AC seems to draw lots of power even if nothing is plugged in. When the AC outlet is on but nothing is plugged in (and pump running on 12vc DC) the estimate is 16 hours.

 

[VintageReefer]

I have tested some more and the problem is gone when charging through DC (USB-C). The pump works on 12v but the power is lower, not a problem for me though since i was running the pump 34% at peak. I just changed it to 68 %. The river 2 then gives me an estimate of 60 hours runtime on battery, which im very happy with.

The inverter AC seems to draw lots of power even if nothing is plugged in. When the AC outlet is on but nothing is plugged in (and pump running on 12vc DC) the estimate is 16 hours.

That’s a incredible increase!

So your charging from usb c
Inverter is off

And how do you connect to the wavemaker? Are you using usb or dc Jack? Any step up converters ?