Tiny Home - EcoFlow Integration

For this project, Moon Off-Grid teamed up with TRAILS Adaptive, the University of Utah Health's global adaptive program at the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital. They are transforming this tiny home into a mobile lodge to facilitate the "recreation, sports, wellness and education needs of people with complex physical injury or disease." It will be used at events in various remote locations for skiing, water sports, and other outdoor activities.

The team at TRAILS reached out to us for help on the electrical side of the project. The main goal is to have a backup power source that can power the entire tiny home in the event of a grid outage, as well as something that can power the 240V mini-split despite only having a 15A 120V outlet available on-site.

There are a few project requirements that led us to choosing the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 as the source of power:
- The system needs to be able to output 120/240V split-phase power with only 120V input.
- The system needs to be able to occasionally output more than 15A without tripping the grid breaker.
- The system needs to be portable/removable from the tiny home if needed for other events.

We installed a 30A 120/240V generator inlet for the EcoFlow to power the tiny home, a dedicated charging circuit for the EcoFlow, and a generator lockout kit in the main electrical panel. This allows the DELTA Pro 3 to power the tiny home whether it's on-grid or off-grid. And if the portable power station is removed, the tiny home can be plugged in and used like normal. We installed the inlet and outlet in the loft of the tiny home as to not be in the way while the home is being used.

From the manufacturer, the mini-split wiring was not done properly nor safely. Despite needing 240VAC, they used a standard household NEMA 5-15 plug and receptacle which is designed for 120V, but they had it wired for 240V. Meaning that if anyone plugged in a normal 120V appliance into that outlet, they were in for quite the surprise! It was replaced with a single dedicated 20A 240V NEMA 6-20 plug and receptacle.

We also installed the EcoFlow PowerInsight monitor, which allows anyone inside the home to know critical system information without needing to have the app setup on their phone. This is great for knowing the power draw and battery state-of-charge at any given time. Those in charge of the TRAILS program are able to view the system remotely, monitor its status, and check its performance over time.

This tiny home is now better equipped to withstand any power outages in the dead of winter or the heat of summer. And it will make sure that all events have the power they need. Stay tuned for more upgrades coming soon!

Learn more about the TRAILS Adaptive program here: www.utrails.us

*Note that at the time we finished our portion of the project, the TRAILS team was still in the middle of refurbishing the interior. That is why the pictures still show the walls and flooring removed. The portable power station and extra batteries will be moved to the loft after transporting the tiny home to its destination.