Introduction

Portable power stations are becoming an increasingly popular option for many people. Interruptions with power supplies and worries over social instability have led many people to invest in reliable backup generators to keep their lights on.

The Bluetti ac200p is one such generator. While it’s a great option for those who are looking to keep their house powered during an outage, or for taking on a camping trip over a long weekend, issues with the generator can crop up.

In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common issues with the Bluetti ac200p. Some of these problems could be deal-breakers for you, others are relatively minor.

We’ll also compare the ac200p to some of its competitors to see how it performs. Using this article as a guide, you’ll be able to find the right generator to fit your needs.

What is the Bluetti ac200p?

The Bluetti ac200p is a recently released portable power station from MaxOak. This is the same company that brought us the massively popular Bluetti eb150 and eb240.

The ac200p is a large capacity (2,000 Wh), high output (2,000 W) device. It’s got plenty of power outlets and adapters, so it’s capable of powering almost any appliance for a good while.

We’ve already done a review of the Bluetti ac200p where we cover this device in more depth. But to boil it down, we think it’s an innovative battery with a high-powered inverted and a host of charging ports. 

Known Issues with Bluetti ac200p

Unfortunately, the Bluetti ac200p is not without its faults. Despite the fact that the generator has only been on the market for just over 12 months, users have reported a variety of issues.

Some of these problems have a relatively simple solution, others could prevent you from getting the most out of your generator. If you’re considering buying the ac200p, read over the list and see if any of these issues are a deal-breaker for you.

It’s important to remember that these problems only affect a small percentage of the devices. The reviews for the Bluetti ac200p are overwhelmingly positive, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore any of the issues that exist.

Solar Charging

One of the features which attract many people to buying a portable power station is the option to charge the device using photovoltaic cells. Not only is solar power a free source of energy to power your house, but it’s also carbon-free and good for the environment.

The ac200p is rated to fully charge under 700W of solar power after 3.5 hours. But getting the best ac200p charge time is easier said than done. 

One commonly reported issue is that the generator will not charge with anything less than 300W of power. This may not seem like much, but adverse weather conditions can reduce the output of your solar cells.

Getting 300W of power on a cloudy day could take up to 4 solar panels, which significantly adds to the price of the Bluetti ac200p generator. Anything less, and the battery simply won’t gather energy.

Comparing the ac200p vs the Bluetti eb240 we can see why this is such an issue. The eb240 will fully charge in half a day with only a single solar panel.

Temperature Control

A good portable generator should be able to handle fluctuations in temperature. 

This can become a problem for people using the ac200p as a backup in emergency situations. Severe cold snaps, as we’ve seen in Texas, can threaten local electricity supplies, which is when you’ll want your generator in full swing.

There have been a few reports of the NTC (negative temperature coefficient) resistor in the device returning unreliable information. The resistor is fragile and has been known to break during shipping.

Error code E021, which causes the device to shut off to protect itself from severe temperature effects, has been showing up at normal room temperature. 

Irregular error codes are driving people elsewhere to find a sturdy, reliable power station. Comparing the Jackery 1500 vs Bluetti ac200p reveals that portable generators really can be built to last.

This has also caused many people to be concerned about the longevity of the battery. If the temperature control is off, the device won’t shut off and protect itself at the times when it’s really necessary.

Wireless Charging

Wireless charging has become a popular feature in many mobile devices over the last few years. The Bluetti ac200p is one of the only portable generators with built-in wireless charging pads on the market.

The two wireless charging pads at the top of the device are rated with a shared 15W discharge. Ideally, this would fully charge your phone’s battery in about 3 hours. This time is doubled as soon as you charge two devices simultaneously.

The biggest issue with the ac200p’s wireless charging capability is the fickle charging pads. The area where the charging coils underneath the pads are so small that even the slightest shift will stop the generator from charging your phone.

The coils have also been known to be dislodged from the pads when moving the generator about, an obvious red flag for what’s supposed to be a portable device.

Battery Stability

A battery’s stability is the overall measure of how well the device holds and discharges its power. It’s perhaps the single most important feature of a portable power station.

The Bluetti ac200p has an impressive 2,000 Wh capacity, which makes it one of the largest batteries on the market. However, despite the large capacity, some users have reported sudden, unexpected discharges that cause their devices to shut down.

It’s hard to say where the source of this issue lies. In some reports, the LED display will show a partial charge (say 45%) before suddenly dropping to 0% and powering down. 

This could either be caused by imperfect measuring tools or a faulty connection resulting in a short.

There’s also the issue of passive discharge: the rate at which the battery discharges power even when no devices are plugged into the generator. Some level of passive discharge is normal in all batteries, but the ac200p is known to perform poorly.

Some users have noted a discharge rate as high as 2% an hour. So without being used, a fully charged device could be depleted after 3 days of sitting on the shelf.  

Warranty and Customer Support

If you are one of the unlucky few who have a defective unit, the level of customer service you receive will drastically shape your feelings about the product.

According to the battery specifications of the Bluetti ac200p, the device comes with a 24-month warranty. For a little extra, you can get an extended warranty which will cover the generator for up to 4 years.

This sounds impressive, and if you’re expecting to use the power station regularly, extending the warranty is probably a good decision. However, the people who have had issues with their devices have also reported slow responses from the support team.

We have a sneaking suspicion that their customer support service is outsourced, which means that no one you speak to on the phone or over email is authorized to make a proper decision.

In comparison to one of their biggest competitors, the EcoFlow Delta 1300, Bluetti’s ac200p customer care and warranty services are severely lacking.

What’s more, of the customers who have had to return their generators owing to operational issues, many of them have not had their warranties honored, leaving them hundreds of dollars out of pocket.

Bluetti ac200p Error Codes

We don’t want to make it sound as if the Bluetti ac200p is all bad. Despite the reported issues with the device floating around online, it has a lot to offer the average user and makes for an excellent emergency power source.

Fortunately for us, the ac200p comes with an LED display unit that warns you about any issues in the generator. We’ll cover some of the most common error messages here.

Error Code 006

This error message is returned when the ac200p is plugged into a power source, but the voltage coming from the socket is too low to charge the battery. Some users have reported this message even when plugged into a 110V wall socket.

If your ac200p is giving you this message, the battery will not store a charge until the problem is resolved.

Bluetti has responded, saying that there are several issues that could be causing this message. The first is that the adapter isn’t plugged in securely or that something is obstructing the charging port.

If cleaning the port and jimmying the plug doesn’t fix it, people have had luck simply restarting the device.

Error Code 002

This is a sign that your photovoltaic cells are not connected properly. Displaying error code 2, the device will still be able to discharge power, but it will not store a charge from solar power.

One common complaint is that this message is displayed even when no solar connections are present. This is indicative of a faulty MPPT charge controller causing the battery to expect a solar charge when there is none.

Try to restart the device and if the problem persists you should contact Bluetti’s customer support. Make sure you take a picture of the problem as well as a record of the error code history which is available through the onboard menu system.

Bluetti will need this information in order to provide you with a refund.

Conclusion

The Bluetti ac200p is an impressive device with a large range of uses, but the longer this device remains on the market, the more people have been finding issues with it.

This doesn’t mean it’s not a worthwhile purchase, far from it. As we’ve said before, the overwhelming majority of users have been happy with their purchases. You only need to look at the Amazon review page to see that most people are enjoying their ac200p.

But if you’re going to commit serious money to a portable power station, you need to know any of the possible issues which may arise while using it. 

It also helps to know how it compares to other generators on the market to make the decision that’s best for you.

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