Page 4 - Test Results
To evaluate the BLUETTI FridgePower system, I put it through a series of tests. I am using a reduced test set in this review compared to my standard test set. The standard test set can see in reviews like the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2. The reason why I am using a reduced test set is because using an impact wrench or Vitamix blender is not a designed use case for the FridgePower. However, I will still retain the hair dryer test for loading purposes and the PC test for UPS response time.
First, I measured its battery life in a drain test. In order to do this, I used an electric heater that constantly draws 1016W of power, as shown in the photo above. The Display 1 screen showed 990W of output. Due to the laws of physics, it is not possible to get over 100% efficiency. It seems the system's displayed output number is a bit low. This is evidenced by the fact the heater shut off after 1 hour 42 minutes, which is 1727Wh. The FridgePower delivered 85.7% of the rated capacity, as the internal LiFePO4 battery is specified at 2016Wh. It is a bit lower than the Elite 200 V2, which delivered 97.8% of the rated capacity, but still reasonable nonetheless accounting for inverter and other losses. Adding the BlueCell 200 approximately doubled the runtime to 3 hours 19 minutes, which makes sense, since the BlueCell 200 has the exact same 2016Wh LiFePO4 battery.
The AC charging time is not given in the specifications. In my tests, the FridgePower's charge time from 0% to 80% was 1 hour 46 minutes in Standard mode. Adding the BlueCell 200 roughly doubled the charge time. For sound, I measured the internal fan to be 39.5dBA at 50cm in Standard mode.
I used my Conair hair dryers for high load testing. The purpose of this test was to see how the FridgePower worked with a high resistive load. The draw sustained at 1580W, which is below its 15A per plug limit.
To push the UPS to its limit, I connected two hair dryers to exceed the 1800W limit. The draw spiked to 2896W, and the FridgePower shut down with an error after about a second. Power Lifting mode was designed for this purpose, so I activated it and turned on both hair dryers to see how it functioned. It worked, but the output was capped at 1000W, which meant the hair dryers were not able to deliver heat at full speed simultaneously. I was surprised Power Lifting was capped at 1000W, since it can handle up to 1800W loads without Power Lifting.
Lastly, I plugged my entire desktop setup along with a wireless access point to the BLUETTI FridgePower. This included a desktop PC, two monitors, keyboard, Audioengine HD3 speakers, Corsair iCUE LT100 RGB LED lighting, and an ASUS ZenWiFi XD6 Wi-Fi node. The purpose of this test was to test variable power loads with sensitive electronic devices as well as its UPS function. The power output varied between 75W and 500W on the UPS. All my computers and electronics functioned as if it was connected to the grid with no unintended effects.
I also tested the UPS mode to test if the FridgePower's response time was fast enough to sustain connected computers in the event of a power failure. This test was conducted by connecting the FridgePower to a power strip with a switch. The power to the AC will be shut down at random intervals to see if my PC connected to the UPS will shut down, restart, or otherwise experience interruptions. The FridgePower's rated response time of 10ms was fast enough to sustain power with no issues to the connected devices. It was completely seamless, and I can say the BLUETTI FridgePower is fast enough to act as a UPS for your PC.
I do not see how this will not work with my fridge given its flawless operation with my PC setup, but since this product is called the FridgePower, I tried it on my Whirlpool fridge and repeated the same test as the one with my PC setup, seeing if the light would flicker or compressor will experience interruptions during operation. My fridge experienced no issues. The FridgePower worked as intended.
Overall, the BLUETTI FridgePower and BlueCell 200 delivered pretty good performance across the board in all my tests. Everything functioned pretty much exactly as designed, and the internal fan is reasonably quiet in all tested conditions.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. A Closer Look - Software
4. Test Results
5. Conclusion
