When your Goal Zero Yeti 6000X displays an exclamation point and takes forever to charge
When we’re actively in our van, monitoring battery health happens multiple times a day. For the latest status, we can look at the face of our Goal Zero, or connect to the Goal Zero app via WiFi or Bluetooth.
When we have alternate sleep accommodations, we’re less diligent about checking the battery’s status, and we’ve accidentally let it run empty more than once.
Why don’t we just turn off the Goal Zero when we’re not staying in the van? Sometimes we do, but our two Dometic coolers are generally full. Relocating our refrigerated and frozen foods isn’t always possible.
However, we can preserve energy by toggling the Goal Zero’s AC port off, killing power to appliances not in use like our induction burner and air conditioner. Our Dometic coolers run on 12-volt so we can leave the 12V option toggled on.
How we charge our Goal Zero Yeti 6000X
Exterior shore power port. Plugging into a 3-prong 110-volt outlet, or 30-amp or 50-amp outlet (with a converter), is the best option. After 12 hours, the battery should be close to full again.
Van alternator. We can start up our Mercedes Sprinter van and charge via alternator while driving or idling. This is great for a quick boost if the battery is running low and we don’t have immediate access to shore power. A long day of driving won’t take the battery from 0% to full though.
Rooftop solar. This is the slowest option and not the best if the battery is low or at 0%. It’s best if we cease all power usage for there to be a net positive effect on the battery. Otherwise, we’ll just be maintaining the current status.
Troubleshooting steps if your Goal Zero Yeti 6000X won’t charge
We had a recent experience where just plugging into a wall outlet when the battery hit 0% turned into a couple of hours of troubleshooting.
We were visiting friends who offered a comfy spare bedroom, as well as a heated oversize garage for our van to stay out of the elements.
The garage had several 110 wall plugs to keep our Goal Zero topped off, but we weren’t plugging in regularly. Between charging the battery during outings (alternator and solar) and our limited use of the battery, we assumed the battery was maintaining enough juice.
But one morning I went out to the garage and noticed that the Goal Zero was completely drained. I thought, no big deal, I’ll plug it into a 110 plug and it’ll be close to full in the evening.
Well, upon checking the charging status after about 10 hours, the battery had only recharged to 7%. It really should’ve been closer to 80% and the Goal Zero was estimating Time to Full at another 5 days!
In addition, the display on the Goal Zero was showing a suspicious exclamation point without an error message.
I couldn’t get my Goal Zero app to connect to the Yeti via WiFi or Bluetooth, so I had to open the back doors of the van to get a direct look at the Goal Zero’s display.
I didn’t think to capture any photos while all of this was happening, so here’s an image from the app after the fact to help you understand what values I was looking at.
Power In was only fluctuating in the 50 W range, but it’s supposed to charge at more than 500 W.
Troubleshooting step #1
I decided to unplug the van and plug it back in.
When I saw Power In work its way up to over 500 W, I was briefly relieved. But then it slowly started backing all the way down to 50 W again.
Troubleshooting step #2
I thought maybe the wall plug I chose was bad, so I switched to another plug. Nope, not the case. Power In worked its way up to over 500 W as before, but again decreased to 50 W.
Troubleshooting step #3
I wasn’t super worried about it quite yet and thought a reset might fix the problem. Several reset attempts were made. No go.
Troubleshooting step #4
Next step was a hard reset. That didn’t work either.
At that point, I was starting to get mildly worried. Did we injure the battery by letting it drain to 0%? Please don’t say we’re going to need a replacement!
Troubleshooting step #5
I started researching online and came across this article:
While the issue reported wasn’t an exact match, the following suggestion from a Goal Zero tech was noteworthy:
We suggest charging it via the USB-C PD port. This is a direct connection to the battery and will allow the voltage of the battery increase to a point that will let you charge via the power supply again.
Seemed like a worthy troubleshooting step, but it gave me a different idea.
As previously mentioned, our Goal Zero charges via shore power, solar, and the van’s alternator when the engine is running.
It was dark outside so there was no way to test the solar, but why not try turning on the engine?
With the engine on, the Goal Zero was charging normally. Thankfully! Power In was above 700 W.
Troubleshooting step #6
After a half hour of charging via alternator, turning off the engine, and plugging back into the wall, success!
The battery was charging above 500 W as expected. By the time we drove out for skiing the next morning, it had recharged to 93%.
Other troubleshooting suggestions
In my research, I also saw a suggestion to try a different AC power cord. Our friends had one on hand, but fortunately, we never had to use it.
Charging via the USB-C PD port would’ve been a worthy troubleshooting step as well.
How to avoid running the Goal Zero down to 0%
I’m so glad we know what to do if this happens again, but we really ought to avoid letting the battery go to 0%.
There is a Charge Profile setting on the Yeti 6000X that will keep the battery from draining completely. We normally keep ours set to Balanced (2% – 95%).
For whatever reason, our Charge Profile was set to Performance (0% – 100%) on the day we hit 0%.
Closing side note: Goal Zero appears to be discontinuing the Yeti 6000X, but I can’t find an official statement from Goal Zero. While there is limited inventory for purchase at a heavy discount, sites like REI note, “This item is discontinued.”
After more than two years, I love our Yeti 6000X. If we ever need to replace it, hopefully we can still find one. Moving away from our current unit could mean a replacement that doesn’t fit the allotted space underneath our van’s bed.
Here are some solutions I would consider:
What solutions you would recommend?
