Off-Grid Tiny Home Power Upgrade: Wiring a Power Station for 30A Service

Two years ago, Dylan, better known as Mr. Health and Safety, built his tiny home from the ground up with one goal: be able to live in comfort off-grid throughout the entire year. And for the most part, it worked.

With a bit of ingenuity (and a lot of extension cords), he was able to power his lights, appliances, hot water tank, and Wi-Fi completely off-grid with solar panels and a basic battery system.

It wasn’t fancy, but it proved something that’s important to us here at The Solar Lab: you don’t need a complicated or expensive system to enjoy power independence. Instead, you just need some smart planning and the right gear.

However, after two years of living this way, Dylan felt it was time for an upgrade. The aim was to replace his original DIY wiring into a setup with proper 30-amp service. To make things simple, it would be powered by a Pecron F3000 Power Station, as it offers 3,072Wh of battery power, a 3,600W pure sine inverter, and a true 30A outlet.

If you’d like to see how Dylan previously upgraded the solar power system for his off grid cabin, you can also check that out: Simple Solar Power System Cabin Upgrade. However, if you just want to see how he stepped things up at his tiny home, let’s jump in.

Why Upgrade from Extension Cords to 30A Service?

When Dylan first built his off grid tiny home, the idea was mobility and flexibility, as well as keeping costs as low as possible. This is what motivated him to go with a power station and a bunch of extension cords.

Right away, he could plug his stuff into the power station, unplug it, toss the power station in his truck, and take it to a remote job site or his cabin.

That approach worked great, until it became clear he’d be spending more time at the tiny home and required a more permanent system. The original wiring used a collection of extension cords tied into the main line. 

It was functional, but not ideal long-term. Having that many extension cords and an overloaded power station probably wasn’t great for safety either, especially given Dylan’s nickname, “Health and Safety”.

So, the new plan was simple:

  • Add a breaker panel inside the tiny home.
  • Wire all circuits through it, including those for lighting, outlets, and hot water.
  • Connect that panel to a 30A service plug tied directly into the Pecron F3000’s built-in 30A outlet.

This would make the system cleaner, safer, and way easier to use. Instead of juggling cords and adapters, Dylan could now plug and play the entire house with one cable.

Installing the New Electrical Panel

Inside the tiny home, all the power lines meet under the kitchen sink. This is not exactly where most people would want their breaker panel, but when you’re working with tiny home layouts, you get creative with space.

Dylan mounted a small subpanel with:

  • One 30A main breaker, and
  • Several 15A breakers for individual circuits.

This setup allows the entire home to run off a single 30A feed, distributing power safely to the hot water tank, outlets, and lights.

As Dylan said, “If this were a traditional home, you wouldn’t want your panel under the sink,” Dylan says in the video, “but with limited space and everything sealed watertight, it works perfectly for a tiny home.

Once the panel was mounted, he connected:

  • The hot water tank to a shielded wire (since that wire exits through the trailer floor).
  • The lights and outlets through conduit into the walls.
  • The main feed to the 30A breaker, which ties to an exterior transfer switch.

Wiring the Transfer Switch and External Connections

On the outside of the tiny home, a friend helped install the 30A transfer switch, which connects to the Pecron F3000LFP Power Station via a weatherproof 30A RV-style plug.

This setup has two main benefits:

  • Versatility: It allows the tiny home to connect to a gas generator, power station, or even grid power if parked somewhere with hookups, like a campsite, trailer park, or just a friend’s property.
  • Safety: All power flows through a breaker-protected circuit, so there’s no sketchy cords or exposed connections.

All exterior conduit was also made rain-tight and watertight, and now feeds directly through the wall into the main breaker panel. From there, power is distributed to the loads, including the hot water tank, overhead lighting, and all of the tiny home’s outlets.

Basically, everything works just like a standard home electrical setup, only downsized.

Why Power the Tiny Home with a Pecron F3000?

While there are plenty of other power stations Dylan could have used for this type of tiny home upgrade, including the similarly named Anker SOLIX F3000, the Pecron F3000 offered quite a few things that made it a suitable choice.

For starters, this Pecron power station has a 3,600W inverter and a true 30A outlet, which means it can safely deliver full household-style power without derating like some other units. Many competing stations advertise a 30A plug, but that outlet only outputs 25A. Luckily, that’s not the case with the Pecron F3000.

On top of that, the Pecron F3000 is one of the cheapest power stations with a 30-amp plug on the market today. The battery capacity is also expandable to 9,000Wh, and the 1,600W solar input means it can be solar charged quickly whenever sun is available.

Putting it All Together

Once everything was wired up, Dylan plugged the home directly into the Pecron power station and flipped the switch. The results? Instant power throughout the tiny home.

The hot water tank worked perfectly, the kitchen range hood was smooth, and even the internet router and TV received full power.  As Dylan put it, “At night, you’d never know we’re off-grid.

The fact he retains the ability to unplug the power station and take it with him, or even expand it with extra batteries, means this system offers a really impressive degree of flexibility.

Now, Dylan could have gone with something like an EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra or an Anker F3800 Plus, but both of these power stations would be bulkier and significantly more expensive.

Solar Charging and Backup Options

Like before, this tiny home’s electrical system is meant to run as an off-grid solar power system, so the Pecron can still be charged during the day with his existing solar panels. On sunny days, this solar array generates far more power than he uses.

But when the weather turns cloudy or snowy, he’s also got a small gas generator on standby. The Pecron F3000 can recharge from AC power or solar, so connecting the generator to its input port provides instant backup charging.

In our opinion, that flexibility (solar when available, gas generator when not) should be the cornerstone of any reliable off-grid solar power system.

The Results: Safe, Simple, and Reliable

The difference between the old and new systems is night and day.

Before, the tiny home relied on temporary cords and split feeds. Now, every circuit is properly protected and tied into a professional-style breaker panel, all powered by a single, plug-in connection to the Pecron F3000.

And the best part? It still maintains all the off-grid benefits Dylan wanted: mobility, flexibility, and solar independence. It might not seem like much changed, but everything is cleaner and the wiring is much safer.

Final Thoughts on Power Stations for Tiny Homes

For anyone powering a tiny home, off-grid cabin, food truck, or mobile workspace, the Pecron F3000 is a great example of how to bridge the gap between plug-and-play portability and full-home functionality.

With its true 30A plug, high inverter capacity, and ability to quickly charge via solar panels or a generator, it’s the perfect fit for off-grid builds that want simplicity without sacrificing performance.

If you’re considering a similar upgrade, start by checking your current wiring, planning for a proper 30A feed, and making sure you use weatherproof conduit and breakers for safety. Then, all you need is the right power station to bring it to life.

We’d highly recommend the Pecron F3000 for similar setups, but if you’re not sure which power station best fits your specific setup, you can take our Power Station Quiz for an instant recommendation.

🛒 Shop the Pecron F3000LFP Portable Power Station:

Check Price at Pecron: https://www.pecron.com /pecron-f3000lfp

Check Price at Shop Solar: https://shopsolarkits.com/pecron-f3000