Bargain lithium battery.

Martin P said:
Thanks. We have a Calira system which states a max battery capacity of 200 amps. It also provides for 240v breaker, split charging and 12v distribution
We have two 190 watt panels on the roof. Gas fridge ,gas truma so its just led lights, water pump, heating blower , tv and phone charger. Even if we max out on 12v usage overnight our 2 x110 lead acids are back to full charge by 11am on the cloudiest of days.
The only reason thinking of switching to lithium is weight really. If we go onto a site we never get a hookup so why would we need a mains charger. And if the solar keeps the batterys topped up why do we need a b2b thingy
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Lithium is quite a weight saver, most of the newer batteries are also considerably smaller too now that manufacturers have stopped building them into oversized cases in an attempt to make it look like you were getting more for your money.
If you follow the rule of only discharging LA to 50% then a 100Ah lithium would be the same as your current 200Ah of lead acid, albeit without any safety margin. Also bare in mind that your LAs will have lost capacity depending on their age.
Like yourself, I can't remember the last time I used the B2B either since I upped the solar to 240W. We do tend to be fair weather campers though.
 
Btb will be required in dark winter mths, mains charger not realy required, except for starter battery, how ever if you use a votronic mppt regulator it will give 1ah to starter battery, 2/3 mths of dark winter you may either take a we run or use a small smart charger for engine battery, liths will hold for months.
 
The reason you need a b2b is that the lower internal resistance of lithium batteries could draw so much current that the alternator would be burned out.
I explained that in post #118
 
Geek said:
The reason you need a b2b is that the lower internal resistance of lithium batteries could draw so much current that the alternator would be burned out.
I explained that in post #118
Click to expand...
Thing is, Lithium is only around half the resistance of lead acid therefore a 100Ah lithium is approximately the same internal resistance as 200Ah of lead acid. People have been doubling up there lead acid for years without a second thought for this action 'burning out their alternator ' .
Fact is the vast majority of motorhomes have sufficient cable length between alternator and leisure battery that the halving of the battery resistance pales into insignificance compared to the cable resistance.
Lithium's voltage over the bulk of its charge cycle is higher than lead acid, therefore the voltage differential is less and therefore the current is lower than lead acid.
I'm planning a revamp of my system and my B2B is coming out and I'm charging directly with the alternator, with the correct cable length and guage the current can be controlled to give me what I want.
 
@MERL
So are you saying that, with the caveats and provisos you describe in posts #119 and #124, Lifepo4 really can be a drop in replacement?
 
number14 said:
@MERL
So are you saying that, with the caveats and provisos you describe in posts #119 and #124, Lifepo4 really can be a drop in replacement?
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Yes, it's possible to remove a lead acid and replace it with a lifepo4 as long as certain provisos are adhered to and you understand that it your van wont behave in exactly the same way. The provisos range in importance on a scale from not particularly important to EXTREAMLY important and it's impossible to cover every scenario in a post on here ie.
The lithium battery will almost certainly not charge as fast via the alternator over the final 3/4 of it's charge cycle. (See the important point below though!)
Your existing battery level panel meter will be completely useless and will tell you your battery is always 100% until it then changes almost instantly and says it's flat!
To the more important point that when the battery is completely exhausted the alternator current will exceed the old lead acid current for a short period of time so you must make sure your wiring is protected with an appropriate fuse (which it should already be BTW) just in case you have a flat leisure battery AND you start your engine.
All of the points can be covered, most mains chargers and solar charge controllers will be fine but as you can see from the above the biggest issue is the variable charge current you'll get from the alternator, I guess it's all about whether you protect against/tolerate this variable alternator current or simply fit a B2B, most folks will chose the latter because the issue is cured by spending money rather than by testing and spending time, they are also sticking with conventional wisdom and not 'risking it' by following the advice of some guy on a forum which is understandable.
If you're interested and have a reasonable level of electrical knowledge then I'll gladly go through things with you and explain further. Just PM me.
 
Think I mentioned on a different post, I thought I had disabled my split charge circuit that run via my EBL when I first fitted lifepo4 in late 2018. Late last year I found that, in fact, the split charger was still active and has been all the time. It was never an option to use it to recharge my Hab bank as most I ever saw from it was 9A if memory serves. It does explain why I always thought my Votronic 30A B2B was super efficient though lol

I know the cables for the original split charge on mine are fused at starter battery and at Hab battery end with both a 50A Fues and a piggy back 2A fuse but that's about it.

Not suggesting anyone just sets up a normal split charge relay, mentioning in case Merl or someone wants to play around. Personally I would always use either a B2B or a Lifepo4 split charge relay like Jeff has fitted. Done me 8 years now so know it works and they get used, none of this 80%/20% rubbish. Nothing in the van really works if I let them go flat (around 10V displayed on the shunt I thin) so do try to keep them above 20%SoC mostly.
 
Trying to get my heed roon this thread. Now I bought two of these ecoworthy 300 amp batteries yesterday mainly because of size and will fit directly in where the old ones are. I was looking at fogstar but there’s a 60 day wait for those. My van came with two 100 Exide marine gel batteries. I’m planning on plopping these straight in. It’s a new van so I was hoping I wouldn’t have to change anything else. But after reading this my heeds buzzed.
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Upgrade your power solutions with Eco-Worthy's 12V300Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Bluetooth with SOC LEDs and Low Temp Protection when the data-collector be connected, so you can remote monitoring and control you battery through the ECO-WORTHY Smart APP, ensuring real-time access to...
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Wully said:
Trying to get my heed roon this thread. Now I bought two of these ecoworthy 300 amp batteries yesterday mainly because of size and will fit directly in where the old ones are. I was looking at fogstar but there’s a 60 day wait for those. My van came with two 100 Exide marine gel batteries. I’m planning on plopping these straight in. It’s a new van so I was hoping I wouldn’t have to change anything else. But after reading this my heeds buzzed.
uk.eco-worthy.com

ECO-WORTHY 12V 300AH Lifepo4 Lithium Battery Bluetooth with SOC LEDs and Low Temp Protection | Eco Worthy

Upgrade your power solutions with Eco-Worthy's 12V300Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Bluetooth with SOC LEDs and Low Temp Protection when the data-collector be connected, so you can remote monitoring and control you battery through the ECO-WORTHY Smart APP, ensuring real-time access to...
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Click to expand...

I would take professional advice if I were you Wully, you don't want to get it wrong.

You won't regret going Lithium, I also have 2 x 300ah and they're brilliant. I'm learning slowly, but no way could I have installed them myself safely.
 
Wully said:
It’s a new van
Click to expand...
If it's a new or recently built van then it'll have a 'smart' alternator. I don't know how you use the van and how much solar you have but if you're relying on alternator charging whilst driving then you'll need a B2B charger due to the smart alternator. The van may have one already installed though.
 
I still have the two 100amp rellions I had in my big van I stuck them in the new van last week and they work fine but need more capacity Rob. It has a setting for lithium. But reading that thread some of the thought and brain work folk put into it just makes my heed spin. Electrical stuff isn’t my strong point.
 
Hi Chris. When I traded the big van in I took some bits and bobs out as they don’t pay you for extras. But I left the inverter two quality Avtex tvs the refillable gas bottles all the solar stuff. New vans got loads of gadgets and after testing it out last weekend she’s pretty power hungry. I was lucky I had two big Safefill gas bottles that went straight in I thought I’d get away with the 200amp lithium’s I have but not enough juice in them. Better to do all my upgrades now and get the use from them.
 
Wully said:
Hi Chris. When I traded the big van in I took some bits and bobs out as they don’t pay you for extras. But I left the inverter two quality Avtex tvs the refillable gas bottles all the solar stuff. New vans got loads of gadgets and after testing it out last weekend she’s pretty power hungry. I was lucky I had two big Safefill gas bottles that went straight in I thought I’d get away with the 200amp lithium’s I have but not enough juice in them. Better to do all my upgrades now and get the use from them.
Click to expand...

With the Lithiums Wully you'll be able to use an Airfryer and Microwave off grid so you won't need to worry about getting short of LPG.
 
Wully said:
Hi Chris. When I traded the big van in I took some bits and bobs out as they don’t pay you for extras. But I left the inverter two quality Avtex tvs the refillable gas bottles all the solar stuff. New vans got loads of gadgets and after testing it out last weekend she’s pretty power hungry. I was lucky I had two big Safefill gas bottles that went straight in I thought I’d get away with the 200amp lithium’s I have but not enough juice in them. Better to do all my upgrades now and get the use from them.
Click to expand...
We fitted panels from city plumbing ( thanks again Rob) fogstar batteries and all Victron gear. I use air fryer, microwave, kettle, toaster, coffee machine, induction hob and we also have a 230v fridge & freezer which is permanently on. I’d never go back to gas again.
 
Merl what do you think of the specs on those Ecoworthy batteries I got. I thought they looked alright with some nice features but I picked the wife because of looks but never looked at the spec look where that got me.🤣

uk.eco-worthy.com

ECO-WORTHY 12V 300AH Lifepo4 Lithium Battery Bluetooth with SOC LEDs and Low Temp Protection | Eco Worthy

Upgrade your power solutions with Eco-Worthy's 12V300Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Bluetooth with SOC LEDs and Low Temp Protection when the data-collector be connected, so you can remote monitoring and control you battery through the ECO-WORTHY Smart APP, ensuring real-time access to...
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