Drop in Lithium

iandsm

iandsm

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I am thinking about a 120 ah drop in lithium from KS energy. I know there have been several threads about lithium but I was wondering if what is claimed is true that these batteries can simply be dropped in to replace lead acid with no other modifications like uprated fuses, B to B etc. I have an Autosleeper Warwick XL which has the Sergeant EC400 system. I would love to hear from anyone who has just simply dropped on in and without modifying anything. It seems the factory fitted battery charger's profile will be fine for the lithium so I am hopeful. It's not that I do not believe what KS Energy claim but Hearing form someone who has actually dome the deed, at out were would boost my confidence.
 
trevskoda said:
Have you thought about heater mats and if solar is the regulator set for liths.
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I imagine the tank heaters, if thats what you mean will work as normal, if you mean heater mats for the battery base, the KS Energy ones I am thinking about have battery management built in so mats not needed. I believe the solar will be OK without modification, but not sure yet.
 
iandsm said:
I imagine the tank heaters, if thats what you mean will work as normal, if you mean heater mats for the battery base, the KS Energy ones I am thinking about have battery management built in so mats not needed. I believe the solar will be OK without modification, but not sure yet.
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Wildbus will be your man as he is well ahead of me, and a very helpful chap regarding all things magic.
 
My thinking is if you have gas in van 4 cooker fridge heating and over 50 yoa . lithium is the expensive opportunity. ? If what it says on can true. 5000 bike rides./ cycle's.

A good solar charger @ 300w solar is the way to go if you have the above. Half price
 
My sincere thanks to everyone who has takebmb the time and contributed to this thread and lifted the veil of my ignorance. It’s really appreciated. I am able to make a uniformed decision whereas previously I was shooting in the dark. Happy new year.
 
'Drop in lithium' is still a bit of a grey area. There have been a couple of posters who have said they've done it successfully but currently it's not viewed as standard practice, technically it could work fine, I think a lot will depend on the vehicles charge wiring resistance and this will vary from vehicle to vehicle so I guess your request for anyone with the same MH as yourself that has successfully swapped out to lithium is the perfect question. In a few years time it may or may not be seen as 'the done thing' but ultimately if you go ahead right now you'll be somewhat a guinea pig.
Personally right now I'd opt for Lead carbon, similar weight to your old battery and a straight drop in replacement. It would give approx 10-15 times the cycle life of a lead acid leisure battery, and cost about £160 so maybe only 50- 70% more. You should get many years use from it and by the time it needs replacing we'll all have a much better understanding about 'drop in lithium' and lithium's prices should have come down too.
You can get 10% discount from Tayna batteries if you're a CAMC member and there's a WC discount available from Alpha batteries. Between then they pretty much have the best prices.
Merl
 
merl said:
'Drop in lithium' is still a bit of a grey area. There have been a couple of posters who have said they've done it successfully but currently it's not viewed as standard practice, technically it could work fine, I think a lot will depend on the vehicles charge wiring resistance and this will vary from vehicle to vehicle so I guess your request for anyone with the same MH as yourself that has successfully swapped out to lithium is the perfect question. In a few years time it may or may not be seen as 'the done thing' but ultimately if you go ahead right now you'll be somewhat a guinea pig.
Personally right now I'd opt for Lead carbon, similar weight to your old battery and a straight drop in replacement. It would give approx 10-15 times the cycle life of a lead acid leisure battery, and cost about £160 so maybe only 50- 70% more. You should get many years use from it and by the time it needs replacing we'll all have a much better understanding about 'drop in lithium' and lithium's prices should have come down too.
You can get 10% discount from Tayna batteries if you're a CAMC member and there's a WC discount available from Alpha batteries. Between then they pretty much have the best prices.
Merl
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I think for now I will pass on lithium. My current ELA’s are only a year old and tonight is going to be a real test for them. If they can cope with the heating being on all night( 4 degrees at the mo) them I am sure they would cope with off grid for three or four days in the summer with help from the solar. If they don’t do so well I will probably change to lead carbon. It’s been interesting hearing people’s views and experiences and thanks for your thoughts.
 
iandsm said:
I think for now I will pass on lithium. My current ELA’s are only a year old and tonight is going to be a real test for them. If they can cope with the heating being on all night( 4 degrees at the mo) them I am sure they would cope with off grid for three or four days in the summer with help from the solar. If they don’t do so well I will probably change to lead carbon. It’s been interesting hearing people’s views and experiences and thanks for your thoughts.
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Cheaper too, and you could add an extra one and still save money.
 
Well much to my surprise. I had the heating on all night 11pm to 8 this morning at a constant. 12 degrees and this morning the leisure batteries are showing 12.5 with the heating still on as turned up to 19 as well as lights. The EFB’s coped very well so I have answered my own questions really. I know it was only one night but I think I will stick with what I have.
 
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iandsm said:
Well much to my surprise. I had the heating on all night 11pm to 8 this morning at a constant. 12 degrees and this morning the leisure batteries are showing 12.5 with the hearings still on as turned up to 19 as well as lights. The EFB’s coped very well so I have answered my own questions really. I know it was only one night but I think I will stick with what I have.
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Just curious but how many lead acid batteries do you have and what is their amp total rating?

The impression is there is more than one.

And also the size wattage of the solar panel.
 
iandsm said:
Two x 100
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So really it is the equivalent of a 100amp lithium. If they work for you then no real need to upgrade or consider change until the batteries expire.

Two batteries are always better than one.

If space or weight not an issue then nothing wrong with a couple of heavier standard LA batteries.

It’s only if you go heavy on the inverter that you need to become power mad!
 
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I run two 90ah lead acids with 200w solar, I'm not a big user, but it runs a 230v fridge through a soft start smart inverter, led lights, and sometimes a 400w electric heater, very seldom with the heater though, I can go 24 hrs if required no bother.
 
We have a single 115Ah carbon that's now in it's 4th year. A few weeks ago we used it to power our diesel heater late afternoon and overnight for around 14 hours continuous along with charging 2. Phones and a laptop, usual lighting and 2 TVs. Still going fine in the morning.
EFBs seem to use carbon as an additive to improve their deep discharge performance, I reckon if you keep your current bats well topped up and recharge them asap after a deep discharge you'll be surprised how long they'll last you. It's sitting partially discharged for long periods that typically knackers LA batts and charging from just an alternator isn't good enough.
 
I am an oldy electronics - ish bloke - I worked in telephone and data transmission research and development for about 'lots of' years. Personally I wouldn't have lithium batteries just because having one 120W solar panel and one 110AH lead acid battery with a cheap Chinese regulator works perfectly fine. I can't see the point of spending what would be the cost of five weeks touring abroad just to gain lots of grief messing with what the manufacturer supplied. I think you only need to spend £2000 on a lithium setup if it is vital to the continuance of your life. What I read in the magazines seems to be that people are so addicted to watching their motorhome TV every night that they must must must have a lithium setup to keep them going till the following day. Just in case the TV stops working half way through the latest screaming shouting murdering incesting soap or dancing and screaming, singing and screaming, or hacking through a jungle and screaming program. That would never do, it is much more important to spend £2000 on lots of panels, lithium batteries, control systems and problems. Let's face it you have enough electronic problems just buying an off-the-shelf brand new camper. You don't want to add to your woes by messing with the vehicle electrics. The poor diddums computers will get properly confused, and no dealer will be able to fix it. They can't even fix problems on new campers (as I have found to my cost).
I think I had a Sargent EC328 in my Nuevo, and inside it was the standard cheap Chinese £20 solar regulator. The wiring from the standard solar panel was just about thick enough but once it entered the EC328 it shrank so miserably that I rewired it with decent thickness cable. My point is that I have used many of the cheap Chinese regulators and found them to be quite satisfactory, I understand the difference between these and a 'computerised' MPPT regulator but for our purposes the cost of lithium batteries and posh regulators is not justified in any way. I have a 120W panel, a £20 regulator and a 100AH lead acid leisure battery and it works just fine. I can watch DVDs on my laptop running off a mains inverter from the 12v supply all evening and then run the Truma heater on gas (and therefore fan) all night and there is still plenty of energy in the battery for the next day.
I might also ask why there is so much publicity about lithium batteries. It seems to come from the magazines. Where to the magazines get their revenue? From advertisements from businesses that sell lithium batteries and their associated paraphernalia.
If you want to spend October to March parked up at the North Pole not starting your engine, watching TV every night via a powered satellite dish with the electric heating on, then you probably need a bank of lithium batteries, a roof full of solar panels and all the complex electronics that goes with it. If not, you don't.
 
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