Thank you to all of you that wrote about your experience of installing new lithium batteries; especially Howard howson , Brian Country Campers and Jim Guest . I learned a lot about how to make the system decisions and how to install the components. I followed your posts thinking I would make the conversion when my current bank of two Trojan 6V batteries needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, a change in health circumstances changed our energy budget. My wife needs to use an oxygen concentrator at night, at least for a while. I measured how much energy it uses through the night, and it would drain our current batteries when boondocking. Since that is our preferred camping option, I needed to increase our battery capacity. I added a third 100W solar panel, but there will be circumstances where solar can’t keep up with our energy needs. In these cases, if I have to use the generator, I want something that would quickly and efficiently recharge the batteries. The DC-DC charger also became a very appealing component to efficiently charge while driving.
An important trip we make each year now is to the Southwest after Christmas. This involves leaving and traveling in below freezing temperatures. I decided to keep a 12V lead acid battery as backup, and make sure the components will charge both lithium and lead acid, and be easy to switch between them. With experience, I may find it is not necessary to keep the lead acid. Now, I’m more comfortable knowing I have the ability to charge an energy source in freezing temperatures, and I have it, so why not keep it?
This is what I settled on:
SOK Battery 12V 206Ah LiFePO4 Battery (2). Will Prowse is very positive about their quality and construction. It has a good BMS that will shut it down if it gets too cold, or too low on energy. The batteries are the same size as the Trojans they replace, and are less weight. They also have Bluetooth (I can see the voltage and temperature). For lithium, they are reasonably priced. I’m using 2AWG to connect the batteries, converter, and inverter.
PowerMax Converter PM3 LKL 100A. The 100A capacity will provide the lithium batteries all they will take when using the generator. A simple switch changes the charge profile to lithium or lead acid.
Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 18 amp 220-Watt DC-DC Charger, Isolated (Bluetooth). I chose this because it can be controlled from my phone through Bluetooth, including changing the charge profile between lithium and lead acid. It was easy to wire in, I used the wire from the 7-pin connector with the truck. I used 8AWG to the charger, and 6AWG from it.
Victron Energy SmartShunt 500A Bluetooth Monitor. This has a nice information package accessible through an app on my phone. It monitors voltage, watts charging and discharging, cumulative Ah, and some other things.
I tested to make sure everything is working. The real test will come in a couple weeks when we head north for some summer camping.
Again, thanks,
Dave
An important trip we make each year now is to the Southwest after Christmas. This involves leaving and traveling in below freezing temperatures. I decided to keep a 12V lead acid battery as backup, and make sure the components will charge both lithium and lead acid, and be easy to switch between them. With experience, I may find it is not necessary to keep the lead acid. Now, I’m more comfortable knowing I have the ability to charge an energy source in freezing temperatures, and I have it, so why not keep it?
This is what I settled on:
SOK Battery 12V 206Ah LiFePO4 Battery (2). Will Prowse is very positive about their quality and construction. It has a good BMS that will shut it down if it gets too cold, or too low on energy. The batteries are the same size as the Trojans they replace, and are less weight. They also have Bluetooth (I can see the voltage and temperature). For lithium, they are reasonably priced. I’m using 2AWG to connect the batteries, converter, and inverter.
PowerMax Converter PM3 LKL 100A. The 100A capacity will provide the lithium batteries all they will take when using the generator. A simple switch changes the charge profile to lithium or lead acid.
Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 18 amp 220-Watt DC-DC Charger, Isolated (Bluetooth). I chose this because it can be controlled from my phone through Bluetooth, including changing the charge profile between lithium and lead acid. It was easy to wire in, I used the wire from the 7-pin connector with the truck. I used 8AWG to the charger, and 6AWG from it.
Victron Energy SmartShunt 500A Bluetooth Monitor. This has a nice information package accessible through an app on my phone. It monitors voltage, watts charging and discharging, cumulative Ah, and some other things.
I tested to make sure everything is working. The real test will come in a couple weeks when we head north for some summer camping.
Again, thanks,
Dave
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