Questions about lithium batteries for travel trailer

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Defenestrator

A non-MPPT charger is fine for LFP, although an MPPT controller might let you get slightly more out of your panel. Unlike lead-acid, it's perfectly fine to leave a LFP battery partially-charged for long periods.

The main things to worry about with LFP are:
1. Do not charge it when the battery is below freezing. It's OK to discharge down to around 0F, but trying to charge it below about 32 will damage it.
2. Do not use a desulfating charger or desulfation mode on it. The brief high-voltage spikes can resurrect a lead-acid battery, but will kill a LFP.

You also have to be more careful about excess charge or discharge levels, but the Relion has build-in high/low voltage cutoffs that will keep it from being totally ruined.

A lot of the newer power converters would then have the wrong kind of battery charger built into them for using with the Lithium batteries. Many of the newer converters have built in smart chargers that do a desulfation cycle.

[k0wtz]

I am going to post this I might get flamed but here goes. I have a 40f eagle bus it had those huge 12 volt batteries used as starting batteries and house batteries. Warranty 1 year so I got tired of that game and went to walmart and bought the most powerfull 12v car battery they had 1/2 the cost plus 5 year warranty.

I put them in that bus they started the bus fine, held charge even though used for a house battery. They lasted 6 years I went and did the same thing over again eliminating those huge 8ds I think they were. I could barely lift them.

Guys you have to think outside the box here! You can buy the biggest and the best but is it really needed. As one poster said save your cash and use the money for something else!!

I hope this makes sense?

[erpagris]

https://battlebornbatteries.com/

RV battery info and some useful links for setting up solar controllers too

https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/

[gordon2]

For anyone wanting to know more about Lithium Ion Batteries, the danger from them and the search for a better and safer battery.. I very highly recommend this 54 minute NOVA TV show (check you local listings):

NOVA - Official Website | Search for the Super Battery

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by gordon2

For anyone wanting to know more about Lithium Ion Batteries, the danger from them and the search for a better and safer battery.. I very highly recommend this 54 minute NOVA TV show (check you local listings):

NOVA - Official Website | Search for the Super Battery

I just saw that show on the local PBS station. It does a better of job of explaining the problems with Lithium Ion batteries. I believe that most of RC guys have switched to LiPo.
As I said earlier battery technology has a ways to go, even though Telsa uses Lithium Ion in their cars. I don't think that now would be a good time to go with anything other than Lead Acid.

[Alex Adams]

Yep, I fly RC planes on LiPo. Lion or LiPo makes no difference, you penetrate the battery and bad things happen! Or as we say in RC, you let out the magic smoke! I have seen my share of crashed planes go up in flames. If I were to put L-Ion batteries in my trailer, I would construct an insulated box out of metal with a direct vent to the outside isolated from the interior. Our eggs and ourselves wouldn't last 5 minutes with a 100 Ah L-Ion battery going up.

PS: Do not put one of these next to your propane tank without a battery bunker built around it.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Alex Adams

Yep, I fly RC planes on LiPo. Lion or LiPo makes no difference, you penetrate the battery and bad things happen! Or as we say in RC, you let out the magic smoke! I have seen my share of crashed planes go up in flames. If I were to put L-Ion batteries in my trailer, I would construct an insulated box out of metal with a direct vent to the outside isolated from the interior. Our eggs and ourselves wouldn't last 5 minutes with a 100 Ah L-Ion battery going up.

PS: Do not put one of these next to your propane tank without a battery bunker built around it.

One reason I rerecorded the NOVA show is the visuals. You can read the transcript on the web site, but actually seeing these things go up is an eye-opening experience. Right after watching it, I stated to handle my cell phone with much more care!