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fmeili1's avatar
fmeili1
Explorer
Feb 09, 2022

Planning of a DIY LiFePO4 battery - air conditioned

Hi,
since a couple of weeks, I'm thinking and planning about building my own LiFePO4 battery to replace my two "old" lead acid 100AH AGM group 24 batteries (installed below the stairs) for my 2020 Entegra Odyssey 26D.

I would like to stay below $1,000 for the whole project and try to design the battery in a way that it would automatically heat and cool itself, depending of the ambient temperature to maximize life time and prevent damage. I don't want to move the battery to the inside of the coach because of space reasons, so it must fit in existing battery space. Later I think about adding solar, but first the new battery has to be build.

So far I've a battery design with the following components in my head:
- 4x EVE 280k, 3.2V, 280AH grade A cells (from an US distributor - about $540)
- JBD BMS 4S 12V 200A (about $125)
- TEC1-12706 peltier cooler/heater with two headsinks and two fans, max. 70 watts (about $25)
- 2x digital temperature controller XH-W3001 (about $10)
- 2x SPDT and 1x DPDT relay to control the peltier/fans with the temperature controllers
- Renogy 500A shunt mounted on the battery (display mounted inside the rig) - (I already have that - costs about $75)
- 300A circuit breaker (about $20)
- CellMeter8 battery cell monitor ($14)

Some additional design considerations:
- Everything should be mounted in/at a wooden box made from 1/4" thick plywood (<=7.5" width, <=14.5" heigth, <=22" length).
- the peltier heatsink located inside of the battery needs a small funnel underneath with a pipe to get rid of the condensate water if cooled
- the DPDT relay is required to change the polarity of the peltier to choose between cooling and heating
- the two SPDT relays are required in XOR to only active the peltier if either of the heat or cool thermostat is active, but NOT if both are active by mistake!
- the conditioned airflow of the pletier (directed via a plexiglass sheet) runs over, under and one end of the battery (too less space on the side of the cells)

Here is the planned schema:


The battery should look like this:







I would be interested in your opinions and suggestions for improvements!

Thanks in advance,
Frank
  • fmeili1 wrote:

    1st stage: inside fan only
    2nd stage: inside fan plus peltier and outside fan

    In 1st stage the energy consumption would be very low, just the inside fan. The 70 watt peltier will only be used when 2nd stage will be active.


    I'm skeptical that the Peltier device is going to make any significant difference in cooling. When you need it the most (it's hot out), it will help the least. 70W is pretty small, a 70W peltier cooler will yield around 200 BTU/Hr of cooling, or around 1.5% of a typical 13,500 BTU RV air conditioner.
  • As Wizard said, Peltiers are very inefficient, but more importantly, are quite limited in how much energy transfer they're capable of. On the other hand, running them in reverse will keep the batteries warm while using less energy than pads. Much like a heat pump.
  • fmeili1 wrote:
    Hi,
    since a couple of weeks, I'm thinking and planning about building my own LiFePO4 battery to replace my two "old" lead acid 100AH AGM group 24 batteries
    Frank


    Be sure of what you are replacing. lead acid and AGM are not the same. If you have lead acid batteries maybe a simple upgrade to AGM is all you need and keep it simple.
  • Goostoff wrote:
    fmeili1 wrote:
    Hi,
    since a couple of weeks, I'm thinking and planning about building my own LiFePO4 battery to replace my two "old" lead acid 100AH AGM group 24 batteries
    Frank


    Be sure of what you are replacing. lead acid and AGM are not the same. If you have lead acid batteries maybe a simple upgrade to AGM is all you need and keep it simple.


    AGM batteries are a type of Lead Acid battery. They of course differ in charging and discharge characteristics, but they aren't all that different in capacity.

    His 280Ah of LiIon batteries will give around 2X usable battery capacity compared to his old pair of 100Ah AGM's (or FLA)