Five Of These In Series?

2.7v x 5 = 13.5v leaves you a little short for most charging.

Six in series would be minimum IMO, Seven/eight would be preferred.

PT, just use heating blankets on the batteries, with 400Ah, you have 320Ah to play with. Also, solar on LI requires a rethink as all charging must be stopped after they're full (no floating).

Precautions to take with LiFePO4 batteries

EDIT: Floating with LI means preventing discharges from loads so you'd have to size your solar to combat that not to keep the batts full.

Hi Mena,

I could get by with 400 amp-hours of LI, but I'd want more solar than I have now. I'm still concerned about low temperature charging on LI.

I question why Edison batteries are SO pricey. They are not exactly made from exotic materials.

What I've found from the LI battery crowd is that larger capacities are not needed because the voltage drop under load is nearly linear as long as you stay away from the edges of the discharge curve. So smaller capacity LI batteries can handle MUCH larger loads. There's a guy running his microwave from a 200Ah LI batt. With LI, most of us could do a Landyacht and run a single battery and recharge it everyday via solar/genny.

Awe, come on Don ... I need Group 31 size from Mr. Edison ... not those strange shaped things.

I have this neat little well-ventilated and steel surrounded spot under our Itasca step where I MUST fit only a couple of normal shaped batteries.

I refuse to use up other storage areas for more batteries - got to use these other areas for things like rockhound picks, extra generators, extra battery chargers, tire changing tools, and fishing gear.

Hi,

I found a link for the Edison Batteries. They make LI look inexpensive.

Edison Batteries

I wonder if they have "factory 2nds"?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
IMHO the holiest of grails is high kelvin superconductors. This would fundamentally change the entire world.

There may be one grail higher - nuclear fusion.

I've been waiting patiently for years for the IQ's that be to come up with an earthbound magnetic bottle that could hold it all in. Unfortunately it still looks like only Mother Nature's gravity from extreme mass has been able to pull it off ... surprise, surprise.

Now ... if/after they do it, what form could an RV "battery" take?

IMHO the holiest of grails is high kelvin superconductors. This would fundamentally change the entire world. If little green men landed and could bequeath a mechanical gift upon the earth this would be my wish. Ninety nine percent reduction in greenhouse gas production for energy. Second choice would be hyper insulation = one inch of absolute vacuum. Dreams. Imagination. Albert Einstein territory all.

It's how much we are willing to spend really. There is a Edison battery factory on the other side of town from me. Cool batteries but the prices are out of reach.