i need a new battery for our 26ft tt, the old lead/acid rv/marine battery is virtually dead after 10 years of service.is it worthwhile to upgrade to a 100 Ah li battery and the necessary new charger?we do boondock occasionally and probably would do more with a better battery capacity. the old lead/acid battery was rarely adequete for more than one night boondocking running the usual lights, fridge and water heater controls.

Short answer. YES. Bonus, just 23# each vs. SLA @ 65#, double the useable capacity, and can be installed almost ANYWHERE.You can get a battery with Bluetooth monitoring so it’s even easier to track usage.I replaced my battery and bought a $20 plug in charger to top off and equalize my battery occasionally. Not paying for a converter charger upgrade, parts alone were about $270. The stock converter charger, even if non Lithium capable, will charge the battery to about 90% on the average. So far, mine seems to be keeping them (bought two batteries) at 100%. You can also use solar to top them off if you get into that.The ONLY downside to consider is LiFePO4 batteries can be damaged if charging is attempted below freezing. So if you want to leave it mounted year round in cold climates, you’ll need one with low temperature protection in its Battery Management System (BMS), or take other actions. My 2nd battery’s manual (yes, it has one) states to not store it under 14*F. My 2nd battery was bought cheaply and doesn’t have all the same BMS as my 1st one.

In addition to what was said above, you really only get about 50% of the rated amp hours out of a lead acid battery - and if drained too low, it's toast. With LiFePO4, nearly 100% of the rated amp hours are available and they have 1,000s of charge cycles in them over their lifetime. One caution: with a travel trailer and the battery stored on the tongue, you'll need to be careful about the battery charging in very cold temps. To get around this, you can buy a heated battery, put a thermostatically controlled heating pad around it, remove the battery during the winter, or move it inside the trailer (they don't need to be vented). We have four 100 AH Battle Born batteries in our fifth wheel to operate the residential refrigerator (via an inverter) while traveling or during power outages and they are great. We love them.Rob

Yes, but you are going to need more than one 100 ah battery. You will also need a shunt-based battery monitor.

thanks for the replies.charging when cold would not be an issue, we have always removed the battery from the trailer and stored it in my heated garage with a trickle charger.the additional usable capacity is the biggest bonus plus it doesn't need to sit on the a frame, i would mount it inside somewhere and lighter is always a bonus!

stevemorris wrote:i need a new battery for our 26ft tt, the old lead/acid rv/marine battery is virtually dead after 10 years of service.is it worthwhile to upgrade to a 100 Ah li battery and the necessary new charger?we do boondock occasionally and probably would do more with a better battery capacity. the old lead/acid battery was rarely adequete for more than one night boondocking running the usual lights, fridge and water heater controls.HiIf you live in the cold white north Li may become an issue. https://www.canbat.com/how-to-charge-lifepo4-batteries/You may not need a new charger. Be aware that battery management systems on LiFePo4 may limit demand to 1C. That may be an issue if there is a large inverter in use.My next batteries will be SiO2 which can be charged at -40. But I do live where I boondock at -37 C. There is a Canadian Dealer.

Lithium Battery Upgrade | Good Sam Community

42 Replies

Second_Chance
Explorer II
Jun 10, 2023
In addition to what was said above, you really only get about 50% of the rated amp hours out of a lead acid battery - and if drained too low, it's toast. With LiFePO4, nearly 100% of the rated amp hours are available and they have 1,000s of charge cycles in them over their lifetime. One caution: with a travel trailer and the battery stored on the tongue, you'll need to be careful about the battery charging in very cold temps. To get around this, you can buy a heated battery, put a thermostatically controlled heating pad around it, remove the battery during the winter, or move it inside the trailer (they don't need to be vented). We have four 100 AH Battle Born batteries in our fifth wheel to operate the residential refrigerator (via an inverter) while traveling or during power outages and they are great. We love them.

Rob
Boomerweps
Explorer
Jun 10, 2023
Short answer. YES. Bonus, just 23# each vs. SLA @ 65#, double the useable capacity, and can be installed almost ANYWHERE.
You can get a battery with Bluetooth monitoring so it’s even easier to track usage.
I replaced my battery and bought a $20 plug in charger to top off and equalize my battery occasionally. Not paying for a converter charger upgrade, parts alone were about $270.
The stock converter charger, even if non Lithium capable, will charge the battery to about 90% on the average. So far, mine seems to be keeping them (bought two batteries) at 100%.
You can also use solar to top them off if you get into that.
The ONLY downside to consider is LiFePO4 batteries can be damaged if charging is attempted below freezing. So if you want to leave it mounted year round in cold climates, you’ll need one with low temperature protection in its Battery Management System (BMS), or take other actions. My 2nd battery’s manual (yes, it has one) states to not store it under 14*F. My 2nd battery was bought cheaply and doesn’t have all the same BMS as my 1st one.

Forum Discussion

Lithium Battery Upgrade

42 Replies

About Technical Issues

Related Content

Upgrade to Lithium FE battery question

Lithium batteries

Lithium Batteries

LIthium battery upgrade - Complete!

Lithium Battery heater