profdant139 wrote:
I have been torturing myself, trying to develop some sort of a decision tree to see if I should convert to lithium batteries. I have searched the archive for a "lithium for dummies" thread and have come up empty. (If I'm wrong, I am sure someone will let me know! ;) )
So that is what I am humbly asking for -- is there a really easy to understand site or article that explains or compares lithium batteries to lead/acid batteries for RV use and then guides the shopper through the steps needed to come to a conclusion?
Or maybe this thread can serve as a resource for those of us (like me) who do not have technical backgrounds?
In any event, here are my particular questions:
Aside from the obvious cost difference (which may or may not be a deal killer), my three biggest concerns are weight, capacity, and cold weather charging.
Weight: I am in my eighth decade (!) and am having trouble lifting a group 31 lead acid battery without hurting my back. It looks like lithium is a clear winner on that issue.
yes aproximatly 1/2 the weight. I replaed two 79 lb 6V batteries that gave me 104 usable AH with one 300AH LifePo4 that weighs 48lbs.
Capacity: I'm satisfied with the capacity of a group 31 -- it's nominally at 110 amp/hours, which means I can get about 55 amp/hours from the battery without risk of damage to the battery. Am I correct in concluding that if I were to get a lithium battery with 100 amp/hour capacity, I could use almost all of that capacity?
yes, but with a condition. you will only get the minimum rated cycles , but if you stay a little off the top and bottom, and keep to deciently shallow discharges, you can greatly improve the cycle life. so instead of 3000 cycles you could get as high as 7000 depending how you set it up and what kind of cells they used.
Cold weather: What does one do about charging a lithium battery when camping in sub-freezing weather? We really like snow camping -- is that a deal killer? We are almost never subjected to temps below ten degrees. And the daytime usually warms up to around 30 or so.
there is no off hasing with these batteries so you can move them into the living space. got a cabnet you never use or a space some where else. you can dischare to -20C or -30C if they use the K varent of cell so once you get the furnace going and the space warmed up there is no issue. or some people just use a heating pad and some insulation around the battery to keep it warm. lots of ways to get around this.
Thanks in advance for your help and advice -- and on behalf of all of us dummies, thanks for keeping it as simple as you can!
