What kind of quality lifepo4 do you get for $300 review

We live in Minnesota, not NV or AZ. When I was looking at batteries the end of last January, Battleborn had not yet officially released their heated battery. Since I don't want to babysit a battery, want to be able to use the battery at less than 0 F (-15 F two years ago), and want a BMS to stop charging below freezing from happening, I didn't buy a LiFePO4, because after having a long phone discussion with Battleborn they didn't feel their battery would meet our needs.

Whom am I going to believe? Battleborn said "no" concerning their battery and our use in a much colder climate than those in NV or AZ. Both Will Prowse and Solar Engineering were disappointed the Enjoybot didn't have low temperature shutoff and didn't exactly give a glowing recommendation. That's why I said "No Thanks!" However, I was specifically talking about the Enjoybot battery, not LiFePO4 in general. Jeez!

Since we purchased our SiO2/lead crystal batteries, switchable heated batteries have become available. If purchasing now we have the discretionary money to buy a heated Battleborn with a switch to turn on the heat that will meet our cold weather requirements. However, we're extremely happy with our SiO2 batteries and will just have to wait until they fail.

When our new SiO2 batteries arrived in early February I pulled the two reverse polarity fuses for the WFCO, and haven't used any charger since installation. The SiO2 batteries get to 100% charge faster than any of our previous AGMs. We are low amp hour campers though. I ass u me that the LiFePO4 batteries will charge as well as our SiO2's have. ;)

Enjoy,

Perry

Itinerant1 wrote:

3 tons wrote:

Itinerant1 wrote:

3 tons wrote:
Yep, Lots to do about mostly nothing, but as we’ve all learned about the vagaries of human nature, ‘FEAR sells’ - far too many pages of errant uninformed speculations will readily attest to that - lol

3 tons

With almost 6 years of everyday use and over 1,800 partial cycles of 35-45%+ DOD at various SOC. I do find amusement in what some post about lfp. It seems the new thing now that pops up more is longevity instead of use staying within the parameters of the batteries.

Well, LFP’s are extremely robust…One may choose to incessantly fiddle around to be certain to ‘dial in’ their purported 5,000 cycles, or maybe just enjoy life, overcome the impulse to micromanage and be perfectly content to settle for a mere 4,000 - pick your poison - lol!

Yet, I believe simply by not overcharging (or unnecessarily leaving for extended periods on a charger), and doing an occasional cell re-balancing, it shouldn’t be all too difficult to optimize the batts upper limit longevity - JMO

3 tons

They are robust for sure.

I did adjust my charge after 2 years going from 14.2v to 14.1v which still allows any balancing if needed. On my Magnum settings 10 minutes is the minimum that absorb can be set to but in reality it's 6 minutes which happens at 99% SOC. I hope everyone that takes the plunge into lfp have as good experience as I have been having. It truly has been a set and forget system.

Robust, I agree, but at this juncture I’m far more interested in trying to outlive the 10yr warranty than I am at attempting to exceed (or fune-tune for) the purported 5,000 charge cycles - lol :)…Yet, one thing that makes charging easy is the additional usable capacity (thereby negating dreaded FLA 50% DOD concerns), thus, recharging events tend to become less frequent, and recovery is much faster which helps to exploit peak harvest hours - a welcome advantage at higher latitudes or when off-season…An ‘ol pal also pointed out to me that FLA’s NEED to be FULLY recharged more often in order to rid the plates of sulfate - besides watering, this is true…JMHO

3 tons

PerryB67 wrote:
We live in Minnesota, not NV or AZ. When I was looking at batteries the end of last January, Battleborn had not yet officially released their heated battery. Since I don't want to babysit a battery, want to be able to use the battery at less than 0 F (-15 F two years ago), and want a BMS to stop charging below freezing from happening, I didn't buy a LiFePO4, because after having a long phone discussion with Battleborn they didn't feel their battery would meet our needs.

Whom am I going to believe? Battleborn said "no" concerning their battery and our use in a much colder climate than those in NV or AZ. Both Will Prowse and Solar Engineering were disappointed the Enjoybot didn't have low temperature shutoff and didn't exactly give a glowing recommendation. That's why I said "No Thanks!" However, I was specifically talking about the Enjoybot battery, not LiFePO4 in general. Jeez!

Since we purchased our SiO2/lead crystal batteries, switchable heated batteries have become available. If purchasing now we have the discretionary money to buy a heated Battleborn with a switch to turn on the heat that will meet our cold weather requirements. However, we're extremely happy with our SiO2 batteries and will just have to wait until they fail.

When our new SiO2 batteries arrived in early February I pulled the two reverse polarity fuses for the WFCO, and haven't used any charger since installation. The SiO2 batteries get to 100% charge faster than any of our previous AGMs. We are low amp hour campers though. I ass u me that the LiFePO4 batteries will charge as well as our SiO2's have. ;)

Enjoy,

Perry

Congrats on your SiQ2 choice :) It’s good to know they are meeting your expectations, and possibly a great match for others..

As far as BB is concerned, “after having a long phone discussion with Battleborn they didn't feel their battery would meet our needs.”, I can only offer an anecdotal response, nor do I have any intention whatsoever of bashing what’s their assuredly good product!

But I sometimes wonder how often these techie guys actually spend time doing off-grid harvesting and charging with various mfg’s devices?? - they are paid to furnish an opinion (like economist…), but my admitted sheer guess here is, not too many…Either way, my guiding principle has always been “YOU are your own BEST Expert” which when coupled with research (and some critical discernment…) will tend over time to serve one well - and I don’t mind saying that over the years I’ve gained a bunch of knowledge from other experienced members on THIS very Forum…FWIW, there are strategies for using LFP in cold weather, but then that’s a different conversation…

3 tons

I keep the power on in the RV. So the converter is charging the batteries no matter how cold it gets. That means a BMA with auto shutoff at 35° is pretty important.
I’m running WiFi to keep tabs on solar production and temps.

EMD360 wrote:
I keep the power on in the RV. So the converter is charging the batteries no matter how cold it gets. That means a BMA with auto shutoff at 35° is pretty important.
I’m running WiFi to keep tabs on solar production and temps.

I might only note that while RV is being stored (unintended), an alternative method for other’s is to simply isolate the LFP via a battery disconnect switch (say, at about 50’ish or so %SOC)…This alternative made possible by LFP’s extremely low self-discharge rate - the need for routine monitoring becomes considerably negated, if not even seasonal…

3 tons

PerryB67 wrote:

Tom_M wrote:
The battery tested turned out that it had no low temperature cut-off. Will Prowse has done similar tests with the same results for the cheap batteries. If you plan on using the battery and know it will not get down below freezing it would be a good choice.

No Thanks!

Another Minnesota resident that finds a low-temp shutoff mandatory.

Enjoy,

Perry

I don't know about that, laitly I have been finding the prospect of getting a battery with out the low temp shut off more desiriable, let me explaine.

if the battery comes with it and it actavates it totaly kills the battery. LFP batteries may not want to be charged much below 0, but they can be discharges to -20 for most of them... so in my mind it is almost betyter to build you own cold weather protection system that does two things. use a thermostat controled relay to shut off ny charge power at say 1 degree C ( battery temp not outside temp, as most of the time the discharge will keep the batteries above this temp) then you still have your ability to discharge and run stuff in the camper also warming up the battery. you could have a second relay that at -20 disconects the battery totaly and have them a normaly open relay so if there is a problem they fail open (disconected) you could also add one for a battery warming system that turns on and cycles the heat between set temps. you could use something like an ardunio or a raspberry PI to build one of these that would be reliable and cheep.

Steve

I don't think many people know your not supposed to charge agm batteries below 0 Celsius either...CanBat batteries..

CanBat batteries wrote:
3. CHARGE AGM BATTERIES IN THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
AGM batteries have a certain charge temperature range. This means if the temperature falls outside of this range, you should not be charging AGM batteries. For all types of lead acid batteries, you should avoid charging if the temperature raises above 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold weather also affects charging AGM batteries. You should avoid charging your batteries if the temperature falls below 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensuring the temperature is within the range of 0 and 40 degree Celsius is important while charging, in order to ensure the battery lives as long as it is designed to.

Jayco

jaycocreek wrote:
I don't think many people know your not supposed to charge agm batteries below 0 Celsius either...CanBat batteries..

CanBat batteries wrote:
3. CHARGE AGM BATTERIES IN THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
AGM batteries have a certain charge temperature range. This means if the temperature falls outside of this range, you should not be charging AGM batteries. For all types of lead acid batteries, you should avoid charging if the temperature raises above 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold weather also affects charging AGM batteries. You should avoid charging your batteries if the temperature falls below 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensuring the temperature is within the range of 0 and 40 degree Celsius is important while charging, in order to ensure the battery lives as long as it is designed to.

Jayco

LOL! Stop and think what you just wrote.

Millions and millions of AGM batteries in the norther tier of the US and Canada have been charging in our vehicles in below freezing weather for a few decades. My AGM battery has started my car and immediately started charging 1,000's of times below freezing. Sometimes you can't believe everything you read, especially when you've proven something that sounds so simple to be false.

Enjoy,

Perry

LOL! Stop and think what you just wrote.

It was a quote,not my personal opinion..Meaning,if you read the net enough and certain battery company specs and advice,yoy come up with some crazy stuff,including lifepo4..

I too have charged agm in all sorts of weather without any apparent damage,all lasting 5 years or so..But were talking inexpensive lifepo4 batteries...$300 for a true 100 amp hours(LFP) or $300 plus for 50-60 amp hours out of a quality agm like fullriver or ......CanBat batteries says not to charge below 0C(The above quote off there site)and ofcourse,most LFP say the same except there is a lot of chatter that charging LFP in the 20's at a low charge rate is okay..

I mean,who really knows..I have not seen anyone say they completely ruined a LFP by charging below 0C nor have I ever seen what CanBat battery claims of the lead acid batteries..

It's the internet,alot of opinions without a lot of actual trials for proof that I have seen....

Jayco..

Stircrazy said, “if the battery comes with it and it actavates it totaly kills the battery.”…How so??

A quick check over at LifeBlue dispels this notion:

http://www.lifebluebattery.com/rv-boat-low-temperature-lithium-ion-batteries/100ah-d-lt-lithium-battery.html

Same thing at Renogy:

https://www.renogy.com/12v-200ah-lithium-iron-phosphate-battery-w-bluetooth/

3 tons