12 volt fridges
Looking at a trailer with a 12 volt fridge and solar panel mounted on the roof. not sure of the size of panel. My question is this. how can i tell if the panel is charging the battery?
Forum Discussion
Boomerweps wrote:valhalla360 wrote:
- How many "usable" amp-hours does your battery bank have (lead-acid batteries should only use 50% of the rated amp-hr and lithium should only use 80% of the rated amp-hr...using more can prematurely age the batteries). Convert to watt-hours by multiplying by 12.
Where is the reference about “only use Lithium to 80% rated amp hour” stated clearly by a battery maker? I’ve never seen it referenced except on this forum. I’ve read where a LiFePO4 retains 80% capacity after its expected recharge cycle life is exceeded. I’ve also read where you can fully discharge them and then fully recharge them with no damage.
They don't officially state the 50% for LA either (they do often provide charts of depth of discharge vs life cycles) just when you abuse them, they don't last as long.
Some would argue Lithium is OK down to 10% just depends how long you want them to last. So even at 80-90% usable, it's still a lot more than you get out of the same amp-hr rated LA. If you are going to boondock a lot for long periods of time while running a lot of 12v stuff, that can be worth the cost of upgrading to Lithium for the weight & space savings. If just running the fridge and a few lights for an occasional overnight, a couple of LA batteries makes more sense.
