Itinerant1
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Joined 8 years ago
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Re: LiFePO4 battery build
StirCrazy nice size battery bank. The only thing I'm going to disagree on slightly is the cells heating up. As I have posted before I fulltime in the 5th wheel living off of 500ah lfp batteries and 1,280w solar. This setup has been going for 7 years 7 months now in everday use never been turned off. My longest strech of consecutive boondocking was 1,017 days. As of today we have hit a 2 year stretch of consecutive boondocking. The only time I've seen the cells heat up is when using the gen/ inverter charger and charging at 100a for more than anhour and then the cells only get 10f warmer. Any other time whether using microwave or other appliances the cells might climbed a dregree or so but nothing enough to make a difference. My batteries, inverter, SCC is all in the front compartment of the 5th wheel. I have used foam board insulation on the walls. Used Reflectixs, foam board, 1/2" rubber mat on the floof of compartment and tapped into a heat duct above the batteries and dropped a tubedown towards the battery. This has made the biggest difference keeping the batteries warm in that compartment. I was just in Utah for a few days of night times of high teens and daytime of upper 40s. Cells were at 46-55f. Me personally that's as cold as I like it and have moved further south now for winter. If I were somewhere that I couldn't run from the extreme cold the batteries would be in the 5th wheel somewhere staying as warm as me. Keep us updated on the build. Thanks:)1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Any Advantage to Lithium with Bluetooth?
3 tons wrote: Agree, LFP’s have proven to be quite tolerant to a wide variety of discharge and charge strategies, and single voltage charging is quite simple all the while skipping the nail biting frequency for a full charge…Kinda funny for those who recall all the fact-less boogieman fictions that were being actively pushed in the not so distant past - lol… 3 tons I can think back when they were coming on the scene and it was a novelty with a lot of nay sayers with wild end of the world predictions because they didn't understand them, plus confusing the chemistries up. I'm glad I took an early leap and seemed to get lucky with my charging regime which seems to be working so far. Right now just about packed up for a dump station run and relocation to another boondock location. SOC after breakfast microwave, coffeemaker was 53%, suns contributing some now to charging, turned the air conditioner on to cool the rig down before the move. SOC 55% inverting 12.7v -129a. Amazing after 7 plus years that the 500ah bank is still supplying good power in all conditions and DODs. With my control displays at easy reach or viewing bluetooth personally would be of no benefit. The system now is something just runs in the background quietly.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: AA and AAA Rechargeable Batteries
I just use the rechargeable Energizer AA & AAA got them at Wally World. I've had them for years now. I only use rechargeable in everything that takes these batteries, computer mouse, wall clock, flashlights, thermometers, walkie-talkies. Originally I was using the 4 place charger that came with these but it charged them so fast it was cooking the batteries and shortening their cycles so switched to this charger that does many different sizes plus adjust the charging input. Zanflare C4 LCD Display Speedy Universal Smart Battery Charger,Battery Capacity Analyzer for Rechargeable Batteries.1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Any Advantage to Lithium with Bluetooth?
StirCrazy wrote: Itinerant1 wrote: Just curious if the batteries are working with the predetermined settings in the sealed box why would you want to experiment with them? easy cycle life. if I can change the top and bottom from 0 to 100% to 10 to 90% that can take your average LfP from 3500 cycles to 4500 to 5000. then if you operate in the top 3rd of that you can go even higher. If I knew I could get into a battery like a chins I may have bought them instead of making my own just to be lazy, but I use the settings in my Bluetooth quite a bit. I have 3 profiles on my phone for setting the BMS, I have a storage routine where the BMS will only charge the cells to 65% of the capacity then won't recharge until they drop below 30% as well my cold temp cut off is bumped up to 3C to be safe. I have a "getting ready to go camping" setting where it sets the bottom at 10%, puts the cold temp cut off back to 1C and charges to 100%. then I have a "camping" setup where the only difference is I lower the top to 90%. I can limit the battery as I have a 10-day capacity without the solar and unlimited time with the solar, so I decided to make the battery last a bit longer and sacrifice about 2 days' worth of capacity. The batteries are top balanced and topped right up whenever I leave the house on a camping trip. So basically, cycle life, and the ability to be over cautious on some of your safety settings is the reason. Ok, thanks for the info. Seems like alot of work but then you have different needs and colder weather. As far as cycle life why worry about do you really think your going to use it up? I bet more folks will kill their batteries hen pecking them. Right now I've done 2,502 days (boondocking) of 2,686 days since install. I'm somewhere over 1,000 full cycles and that's 7 years 4 months. A seasonal camper the batteries should last along time. I guess living off mine fulltime with solar one set of settings. Charge to 14.1v (my 100% SOC), float 13.6, if they get full great and if not tomorrows another day solar might fill the tank. Still use whatever in the 5th wheel including the air conditioner.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Lithium Battery Upgrade
LouLawrence wrote: There is no possible financial advantage to putting Li in your coach as a replacement for a more affordable option like lead acid (not my favorite, but cheap) or AGM (my favorite but a bit more expensive). If you are expecting the World to come to an end and you plan to survive this by having an RV that can support you without any grid of any kind, then maybe the few thousand extra dollars would make some sense. The OP asked if it was a worthwhile upgrade not if there was a financial advantage. What a drama post with an end of the world comment or exaggerated price for lfp batteries. You're not feeling a litte insecure with the dead lead batteries? So many have tasted the sweet nectar of lfp chemistry enjoying the steady voltage being supplied while operating high draw appliances.347Views0likes0CommentsRe: LFP life cycle link:
Over 2,400+ partial cycles of 35-45% dod at various soc after 7 years and not noticing any loss or low voltages at high draw appliances on my lfp bank. There's approximately 900 or so full cycles so there should be alot of life in the battery bank. Time will tell. Absorb 14.1v, float 13.6v inverter on 24/7.375Views0likes0Comments
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