Another concern, particularly in marine applications.... the battery case needs to be COMPLETELY sealed from moisture. I bought a Chinese 36v 100ah battery direct from China... it was cheap, about $1300 delivered, with a 40-amp charger. It worked great for several months, then failed to charge. I decided to peel the cover off and inspect. The warranty period was over, I wasn't going to ship it back to China for evaluation, so I had nothing to lose. When I got the cover off, I found the copper plates that were used to connect the cells had corroded, and corrosion on the BMS itself. The battery had never been submerged, but in the bilge of a boat, it's certainly around moisture, but never standing water. I tested the cells, and all seemed to be fine. So, I replaced the solid copper plates with nickel plated plates (E-bay), and sent photos of the battery to the company that manufactured it. They were kind enough to recognize that water vapor had caused this damage, so they sent me a new BMS and a new top for the battery, which I was very careful to epoxy back on around the entire mating surface. It's been 2 years now, operating without a hitch. So, looking forward, if I purchased another "cheap" battery for a marine application, I would look for no options like USB ports, or cover those openings with silicone sealant or something to keep out water vapor. I'd also consider sealing around the outside where the cover mates to the bottom of the case.
Yes I learned that trapped moisture will do more damage then just leaving the thing open By the same tokin laptops in "pelican" cases tend to have a short life. I have friends with bare cells and exposed BMS they tend to do fine.
Thanks for the info. It was pure serendipity, er, the algo, that had your channel pop up for the first time last night for me. I just started studying these batteries last week and have already learned some crucial information thanks to you. Information that pre-saved me money because of my ignorance. Just throwing this out there for people like me in colder climates---there are battery blankets (electric-powered) that many motorists in particularly cold winter areas of Alaska use and I'm quite certain they could be useful in preventing damage to batteries in a chilly battery charging situation. Cheers!
Thanks David. I will be doing some more battery reviews in the near future. I will cut the box open in the future and poke around inside. Did you see this video? ua-cam.com/video/VZSr6o5fLHE/v-deo.html If you are going li it's something to consider.
Great video. Thanks. That's a sweet affordable turnkey solution, but as a full-time RVer I was looking to replace the 2 golf cart batteries that were located under the steps of my motorhome with the highest capacity LiFePo-4s that would fit in this limited space. We decided to build our own 560ah LiFePo-4 battery bank with a 330amp Heltec BMS (to start the 5,500-watt onboard generator) and a 5a active balancer for under $1,500. We built our 12v battery out of 8 grade "A" 280ah LiFePo-4 prismatic cells having an 8,000-cycle projected life at 80% DOD or 6,000 cycles at 100% DOD. This means that if we cycled them 100% every single day, 365 days a year, they would last over 16 years! So, they're obviously going to wear out from age before they wear out from cycling as we only use 15-20% of their capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for several days of bad weather before we have to run our generator for charging. They even saved us 35 lbs compared to our old FLA batteries and have over 5 times their capacity. Of course, it's not just a drop in like the pre-assembled PUPVWMHB battery you featured. We top balanced the cells before we assembled the battery, though they were all within a tenth of a volt when we received them. This was probably unnecessary as our 5-amp active balancer would have surely done the job, but spending this much money, we wanted to do the job right. They were economical too. $1,500/560ah = $2.68/ah vs $299/100ah = $2.99/ah for the PUPVWMHB battery. There are cheaper "B" cells available from China that are typically rated at 3,500-4,000 cycles, but we decided to spend a little more to get the higher rated cells shipped from a California warehouse, so if we got a bad one it would be easier and quicker to return and get a replacement. Happily, this wasn't necessary. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a 1" hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to circulate just enough room temperature air into his compartment keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging if they get too cold - or their life reduced from getting too hot.
Thanks for reassuring me, I bought 2 "cheap ones" from Amazon too, 180 AH each. I'll hook them up to my BBMS in the next months and will report, how they worked for me. They claim to be automotive grade as well and now I know what that means.
I'm waiting for delivery of an inexpensive battery that I have great expectations about. Once I get it I'll do a review video. It's called a "FEENCE" battery and is quite cheap but made by a company that has been making batteries for a long time.
Great job Clark, love how you think. I see the comments about buying much more expensive batteries and I get it. If you were crossing oceans or backing up something critical, I would agree, but spending good money on a temporary situation is extravagant.
Thanks. Personally I'd never trust li as the sole storage device for mission critical work. One failed transistor and it's all over. I'm keeping some lead for that.
You made up my mind on what type of batteries to install in my RV. Was thinking about lipos, but we'll be in cold climates sometimes. I'll stick with lead acid for now. We don't boon dock much. But we're seriously thinking about chasing the warm weather. Then they'll be great. Excellent video.
I have 2 of these exact batteries in my camper for a year now. They've been fine for me so far. I saw a tear down on it and the UA-camr was impressed with it, so I bought them
Great video, quite insightful. We moved completely off-grid in 2019 and originally used 16-Lead/Acid 6v 232ah batteries to power our system. They worked well until they got cold in Winter. This past May we upgraded our Battery Bank to LiFePO4 We went with 4 Powerqueen Batteries. The 12.8v 300ah (200Amp BMS) units and got em delivered to the cabin from Amazon for $1000/ea. They have been a huge power upgrade, haven't given us a lick of trouble and have seriously put a damper on our generator usage as we can go several days without sun now without running the batteries dead. These Lithium's deliver a ton more power in cold temps ie 35F-40F than Lead/Acid EVER could! Lithium for Life out here! 🤠
@@Clarks-Adventure I actually sold em all as I have a battery box that’ll only fit one set at a time. BankManager eh? First I’m hearing of it. Let me go check that nifty sounding device out now. What’s it do, moderate multiple charging parameters for different parallel banks?
This video is great, can it be used in parallel with my ADCBATT 12v 100ah Lifepo4? I have a lot of ADCBATT batteries, but now I want to try some new ones.
It all comes down to the battery age/condition and the BMS. I can't answer that. Check with the battery company but I'll tell you they will give you the easy answer , "no". But if you use one of my BankManagers (see above) on each type of battery you would be fine technically. It would cost too much though
I bought a pair of WATTCYCLE 12v 200AH LiFePo4 batteries for my mobility scooter, to give me 200AH @24v and a range of nearly 200km. They are fantastic and were only AUD 540 (USD 350) each, delivered. I'd be interested in seeing a review of these, I'm not finding any negatives after several months and a couple of thousand km.
For my hybrid car, a 36 to 50Ah battery works just fine,and is cheaper. I do run a 2 way diode to lower the voltage by approx 0.6V, because the 14.4 charge voltage triggers the bms fron charging it (I think the car charger sends 15V pulses to determine how full the battery is, shutting down the bms). The diodes are like up to 1200v or something, some people ran them with 180A peak, 50+A continuous.
Hello Clark, great job, I want to put this battery in a 13-foot Jon Boat to run a Minn Kota 50 lb thrust trolling motor, is this a good choice to do the job? Please let me know what you think.
There are more interesting batteries in our leader board linked to the description of this video. In all likelihood this looks like the Feence battery inside. If you can swing a few more bucks there are better batteries with better internal wiring like the Elefast. Still cheap but with Bluetooth (think gas gauge) and enough internal copper to not get hot when pushing the power your motor requires on full power.
I converted my water well to off grid solar. 400 watts plus I added 4 lead acid deep cycle marine batteries and a back up 110 ac plug in if I drain the batteries during an irrigation cycle at night. At the time all I could afford was the lead acid batteries. They have served me well for three years. Two failed under warranty within the first year but all is good now. I'm getting ready to replace these abd go to li-po. Thanks for the video. My batteries are in a large insulated box shaded by the solar panels with a small computer fan to vent it.
Thanks John. If you have life in your lead still or if you want to charge your Li "right". You might find this interesting. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I enjoyed that as a “ nontech “ and limited funds person, thank you . And for those that have to have all the I s dotted and the T s crossed tested to the Nth degree destruction and 110 % guarantees, just buy the big dollar version and don’t bother watching. Cheers Clark .
I discovered your channel this morning. I've been following a few of the better known sailing channels for the last 2 to 3 years. I am surprised that I haven't come across yours until now. I think the tie-in was the LiFEP04 battery review. I also build my own battery backup systems. Great video. I appreciated your take on the grading of batteries. It is an interesting viewpoint to consider. You are not right or wrong. Much like many topics, it is another ambiguous topic which seems to have no valid data source to demonstrate definitive proof one way or the other. What some have said is only an opinion. Unless there is demonstrative proof, it is simply an opinion. Like many, I am also leary of the claim of low temperature protection. But you are correct in that if you don't live in a climate necessitating below freezing charging, you don't need that feature. I searched for other YTube videos that reviewed this battery. You seem to be the first. I would like to see a few more YTube reviews, preferably with a cold temp charging test before making any decision. I will definitely check out your other videos now that I have found your channel.
Thanks, I hope you find other videos on our channel interesting. We keep our playlists up to date so that's probably the best way to see the kind of thing that interests you. Yes our new subscriber numbers are way up. I think it was the li. Have you looked at my charging device yet? www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms I'm really quite proud of it. Seems to be doing things one can't do any other way.
I needed to add a trolling motor to my kayak. A 12 pound 50 AH battery is plenty. I bought a Eco-Worthy for $135. Compared to a $100 deep cycle lead battery at 65 pounds and 90 AH theres no contest for my use. It will troll longer than I want to be on the water and get me there and back. If it lasts even 3 seasons thats better than the typical lead battery
In my RV I place my batteries on Heating Plant Germination Mats. I then add a temp sensor control on off which turns on the heating pads for the temperature I want which is around 38 degrees. I could also use the temp control to turn on a fan and cool the batteries.
As someone whose been researching the market for new batteries, my response is "Great, yet another manufacturer I need to check out!" Just kidding, of course. Seriously, I think the folks building these come up with new company names weekly. Not sure if it is intended to confuse the market, or is just a mad scramble to get market dominance before the other guy, but it does create challenges if you want to find good quality, with the features you want, at a reasonable price. Thanks again for another informative video!
Hello Clark - thank you for all of your insight. I plan to purchase this battery from your online store as my first LiFePO4 experience, however I would like to confirm that the battery will work well in the way that I am planning to use it on my boat. I have a portable refrigerator which will draw 30W or less depending on how cold I want to operate it. I have a smart battery charger (120V shore power) which works for LiFePO4 batteries and I have a solar panel which is rated for 50W which also has a PWM style controller. The LiFePO4 battery has a BMS to protect against overcharging, etc. and I would like to connect my smart charger to the LiFePO4 battery during the weekdays and when I use the boat for a weekend trip (2-3 days max) I want disconnect the smart charger and then connect the solar panel to the LiFePO4 battery so it can keep up with the demand of the refrigerator until I return to the dock and switch back to my smart battery charger plugged into shore power. So at this time I only want the LiFePO4 battery to have a singe use which is to run the portable refrigerator when I am away from the dock. What do you think? I actually have two additional smaller 7W solar panels which I use to keep my lead-acid batteries (2) topped off all the time. My lead-acid batteries power the engine starter and all other normal lighting/pump functions on the boat. Later I may consider joining the LiFePO4 battery with the lead-acid with your Battery Manager, but for now I want to keep it simple until. Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions. Keep up the great work!
Well it will work. But if you've read my stuff you understand that I'm not happy with how "lithium" chargers charge li.. I understand that the BankManager is expensive and for a 100ah install it might be cheapest in the long run to accept li damage and just replace it early. Can't say I wouldn't do that if I had to pay retail. You will likely get years of use that way before the li damage is noticeable We ran our camper including a similar fridge off this as the primary battery. Never really used the lead much. Just when running the microwave. So there should be a good store of power and the max wantage is well over your needs.
@@Clarks-Adventure Thanks Clark. Sorry I can't jump in all the way just yet. I really have spent way too much to just do away with dealing with ice & coolers....which are a pain. Let me get started and I will come back soon for the full upgrade if I find the frig is really a necessity. Thanks again so much. I am also moving ahead on a plywood dinghy based on Emily's great video. You guys make a super team...much respect. Looking forward to great year of adventuring. Stay safe.
If anything goes awry I will report back. I’m hoping that my smart charger genius brand will keep the battery properly tended to most of the time since the solar panel will only work on the weekends when I’m out on the water. Thanks again 👍😊
They both charge wrong. You might find Conrad's description of low current overcharge interesting. It can be found linked at the end of this page. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bankmanager But the damage will take time to show so replacing the battery eventually might be a reasonable idea. It's not like you have 1000ah of li.
The cold temperature cut off on that battery protects it from discharging below its minimum discharge temperature it's not meant to protect it while charging.
Batteries are charged at a voltage that will cause a rate of gassing that will break up sulfates (or probably phosphates for PO4 batteries). That voltage varies depending on the temperature of the battery. If the temperature gets too low, the charge will not produce the gassing that is required to keep the battery healthy. The temperature is not a factor when discharging the battery. Since the charger does not know the temperature of the battery, it probably just senses its own temperature to determine the correct initial charge voltage. Therefore, you will get the best life from your battery if the charger and the battery are in the same area, at the same temperature. Also, if the battery is hot (from a long heavy discharge), let it cool off to room temperature before you charge it. Just some tips from an old Sub sailor that had to maintain some very large lead-acid batteries.
P.S. Our Sub battery would pump out 5 to 8 Megawatt-hrs and had over a hundred one ton cells. That was enough power to lift an entire 7000 ton nuclear sub a mile and a half in the air - if it ever all let go at one time. And the old diesel boats had two of those batteries. Respect batteries!
Thank you for your videos. I am always searching for answers and information. I have a Hunter 34’6 sailboat. My goal is to completely redo and upgrade all of the electrical system including the wiring, batteries and adding solar panels. The goal is to allow me to take it out away from shore power for as long as I desire. I wish I could find an expert on these matters that would like to take a boat and design such a system. I just don’t know enough to do it myself. I am a go getter at 70 but lack the new modern information that I need
Thanks Don, Have you seen this. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms It's the charging device I've developed. Makes it easy to add LiFePO4 to your system and seems to be the only charge controller that doesn't cause low current overcharge. And as long as I'm doing a commercial might as well go all the way. We have a Patreon tier called "Dream Believes" where we can have a chat on the phone. Most guys use this time to talk about boat design projects with me. A lot of boat electrical has been worked out like that. I like doing it and I can usually save you money in the long term not buying needless stuff.
Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. I was watching your videos about the BBMS and reading your information. I will definitely be getting back in touch with you
I am in cold temperatures in vemont but think I'll try 8 of them in my boat. And only charge them when its atleast 40F in the cabin. I probably wouldn't try to charge in the winter unless OAT is 40F also when on the hard.
With so many "drop in" li batteries being used I'm contemplating adding a thermometer to my BankManager. It could easily stop charge going to cold batteries.
Many folks are confusing "low temp cutoff" with "low temp CHARGE protection" and they are very different. Low temp cutoff, low temp protection, etc. only protect the battery during discharge. These sellers use "low temp cutoff", "low temp protection" (or something similar) to make you think their battery has low temp charge protection when if fact most do not. To be clear, nowhere in the specs for this battery does it state it has "low temp CHARGE protection", it only states low temp protection and that will not cut charging below freezing. This battery does NOT have low temp CHARGE protection so do not charge it below freezing.
This doesn't make sense. If your BMS is capable of shutting down the discharge at a certain temperature (unfortunately -20C is often that number) then why would the BMS manufacturer not use that same thermistor to shut down the mosfets for charge current? Overtemp protection is almost universal since they use those bimetal thermal switches which are probably insanely cheap to add on to the BMS. No additional circuitry needed, just use the traces for that bimetal switch on the charge and discharge mosfets to go open circuit. When I look at BMS's I always want to see the entire list of parameters so I can see whats available and what their stock parameters are. If they are way off then I know its probably a shit BMS anyways I have never seen a BMS that has a line on the parameters list for Low Temperature Discharge Cutoff Voltage/Low Temperature Discharge Release Voltage but not have the two lines for charging
From Amazon Q&A Question:Does the battery have low temperature charge protection. Specifically, will it prevent the battery from being charged below 32F (0C)? Answer:Hello, the BMS of our battery has a low temperature protection function, it will stop charging the battery at -10 degrees Celsius By PUPVWMHB Battery SELLER on February 12, 2022
@@ronbitzer6587 The Q&A is not where one should get specifications. And -10 c is below freezing so at that temp, the charge rate must be reduced (sometimes drastically) so even if the Q&A is accurate, you could damage this battery by charging it below freezing if you don't know what you are doing. -10c is not protection unless the user is aware and adjusts the charge rate so that is why 0 c is the standard. You can actually charge all the way to about -40 c IF you know what you are doing (and have a sophisticated charger) and adjust the rate appropriately but most people don't so that is why 0 c is the industry standard. Another Q&A says they are testing the battery for a video and it and charged all the way to -20 c (not -10 like the seller claims) before shutting off so the seller's answer wrong, the low temp shutoff is even worse than stated. That is why it isn't in the specs and this battery should not be considered to have a usable low temp charge protection... Q: Im doing a teardown video (60k subscribers). Would you explain why you stop charging at -20c? Its common to stop charging at 0c. A: Poorly configured BMS is the only reason why. Likely have the charge and discharge set at the same number since "technically" it is safe to discharge below freezing although it should be done at a much lower rate like 0.2C max. The first person that responded to this had an "answer" that didn't make much sense. Cell chemistry is pretty much no longer debated in terms of cold temps. Charging should not happen below freezing, discharging can go a bit lower but should not use the normal discharge current specs in the datasheet. 0.2C(apacity) is usually given as the safe continuous discharge rate in the -10C(elsius) to 0C(elsius) range. I don't see -20 Celsius very often in datasheets but I have seen it before. ... By Eric in the United States on December 25, 2022
I'm a beginner, I bought a used pop-up camper, I have no history on it. We've started looking for batteries, it's very confusing. Your video helped me a lot. Thanks.
Good for you. Make sure you check out the leaderboard in the description for better battery choices. They have all come way down in price And you might learn some things from this ELECTRICITY ON BOATS - Clark's Full Masterclass: ua-cam.com/play/PLsT7_jPsZM5ogT6or244F49-Gy7pYFV7V.html
Hi Clark, thanks for your review and sharing your knowledge. A tip I got from my landlord when I was a lot younger was not to wear metal jewelery when dealing with electrics. He used to work for a mechanic whose metal watch band shorted a lead acid battery while working on the car. That was not a pretty sight... Greetz, Catran.
YES. That's why Emily and I use fiber wedding rings. I was a fireman/ambulance. We eventually bought a ring cutter to carry on the rig. Rings can be scary.
I was not aware of the problems of low-temperature charging. I saw some unscientific/unverified videos during our recent cold temperatures of Telsas not charging and "Stuck" on the "Battery Warming" cycle. They must have the same type of protection and a warmer that could not handle the artic temps?
The battery warming system is motor generated heat run through the cooling system to the batteries. Analogous to you shivering to generate warmth. This heating cycle takes away from charging. Also, no charging can begin until temperature is reached. The battery sled is thin form factor, hard to insulate. The current technology makes these a judgment call in cold areas.
Looking to buy an electric outboard motor for a small boat. The one I’ve looked at requires a 48V100A/3- battery. At times the boat will be used in sub freezing temperatures. The outboard motor is rated at 1200 watts max. Noted one of the other comments below was from someone that the battery failed due to moisture. Could the battery be put into a water proof container ( a sealed ice chest?) to help with moisture issues? And what would you look for in a battery for this type of application. Thanks in advance for any input.
First off this battery kinda sucks for your needs. Take a look at my "leader board" linked in the description of this video to find better choices and my reviews. If you want to go with 4 100s to keep the individual weight down check out the Elefast. It has cold charge protection and is reasonably priced. If you go with 4 batteries get a balancer. They don't cost much. Check out my Duffy video and look at our Amazon list to see how to get one for like $50. If you want one big battery get a 48v battery. It will weigh like 100 lbs but if you are cool with that it's best to have everything under one BMS. I have a video coming for a 36v golf cart. That might give you an idea. I mention waterproofness in each video except this one. It was my first and I did a poor job
I bought the 100ah 12v lithium battery from dhgate the battery came in a black box with no labels no paper work but the battery seems to be a good battery i use it on my trolling motor !
what some systems will use is a heater near lithium batteries. I am still learning about this. But cold storage will use lithium, they are just set up with heaters. Haven't had any calls on it as far as I am aware of after almost 2 years of install.
If you look on the video description you will find our leader board. It has links to video reviews of batteries with cold protection that don't cost much. This was my first battery review. Let's just say the later ones are better.
Great video, and info. Im upgrading to Lithium from lead acid on my sailboat, and have been searching for something in the "middle of the ground " type deal, and now I have something else to further research. I have watched some of your other videos, and definitely will subscribe. Thanks.
The advertisement for this battery suggest use for RV. Does this mean this could replace the existing 12v lead acid directly or does it require a dedicated charge manager? I'm guessing the onboard BMS could do the job but I'm not sure if this is the case. Plus, my RV does not have a solar so I'm planning to add solar while replacing the existing lead acid bank.
LiFePO4 is certainly not a replacement for the starter battery. Check out the leaderboard in the description there are better battery choices. You need to do a bunch more research before you can ask a question like that. You need to know what you don't know. Maybe start here? www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I live in a skoolie and I love the idea of a bank of batteries with lead acid and lithium batteries together then plotting the curve and seeing if the two give off a better power output.
I'm sure you noticed it but this review is part of a series, check the links in the description. And if you want a hybrid system you should check this out www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms Yes things get better when you add Li. You lose much of the 20% power loss with charging / discharging lead and your solar panels can produce full until your bank is nearly full making them essentially bigger
I started out with lead acid deep cycle with my shed project quickly found how much LifeP04 is better for solar. Solar have limited time to charge when the panels get full sun. Lead acid can only take so much and last 10-15% has to be pulsed slowly during absorption phase. Lead acid works okay for situations charging overnight with a charger has all night top off the battery. I used deep cycles for years in my bass boat troll motors get home plug them in and leave it plugged in until ready to go again. Odd because we are used to big heavy battery equating to more power light weight lithium performs better.
I just ordered a 24 volts 100 amp hours battery 🔋. Im adding two of them to the twenty lead acid batteries I already have. It'll be here Wednesday. It's an Enjoybot. I got it shipped for $561. It's like two of these you have I guess. I never had one yet. Im going to get another one in December. They have a 100 amps BMS.
Thanks for the link. It will be a while before I install the electrical system in my C-25 bare hull refit. These look like what I need to get ready for sea trials.
This is what I'm trying to find out because if you're on solar charging in the winter time and it's 40 belleau and your battery is equivalent to that temperature. To charge it by solar energy is going to ruin that battery?
Yes. Charging a frozen LiFePO4 cell is going to kill it. I'm not certain this battery is adequately protected. If freezing is a concern you should consider another battery from my leaderboard that you will find linked in the description of this video.
$300 is a pretty common price point for 100Ah LiFePO batteries now (January 2023). You can buy a LiTime, Power Queen, Redodo or Chins with free shipping for that price. All are well thought of and have good build quality as demonstrated by many documented tear downs. None of those batteries have low temperature charging cut off, but you don't really need that. Just buy a Victron charge controller with the battery temperature sense, or link it to a Victron shunt with a temperature sensor, and program it to stop charging at whatever temperature you like. You can get 100 Ah batteries with real low temp charging cut off and internal heaters for about $400-$450. Also the term "automotive grade cells" is standard marketing for LiFePO4 batteries.
I can't decide which is the best of the $300 100Ah LiFePO batteries? I'm in the south, don't care about heaters. Some of these manufactures off a PREMIUM version at a higher price, like Power Queen. Don't know if it's worth it, tho?
@@massa-blasta From what I have seen in UA-cam reviews it appears that LiTime, Redodo, Chins and Power Queen are pretty much the same. The more expensive 100 Ah batteries seem to have low temp charging protection and/or an internal heater.
Redodo just sent me one of their 200ah batteries. I just used it in a video on how to hook up an off grid solar powered electrical system (airing soon). I'll install it on Temptress and use it for a while then likely review it. Might cut this one open as it's going to live in my boat and I don't need it in a case.
I'm considering replacing a traditional lead acid battery with Li ones for a gate motor. The lead acid ones come at 12V 7.2Ah, and I would like to replace that with an Li one at 12V, 8Ah. The form factors are exactly the same with similar charging and discharging characteristics. Do you think this would be a good idea? Can the Li cells withstand the outdoor heat of up to 35 degC but it sits inside a box of course. Also, will the charging circuit that came with the lead acid battery also work on the Li ones? I appreciate your honest opinion and thanks!
I see on your shopping area you have a trolling motor. I have a 7ft fiberglass trihull dinghy. Whats your oppion on this battery and the 12v 55lb thrust trolling motor.
Not this one. I'd say it's good to 38lb There are much better choices in other batteries I've reviewed. Check out the leaderboard linked in the description of this video
Pretty much the determining factor for what meets Automotive customer specs is Internal Resistance followed by Watt Hours/Average Voltage. Every customer is going to have different requirements but at its core what matters is voltage drop and the cells ability to discharge that power at a certain C rating. For the large prismatic LiFeP04 cells that is almost alwasy 1C continuous/2C burst. Part of the bonus of having low IR is that you'll have less voltage drop meaning you'll have a higher voltage throughout the discharge giving you a higher Wh figure and higher average voltage. The automotive grade cells seem to have an extra margin built into them, they'll test at least 5% higher in Ah, sometimes as much as 10% higher, and their internal resistance will be 75% of the "typical" rating on the datasheet. This is why we can get Grade B cells that meet capacity in Ah (but often fall a bit short on Wh) and exhibit acceptable voltage drop under large loads due to an IR that is somewhere close to spec, maybe just above the typical rating.
Wouldn't a higher internal resistance be more appropriate for automotive cells? Since low IR is 1 of the 2 reasons we can't just hook a lifepo4 battery up to an alternator. Low IR is great but our dumb alternators are designed to charge a LA bat that doesn't match. You def know more than me on this subject so I'm sure I'm wrong. I have solar setups and only right now researching on adding lithium house banks to LA starting batteries, going through DC-DC chargers or using a Xantrex echo charger if I need lower current like 15A. I believe I heard him say he designed a charger also, I'd like to hear more on his also. In a few years I'm posative all lithiums will be in all our cars. They already make lithium starting batteries but they are way too high priced.
@@extrememiami Automotive cells meaning cars that are purely EV. They don't have a typical alternator that ICE cars use. Pretty sure Tesla and others use DC to DC converters for any other voltage the car needs so it's a buck converter from the overall pack voltage down to 12V or whatever
I'm working on an alternator video where I'll address everything Lifepo4 and alternator related. And... Show how to keep any alternator safe for $10us. Stay tuned and subscribe, bell, whatever you have to do nowdays
@@Clarks-Adventure you gotta keep your dial up connection going and stay on the creators page, hitting refresh every 15 seconds. Tell the wife the phone is off limits for the next 48-72 hours. If you lose connection everything. you ever liked watching on UA-cam gets sucked into a black hole and you're stuck watching UA-cam Rewind 2018 without a dislike button to hit.
@@Clarks-Adventure look forward to that video. I've researched it and it's fairly complicated. There's not much info out there either. Would be very welcomed to see a video addressing it all. Lower IR that it sucks out too much power at once, especially if the battery is low, how to protect the alternator when the BMS shuts off when it's full (alternator protector) and address charging lithium when it's below freezing to not ruin the battery, if additional vibration protection is needed since it's not just plates and liquid inside, it's circuit boards, and then how to use lithium as a starter battery when it's not designed for starting (most). I look forward to this video, we need more info on the topic for sure. I'd love to see the day when we can simply pop in a lithoum Iron battery when our stupid LA or AGM batteries die. My escalade has never had a battery last more than 2 years max.
Could I use it for an emergency to run full size refrigerator? I was thinking of getting a 1500 converter and a battery to use for 5-6 hours outage. Another question could I use converter to charge the battery?...
It depends on how much the refrigerator/inverter drew. I wouldn't use this battery for anything over 50a continuous. There are other batteries listed in the "leader board" linked in the description. Follow links for current prices.
Do these lithium batteries work without solar? What components in my trailer (not RV) would I need to change to make it work with a generator for charging?
I stand corrected- only this battery seems to be $254- compared to the brands i was looking at before which have skyrocketed in price- just not sure about the quality of this particular brand- but certainly a great price!!! Thanks for sharing.
This was my first review and I never opened this battery but I think it's similar to the Feence battery I also reviewed. Assuming that's true it would be good to 50a. I used 3 of these in a Duffy conversion (see my video) so yes it should work fine for a trolling motor that runs around that current. But do yourself a favor and go to my "leader board" in the description of this videos and check out some other batteries I've reviewed. There are some much better built batteries for just a few dollars more available. I really like the Elefast. Also (from the Duffy) video I'd use a battery balancer for the 36v setup. I found a cheap one. Follow our Amazon link to find it.
I like your review and will purchase one through Amazon to have for a power backup for my PC and TV. I also purchased a Noko Genius1 battery maintainer to use on it. You mentioned something in the review that gives me second thoughts. Is this a good product to use or should I choose another way to charge and maintain this battery ? And, is it OKAY to have the battery trickle charging under a light load ?
You should seriously consider my product. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms It really is the best you can do for your Li. Wait just a bit. I'm currently uploading a review on a battery I like better. Subscribe and push the bell so you get a notification tonight.
Clark, thanks for posting. Question, to run a LiPO4 in my camper (Forest River Minilite) do I need to defeat/disable the onboard charging system..? currently running orig. flooded 2x6v setup.. thanks, Paul.
Yes lead chargers will damage li. In fact li chargers will slowly damage li. I'm going to recommend the approach I invented of course. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms It lets you leave your setup just as it is and add li. It's nice to the li and even let's you keep your current lead.
Find out how many amps it draws I'd bet about 60 or 70. Get a battery with a BMS that can pass at least that much. Any battery on my leader board except for the cheap pup and Feence should do the job. I'd seriously consider the Redodo mini. Easy to store and carry.
I don't understand, with a battery shut down let's say it 10 below zero. I live in us but I have gone to Canada a number of times and it's very cold outside and it turns 40 below, which you can in Canada and Montana your signals batteries will not work when is that cold outside and they can fail?
First I don't recommend this battery, I've reviewed better choices. See the leader board linked in the description. Charging a frozen Li batter is instant death
I'm running tests just now but it seems with multiple BankManagers you can mix anything. But a $400 device for each $300 battery isn't exactly cost effective is it.
I plan to replace my 2018 4Runner OEM battery with AGM Yellow Top Optima battery. At this price point should I get this lithium battery? Will this battery work with my 170w solar panel and Renogy controller? The solar panel charges my ARB fridge, Bluetti power station, and top off my battery. Thanks
This battery wouldn't be a good starter battery. Optima are great for that. This would be more of a house battery but you are using a bluetti for that. Also I think you need a BankManager to charge li right especially when you want to mix it with lead
Thank you Clark for this happy and positive video :-) This video has reminded me to check the charging on my sealed lead acid battery for my HF radio. It'll almost be done. But now I am off to water the baby lettuce. Cheers :-)
Amazon battery is 1/3 the cost of Battle Born battery, which is a no-brainer. Will Prowse open a lot of these batteries and recommend them. If you are handy, you can build it with selected cells even better. With power and a computer fan, cold weather is fine. That beats water drying up in a lead-acid battery any time.
Bummer, I live in a cold climate, Wisconsin, so I would need to move these to the inside of the trailer, I can't leave them on the outside in the battery box, if cold outside I cant heat it until spring. :) I didn't hear you say that it had an built in heater, hoes it? Thank you.
I discuss that a bit in this video. ua-cam.com/video/odhuEauAvLU/v-deo.html I just started filming for a battery I'll publish a review on this weekend. It claims cold protection
I have a question. If I have intentions of getting four batteries to hook up inlune what size solar panels do I need to keep them going? Does this even make sense?
Panels make power. Batteries store power You size your panels and your storage to how you use power. I think I'd get the Feence battery over this one unless you really liked the USB port. You might like to watch my other battery reviews. ua-cam.com/video/VsBtAroiLto/v-deo.html
I'm getting a 2023 motor coach. It has 1 200 watt solar panel, a 1000 watt inverter , a dual controller what ever that is and 2 100 AH AGM batteries. I plan to up grade the inverter to 2000 or 3000 but initially would like to upgrade to a 200 or 300 AH lithium battery, can I just drop a lithium in with my current equipment ?
Usually no. There are a bunch of charge controller issues to deal with. But if you use one of these www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms You just put your new li in parallel with your existing lead and put this on the wire between.
yeah you should, unless you like expensive decals from BB..Weize on sale now for 100ah $254.79 been using for over 1 yr. more on order as of yesterday. 10 yr warranty.
No I wouldn't rely on any LiFePO4 to start an engine, especially these. You might want to check out my BankManager approach to building a hybrid system containing both lead and Li. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I'll be reviewing some interesting batteries next month. I haven't cut them apart yet but the Redodo seems interesting. Get a 24v single battery as long as you can handle the weight.
@@Clarks-Adventure I am replacing a marine battery :), I have a Balboa B26 right now (actually, I have 2) when and if I finally upgrade to a larger boat I will be consulting with you on its systems. I intend to send you a little thank you soon. Oh, the only bank manager I need is one that says: Sure, you can afford that boat! I also relate to you in that my wife is much younger than I (13 years) we have been together for 29 years and counting.
I appreciate your information. I am so confused as to what to do. I am running two lead acid marine deep cycle batteries as shore power in my van. They say they are 115 ah. I charge them from my alternator. I really want to upgrade to to lithium, but I’m nervous as to what I need to make this jump. Btw I currently only run lights and a 12volt fridge.
Bryan, you should really check out my BankManager. From your comments I can see you will understand it. And it's based on a hybrid battery bank. Also please don't judge me by this video. It sucks. Check out the leaderboard linked in the description of this video. My other battery reviews are much more useful. But UA-cam keeps pushing this one I'm really not proud of.
Hey there, thanks for sharing your honest review bout' Chinese Lithium Ion Battery. I too am a BIG user of Chinese Lithium Ion Battery which I purchased (Amazon) almost over a year ago. I used Renogy DC-DC 50a charger to manage the charging from source power alternator/solar panel. Eversince, never had an issue with the Battery, and it always stays up to 100% charge when it picks enough 🌞. I have my 75L Fridge stays ON at all times, charge 3 Cell Phones (now & then), sometimes use the Sirocco II Fan (Day or Night), Hard Korr LED lights. When I used all these loads at night, by midnight I checked my Battery left Charge Capacity is between 95%-100%. But when I add the load to charge DJI Mavic 2 Drone 3 Batts at the same time, I still have 80%-85% Battery Charge left. So, it really depends on how I use, and to making SURE that the 12V DC system is well capable to handle the application. So, my point is that Chinese Lithium Ion Battery to me is by far exceeds my expectations, and hoping to last me longer depends on how it's being used/managed. Thank you and have a wonderful 🦃 Day!
nice review, so what about integrating a 20A 14.6V AC-DC charger to 12.6V 20Ah battery bank(3), using +/- busbars connected to a 30A PV controller? The charger operates at the exact maximum of the batters parameters, thinking about buying a 5-10A charger for this battery bank and saving the 20A charger for more expensive 50-100Ah LiFe batteries.
This might help you with how to charge li. There is a lot more to it then guys selling chargers tell you. Basically no charger does a good job but this one. But this one is likely too expensive for that battery. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Omg you are probably the perfect person to ask! I have an inflatable boat with a sailing rig and take it on a really small lake. I want to add a small trolling motor (30 pounds) just to go a very short distance back if my daughter doesn’t want to row. These inflatables don’t sail well at various points of sail. They slide! So i would go no more than 30 minutes because the whole point is sailing. What’s the lowest power lifepo4 cheap battery i can use for this? The one you described is too expensive. Thank you so much!
Don't try to sail an inflatable.. Well if it's what you have fun on the water is fun, right We use a 50ah that I built myself in Emily's boat. Emily Builds a Sailboat: ua-cam.com/play/PLsT7_jPsZM5qrTdxolBxRZAsUfuacyiE1.html It lasts a long time if you don't try to go too fast.
Ya i have a 16ft daysailer as well but it’s a lot of work. The inflatable is fast to set up and goes in my car. I can’t make a battery but i can look for a 50AH thanks!
Yep as long as you don't freeze them this looks great. Might even defend against freezing. Have you looked into this? www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
That would be way to high of a voltage, even for AGM in my opinion. Really you can't charge a LiFePO4 to a voltage and expect a long life. Cars and campers are a particularly difficult situation to add Li to because of all the chargers that are locked to lead. Here is what I think is the right way. We use this in our truck camper. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Check out Conrad's article linked to the bottom of my link above. It's a quick description (with links) to how LiFePO4 needs to be charged. Don't trust the battery companies and charge controller companies.
Welcome I have two lithium batteries, each one 12 volts, 150 amps connected to System 24 Why does the first battery charge before the second battery when it only works for two hours? The draw from the two batteries is only one amp..?
Li is hard to help balanced in series. Take a look at our "Duffy" video. I used an isolated battery balancer. From there go to our Amazon store. It's there and quite inexpensive. The same manufacturer makes a unit for only 2 batteries that is a bit cheaper and handy for 24v
@@Clarks-Adventure I connected a balancer, but it did, but the positive battery bleeds before the negative battery. When loading only one ampere, within two hours, the charge of the first battery is saved
Great video but just missing what I needed. My question I was hoping was answered was can I use this in a UPS? If yes then what would I need to do if replacing a LA, if not can you recommend one for such an application.
Yes. That's an astute observation. I will be taking a redodo 200 amp battery onto Temptress for evaluation. It might not be a great idea to mix li of different manufacturers, so I'm going to put them on separate BankManagers. That way they will end their charge cycles independently. They will only be connected during discharge, should be ok but I'll learn more when I try it. I think most cheap batteries are likely using similar BMSs. My existing lithiums are Battleborn, probably quite different.
Battery life is highly dependent on charge rate. LFP can see 5k cycles. If they are charged at an optimal rate. Say 1/4C? IE a 50 amp rate for a 200AH batt. I like BMS's that they monitor each cell.
3:58 40A discharge rate ? That's gotta be at a fairly low voltage, because AFAIK a very modest max discharge rate is pretty much THE defining limitation of LIFEPO4 tech in general. Am I off or on target ?
In that boat ua-cam.com/video/HWM8YnlKefQ/v-deo.html there are three of these batteries in series. 36 volts nominal. The boat uses a max of about 60amps but cruises lower. These batteries can put out 100amps.
how did you work out the total amps that it give out at the end, like you said the battery is 108A? I brought a solar deep cycle battery and the guy said they 100ah but i got a feeling it less.
I think I described it in the video. I fully charged it and discharged it through that resister pack measuring the amps drawn. The amps go down as the voltage slumps. Then I just calculated the "area under the curve" to get total amp hours. Likely the number would be slightly lower if I drew more amps but 6 amps is close to the average draw a house battery would be expected to produce on average.
I have a 200w solar charging system mounted to the campershell of my work truck. I use it exclusively to charge Dewalt batteries with a Fast Charger that pulls about 250watts. What decent enough Lithium battery could I get away with?
Look.at the description of this video and follow the link to my leader board Data and rankings of the batteries I've reviewed. There are better choices than this one.
Not directly. That will kill a LiFePO4 battery quickly. If you use a BankManager you can use the chargers you have including your connection to the vehicle and keep your existing lead. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
can you expand on why trickle charging is bad? i have a inverter/charger that has a trickle charger voltage of 13.5 that i plan to connect a 100 ah lifepo4 battery (mjbsan).
Go to Conrad's article linked to the bottom of this www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms It's a good place to start a deep dive. But in short you expose yourself to low current overcharge
@@Clarks-Adventure never did find conrad's article. but no matter. So i got the new battery today and got it all wired up. at first it was charging up but then around 60% things started slowing down. btw the battery has bluetooth so i can monitor it. The bigger issue is once the battery reaches 65% it stops charging. I was hoping for 80-95 %. The tripp-lite inverter/charger only produces 13.42 v so my 100 ah battery only charges to 70 ah. gotta wonder what this does to its lifespan. anyway looks like i need to peek inside the inverter and see if charger voltage can be tweeked or replaced. . your mission Jim is to find a schematic.
Back to Conrad's article. Don't just let the battery cook at that voltage forever. That causes low current overcharge. Though it would likely take a while. I bet the battery is still taking charge but VERY slowly. So yes bring up the charge voltage to charge faster and make sure charge stops when it should and the battery isn't held at high float voltage. Or get a BankManager of course.
@@Clarks-Adventure yes i agree. 18 hrs later the battery is now fully charged at 100%. yet the problem (?) remains is how to automatically turn off the charging circuit once a full charge is reached. right now according to the blue tooth app the charge current is sitting at 0 amp so I'm guessing the BMS is doing what it's supposed to do. This is new territory for me so I'm not sure if this is an area of concern or not. I suppose I should simulate a power failure and see if I can draw up to eighty amps from the battery and see how the system performs.
I've learned a lot since this video. Go to the description and follow the link toy leader board. I really don't think this is a good battery. I'd suggest the Elefast. It costs just a bit more but has every feature you'd want except for internal heating.
I have bought many cheapest Chinese lithium batteries from Amazon & eBay and never had any problems. Not saying they are all good but so far so good for me.
I'm not an EE or a techy person, but I did enjoy the video. I have a 6-seat golf cart running at 48V using 8-6V FLA batteries (Trojan T-105). Would these batteries work for me? I'm in Atlanta, GA so the low temp issue shouldn't be a problem. I get good range with these 8 batteries, how would four of these compare running in series?
I like my BankManager to give you a better charge for longer battery life. But regardless you should either buy 48v batteries so the cells are all balanced by one BMS or use the battery balancer I used in my friends Duffy Li conversation ua-cam.com/video/HWM8YnlKefQ/v-deo.html
hey, what do you think of Krohm batteries? I heard they were cheaper than the rest of the market rn and they dont contribute to toxic waste which is a plus
I personally wouldn't use this one. Check out the "leader board" linked in the description below this video to see all the batteries I've reviewed. For a car stereo I'd seriously consider the "transparent Elefast". You might like one of my BankManagers. It will let you join your Li to your cars existing lead and let the cars alternator safely charge your lithium batteries. No more charging your stereo batteries at home.
You didn't give a lot of information like the voltage you are running it at. But even at 12v this is like 40a. My high output tests are at max battery amps. But they are telling in other ways. Batteries that perform well there have good connections and low internal resistance. Be sure to look at the leader board in the description and see the other batteries I reviewed.
Thank you. Charts like that and comments from a couple other reviewers let me know what I should expect from powerqueen. So when I saw their 100ah 12v battery with Bluetooth on amazon for $149 I knew it was a steal. So I grabbed one. 3 hours later it was back up to $209. Very happy I was able to recognize the value of that one because of you guys.
Question. My LifePO4 batteries come tomorrow but my new Lithium/LifePO4 compatible converter doesn’t come until March. So right now our RV has a WFCO WF-8735P converter (LA/AGM). Can I use the LifePO4 on this converter for a couple weeks without damaging the batteries? I will be replacing the AGM batteries with the LifePO4. Great videos, I enjoy watching this stuff 👍
I don't know what you mean by a converter. I do it this way and I strongly think it's best. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms We have stock on hand.
Do you mean AC powered battery charger. If so don't use the lead one. Even a li unit can't charge LiFePO4 correctly. No charger can possibly charge li correctly without a current sensor right at the battery. With my BankManager you can use any charger. You can add solar sometime if you like. Watch the second half of this video to get an idea. ua-cam.com/video/XDLK5CuGQPo/v-deo.html
Good morning. We have a converter in a 2019 R-Pod 190 that has a converter WF-8735P for shore power and to charge the lead house batteries, 2 105AH AGM, I have a Victron BMV-712 shunt, when on shore power the converter charges the house batteries, but this converter is ONLY for LEAD. Today I have two LifePO4 100AH batteries coming, I also have a new converter that has the charging profiles for Lithium batteries (lithium/ LifePO4, etc.), but that converter is back ordered until March. We are looking to replace the lead AGM batteries with LifePO4 and ultimately replace the converter too. But my question was, will charging the new LifePO4 batteries with a traditional NON-lithium controller permanently damage the batteries in the short period we use them? Two or three weeks of light sitting and charging?
As I said I wouldn't do that. The "lead" charge profile calls for an absorption period that will convert li salt to metallic li in your batteries, irreversibly. Your engines alternator will cause the same issue as you drive down the highway. Separately I'd argue that that backordered converter will also cause the same problem but slower. Also your solar regulators=same problem. Please watch at least the second part of the video I linked. The BankManager addresses this issue and works with all your current chargers including the trailer connection to the engine alternator. It is easier to install but requires you to keep at least one small lead battery aboard.
@@Clarks-Adventure i understand what you are saying, and I appreciate it very much. But with a small travel trailer, weight/space are king, so keeping a small lead battery onboard wouldn’t be optimal. I understand (and have watched the video 👍 that you linked, actually watched it last night), so what you are saying is, that I should spend another $500 on your device, on top of the MPPT controller, new Lithium converter, DC-DC charger just so my $500 LifePO4 batteries don’t crystallize? I think with the price/warranty of the LifePO4 batteries, I’d be cheaper to get new batteries in a couple years ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I truly appreciate your kind advice, I really do. Keep up the great videos 👍
You are evidently doing a good job pushing these items. When I click on the link (even using a VPN) they are "currently unavailable". Look great though, thanks for sharing great tips.
I'm sure there are but I haven't personally seen one. Anyone?? I'm thinking about adding this to the next BankManager but is over a year away. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Sure no problem with 30a. I wouldn't push it over 50. Check out the leaderboard linked in the description. The Elefast is possibly the best deal going for this kind of battery just now.
I know enough batteries to know the LiFePo4 is 3.6v fully charged when new, 4 batteries in series equals 14.4v, it should be discharged to 3.2v, 4 = 12.8v. If 12.8v is the discharge cut off voltage then the batteries are either new balanced or one has greater or lower voltage to make 12.8v. Automotive quality must all have the same voltage +/- 0.01 to 0.02v to be balanced. Check the voltage with a meter when discharged and full to see if they are second hand or not balanced when full.
Another concern, particularly in marine applications.... the battery case needs to be COMPLETELY sealed from moisture. I bought a Chinese 36v 100ah battery direct from China... it was cheap, about $1300 delivered, with a 40-amp charger. It worked great for several months, then failed to charge. I decided to peel the cover off and inspect. The warranty period was over, I wasn't going to ship it back to China for evaluation, so I had nothing to lose. When I got the cover off, I found the copper plates that were used to connect the cells had corroded, and corrosion on the BMS itself. The battery had never been submerged, but in the bilge of a boat, it's certainly around moisture, but never standing water. I tested the cells, and all seemed to be fine. So, I replaced the solid copper plates with nickel plated plates (E-bay), and sent photos of the battery to the company that manufactured it. They were kind enough to recognize that water vapor had caused this damage, so they sent me a new BMS and a new top for the battery, which I was very careful to epoxy back on around the entire mating surface. It's been 2 years now, operating without a hitch. So, looking forward, if I purchased another "cheap" battery for a marine application, I would look for no options like USB ports, or cover those openings with silicone sealant or something to keep out water vapor. I'd also consider sealing around the outside where the cover mates to the bottom of the case.
Yes I learned that trapped moisture will do more damage then just leaving the thing open
By the same tokin laptops in "pelican" cases tend to have a short life.
I have friends with bare cells and exposed BMS they tend to do fine.
Thanks for the info. It was pure serendipity, er, the algo, that had your channel pop up for the first time last night for me. I just started studying these batteries last week and have already learned some crucial information thanks to you. Information that pre-saved me money because of my ignorance.
Just throwing this out there for people like me in colder climates---there are battery blankets (electric-powered) that many motorists in particularly cold winter areas of Alaska use and I'm quite certain they could be useful in preventing damage to batteries in a chilly battery charging situation. Cheers!
Thanks David.
I will be doing some more battery reviews in the near future. I will cut the box open in the future and poke around inside.
Did you see this video?
ua-cam.com/video/VZSr6o5fLHE/v-deo.html
If you are going li it's something to consider.
Great video. Thanks. That's a sweet affordable turnkey solution, but as a full-time RVer I was looking to replace the 2 golf cart batteries that were located under the steps of my motorhome with the highest capacity LiFePo-4s that would fit in this limited space. We decided to build our own 560ah LiFePo-4 battery bank with a 330amp Heltec BMS (to start the 5,500-watt onboard generator) and a 5a active balancer for under $1,500. We built our 12v battery out of 8 grade "A" 280ah LiFePo-4 prismatic cells having an 8,000-cycle projected life at 80% DOD or 6,000 cycles at 100% DOD. This means that if we cycled them 100% every single day, 365 days a year, they would last over 16 years! So, they're obviously going to wear out from age before they wear out from cycling as we only use 15-20% of their capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for several days of bad weather before we have to run our generator for charging. They even saved us 35 lbs compared to our old FLA batteries and have over 5 times their capacity.
Of course, it's not just a drop in like the pre-assembled PUPVWMHB battery you featured. We top balanced the cells before we assembled the battery, though they were all within a tenth of a volt when we received them. This was probably unnecessary as our 5-amp active balancer would have surely done the job, but spending this much money, we wanted to do the job right. They were economical too. $1,500/560ah = $2.68/ah vs $299/100ah = $2.99/ah for the PUPVWMHB battery. There are cheaper "B" cells available from China that are typically rated at 3,500-4,000 cycles, but we decided to spend a little more to get the higher rated cells shipped from a California warehouse, so if we got a bad one it would be easier and quicker to return and get a replacement. Happily, this wasn't necessary. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a 1" hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to circulate just enough room temperature air into his compartment keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging if they get too cold - or their life reduced from getting too hot.
Congratulations, seems like a great build
Thanks for reassuring me, I bought 2 "cheap ones" from Amazon too, 180 AH each. I'll hook them up to my BBMS in the next months and will report, how they worked for me. They claim to be automotive grade as well and now I know what that means.
Which one did you get and please report back after you have lived with them for a while. (So we can all benefit)
Can you give an update?
@Andreas Fink update?
I'm waiting for delivery of an inexpensive battery that I have great expectations about.
Once I get it I'll do a review video. It's called a "FEENCE" battery and is quite cheap but made by a company that has been making batteries for a long time.
Great job Clark, love how you think. I see the comments about buying much more expensive batteries and I get it. If you were crossing oceans or backing up something critical, I would agree, but spending good money on a temporary situation is extravagant.
Thanks.
Personally I'd never trust li as the sole storage device for mission critical work. One failed transistor and it's all over.
I'm keeping some lead for that.
You made up my mind on what type of batteries to install in my RV. Was thinking about lipos, but we'll be in cold climates sometimes. I'll stick with lead acid for now. We don't boon dock much. But we're seriously thinking about chasing the warm weather. Then they'll be great. Excellent video.
check out the newest kids on the block -- sodium-ion iirc they are good down to -40 c
I have 2 of these exact batteries in my camper for a year now. They've been fine for me so far. I saw a tear down on it and the UA-camr was impressed with it, so I bought them
Great video, quite insightful. We moved completely off-grid in 2019 and originally used 16-Lead/Acid 6v 232ah batteries to power our system. They worked well until they got cold in Winter. This past May we upgraded our Battery Bank to LiFePO4
We went with 4 Powerqueen Batteries. The 12.8v 300ah (200Amp BMS) units and got em delivered to the cabin from Amazon for $1000/ea. They have been a huge power upgrade, haven't given us a lick of trouble and have seriously put a damper on our generator usage as we can go several days without sun now without running the batteries dead. These Lithium's deliver a ton more power in cold temps ie 35F-40F than Lead/Acid EVER could! Lithium for Life out here! 🤠
If you still have the lead you could bring them back into your system. A bit more capacity and other benefits with a BankManager.
@@Clarks-Adventure I actually sold em all as I have a battery box that’ll only fit one set at a time. BankManager eh? First I’m hearing of it. Let me go check that nifty sounding device out now. What’s it do, moderate multiple charging parameters for different parallel banks?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
This video is great, can it be used in parallel with my ADCBATT 12v 100ah Lifepo4? I have a lot of ADCBATT batteries, but now I want to try some new ones.
It all comes down to the battery age/condition and the BMS. I can't answer that. Check with the battery company but I'll tell you they will give you the easy answer , "no".
But if you use one of my BankManagers (see above) on each type of battery you would be fine technically. It would cost too much though
Skip to the 5 min mark. Trust me.
Low attention span is a brand new epidemic
@managersamuel thanks. I was feeling so guilty I cut I to his couch sitting time.
Thx
Why? It gives time to scroll the trolls and listen in the background, but from time to time you get valuable comments.
Thanks
I bought a pair of WATTCYCLE 12v 200AH LiFePo4 batteries for my mobility scooter, to give me 200AH @24v and a range of nearly 200km. They are fantastic and were only AUD 540 (USD 350) each, delivered. I'd be interested in seeing a review of these, I'm not finding any negatives after several months and a couple of thousand km.
Contact the seller and suggest my channel. I get requests all the time. I try to review mostly 200 and 400ah batteries.
@@Clarks-Adventure That scooter is illegal now , 0 to 60 in 5 seconds !
For my hybrid car, a 36 to 50Ah battery works just fine,and is cheaper. I do run a 2 way diode to lower the voltage by approx 0.6V, because the 14.4 charge voltage triggers the bms fron charging it (I think the car charger sends 15V pulses to determine how full the battery is, shutting down the bms).
The diodes are like up to 1200v or something, some people ran them with 180A peak, 50+A continuous.
Hello Clark, great job, I want to put this battery in a 13-foot Jon Boat to run a Minn Kota 50 lb thrust trolling motor, is this a good choice to do the job? Please let me know what you think.
There are more interesting batteries in our leader board linked to the description of this video. In all likelihood this looks like the Feence battery inside. If you can swing a few more bucks there are better batteries with better internal wiring like the Elefast. Still cheap but with Bluetooth (think gas gauge) and enough internal copper to not get hot when pushing the power your motor requires on full power.
I converted my water well to off grid solar. 400 watts plus I added 4 lead acid deep cycle marine batteries and a back up 110 ac plug in if I drain the batteries during an irrigation cycle at night. At the time all I could afford was the lead acid batteries. They have served me well for three years. Two failed under warranty within the first year but all is good now. I'm getting ready to replace these abd go to li-po. Thanks for the video. My batteries are in a large insulated box shaded by the solar panels with a small computer fan to vent it.
Thanks John.
If you have life in your lead still or if you want to charge your Li "right". You might find this interesting.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
If you use lithium batteries, don't vent.
I enjoyed that as a “ nontech “ and limited funds person, thank you . And for those that have to have all the I s dotted and the T s crossed tested to the Nth degree destruction and 110 % guarantees, just buy the big dollar version and don’t bother watching. Cheers Clark .
I discovered your channel this morning. I've been following a few of the better known sailing channels for the last 2 to 3 years. I am surprised that I haven't come across yours until now. I think the tie-in was the LiFEP04 battery review. I also build my own battery backup systems.
Great video. I appreciated your take on the grading of batteries. It is an interesting viewpoint to consider. You are not right or wrong. Much like many topics, it is another ambiguous topic which seems to have no valid data source to demonstrate definitive proof one way or the other. What some have said is only an opinion. Unless there is demonstrative proof, it is simply an opinion.
Like many, I am also leary of the claim of low temperature protection. But you are correct in that if you don't live in a climate necessitating below freezing charging, you don't need that feature. I searched for other YTube videos that reviewed this battery. You seem to be the first. I would like to see a few more YTube reviews, preferably with a cold temp charging test before making any decision.
I will definitely check out your other videos now that I have found your channel.
Thanks,
I hope you find other videos on our channel interesting. We keep our playlists up to date so that's probably the best way to see the kind of thing that interests you.
Yes our new subscriber numbers are way up. I think it was the li.
Have you looked at my charging device yet?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I'm really quite proud of it. Seems to be doing things one can't do any other way.
I needed to add a trolling motor to my kayak. A 12 pound 50 AH battery is plenty. I bought a Eco-Worthy for $135. Compared to a $100 deep cycle lead battery at 65 pounds and 90 AH theres no contest for my use. It will troll longer than I want to be on the water and get me there and back. If it lasts even 3 seasons thats better than the typical lead battery
In my RV I place my batteries on Heating Plant Germination Mats. I then add a temp sensor control on off which turns on the heating pads for the temperature I want which is around 38 degrees. I could also use the temp control to turn on a fan and cool the batteries.
As someone whose been researching the market for new batteries, my response is "Great, yet another manufacturer I need to check out!" Just kidding, of course.
Seriously, I think the folks building these come up with new company names weekly. Not sure if it is intended to confuse the market, or is just a mad scramble to get market dominance before the other guy, but it does create challenges if you want to find good quality, with the features you want, at a reasonable price.
Thanks again for another informative video!
Hello Clark - thank you for all of your insight. I plan to purchase this battery from your online store as my first LiFePO4 experience, however I would like to confirm that the battery will work well in the way that I am planning to use it on my boat. I have a portable refrigerator which will draw 30W or less depending on how cold I want to operate it. I have a smart battery charger (120V shore power) which works for LiFePO4 batteries and I have a solar panel which is rated for 50W which also has a PWM style controller. The LiFePO4 battery has a BMS to protect against overcharging, etc. and I would like to connect my smart charger to the LiFePO4 battery during the weekdays and when I use the boat for a weekend trip (2-3 days max) I want disconnect the smart charger and then connect the solar panel to the LiFePO4 battery so it can keep up with the demand of the refrigerator until I return to the dock and switch back to my smart battery charger plugged into shore power. So at this time I only want the LiFePO4 battery to have a singe use which is to run the portable refrigerator when I am away from the dock. What do you think? I actually have two additional smaller 7W solar panels which I use to keep my lead-acid batteries (2) topped off all the time. My lead-acid batteries power the engine starter and all other normal lighting/pump functions on the boat. Later I may consider joining the LiFePO4 battery with the lead-acid with your Battery Manager, but for now I want to keep it simple until. Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions. Keep up the great work!
Well it will work.
But if you've read my stuff you understand that I'm not happy with how "lithium" chargers charge li..
I understand that the BankManager is expensive and for a 100ah install it might be cheapest in the long run to accept li damage and just replace it early. Can't say I wouldn't do that if I had to pay retail.
You will likely get years of use that way before the li damage is noticeable
We ran our camper including a similar fridge off this as the primary battery. Never really used the lead much. Just when running the microwave.
So there should be a good store of power and the max wantage is well over your needs.
@@Clarks-Adventure Thanks Clark. Sorry I can't jump in all the way just yet. I really have spent way too much to just do away with dealing with ice & coolers....which are a pain. Let me get started and I will come back soon for the full upgrade if I find the frig is really a necessity. Thanks again so much. I am also moving ahead on a plywood dinghy based on Emily's great video. You guys make a super team...much respect. Looking forward to great year of adventuring. Stay safe.
You are going to appreciate refrigeration!
If anything goes awry I will report back. I’m hoping that my smart charger genius brand will keep the battery properly tended to most of the time since the solar panel will only work on the weekends when I’m out on the water. Thanks again 👍😊
They both charge wrong. You might find Conrad's description of low current overcharge interesting. It can be found linked at the end of this page. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bankmanager
But the damage will take time to show so replacing the battery eventually might be a reasonable idea. It's not like you have 1000ah of li.
The cold temperature cut off on that battery protects it from discharging below its minimum discharge temperature it's not meant to protect it while charging.
Great post Clark. I appreciate all the information you are sharing here. I always enjoy tuning into your newest post. 💛 🌴⛵️🌞
Thanks Gef
Batteries are charged at a voltage that will cause a rate of gassing that will break up sulfates (or probably phosphates for PO4 batteries). That voltage varies depending on the temperature of the battery. If the temperature gets too low, the charge will not produce the gassing that is required to keep the battery healthy. The temperature is not a factor when discharging the battery. Since the charger does not know the temperature of the battery, it probably just senses its own temperature to determine the correct initial charge voltage. Therefore, you will get the best life from your battery if the charger and the battery are in the same area, at the same temperature. Also, if the battery is hot (from a long heavy discharge), let it cool off to room temperature before you charge it. Just some tips from an old Sub sailor that had to maintain some very large lead-acid batteries.
P.S. Our Sub battery would pump out 5 to 8 Megawatt-hrs and had over a hundred one ton cells. That was enough power to lift an entire 7000 ton nuclear sub a mile and a half in the air - if it ever all let go at one time. And the old diesel boats had two of those batteries. Respect batteries!
You can't treat LiFePO4 like lead.
What you said was correct for Pb but basically none of that applies to Li
Thank you for your videos. I am always searching for answers and information. I have a Hunter 34’6 sailboat. My goal is to completely redo and upgrade all of the electrical system including the wiring, batteries and adding solar panels. The goal is to allow me to take it out away from shore power for as long as I desire. I wish I could find an expert on these matters that would like to take a boat and design such a system. I just don’t know enough to do it myself. I am a go getter at 70 but lack the new modern information that I need
Thanks Don,
Have you seen this. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
It's the charging device I've developed. Makes it easy to add LiFePO4 to your system and seems to be the only charge controller that doesn't cause low current overcharge.
And as long as I'm doing a commercial might as well go all the way. We have a Patreon tier called "Dream Believes" where we can have a chat on the phone. Most guys use this time to talk about boat design projects with me. A lot of boat electrical has been worked out like that.
I like doing it and I can usually save you money in the long term not buying needless stuff.
Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. I was watching your videos about the BBMS and reading your information. I will definitely be getting back in touch with you
On Sale for $129 on amazon plus $30 delivery
I am in cold temperatures in vemont but think I'll try 8 of them in my boat. And only charge them when its atleast 40F in the cabin. I probably wouldn't try to charge in the winter unless OAT is 40F also when on the hard.
With so many "drop in" li batteries being used I'm contemplating adding a thermometer to my BankManager. It could easily stop charge going to cold batteries.
Many folks are confusing "low temp cutoff" with "low temp CHARGE protection" and they are very different. Low temp cutoff, low temp protection, etc. only protect the battery during discharge. These sellers use "low temp cutoff", "low temp protection" (or something similar) to make you think their battery has low temp charge protection when if fact most do not. To be clear, nowhere in the specs for this battery does it state it has "low temp CHARGE protection", it only states low temp protection and that will not cut charging below freezing. This battery does NOT have low temp CHARGE protection so do not charge it below freezing.
This doesn't make sense. If your BMS is capable of shutting down the discharge at a certain temperature (unfortunately -20C is often that number) then why would the BMS manufacturer not use that same thermistor to shut down the mosfets for charge current?
Overtemp protection is almost universal since they use those bimetal thermal switches which are probably insanely cheap to add on to the BMS. No additional circuitry needed, just use the traces for that bimetal switch on the charge and discharge mosfets to go open circuit.
When I look at BMS's I always want to see the entire list of parameters so I can see whats available and what their stock parameters are. If they are way off then I know its probably a shit BMS anyways
I have never seen a BMS that has a line on the parameters list for Low Temperature Discharge Cutoff Voltage/Low Temperature Discharge Release Voltage but not have the two lines for charging
From Amazon Q&A
Question:Does the battery have low temperature charge protection. Specifically, will it prevent the battery from being charged below 32F (0C)?
Answer:Hello, the BMS of our battery has a low temperature protection function, it will stop charging the battery at -10 degrees Celsius
By PUPVWMHB Battery SELLER on February 12, 2022
Yes and I never got an answer to "why -10 and not 0"
From now on I'm opening every battery I review
@@ronbitzer6587 The Q&A is not where one should get specifications. And -10 c is below freezing so at that temp, the charge rate must be reduced (sometimes drastically) so even if the Q&A is accurate, you could damage this battery by charging it below freezing if you don't know what you are doing. -10c is not protection unless the user is aware and adjusts the charge rate so that is why 0 c is the standard. You can actually charge all the way to about -40 c IF you know what you are doing (and have a sophisticated charger) and adjust the rate appropriately but most people don't so that is why 0 c is the industry standard.
Another Q&A says they are testing the battery for a video and it and charged all the way to -20 c (not -10 like the seller claims) before shutting off so the seller's answer wrong, the low temp shutoff is even worse than stated. That is why it isn't in the specs and this battery should not be considered to have a usable low temp charge protection...
Q: Im doing a teardown video (60k subscribers). Would you explain why you stop charging at -20c? Its common to stop charging at 0c.
A: Poorly configured BMS is the only reason why. Likely have the charge and discharge set at the same number since "technically" it is safe to discharge below freezing although it should be done at a much lower rate like 0.2C max. The first person that responded to this had an "answer" that didn't make much sense. Cell chemistry is pretty much no longer debated in terms of cold temps. Charging should not happen below freezing, discharging can go a bit lower but should not use the normal discharge current specs in the datasheet. 0.2C(apacity) is usually given as the safe continuous discharge rate in the -10C(elsius) to 0C(elsius) range. I don't see -20 Celsius very often in datasheets but I have seen it before.
...
By Eric in the United States on December 25, 2022
I'm a beginner, I bought a used pop-up camper, I have no history on it. We've started looking for batteries, it's very confusing. Your video helped me a lot. Thanks.
Good for you.
Make sure you check out the leaderboard in the description for better battery choices. They have all come way down in price
And you might learn some things from this
ELECTRICITY ON BOATS - Clark's Full Masterclass: ua-cam.com/play/PLsT7_jPsZM5ogT6or244F49-Gy7pYFV7V.html
Hi Clark, thanks for your review and sharing your knowledge.
A tip I got from my landlord when I was a lot younger was not to wear metal jewelery when dealing with electrics. He used to work for a mechanic whose metal watch band shorted a lead acid battery while working on the car. That was not a pretty sight...
Greetz, Catran.
YES.
That's why Emily and I use fiber wedding rings.
I was a fireman/ambulance. We eventually bought a ring cutter to carry on the rig. Rings can be scary.
Wth does metal jewelry have to do with anything? You're conductive, yourself 😂
Not as conductive as you think. It's safe to touch up to 24v systems.
A ring or watch will burn into you is the worst way even at low voltage.
@@Clarks-Adventure twistoflex burned off like little fuses didn't get burned
That was lucky.
I was not aware of the problems of low-temperature charging. I saw some unscientific/unverified videos during our recent cold temperatures of Telsas not charging and "Stuck" on the "Battery Warming" cycle. They must have the same type of protection and a warmer that could not handle the artic temps?
The battery warming system is motor generated heat run through the cooling system to the batteries. Analogous to you shivering to generate warmth. This heating cycle takes away from charging. Also, no charging can begin until temperature is reached. The battery sled is thin form factor, hard to insulate. The current technology makes these a judgment call in cold areas.
Looking to buy an electric outboard motor for a small boat. The one I’ve looked at requires a 48V100A/3- battery. At times the boat will be used in sub freezing temperatures. The outboard motor is rated at 1200 watts max. Noted one of the other comments below was from someone that the battery failed due to moisture. Could the battery be put into a water proof container ( a sealed ice chest?) to help with moisture issues? And what would you look for in a battery for this type of application. Thanks in advance for any input.
First off this battery kinda sucks for your needs. Take a look at my "leader board" linked in the description of this video to find better choices and my reviews.
If you want to go with 4 100s to keep the individual weight down check out the Elefast. It has cold charge protection and is reasonably priced. If you go with 4 batteries get a balancer. They don't cost much. Check out my Duffy video and look at our Amazon list to see how to get one for like $50.
If you want one big battery get a 48v battery. It will weigh like 100 lbs but if you are cool with that it's best to have everything under one BMS.
I have a video coming for a 36v golf cart. That might give you an idea.
I mention waterproofness in each video except this one. It was my first and I did a poor job
I bought the 100ah 12v lithium battery from dhgate the battery came in a black box with no labels no paper work but the battery seems to be a good battery i use it on my trolling motor !
what some systems will use is a heater near lithium batteries. I am still learning about this. But cold storage will use lithium, they are just set up with heaters. Haven't had any calls on it as far as I am aware of after almost 2 years of install.
If you look on the video description you will find our leader board. It has links to video reviews of batteries with cold protection that don't cost much.
This was my first battery review. Let's just say the later ones are better.
Great video, and info. Im upgrading to Lithium from lead acid on my sailboat, and have been searching for something in the "middle of the ground " type deal, and now I have something else to further research. I have watched some of your other videos, and definitely will subscribe. Thanks.
The advertisement for this battery suggest use for RV. Does this mean this could replace the existing 12v lead acid directly or does it require a dedicated charge manager? I'm guessing the onboard BMS could do the job but I'm not sure if this is the case. Plus, my RV does not have a solar so I'm planning to add solar while replacing the existing lead acid bank.
LiFePO4 is certainly not a replacement for the starter battery.
Check out the leaderboard in the description there are better battery choices.
You need to do a bunch more research before you can ask a question like that. You need to know what you don't know. Maybe start here?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I live in a skoolie and I love the idea of a bank of batteries with lead acid and lithium batteries together then plotting the curve and seeing if the two give off a better power output.
I'm sure you noticed it but this review is part of a series, check the links in the description. And if you want a hybrid system you should check this out www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Yes things get better when you add Li. You lose much of the 20% power loss with charging / discharging lead and your solar panels can produce full until your bank is nearly full making them essentially bigger
I started out with lead acid deep cycle with my shed project quickly found how much LifeP04 is better for solar. Solar have limited time to charge when the panels get full sun. Lead acid can only take so much and last 10-15% has to be pulsed slowly during absorption phase. Lead acid works okay for situations charging overnight with a charger has all night top off the battery. I used deep cycles for years in my bass boat troll motors get home plug them in and leave it plugged in until ready to go again. Odd because we are used to big heavy battery equating to more power light weight lithium performs better.
Thanks for the review, looking to go lithium in my boat this helps a lot.
I just ordered a 24 volts 100 amp hours battery 🔋. Im adding two of them to the twenty lead acid batteries I already have. It'll be here Wednesday. It's an Enjoybot. I got it shipped for $561. It's like two of these you have I guess. I never had one yet. Im going to get another one in December. They have a 100 amps BMS.
You now have Li, you have Pb
Do you have a BankManager?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@Clarks-Adventure there's only $18 to manage, probably won't pay well enough 😕
@@Clarks-Adventure I have a pair of 200 amps welding diodes that I can use.
Yeah. Not the same thing
Thanks for the link. It will be a while before I install the electrical system in my C-25 bare hull refit. These look like what I need to get ready for sea trials.
Thanks for making this video and sharing your knowledge, it is much appreciated. Thanks again
This is what I'm trying to find out because if you're on solar charging in the winter time and it's 40 belleau and your battery is equivalent to that temperature. To charge it by solar energy is going to ruin that battery?
Yes. Charging a frozen LiFePO4 cell is going to kill it.
I'm not certain this battery is adequately protected. If freezing is a concern you should consider another battery from my leaderboard that you will find linked in the description of this video.
$300 is a pretty common price point for 100Ah LiFePO batteries now (January 2023). You can buy a LiTime, Power Queen, Redodo or Chins with free shipping for that price. All are well thought of and have good build quality as demonstrated by many documented tear downs. None of those batteries have low temperature charging cut off, but you don't really need that. Just buy a Victron charge controller with the battery temperature sense, or link it to a Victron shunt with a temperature sensor, and program it to stop charging at whatever temperature you like. You can get 100 Ah batteries with real low temp charging cut off and internal heaters for about $400-$450.
Also the term "automotive grade cells" is standard marketing for LiFePO4 batteries.
It was the cheapest when I bought it. I guess the others came down in price. This one is now $284 with shipping
I can't decide which is the best of the $300 100Ah LiFePO batteries? I'm in the south, don't care about heaters. Some of these manufactures off a PREMIUM version at a higher price, like Power Queen. Don't know if it's worth it, tho?
@@massa-blasta From what I have seen in UA-cam reviews it appears that LiTime, Redodo, Chins and Power Queen are pretty much the same. The more expensive 100 Ah batteries seem to have low temp charging protection and/or an internal heater.
Redodo just sent me one of their 200ah batteries. I just used it in a video on how to hook up an off grid solar powered electrical system (airing soon). I'll install it on Temptress and use it for a while then likely review it. Might cut this one open as it's going to live in my boat and I don't need it in a case.
I'm considering replacing a traditional lead acid battery with Li ones for a gate motor. The lead acid ones come at 12V 7.2Ah, and I would like to replace that with an Li one at 12V, 8Ah. The form factors are exactly the same with similar charging and discharging characteristics. Do you think this would be a good idea? Can the Li cells withstand the outdoor heat of up to 35 degC but it sits inside a box of course. Also, will the charging circuit that came with the lead acid battery also work on the Li ones? I appreciate your honest opinion and thanks!
I'd stay lead
I explain why in our "electrified dinghy" video where I use lead.
I see on your shopping area you have a trolling motor.
I have a 7ft fiberglass trihull dinghy. Whats your oppion on this battery and the 12v 55lb thrust trolling motor.
Not this one. I'd say it's good to 38lb
There are much better choices in other batteries I've reviewed. Check out the leaderboard linked in the description of this video
Pretty much the determining factor for what meets Automotive customer specs is Internal Resistance followed by Watt Hours/Average Voltage. Every customer is going to have different requirements but at its core what matters is voltage drop and the cells ability to discharge that power at a certain C rating. For the large prismatic LiFeP04 cells that is almost alwasy 1C continuous/2C burst. Part of the bonus of having low IR is that you'll have less voltage drop meaning you'll have a higher voltage throughout the discharge giving you a higher Wh figure and higher average voltage. The automotive grade cells seem to have an extra margin built into them, they'll test at least 5% higher in Ah, sometimes as much as 10% higher, and their internal resistance will be 75% of the "typical" rating on the datasheet. This is why we can get Grade B cells that meet capacity in Ah (but often fall a bit short on Wh) and exhibit acceptable voltage drop under large loads due to an IR that is somewhere close to spec, maybe just above the typical rating.
Wouldn't a higher internal resistance be more appropriate for automotive cells? Since low IR is 1 of the 2 reasons we can't just hook a lifepo4 battery up to an alternator. Low IR is great but our dumb alternators are designed to charge a LA bat that doesn't match. You def know more than me on this subject so I'm sure I'm wrong. I have solar setups and only right now researching on adding lithium house banks to LA starting batteries, going through DC-DC chargers or using a Xantrex echo charger if I need lower current like 15A.
I believe I heard him say he designed a charger also, I'd like to hear more on his also.
In a few years I'm posative all lithiums will be in all our cars. They already make lithium starting batteries but they are way too high priced.
@@extrememiami Automotive cells meaning cars that are purely EV. They don't have a typical alternator that ICE cars use. Pretty sure Tesla and others use DC to DC converters for any other voltage the car needs so it's a buck converter from the overall pack voltage down to 12V or whatever
I'm working on an alternator video where I'll address everything Lifepo4 and alternator related.
And... Show how to keep any alternator safe for $10us.
Stay tuned and subscribe, bell, whatever you have to do nowdays
@@Clarks-Adventure you gotta keep your dial up connection going and stay on the creators page, hitting refresh every 15 seconds.
Tell the wife the phone is off limits for the next 48-72 hours. If you lose connection everything. you ever liked watching on UA-cam gets sucked into a black hole and you're stuck watching UA-cam Rewind 2018 without a dislike button to hit.
@@Clarks-Adventure look forward to that video. I've researched it and it's fairly complicated. There's not much info out there either. Would be very welcomed to see a video addressing it all. Lower IR that it sucks out too much power at once, especially if the battery is low, how to protect the alternator when the BMS shuts off when it's full (alternator protector) and address charging lithium when it's below freezing to not ruin the battery, if additional vibration protection is needed since it's not just plates and liquid inside, it's circuit boards, and then how to use lithium as a starter battery when it's not designed for starting (most). I look forward to this video, we need more info on the topic for sure. I'd love to see the day when we can simply pop in a lithoum Iron battery when our stupid LA or AGM batteries die. My escalade has never had a battery last more than 2 years max.
Could I use it for an emergency to run full size refrigerator? I was thinking of getting a 1500 converter and a battery to use for 5-6 hours outage. Another question could I use converter to charge the battery?...
It depends on how much the refrigerator/inverter drew. I wouldn't use this battery for anything over 50a continuous.
There are other batteries listed in the "leader board" linked in the description. Follow links for current prices.
@@Clarks-Adventure
Thanks
Do these lithium batteries work without solar? What components in my trailer (not RV) would I need to change to make it work with a generator for charging?
Easiest way..
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I stand corrected- only this battery seems to be $254- compared to the brands i was looking at before which have skyrocketed in price- just not sure about the quality of this particular brand- but certainly a great price!!! Thanks for sharing.
Would you recommend these for use in a boat for the trolling motor?
I have 12v on one boat and also a 36v trolling motor on another.
This was my first review and I never opened this battery but I think it's similar to the Feence battery I also reviewed. Assuming that's true it would be good to 50a. I used 3 of these in a Duffy conversion (see my video) so yes it should work fine for a trolling motor that runs around that current.
But do yourself a favor and go to my "leader board" in the description of this videos and check out some other batteries I've reviewed. There are some much better built batteries for just a few dollars more available. I really like the Elefast.
Also (from the Duffy) video I'd use a battery balancer for the 36v setup. I found a cheap one. Follow our Amazon link to find it.
I like your review and will purchase one through Amazon to have for a power backup for my PC and TV. I also purchased a Noko Genius1 battery maintainer to use on it. You mentioned something in the review that gives me second thoughts. Is this a good product to use or should I choose another way to charge and maintain this battery ? And, is it OKAY to have the battery trickle charging under a light load ?
You should seriously consider my product.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
It really is the best you can do for your Li.
Wait just a bit. I'm currently uploading a review on a battery I like better. Subscribe and push the bell so you get a notification tonight.
Clark, thanks for posting. Question, to run a LiPO4 in my camper (Forest River Minilite) do I need to defeat/disable the onboard charging system..? currently running orig. flooded 2x6v setup..
thanks, Paul.
Yes lead chargers will damage li. In fact li chargers will slowly damage li.
I'm going to recommend the approach I invented of course.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
It lets you leave your setup just as it is and add li. It's nice to the li and even let's you keep your current lead.
Which one is good for a trolling motor, 55lb thrust? any ideas would really help us out? Thank You.
Find out how many amps it draws
I'd bet about 60 or 70. Get a battery with a BMS that can pass at least that much.
Any battery on my leader board except for the cheap pup and Feence should do the job.
I'd seriously consider the Redodo mini. Easy to store and carry.
I don't understand, with a battery shut down let's say it 10 below zero. I live in us but I have gone to Canada a number of times and it's very cold outside and it turns 40 below, which you can in Canada and Montana your signals batteries will not work when is that cold outside and they can fail?
First I don't recommend this battery, I've reviewed better choices. See the leader board linked in the description.
Charging a frozen Li batter is instant death
Wondering if I can mix these with my Chins batteries ? I know everyone says not mix brands .
I'm running tests just now but it seems with multiple BankManagers you can mix anything.
But a $400 device for each $300 battery isn't exactly cost effective is it.
I plan to replace my 2018 4Runner OEM battery with AGM Yellow Top Optima battery. At this price point should I get this lithium battery? Will this battery work with my 170w solar panel and Renogy controller? The solar panel charges my ARB fridge, Bluetti power station, and top off my battery. Thanks
This battery wouldn't be a good starter battery. Optima are great for that.
This would be more of a house battery but you are using a bluetti for that.
Also I think you need a BankManager to charge li right especially when you want to mix it with lead
Thank you Clark for this happy and positive video :-) This video has reminded me to check the charging on my sealed lead acid battery for my HF radio. It'll almost be done. But now I am off to water the baby lettuce.
Cheers :-)
Amazon battery is 1/3 the cost of Battle Born battery, which is a no-brainer. Will Prowse open a lot of these batteries and recommend them. If you are handy, you can build it with selected cells even better. With power and a computer fan, cold weather is fine. That beats water drying up in a lead-acid battery any time.
Bummer, I live in a cold climate, Wisconsin, so I would need to move these to the inside of the trailer, I can't leave them on the outside in the battery box, if cold outside I cant heat it until spring. :) I didn't hear you say that it had an built in heater, hoes it? Thank you.
I discuss that a bit in this video.
ua-cam.com/video/odhuEauAvLU/v-deo.html
I just started filming for a battery I'll publish a review on this weekend. It claims cold protection
And is really cheap
I have a question. If I have intentions of getting four batteries to hook up inlune what size solar panels do I need to keep them going?
Does this even make sense?
Panels make power. Batteries store power
You size your panels and your storage to how you use power.
I think I'd get the Feence battery over this one unless you really liked the USB port. You might like to watch my other battery reviews.
ua-cam.com/video/VsBtAroiLto/v-deo.html
I'm getting a 2023 motor coach. It has 1 200 watt solar panel, a 1000 watt inverter , a dual controller what ever that is and 2 100 AH AGM batteries. I plan to up grade the inverter to 2000 or 3000 but initially would like to upgrade to a 200 or 300 AH lithium battery, can I just drop a lithium in with my current equipment ?
Usually no. There are a bunch of charge controller issues to deal with.
But if you use one of these
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
You just put your new li in parallel with your existing lead and put this on the wire between.
Actually running the microwave is something we do. 1500 watts for 3 minutes. Should try that.
yeah you should, unless you like expensive decals from BB..Weize on sale now for 100ah $254.79 been using for over 1 yr. more on order as of yesterday.
10 yr warranty.
I haven't reviewed that one.
What about using a 12v battery heater to maintain the battery temperature during charging in cold temps?
Lots of people do this.
Hi Clark, thx for the information, ? I have are these batteries able to start diesel engines because they need more amps to start. Thx
No I wouldn't rely on any LiFePO4 to start an engine, especially these.
You might want to check out my BankManager approach to building a hybrid system containing both lead and Li.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
October 2024 here, you should’ve waited. Bought 2 100ah for $250 yesterday.
What brand and model?
Love your work, Clark!
Thank you
Clark which battery should I buy for a 24v trolling motor for my boat it’s a 80lb thrust
Thanks
I'll be reviewing some interesting batteries next month. I haven't cut them apart yet but the Redodo seems interesting. Get a 24v single battery as long as you can handle the weight.
Best sailing nerd on the internet, thank you. I am looking to purchase a new battery in the spring, so great info.
Are you going to use a BankManager?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@Clarks-Adventure I am replacing a marine battery :), I have a Balboa B26 right now (actually, I have 2) when and if I finally upgrade to a larger boat I will be consulting with you on its systems. I intend to send you a little thank you soon. Oh, the only bank manager I need is one that says: Sure, you can afford that boat! I also relate to you in that my wife is much younger than I (13 years) we have been together for 29 years and counting.
I appreciate your information. I am so confused as to what to do. I am running two lead acid marine deep cycle batteries as shore power in my van. They say they are 115 ah. I charge them from my alternator. I really want to upgrade to to lithium, but I’m nervous as to what I need to make this jump. Btw I currently only run lights and a 12volt fridge.
Yes it's confusing.
I'd recommend this.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I also recommend a heating pad so they don't get too cold and restrict charging. So an auxiliary battery bank non Lithium based may be considered.
Bryan, you should really check out my BankManager. From your comments I can see you will understand it.
And it's based on a hybrid battery bank.
Also please don't judge me by this video. It sucks. Check out the leaderboard linked in the description of this video. My other battery reviews are much more useful.
But UA-cam keeps pushing this one I'm really not proud of.
Hey there, thanks for sharing your honest review bout' Chinese Lithium Ion Battery. I too am a BIG user of Chinese Lithium Ion Battery which I purchased (Amazon) almost over a year ago. I used Renogy DC-DC 50a charger to manage the charging from source power alternator/solar panel. Eversince, never had an issue with the Battery, and it always stays up to 100% charge when it picks enough 🌞. I have my 75L Fridge stays ON at all times, charge 3 Cell Phones (now & then), sometimes use the Sirocco II Fan (Day or Night), Hard Korr LED lights. When I used all these loads at night, by midnight I checked my Battery left Charge Capacity is between 95%-100%. But when I add the load to charge DJI Mavic 2 Drone 3 Batts at the same time, I still have 80%-85% Battery Charge left. So, it really depends on how I use, and to making SURE that the 12V DC system is well capable to handle the application. So, my point is that Chinese Lithium Ion Battery to me is by far exceeds my expectations, and hoping to last me longer depends on how it's being used/managed. Thank you and have a wonderful 🦃 Day!
nice review, so what about integrating a 20A 14.6V AC-DC charger to 12.6V 20Ah battery bank(3), using +/- busbars connected to a 30A PV controller? The charger operates at the exact maximum of the batters parameters, thinking about buying a 5-10A charger for this battery bank and saving the 20A charger for more expensive 50-100Ah LiFe batteries.
This might help you with how to charge li.
There is a lot more to it then guys selling chargers tell you. Basically no charger does a good job but this one. But this one is likely too expensive for that battery.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Omg you are probably the perfect person to ask! I have an inflatable boat with a sailing rig and take it on a really small lake. I want to add a small trolling motor (30 pounds) just to go a very short distance back if my daughter doesn’t want to row. These inflatables don’t sail well at various points of sail. They slide! So i would go no more than 30 minutes because the whole point is sailing. What’s the lowest power lifepo4 cheap battery i can use for this? The one you described is too expensive. Thank you so much!
Don't try to sail an inflatable..
Well if it's what you have fun on the water is fun, right
We use a 50ah that I built myself in Emily's boat. Emily Builds a Sailboat: ua-cam.com/play/PLsT7_jPsZM5qrTdxolBxRZAsUfuacyiE1.html
It lasts a long time if you don't try to go too fast.
Ya i have a 16ft daysailer as well but it’s a lot of work. The inflatable is fast to set up and goes in my car. I can’t make a battery but i can look for a 50AH thanks!
Thanks for the no nonsense non-tech breakdown on this battery. It looks like it might be a good candidate for when I set up my home backup.
Yep as long as you don't freeze them this looks great. Might even defend against freezing.
Have you looked into this?
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I wonder if this can work on a car. Setting the car to think it has a AGM battery onboard it will charge it at 14.7-14.8V ... will it work?
That would be way to high of a voltage, even for AGM in my opinion.
Really you can't charge a LiFePO4 to a voltage and expect a long life. Cars and campers are a particularly difficult situation to add Li to because of all the chargers that are locked to lead.
Here is what I think is the right way. We use this in our truck camper.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
@@Clarks-Adventure I may be wrong on the voltage, let me do some mesurements and research
Check out Conrad's article linked to the bottom of my link above. It's a quick description (with links) to how LiFePO4 needs to be charged.
Don't trust the battery companies and charge controller companies.
Welcome
I have two lithium batteries, each one 12 volts, 150 amps
connected to System 24
Why does the first battery charge before the second battery when it only works for two hours?
The draw from the two batteries is only one amp..?
Li is hard to help balanced in series.
Take a look at our "Duffy" video. I used an isolated battery balancer. From there go to our Amazon store. It's there and quite inexpensive. The same manufacturer makes a unit for only 2 batteries that is a bit cheaper and handy for 24v
@@Clarks-Adventure I connected a balancer, but it did, but the positive battery bleeds before the negative battery. When loading only one ampere, within two hours, the charge of the first battery is saved
VW tesla and al ev cars are made to go in Skandinavia.
Up to negative 30 40 degrese celsius
Eco-worthy gel battery 100ah trying to get to as secondary batteries but still gonna charge it off alt will that be ok
Yes but make sure your regulator is set for gel. They can't handle as high a voltage as other lead.
Great video but just missing what I needed. My question I was hoping was answered was can I use this in a UPS? If yes then what would I need to do if replacing a LA, if not can you recommend one for such an application.
To replace lead with lithium especially when you can't control the charge parameters, I'd recommend this.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
When using your BBMS. Could you use it to split 2 banks of LiFePo2 batteries of different brands and purchased at different times?
Yes. That's an astute observation. I will be taking a redodo 200 amp battery onto Temptress for evaluation.
It might not be a great idea to mix li of different manufacturers, so I'm going to put them on separate BankManagers. That way they will end their charge cycles independently. They will only be connected during discharge, should be ok but I'll learn more when I try it.
I think most cheap batteries are likely using similar BMSs. My existing lithiums are Battleborn, probably quite different.
Battery life is highly dependent on charge rate. LFP can see 5k cycles. If they are charged at an optimal rate. Say 1/4C? IE a 50 amp rate for a 200AH batt. I like BMS's that they monitor each cell.
Hi Bryan,
I think you might like Conrad's article linked at the bottom of this page.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
I’m hoping to be building a system later this your, and this episode has allayed some of my concerns. Thank you so much
There are at least 4 more battery reviews on the way.
@@Clarks-Adventure looking forward to it. Your reviews are always thorough
3:58 40A discharge rate ? That's gotta be at a fairly low voltage, because AFAIK a very modest max discharge rate is pretty much THE defining limitation of LIFEPO4 tech in general. Am I off or on target ?
In that boat ua-cam.com/video/HWM8YnlKefQ/v-deo.html there are three of these batteries in series. 36 volts nominal. The boat uses a max of about 60amps but cruises lower. These batteries can put out 100amps.
how did you work out the total amps that it give out at the end, like you said the battery is 108A? I brought a solar deep cycle battery and the guy said they 100ah but i got a feeling it less.
I think I described it in the video.
I fully charged it and discharged it through that resister pack measuring the amps drawn. The amps go down as the voltage slumps.
Then I just calculated the "area under the curve" to get total amp hours.
Likely the number would be slightly lower if I drew more amps but 6 amps is close to the average draw a house battery would be expected to produce on average.
I have a 200w solar charging system mounted to the campershell of my work truck. I use it exclusively to charge Dewalt batteries with a Fast Charger that pulls about 250watts.
What decent enough Lithium battery could I get away with?
Look.at the description of this video and follow the link to my leader board
Data and rankings of the batteries I've reviewed. There are better choices than this one.
Can I charge this with my current rv converter, the one that came with the rv, to charge lead acid batteries?
Not directly. That will kill a LiFePO4 battery quickly.
If you use a BankManager you can use the chargers you have including your connection to the vehicle and keep your existing lead.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
This battery is now listed for $149 which I think is great I’m buying one for a trolling battery great video sir I appreciate your knowledge
Yes thanks. I need to research and update the prices. Linhas gotten cheaper
can you expand on why trickle charging is bad? i have a inverter/charger that has a trickle charger voltage of 13.5 that i plan to connect a 100 ah lifepo4 battery (mjbsan).
Go to Conrad's article linked to the bottom of this
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
It's a good place to start a deep dive. But in short you expose yourself to low current overcharge
@@Clarks-Adventure never did find conrad's article. but no matter. So i got the new battery today and got it all wired up. at first it was charging up but then around 60% things started slowing down. btw the battery has bluetooth so i can monitor it. The bigger issue is once the battery reaches 65% it stops charging. I was hoping for 80-95 %. The tripp-lite inverter/charger only produces 13.42 v so my 100 ah battery only charges to 70 ah. gotta wonder what this does to its lifespan. anyway looks like i need to peek inside the inverter and see if charger voltage can be tweeked or replaced. . your mission Jim is to find a schematic.
Back to Conrad's article. Don't just let the battery cook at that voltage forever. That causes low current overcharge. Though it would likely take a while. I bet the battery is still taking charge but VERY slowly.
So yes bring up the charge voltage to charge faster and make sure charge stops when it should and the battery isn't held at high float voltage.
Or get a BankManager of course.
@@Clarks-Adventure yes i agree. 18 hrs later the battery is now fully charged at 100%. yet the problem (?) remains is how to automatically turn off the charging circuit once a full charge is reached. right now according to the blue tooth app the charge current is sitting at 0 amp so I'm guessing the BMS is doing what it's supposed to do. This is new territory for me so I'm not sure if this is an area of concern or not. I suppose I should simulate a power failure and see if I can draw up to eighty amps from the battery and see how the system performs.
The only way I know of that actually works is my BankManager but for just one 100ah battery it's a bit expensive
Clark do you know for sure if the low temp sensor really works or are just going on the information Thay give you.
I've learned a lot since this video. Go to the description and follow the link toy leader board.
I really don't think this is a good battery. I'd suggest the Elefast. It costs just a bit more but has every feature you'd want except for internal heating.
I have bought many cheapest Chinese lithium batteries from Amazon & eBay and never had any problems. Not saying they are all good but so far so good for me.
I'm not an EE or a techy person, but I did enjoy the video. I have a 6-seat golf cart running at 48V using 8-6V FLA batteries (Trojan T-105). Would these batteries work for me? I'm in Atlanta, GA so the low temp issue shouldn't be a problem. I get good range with these 8 batteries, how would four of these compare running in series?
I like my BankManager to give you a better charge for longer battery life. But regardless you should either buy 48v batteries so the cells are all balanced by one BMS or use the battery balancer I used in my friends Duffy Li conversation
ua-cam.com/video/HWM8YnlKefQ/v-deo.html
Are these drop in ready as lead acid replacements with same charge controller?
No they are Lifepo4. Different animals.
Closest thing to a drop in li is to go hybrid with this. www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
hey, what do you think of Krohm batteries? I heard they were cheaper than the rest of the market rn and they dont contribute to toxic waste which is a plus
Don't look like anything special. Not particularly cheap
Maybe I'm missing something.
I guess they are starter batteries. High C rate discharge.
Thanks! I wish someone would do a review on them but I'm glad for the advice 👍
Where did you hear about them? Are you associated with them?
I so appreciate your review, im just lost if I can use this as a 2nd amp in my car audio...there's so many little nuances when it comes to batteries
I personally wouldn't use this one. Check out the "leader board" linked in the description below this video to see all the batteries I've reviewed. For a car stereo I'd seriously consider the "transparent Elefast".
You might like one of my BankManagers. It will let you join your Li to your cars existing lead and let the cars alternator safely charge your lithium batteries.
No more charging your stereo batteries at home.
@EmilyAndClark omg thank you so much...totally subbing just for your kindness
I need my batteries to handle my home furnace fan. Which is 1000w start and 400w continuous. So I like the high output tests better.
You didn't give a lot of information like the voltage you are running it at.
But even at 12v this is like 40a. My high output tests are at max battery amps. But they are telling in other ways. Batteries that perform well there have good connections and low internal resistance.
Be sure to look at the leader board in the description and see the other batteries I reviewed.
Thank you. Charts like that and comments from a couple other reviewers let me know what I should expect from powerqueen. So when I saw their 100ah 12v battery with Bluetooth on amazon for $149 I knew it was a steal. So I grabbed one. 3 hours later it was back up to $209. Very happy I was able to recognize the value of that one because of you guys.
Glad you caught that deal!
Question. My LifePO4 batteries come tomorrow but my new Lithium/LifePO4 compatible converter doesn’t come until March. So right now our RV has a WFCO WF-8735P converter (LA/AGM). Can I use the LifePO4 on this converter for a couple weeks without damaging the batteries? I will be replacing the AGM batteries with the LifePO4. Great videos, I enjoy watching this stuff 👍
I don't know what you mean by a converter.
I do it this way and I strongly think it's best.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
We have stock on hand.
Do you mean AC powered battery charger. If so don't use the lead one. Even a li unit can't charge LiFePO4 correctly. No charger can possibly charge li correctly without a current sensor right at the battery.
With my BankManager you can use any charger. You can add solar sometime if you like.
Watch the second half of this video to get an idea. ua-cam.com/video/XDLK5CuGQPo/v-deo.html
Good morning. We have a converter in a 2019 R-Pod 190 that has a converter WF-8735P for shore power and to charge the lead house batteries, 2 105AH AGM, I have a Victron BMV-712 shunt, when on shore power the converter charges the house batteries, but this converter is ONLY for LEAD. Today I have two LifePO4 100AH batteries coming, I also have a new converter that has the charging profiles for Lithium batteries (lithium/ LifePO4, etc.), but that converter is back ordered until March. We are looking to replace the lead AGM batteries with LifePO4 and ultimately replace the converter too. But my question was, will charging the new LifePO4 batteries with a traditional NON-lithium controller permanently damage the batteries in the short period we use them? Two or three weeks of light sitting and charging?
As I said I wouldn't do that.
The "lead" charge profile calls for an absorption period that will convert li salt to metallic li in your batteries, irreversibly. Your engines alternator will cause the same issue as you drive down the highway.
Separately I'd argue that that backordered converter will also cause the same problem but slower. Also your solar regulators=same problem.
Please watch at least the second part of the video I linked.
The BankManager addresses this issue and works with all your current chargers including the trailer connection to the engine alternator. It is easier to install but requires you to keep at least one small lead battery aboard.
@@Clarks-Adventure i understand what you are saying, and I appreciate it very much. But with a small travel trailer, weight/space are king, so keeping a small lead battery onboard wouldn’t be optimal. I understand (and have watched the video 👍 that you linked, actually watched it last night), so what you are saying is, that I should spend another $500 on your device, on top of the MPPT controller, new Lithium converter, DC-DC charger just so my $500 LifePO4 batteries don’t crystallize? I think with the price/warranty of the LifePO4 batteries, I’d be cheaper to get new batteries in a couple years ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I truly appreciate your kind advice, I really do. Keep up the great videos 👍
You are evidently doing a good job pushing these items. When I click on the link (even using a VPN) they are "currently unavailable". Look great though, thanks for sharing great tips.
Where have you tried? They still show "in stock" in Amazon USA
I have a question: Are there battery managers that have temperature protection?
I'm sure there are but I haven't personally seen one. Anyone??
I'm thinking about adding this to the next BankManager but is over a year away.
www.emilyandclarksadventure.com/bbms
Will it handle a 30amp draw from a downrigger?
Sure no problem with 30a. I wouldn't push it over 50.
Check out the leaderboard linked in the description. The Elefast is possibly the best deal going for this kind of battery just now.
What about for a bass boat? To run trolling motors?
It would work fine but I'd step up to just a bit better battery.
Go into the description and follow the link to my leader board
I know enough batteries to know the LiFePo4 is 3.6v fully charged when new, 4 batteries in series equals 14.4v, it should be discharged to 3.2v, 4 = 12.8v. If 12.8v is the discharge cut off voltage then the batteries are either new balanced or one has greater or lower voltage to make 12.8v.
Automotive quality must all have the same voltage +/- 0.01 to 0.02v to be balanced. Check the voltage with a meter when discharged and full to see if they are second hand or not balanced when full.