Considering Lithium but. (1 Viewer)

[bigtree]

Long story short but I have just bought two Varta LFD140ah batteries and fitted, a short while later I was on AliExpress looking for parts for my motorbike and stumled on Lifepo4 leisure batteries at a very good price. Now there will I'am sure be people that decry buying from China but more than likely that's where most that you can buy in Britain are made, my other concern is my van is a 2011 model so the charger isn't compatible for lithium. What would I need to fit besides the mains charger that comes with the battery to charge via the alternator and solar ? My control is a Schaudt 220 which only has flooded or gel settings.

324.05ï¿¡ 20% OFF|Rechargeable Anti-water 12.8v Lifepo4 12v 200ah Lithium Battery Bms For Solar System Inverter+20a Charger - Rechargeable Batteries - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[Gromett]

Good price. Just hope you don't need a warranty return

 

[Lenny HB]

Doesn't look particularly cheap by the time you add on import duty, VAT and possibly a customs agent charge.

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[bigtree]

Doesn't look particularly cheap by the time you add on import duty, VAT and possibly a customs agent charge.

Not paid a penny extra on any other of my Ali purchases but I suppose there is always a first.

 

[Lenny HB]

Not paid a penny extra on any other of my Ali purchases but I suppose there is always a first.

Pot luck if you get caught but at anything over £15 is subject to duty & VAT. I got caught once and DHL charged £25 agents fee never bought high cost item from China since as it ends up more expensive than buying in the UK.

 

[colyboy]

Try Transporter Energy “ Eco Tree Lithium” Tel: 01933 808038
Speak to Paul Anderson. Say you are member of MHF and you could get a discount. Say you have spoken to me Paul Morgan.
best of luck.
Paul Colyboy

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[bigtree]

Pot luck if you get caught but at anything over £15 is subject to duty & VAT. I got caught once and DHL charged £25 agents fee never bought high cost item from China since as it ends up more expensive than buying in the UK.

Getting back to my original post Lenny, what type of control do I need to add to charge a Lifepo4 battery ?

 

[bigtree]

Try Transporter Energy “ Eco Tree Lithium” Tel: 01933 808038
Speak to Paul Anderson. Say you are member of MHF and you could get a discount. Say you have spoken to me Paul Morgan.
best of luck.
Paul Colyboy

I had a bit of a look the other day and watched the video.

 

[berni109]

Thinking of switching when my agm gives up the ghost so had a look at the details of the ad and its seems to imply that you get a kit of parts to assemble yourself. I dont think so!

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[bigtree]

Thinking of switching when my agm gives up the ghost so had a look at the details of the ad and its seems to imply that you get a kit of parts to assemble yourself. I dont think so!

I think you need to have another look, you pick the battery you want and along with that you get a mains charger, then tell them if you want to see how the battery is performing via an app. The reason I asked on here was how to integrate it into my current setup in my Frankia, there is another post where there is a link to a guy on YouTube making his own battery bank and he clearly states he has no qualifications. I was very impressed with his skills.

 

[Jev88]

Disable your onboard charger and use a compatible charger that can handle Lipo?

 

[Lenny HB]

Getting back to my original post Lenny, what type of control do I need to add to charge a Lifepo4 battery ?

Better to ask the guys that are using them. funflair , Pausim ,

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[berni109]

bigtree read the bit headed 'before taking the order's down towards the bottom of the ad.

 

[63720]

It's been covered before but I've got an eye one these when the time is right.

Motorhome Batteries - Lithium Leisure Batteries - KS Energy UK

KS Energy Lithium leisure batteries for the motorhome, boat, marine, camper, caravan and camping market

www.ksenergy.co.uk

 

[TheBig1]

I was told that those lithium battery thingies are really crap, in fact they suck

That's the reason LiPo-suction is a thing

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[bigtree]

I was told that those lithium battery thingies are really crap, in fact they suck

That's the reason LiPo-suction is a thing

Bored are we ??????

 

[bigtree]

It's been covered before but I've got an eye one these when the time is right.

Motorhome Batteries - Lithium Leisure Batteries - KS Energy UK

KS Energy Lithium leisure batteries for the motorhome, boat, marine, camper, caravan and camping market

www.ksenergy.co.uk

So twice the price I can buy for , I prefer to cut out the middle man.

 

[Raul]

GTK are not the best LFP’s but not bad.

You will need a configurable mains charger so you can dial in the charging parameters, like a inverter charger, then a B2B that has a Li preset or configurable, and a solar controller that does Li, victron chargers do that. You will have the protection of the bms inside but, you do not want to relay on it as a daily usage.

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[Raul]

By the way, you can get 200ah @12v in UK 48hr delivery to your door main land, for 930 quid. That’s two 100’s blocks.

 

[bigtree]

By the way, you can get 200ah @12v in UK 48hr delivery to your door main land, for 930 quid. That’s two 100’s blocks.

Would prefer just one and more storage space.

 

[Raul]

I meant 2x 100ah, a block of 200ah is a tad more due to more powerful bms.

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[bigtree]

GTK are not the best LFP’s but not bad.

You will need a configurable mains charger so you can dial in the charging parameters, like a inverter charger, then a B2B that has a Li preset or configurable, and a solar controller that does Li, victron chargers do that. You will have the protection of the bms inside but, you do not want to relay on it as a daily usage.

I should have gave you a thanks as you are the first to give me the info I asked for.

 

[bigtree]

I meant 2x 100ah, a block of 200ah is a tad more due to more powerful bms.

Yes I get that.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

You will want a B2B (and heavy cables), with Lithium charging profile. The standard relay chargers will often not push enough voltage and power to the leisure battery getting confused by the engine battery that is already charged. There is another recent thread on MHF with someone having problems that the standard charger doesn't raise voltage enough for the Lithium and see that it is in need of a charge. A standard lead-acid fully charged has voltage of around 12.7V, which progressively drops as it is in use. 12V Lithium often has a higher standing voltage, over 13V, which doesn't really drop until it is very close to flat.
You would bypass the relay based charger once you fit the B2B.

You will want to look at a MPPT based solar controller, again something compatible with Lithium so you can get the most from any panels. You don't need to change the panels.

For EHU, you can probably retain the current on board charger. You won't be concerned as to how long it takes to charge the lithium as you are usually on hook up for a number of hours. Also you won't be that worried if it doesn't reach a full charge, being kind to the Lithium that is often happier being stored at around 80% (depending on what manual you read), and when you do drive off, your B"B would top off the battery ready for your wild camp. Vanbitz left me with my lead-acid based charger that has a single flat 13.8V charge rate when I swapped to Lithium, the battery's in built BMS management system would prevent any risk of any overcharge.

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[Pausim]

When I first installed my LiFePO4 in my Hymer I used a Sterling mains charger with Lithium profiles. I also installed a Votronic B2B with lithium profiles and Schaudt EBL wiring instructions. It all worked well. Disabling the EBL internal charger was just a matter of pulling the 20A fuse.

By the time I transferred the LiFePO4 to my Carthago I had come to the conclusion that the mains charger was not needed. Relion the battery manufacturer says that a charging voltage between 14.2V and 14.6V is suitable and the gel setting on the standard charger gives 14.3V. This might not get the maximum charge into the battery but who cares when you are on a mains hook up. One of the great things about LiFePO4 is that unlike lead acid batteries undercharging does them no harm. After a year using the standard CBE mains charger on the gel setting I remain very happy with the arrangement. The Sterling charger now sits idle on a garage shelf at home.

The time you need the full charge is when there is no mains hook up, which makes good engine charging important. For this reason I did transfer the Votronic B2B. More complicated with the CBE distribution system than with the EBL but that is a different storey.

My conclusions. Don’t get hung up about changing the mains charger. If you already have a half decent mains charger with a gel setting it will probably be fine. The B2B is useful when going off grid. Remember under charging LiFePO4 batteries does them no harm.

 

[B-well]

Buslifetravel i understand is a newbie and has a video of his ambition to convert a Bus for travels to include LiFePO4 TRY THE NEWBIE SECTION for further info