Thinking about going Lithium, have questions...

[Krist003]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for some more advise. I installed (2) 12V 100AH AGM batteries in my FWC Hawk back around September. They are Mighty Max #MH100-12 batteries. I just noticed the other day that one of the batteries was very hot and smelled like sulfur. I pulled it from the system and set it aside to cool. The other battery felt fine, so I left it hooked up to the system. I keep the camper plugged in to shore power in my garage when not in use. Everything has worked flawlessly until now.

I am almost certain it is a faulty battery, but why else would this happen? I have a smart charger, no loose connections, both batteries were charged to 100% before I installed them, no temperature extremes, no short circuits....

Should I go lithium? - I use the camper maybe 8-10 times a year for 1-3 nights at a time. I am happy with the 200AH setup for my needs; I never reach 50% DOD on my short trips, so 100AH of useable power works for me. If I go longer, I can bring my Honda generator with me to recharge. I have no solar and no charging from the trucks alternator, very simple system and I like it that way.

The areas where I camp don't often get much below freezing, but I could see it getting down to 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit at night from time to time. The battery is in the camper so I doubt it ever gets that cold, especially considering I am using the Propex heater at that point to keep myself warm. I also would not be charging the battery in those conditions if at all on my trips. I also like the idea of weight savings and no off-gassing. But most lithium batteries come in 100AH or 200AH (200AH would be overkill). I would need a 100AH battery that can de discharged to 0% in order to get my 100AH out of it. What are some affordable brands out there that won't leave me in this same situation again?

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Jon R]

I am happy with the battery I bought from bigbattery.com. It’s just over 200 ah. They have several sizes. I’ve had it 2 years now. I like that it has its own on/off switch and voltage display, and the stainless steel case and build quality are good (see the Will Prowse video on it on YouTube. It has an SB175 connector instead of terminals. Initially I thought I preferred terminals, but now I like having the protected connection.

 

[buckland]

Battleborn ... never a second thought. Solves all the concerns. peace of mind. Then fugettaboutit.

 

[fuzzymarindave]

Maybe try warranty replacement on the AGM. Keep in mind that going Lithium might also require you to change out your power inverter, solar charge controller, and truck to camper charge equip. It makes for quite a project.

 

[Gentle on my world]

If I were going to be spending more time in my diy shell, I'd have already gone with them. But so far it's just not worth it for the little power use it gets, that is, in both amps and amount of times used. That said, if these batteries grew on trees, I'd have one too.

 

[Krist003]

Thanks for the responses. I already have a Progressive dynamics converter/charger and it has a lithium ion battery switch option. So as far as I know, there is nothing else I need to switch out in order to go lithium.

I am tempted to try out one of the 100AH Chinese lithium batteries on Amazon - Renogy, Ampere Time, Chins, Sok, etc. They seem to get pretty good reviews and can be purchased for around $350-600.

Those Battleborns look nice, but they are very spendy for the occasional camper.

 

[Vic Harder]

I'd also want to get a warranty replacement first. If the PD converter/charger you have is working properly, it should not be cooking your battery. With the PD having the ability to also charge LiFePo4 batteries, and with no solar or truck charging, you are good to go if you want to switch to LiFePo4.

BB for me, but others are having success with lesser brands and/or DIY. Have you watched any of Will Prowse's videos? If he has tested it and gives it a thumbs up, go for it.

 

[buckland]

Battleborn announced a 48 hour Spring sale starting today. $774 for the 100 AH battery!!

 

[kmcintyre]

Build your own... easy and about 1/3rd the price. Google Will Prouse or see this for a start: Will Prowse | DIY Solar Power Forum (diysolarforum.com)

 

[Wango]

Went with battleborn last spring, best choice for the camper i have ever made.
There are many here who did the switch themselves, i went with zero declination in Nevada, and KP and his crew were awesome.
w

 

[BBZ]

Renogy has worked for me for close to 2 years.. zero issues. They had a solid sale for a 100ah for $479 and I jumped on it..

200ah was shipped and it fit so I kept it.. (I run a smaller fridge, lights, furnace and have never gotten lower than 82%, 160 watts of solar and its charged by noon even in winter).

 

[bajaphile]

I finally went lithium myself but haven't actually received the battery yet. I read a lot of good things about SOK, so I went for it. Got the Bluetooth and integrated heater model... Of course the site I bought it from didn't say they were out of stock until April.

I've got 2 T105s in great working condition going up for sale soon. Only reason I'm selling is I'm trying to maximize my storage space.

 

[Krist003]

Thank you all for the reply’s. I will be getting a warranty replacement for the bad battery for sure, but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth and a concern that it could happen again. Mighty max requires me to ship the battery back to them for replacement, on my dime. Food for thought for anyone thinking about that brand. I appreciate the info.

 

[rubberlegs]

We are on our first long tri with an SOK 100Ah battery. For some reason, the BMS is reporting over 200AH. I followed their procedure for initializing — two complete charge/discharge cycles. For now I’m assuming this is an error. But we’ve only dropped to 70% SOC so far. Maybe that’s really 40% (doubling the 30% usage). Very happy campers here.

 

[Krist003]

Those SOK batteries look like a great option. Thanks

 

[Jon R]

We are on our first long tri with an SOK 100Ah battery. For some reason, the BMS is reporting over 200AH. I followed their procedure for initializing — two complete charge/discharge cycles. For now I’m assuming this is an error. But we’ve only dropped to 70% SOC so far. Maybe that’s really 40% (doubling the 30% usage). Very happy campers here.

Are you talking about the battery’s management system reporting 200 ah or are you talking about a separate battery monitor like the BMV-712 reporting 200 ah? I’m not familiar with the features of SOK’s BMS. I ask because I remember the BMV-712 on initial setup having a default battery size of 200 ah. It needs to be set up with the actual value if the battery is some other size.

 

[rubberlegs]

We use the battery’s own BMS.

 

[CPT Davenport]

206AH SOK here and extremely happy with it. Light weight for the amount of power it provides. 175w panel up top is all I have charging it right now ( will be installing DC/DC soon). I camped all last summer and several times this winter for multiple days at a time. Only been down to 50% after a 4 day stretch with 0 sun.

 

[Outnabout]

206AH SOK here and extremely happy with it. Light weight for the amount of power it provides. 175w panel up top is all I have charging it right now ( will be installing DC/DC soon). I camped all last summer and several times this winter for multiple days at a time. Only been down to 50% after a 4 day stretch with 0 sun.

What do you have to power? Curious about your usage. 4 days without sun and you still have a lot of power.

 

[CPT Davenport]

What do you have to power? Curious about your usage. 4 days without sun and you still have a lot of power.

I was running the 2 way fridge, lighting, heater and water pump. Fridge was the only thing running full time and I was frugal with the usage of the other loads. Woke up on 4th day at 50% and was at 32% by the end of the trip. 4 days of rain/overcast.