LiFePO4 Battery? 12V 100Ah

[Fast-n-Furious]

Redarc is sure proud of their stuff. May be worth checking out Renogy on the entry end and Victron seems to be the standard for solid equipment.

Thanks for the pointers. I do feel a lot $$ on RedArc.

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[J0E]

LiFePO4 is far superior for powering an inverter. I've been living part time off grid for 50 years. I think 25 years ago I used marine deep cycle LA batteries and an inverter. LA has best life if you never run it below 50% and prefers 100%. LiFePO4 should never run below 20%. I have dual LiFePO4 in my trailer (that I pull with my JLR) and usually don't charge the pair above 80%. Because LiFePO4 can be run from 100% down to 20% and LA 100% to 50%, you get far more energy out of the LiFePO4.

Our EV is a 2017 but the batteries are still in excellent condition because we keep it between 30% and 80%. Charging it for free is a bonus.

 

[GATORB8]

LiFePO4 is far superior for powering an inverter. I've been living part time off grid for 50 years. I think 25 years ago I used marine deep cycle LA batteries and an inverter. LA has best life if you never run it below 50% and prefers 100%. LiFePO4 should never run below 20%. I have dual LiFePO4 in my trailer (that I pull with my JLR) and usually don't charge the pair above 80%. Because LiFePO4 can be run from 100% down to 20% and LA 100% to 50%, you get far more energy out of the LiFePO4.

Our EV is a 2017 but the batteries are still in excellent condition because we keep it between 30% and 80%. Charging it for free is a bonus.

Agreed. I'm outfitting our trailer as well (as I build it), and some of the less expensive LIFEPO4s available now actually end up about the same cost as AGM when you compare 100% to 50% DOD (I know that's on the optimistic side, but, hey, however you have to justify the expense).

Although expensive, the "Solar Generators" that are available now actually make a lot of sense for a smaller system you can throw in the back of the Jeep without having to independently source components and deal with all the install/wiring headaches.

 

[Fudster]

Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 batteries, not to be confused with Lithium Ion batteries, which have entirely different characteristics despite the shared presence of Lithium in their chemistry, are additionally good "house" batteries because they don't off gas.

"House" in the RV world refers to the battery/ies that run appliances in the living space, as opposed to the starter or chasis battery, almost always under the hood** which I'm of the opinion best remain of the absorbent glass mat (AGM) variety (a lead acid chemistry variation) given its better resistance to cold*** than LiFEPO4 chemistry batteries, much that the off-gassing characteristics of AGM batteries leave them best outside the living spaces.

**(I think the Toyota Prius has a lead acid battery in the rear of its cabin, but dedicated hoses for off gassing.)

***(Vendors have come up with heating elements for LiFePO4 batteries.)

LiFePO4 batteries tend to make good "house guests," not mind you because the battery chemistry is exceptionally well behaved (it is stable, but that's the real reason) because such equipment, unless you're buying bare bones LiFEPO4 cells and building your own battery, comes equipped with integrated BMS (battery monitoring system) tech that is going to prevent not only thermal runaway, but exposing the battery to charging or depletion during the cold temperatures that accessing the battery can help quickly destroy.

There's a battery chemistry I find interesting that seems to get little press called Lead Crystal or Silicon Dioxide. http://azimuthsolarproducts.com/product-category/batteries/sio2/ Apart from one distinct downside: it seems to weigh more for the power it delivers than its competitors, it otherwise seems extremely capable at extremes of temperature, and remarkably tolerant of owners who tend to be less careful with the charge and discharge protocols that can (quickly) destroy batteries of other chemistries, in addition to remarkably stable, permitting for example, their commercial transport for sale using transportation methods that other chemistries are restricted from using.

(I have zero affiliation with the linked vendor or the battery industry.)

 

[GATORB8]

Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4 batteries, not to be confused with Lithium Ion batteries, which have entirely different characteristics despite the shared presence of Lithium in their chemistry, are additionally good "house" batteries because they don't off gas.

"House" in the RV world refers to the battery/ies that run appliances in the living space, as opposed to the starter or chasis battery, almost always under the hood** which I'm of the opinion best remain of the absorbent glass mat (AGM) variety (a lead acid chemistry variation) given its better resistance to cold*** than LiFEPO4 chemistry batteries, much that the off-gassing characteristics of AGM batteries leave them best outside the living spaces.

**(I think the Toyota Prius has a lead acid battery in the rear of its cabin, but dedicated hoses for off gassing.)

***(Vendors have come up with heating elements for LiFePO4 batteries.)

LiFePO4 batteries tend to make good "house guests," not mind you because the battery chemistry is exceptionally well behaved (it is stable, but that's the real reason) because such equipment, unless you're buying bare bones LiFEPO4 cells and building your own battery, comes equipped with integrated BMS (battery monitoring system) tech that is going to prevent not only thermal runaway, but exposing the battery to charging or depletion during the cold temperatures that accessing the battery can help quickly destroy.

There's a battery chemistry I find interesting that seems to get little press called Lead Crystal or Silicon Dioxide. http://azimuthsolarproducts.com/product-category/batteries/sio2/ Apart from one distinct downside: it seems to weigh more for the power it delivers than its competitors, it otherwise seems extremely capable at extremes of temperature, and remarkably tolerant of owners who tend to be less careful with the charge and discharge protocols that can (quickly) destroy batteries of other chemistries, in addition to remarkably stable, permitting for example, their commercial transport for sale using transportation methods that other chemistries are restricted from using.

(I have zero affiliation with the linked vendor or the battery industry.)

Looks like SiO2, while better than LA, still has a significant weakness compared to LiFePO4 with DODs over 50%.

Regarding low temp, in my research, basically three categories of batteries available on the LiFePO4 side:
1. No Low Temp Protection
2. Low Temp Protection (Shutoff) Built In BMS
3. Low Temp Protection and Internally Heated

Categories 1 or 2 should not (2 will not) be charged below 32*F or discharged below 0*F (Approx depends on battery spec).

I'm planning on running category 1 with external compartment low temp heating (RV water tank heater or similiar).

 

[Fudster]

Looks like SiO2, while better than LA, still has a significant weakness compared to LiFePO4 with DODs over 50%.

Regarding low temp, in my research, basically three categories of batteries available on the LiFePO4 side:
1. No Low Temp Protection
2. Low Temp Protection (Shutoff) Built In BMS
3. Low Temp Protection and Internally Heated

Categories 1 or 2 should not (2 will not) be charged below 32*F or discharged below 0*F (Approx depends on battery spec).

I'm planning on running category 1 with external compartment low temp heating (RV water tank heater or similiar).

I don't blame your choices. For argument sake, the same concerns over not letting an RV living space get too cold for its batteries is no less an obligation that for us to not let our homes be without some small amount of heat in the winter either (when not occupied,) short of draining the pipes, for fear of frozen pipe rupture.

It's just that in the RV space, many of us don't make it our full time residence, and when letting the interior cool down to ambient cold temperatures, need to watch batteries, water, and other things susceptible to damage in the cold.

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