I discovered on my last trip that I have thoroughly mis-managed my 2x 100Ah AGM set up and need to replace the batteries. Annoyingly I forked out on the Victron SuperCycle batteries. I’m now looking around now and can see that the lithium batteries have come down in price a lot so I’m considering these too. Which brands of lithium or AGM is anyone using? Any good or bad experiences?
Electrical AGM/Lithium recommendations
- Thread starter pcutt
- Start date
Im using Kings with no drama BUT your solar reg must be lithium capable and look at LiPo4 lithium they don't turn into a volcano............... price dictated my decision and Ive saved a bundle waiting for them to be on special and last trip they powered everything for over a month just with the sun ........
Yes prices have dropped considerably over the past 2 years although some vendors don't seem to have got the memo. I bought cheapies on ebay (4 so far) and they all work fine. I am still using my original (non-lithium) solar controllers and jayco setec without any issues but I did test everything to make sure it was working properly.
There are a few people on youtube doing reviews of cheap batteries. try 'cheap ebay lithium deep cycle battery' and look for the aussie ones
There are a few people on youtube doing reviews of cheap batteries. try 'cheap ebay lithium deep cycle battery' and look for the aussie ones
New regs aren't that bad and are really common sense which is surprising, LiPo4 won't burst into flames just get very hot and melt so they reckon, gases let off are nasty though ................. when I bought my Kings 200ah job it was close to $900 BUT if I bought an LED torch with it $495, the torch is really a good bit of gear, the battery hasn't given any drama ....................... If you use a non lithium charge system only AGM/GEL never ever a Calcium type, the thing you must look at is the max voltage put out by the unit, too much and it could fry the battery BMS, it probably won't get to fully charge but in the big scheme of things its not a biggy, the thing is the lithium at 90% is 13.4 and the AGM/GEL charger will just go to float and thats where things will stay ............ well thats what it does with mine as I experimented to see what my 240v AGM/GEL charger did............. rarely used so didn't want to throw money for a new one when not used.
Last edited:
I have found with my lithium, once I get back home and have cleared up the van I shut down the van load and the charging to the battery so its isolated, only connect up the panels once a month to give it a boost as they don't like being kept at 100% and while Im at it the VAST gets a rehit to keep it current as well ...... they do require a completely different approach to the old AGM/GEL set ups.
Agreed @Drover . I have been trying to attach two separate SOC tables for AGMs and Lithium for a while now without success!!!. Not only is the max charge voltage somewhere between 14.4 and 14.6 volts, but what is considered "flat". At 11.8 volts, an AGM is considered "flat" but is still at 50% capacity not usable, while 12.8 volts in AGMs is an indication of approx 85% remaining capacity. A lithium is at that same voltage of 12.8 volts is down to less than 15% capacity remaining although it can go lower but not recommended for best life of battery.
In those circumstances, the cheaper solar controllers which do not have usurer adjustable settings would not be the best for controlling Lithium batteries. Firstly, the way I look at it, the "float" voltage for AGM batteries is at neither the proper charge voltage or cutout voltage. And while most people would have settings on their adjustable solar controller of max charge voltage of around 14.6 volts (satisfactory for lithium but no higher!) the low voltage cutout of around 11.8 volts (or even lower!!!) and cut in voltage of around 12.4 volts is not satisfactory for lithium batteries. The settings on solar controllers need to be set for LITHIUM chemistry NOT AGM type. You may think you are getting away with the wrong settings still working for you, but you are not getting the best out of your battery and not helping its longevity. Tread your own path!!
The best bet is to look online,plenty of charts available, close inspection will show that they are not all the same so just a guide also each Lithium has its own BMS so it shuts off or turns off as it wishes mine would shut down well after the controller shuts off power , I found that out when I left things turned on and the solar panels turned off, a practical demo of my system shut down, it all worked which is good ..... I now know my battery shut down procedure is really good, Load and Battery all shut down well before it mummifies and resurrection is quick and painless, well it was cloudy and it pulled up quickly so win,win...
Each battery should come with a label describing its power description as not all lithiums play to the same script...
When I wrote the script for my controller using the manufacturers settings, changed a few by about .5v, equalization to zero, its set to charge at 14.6 and float at 13.8, I set the disconnect at 12v while the BMS has a cut off of 10v I wanted it to have some recovery room ................ Recent power drain proved my settings were good as it never went that deep....... I could have flashed the Epever with the lithium update but am wary of flashing these things so handraulic was the go and I could tweak the settings slightly, wind back the max and lift the minimums, just a bit of room to play .......................... My mains charger is pretty basic so will do in an emergency or run as a power supply while isolating the battery from the system, it will just run at 12.8-13.4 all day..... Saying that I have checked and rechecked. done the maths so to speak to make sure it all complies and functions without making any smoke ............ Not everyones system will so due diligence is needed and don't take a forum or blog as fact.
Each battery should come with a label describing its power description as not all lithiums play to the same script...
When I wrote the script for my controller using the manufacturers settings, changed a few by about .5v, equalization to zero, its set to charge at 14.6 and float at 13.8, I set the disconnect at 12v while the BMS has a cut off of 10v I wanted it to have some recovery room ................ Recent power drain proved my settings were good as it never went that deep....... I could have flashed the Epever with the lithium update but am wary of flashing these things so handraulic was the go and I could tweak the settings slightly, wind back the max and lift the minimums, just a bit of room to play .......................... My mains charger is pretty basic so will do in an emergency or run as a power supply while isolating the battery from the system, it will just run at 12.8-13.4 all day..... Saying that I have checked and rechecked. done the maths so to speak to make sure it all complies and functions without making any smoke ............ Not everyones system will so due diligence is needed and don't take a forum or blog as fact.
@Drover , Ian I agree that there are variations with all lithium batteries , but the same limitations still apply. You can be assured that anything I post on this forum is not my own ideas and is taken from actual web sites of manufacturers and electrical experts (including University sites) and NEVER from forums or blogs. One of the main reasons I always try to upload details from my source.....fortunately now possible. See comparison of AGM battery and Lithium at different states of charge and capacity below.
Attachments
No argument from me just pointing out to folk that the SOCs shown on various sites does vary a bit ....... not a lot but it varies and one should always refer to the information/settings pertaining to their individual units when at all possible ............... I have print outs of all the details that relate to my set ups, with pencilled annotations of changes done................ not because Im pedantic or OCD but good chance I would/will forget what I have done.....lol,lol,lol....
Nothing wrong with your info Boots, but folk should do plenty of research in regard to their unique situation and not fully rely on what we say, often we never get the full story so may be missing something important but hopefully push them in the right direction ................... often I get emails or calls about things and I have to tease the details out of them, they don't pass on the whole story...............
Interesting you could do an attachment, someone mended the fuse ???
Its working, oh joy here;s a pic of an AGM which went China Syndrone on me years back......................
Last edited:
Thanks for the accolade Ian @Drover . I am with you on your comments for individuals. The SOC for the lithium battery came from a Renogy site and no doubt referred to their brand of battery. However, although other brands may differ slightly by 0.1 or 0.2 volts over the entire range, The point was to illustrate the major differences in voltage and SOC.