Quote:
Originally Posted by jelders25
Can you help us out here, what are we missing?
V/r
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Here's what I have learned from researching articles on Lithium batteries:
Lithium batteries use different chemicals therefore the voltages are different. A lead acid battery, fully charged, will have a charge of about 12.6 volts, compared to a Lithium battery with about 13.4 volts. They need to be charged differently...the bulk/absorption/float settings for Lithiums are different than lead acid. If you simply replace older batteries with Lithiums, the older charger will never get to the charge level Lithiums need to get full performance. Since the voltages are different, your monitoring system will have to be changed....if your gauge shows 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and Full, those readings won't apply to a Lithium battery. Lithiums have a narrower range of operating temperatures, charging/discharging outside those ranges can permanently damage the batteries. Charging temperatures are typically 32 to 113 degrees. Lots of RVs might spend weeks below 32 degrees.
If you opt for Lithiums, be sure they come with a Battery Monitoring System (BMS), known as the 'brains' of the battery. It is supposed to help with some of the issues noted above.
No doubt Lithiums are here to stay, but after researching them, and their cost, I opted for AGMs. In the years ahead, I can see Lithiums, but not yet.