Changing to lithium

[PNW Fireguy]

Originally Posted by RVDH

I do marine damage claims and had a case recently where Lifepo4 batteries thermally ran away and flame vented out teh sides of their cases. I've done a lot of research on this! They willnot flame vent with aluminum shielding due to teh low heat of a thermal runaway 300 degrees however its enough heat to melt through plastic. These batteries also have BMP's installed on teh batteries and improper charging can damage the BMP along with battery life. I suggest you do better research than "going out on the limb". Not all batteries are equal and they are safer alegedly than Lion, but each installation I've seen requires special equipment to ensure that safety. These batteries have to be carged between 20 and 80% no more no less or battery life is shortened considerably!

Thanks for sharing. I am pretty confident that I know what I am talking about and multiple governing bodies agree.

OBTW what is the brand and model of the LiFePO4 drop in that experienced thermal runaway? In the marine vertices I am aware of lithium manganese chemistry runaway examples but not a single iron phosphate. Add to that the LiMn chemistry models I am familiar with the runaway incidents are not drop in replacements as we were referring to in the thread.

[Ahdmeyer]

Brentr53 I checked costco web page and could not find any lithium batteries for rv what kind did you get from them? thnk you all for the detailed info on usage it has explained a lot
thanks
al meyer
3931fb az

[PNW Fireguy]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

Brentr53 I checked costco web page and could not find any lithium batteries for rv what kind did you get from them? thnk you all for the detailed info on usage it has explained a lot
thanks
al meyer
3931fb az

https://www.costco.com/lion-energy-schedule.html

[snowmanfx4]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

thx mlh which batteries did you end up gettting? do you have a residential fridge?
thx
al meyer
3931fb
az

We have the same rv. We have lion energy lithium batteries. On your rv you can change your inverter to 14.4. Had a 2016 3911fb and switched out the inverter to run lithium batteries. Our new 2021 3931fb has a switch to change it to charge at 14.4 which the lithium needs.

[snowmanfx4]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

Brentr53 I checked costco web page and could not find any lithium batteries for rv what kind did you get from them? thnk you all for the detailed info on usage it has explained a lot
thanks
al meyer
3931fb az

Costco had the lion energy batteries for $1,300 for two. Not sure they are still on sale.

[PNW Fireguy]

The Costco event is a "road show" and continues by location for the length of the agreement between Costco and Lion Energy.

[Ahdmeyer]

snowmanfx4 thanks for the reply are you satisfied with the lion safari 1300 batteries? how many did you get for your 3931 fb? looking at them a nd the battleborns the lions are a couple hundred dollars cheaper plus 5 ah per battery more with a lifetime warranty. have you had the chance to see how long they last with the residential fridge.
thanks
al meyer
3931fb
az

[snowmanfx4]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

snowmanfx4 thanks for the reply are you satisfied with the lion safari 1300 batteries? how many did you get for your 3931 fb? looking at them a nd the battleborns the lions are a couple hundred dollars cheaper plus 5 ah per battery more with a lifetime warranty. have you had the chance to see how long they last with the residential fridge.
thanks
al meyer
3931fb
az

I took the 2 batteries out of my 2016 and put in the 2021. So have had them for 4 years now. With the residential fridge they last about 12 hrs while boondocking. Little shorter if we have a lot of other things running. I'm very happy with them. Tried 4 6v batteries and they worked good for a year. But not as good as the lithium.
Hope this helps you out.

[Ahdmeyer]

well i did find them on costco web site and ordered 2 lion energy lithium batteries thx to everyone who had suggestions and opinions. hard decision between the lion and battleborn. the lion gives 5 ah more per battery and weights less, checked on the reviews and seemed good. has a ten year warranty based on charges app 3500 . $1478.39 for 2 best i could find on battleborn is about $1600. thx again everyone
al meyer
39312 fb
az

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

well i did find them on costco web site and ordered 2 lion energy lithium batteries thx to everyone who had suggestions and opinions. hard decision between the lion and battleborn. the lion gives 5 ah more per battery and weights less, checked on the reviews and seemed good. has a ten year warranty based on charges app 3500 . $1478.39 for 2 best i could find on battleborn is about $1600. thx again everyone
al meyer
39312 fb
az

Originally Posted by PNW Fireguy

Thanks for sharing. I am pretty confident that I know what I am talking about and multiple governing bodies agree.

OBTW what is the brand and model of the LiFePO4 drop in that experienced thermal runaway? In the marine vertices I am aware of lithium manganese chemistry runaway examples but not a single iron phosphate. Add to that the LiMn chemistry models I am familiar with the runaway incidents are not drop in replacements as we were referring to in the thread.

Congrats on pulling the trigger on 2 Lion Lifep04 batteries. I predict you'll love them so much that you'll buy 2 more. Just to back up what PNW Fireguy stated about lithium ion phosphate batteries, concerning the battery chemistry, the BMS also functions to limit the discharge current of the battery by internally disconnecting. Here in the Phoenix area, Rowley White RV sells SOK 204 AH batteries at their dealerships for $1,000. As of last week, I noted more than 20 in stock. The construction and features of SOK batteries are on a par with other high end offerings.

[PNW Fireguy]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

well i did find them on costco web site and ordered 2 lion energy lithium batteries thx to everyone who had suggestions and opinions. hard decision between the lion and battleborn. the lion gives 5 ah more per battery and weights less, checked on the reviews and seemed good. has a ten year warranty based on charges app 3500 . $1478.39 for 2 best i could find on battleborn is about $1600. thx again everyone
al meyer
39312 fb
az

I think you will be happy with your choice. If not PM me and I will take them off your hands.

[Ahdmeyer]

anyone familiar with the possibly of damaging your alternator charging from the tv. lion tech recommend a dc to dc charger i am not familiar with that. i guess i will have to get more info on this .
thx
al meyer
3931fb az

[PNW Fireguy]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

anyone familiar with the possibly of damaging your alternator charging from the tv. lion tech recommend a dc to dc charger i am not familiar with that. i guess i will have to get more info on this .
thx
al meyer
3931fb az

Yes you can burn up your alternator when charging LiFePO4 from your TV. A DC to DC charger is the recommended method to address this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgoIocPgOug&t=25s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NDnZsouUyY

[Ahdmeyer]

trying to get this straight ok as of right now with only the 7 pin cord connected to your tv while driving is there any charger to the batteries? now that i am going to the lithium using a dc to dc charger i will need to run a separate circuit or can you use the 12v auxillary circuit on the 7 pin connecter.

watching the video sent by pnwfireguy sent which is very good it looks like this could happen during low idle of the tv
thx
al meyer
3931fb
az

[PNW Fireguy]

You will want to run new cabling as the 7 pin conductor wiring is not rated for the amperage that the new batteries can draw due to their extremely low resistance and chemical characteristics they will take all the current they can.

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

anyone familiar with the possibly of damaging your alternator charging from the tv. lion tech recommend a dc to dc charger i am not familiar with that. i guess i will have to get more info on this .
thx
al meyer
3931fb az

I installed a DC to DC charger.
Here's my write up.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83767&highlight=charger

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

trying to get this straight ok as of right now with only the 7 pin cord connected to your tv while driving is there any charger to the batteries? now that i am going to the lithium using a dc to dc charger i will need to run a separate circuit or can you use the 12v auxillary circuit on the 7 pin connecter.

watching the video sent by pnwfireguy sent which is very good it looks like this could happen during low idle of the tv
thx
al meyer
3931fb
az

The MOST I saw to my lithium batteries via the 7 way cable was about 7A.

[Ahdmeyer]

how do i determine what amp dc to dc charger i would need 2 1300 105 ah lion batteries.
thx
al meyer
3931fb
az

[PNW Fireguy]

It's combination of your alternator capacity and the wire you intend to use to feed the DC to DC charger. You can go to Victron's website and download and view the installation manual for the various offerings. There will be sections on wiring. Other manufacturer's may offer the same ability.

[AZ Traveler]

Derek,

I am still a year or so away from the transition. If I don't plan to add a DC to DC charger but use solar and genny to recharge do I need to disconnect the charge wire in the 7 pin connector to prevent alternator damage?