LiFePO4 Batteries: Discussion Thread for Those Using Them as House Banks

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by mcarling

One could get 8x of the 160AH batteries for a 320AH 12V bank for $792 or 4x of the 400AH batteries for a 400AH 12V bank for $1032. The best deal per AH would be 4x of the 1000AH batteries for $2080, which should store roughly about 3 sunny days' output from 460 watts of solar. The latter should be about the same weight as the existing 300AH lead calcium bank.

Thanks, I see the savings, but want minimal & simplicity, so I figured 4 x 400ah in series would do both and also give me a larger bank.

[mcarling]

4x 400AH is a good choice. I'm sure you'll be happy with them.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Thanks, I see the savings, but want minimal & simplicity, so I figured 4 x 400ah in series would do both and also give me a larger bank.

That is a big upgrade.

300 a-hr X 12 volt = 3600 whr X .5 DOD = 1800 useable whr.

Vs

400 a-hr X 12 volt = 4800 whr X .8 DOD = 3840 useable whr

More than twice the usable storage, four times the cycle life at around 1/3 the weight.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

That is a big upgrade.

300 a-hr X 12 volt = 3600 whr X .5 DOD = 1800 useable whr.

Vs

400 a-hr X 12 volt = 4800 whr X .8 DOD = 3840 useable whr

More than twice the usable storage, four times the cycle life at around 1/3 the weight.

Why would one consider the older battery technologys at those prices ?

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by downunder

Why would one consider the older battery technologys at those prices ?

Because the price dropping is a recent event. My last EV project 4 years ago, these cells were twice the price.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

senormechanico, thank you for jumping in with that. I'm curious what state of charge the factory gives them. What is you DOD % when you cells read 3.32 volts?

I just walked down and checked.
There was a little bit of sun (1 hour max) today, so they're reading a little higher than that.

Normal resting voltage with several days of clouds and rain (usual for this time of year) is around 13.2 to 13.4 volts.

Dock lights have turned on, sun's down but not dark.
The -.200ma is normal load when fridge is on, but not running.
The LED display for the fridge and the backlight for the MPPT are set to be constantly ON. The MPPT display makes a nice companionway stair light !
Shore power charger is configured for 14.2 / 13.8v, but as I stated previously, it hasn't been used since last winter.
When we went on a month's vacation last summer, we didn't even bring the shore power cord.

[NahanniV]

Why the deep discount for the clearance cells ?

What is the difference between them and the latest offering ?

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by NahanniV

Why the deep discount for the clearance cells ?

What is the difference between them and the latest offering ?

My guess is age of cells combined with their 5 year warranty.

[diugo]

Ahoy mateys, first time poster here. I am the Doug referred to by Deck Officer Bob a few posts back. Happy to report I was able to successfully register this time.

I found this very interesting and helpful thread this morning by googling "balqon". Confirmed landlubber though---full time RVer. As luck would have it, I am looking to replace my 300Ah Lifeline AGMs with four of the $99 160Ah LYPs from Balqon.

Hopefully my lack of the nautical can be made up by my knowledge and experience of the electrical. My RV and I have been operating entirely on solar for over a decade now.

[diugo]

Originally Posted by NahanniV

Why the deep discount for the clearance cells ?

What is the difference between them and the latest offering ?

The Balqon site's clearance page says that those cells "may be overstock from a previous production run" [eg 2.5 years ago] and/or "used during production tests for less than 25 cycles." They carry the same five year warranty as new stock, but the $64,000 question is, do the five years start on the purchase date---or the production date?

[deckofficer]

Welcome to CF Doug. I would hope from date of sale or in my case date of delivery, which I've documented.

BTW Doug, always looking to learn something new. What did you type in which search engine that brought you to CF?

[diugo]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

BTW Doug, always looking to learn something new. What did you type in which search engine that brought you to CF?

I found this CF thread quite by accident. I had used Google to search for "winston lyp" to see if Winston had any new US distributors and to compare their prices with Balqon's.

I first heard of Balqon last summer on one of the RV forums and had bookmarked the Balqon store. A low temperature voltage issue with my AGM bank a few days ago resparked my interest in possibly replacing them with LYPs---if the price was right.

[deckofficer]

Thanks Doug. As you know I have a forum and always curious how folks find us. Who knows, hang out here for awhile and you might supplement your RV travels with some sailboat cruising. You wouldn't be the first, Nick aboard S/V Jedi, a 63' Sundeer just bought a diesel pusher for travels here in the States. His boat is in Panama and his home is the Netherlands.

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by diugo

They carry the same five year warranty as new stock, but the $64,000 question is, do the five years start on the purchase date---or the production date?

By law, in every or almost every jurisdiction in the world, warranties start from the day of delivery (in Incoterms) unless a contract specifies another start date.

[ColdEH]

Well, I have been looking for the right combination for my application. What do you guys think of this setup. ????

Balqon - Advanced Transportation Solution

Might be the way to go , already wired and boxed , and the right amount of amp hours for me .