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Ultraclassic · 03-08-2020, 06:24 AM

Excellent information here

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GettinAway · 03-08-2020, 06:45 AM

I’ve asked this before, but not received an answer. Can you put lithium batteries in a front storage compartment? Not, is it doable, but would it be recommended? I’d prefer to not lose the storage under a twin bed. The front storage compartment could handle two lithium batteries, and still have storage room. I’d heard they can’t be allowed to get too cold. That front storage compartment should be fine except for over winter storage, right?

lsbrodsky · 03-08-2020, 07:06 AM

Cold does not hurt them, you just cannot charge them below 32F, some say 34F. You can discharge them, just no charging below freezing. If they fit, you can put them there.
Larry

OTRA15 · 03-08-2020, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

. . .
. . . you just cannot charge them below 32F, some say 34F.
. . .

So these "warm-weather-only" batteries seem like a poor investment IMO, for folks living in an area that regularly sees sub-freezing temps, like the Northeast.

There are some excellent lithium battery threads by the way:

https://www.google.com/search?q=lith...=airforums.com
https://www.google.com/search?q=lith...=airforums.com

Peter

lsbrodsky · 03-08-2020, 09:37 AM

Well, if you regularly camp in sub-freezing weather and need to charge your Lithiums then you are correct, they are not for you. You are better off with AGM's, but no battery performs very well at those temperatures. There was some early information that you could charge Lithiums at 0.1c, below 32F, which would be plenty for most solar arrays, although you would have to program a charger to stay below that. However, my recently, I do not see that in spec sheets.
Larry

OTRA15 · 03-08-2020, 09:40 AM

. . . or store and charge in sub-freezing temps . . . like year-round in our backyard . . .

We'll stick with the standard batteries, shore power when available, and the Yamaha 1k propane-fired gen running off the LP port.

KISS

[Or see new signature below.]

Peter

Justinfinity · 03-08-2020, 10:52 PM

It would be a mistake to dismiss Lithium batteries simply because you might expose them to cold temperatures. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have traveled through upstate New York and Ontario this winter and stayed in sub-freezing temperatures. The key to maintaining Lithium batteries is to get them up to temperature prior to charging them. I specifically chose the low temperature option on LifeBlue Lithium batteries because they have internal heating pads and a BMS (Battery Management System) that provides all the protections. In extreme cold, when the BMS senses a charging source, the heating pads are powered first, until it is safe to send the charge to the batteries.

OTRA15 · 03-08-2020, 11:59 PM

Thanks for that detail.

Peter

GettinAway · 03-09-2020, 04:37 AM

Thanks all. We switched trailers recently so I’m back to factory installed interstates. I hate swapping them out right away, but am looking to improve capacity at some point.

lsbrodsky · 03-09-2020, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

Thanks all. We switched trailers recently so I’m back to factory installed interstates. I hate swapping them out right away, but am looking to improve capacity at some point.

I have always advocated swapping out the regular lead-acid batteries ASAP. They require maintenance that most are just not willing to perform and without that maintenance can "fail" just when you don't want it. If you do need to rely on them, they may not be there for you. Of course, if you are plugged in to shore power whenever you camp then the decision is moot. With what we spend on the trailer and then camping fees, fuel, insurance, etc. the cost of upgrading to more user-friendly AGM's gets lost in the noise.

Larry

uncle_bob · 03-09-2020, 07:17 AM

Hi

If your trailer "use profile" includes multiple days where the temperature never gets above
freezing, then outdoor Lithiums probably are not optimum. In this part of PA, that was part of the month of January. A bit further north, it was most of the month of January.

We don't run the generator to charge the batteries at 4AM. If one is on shore power, there is no battery drain. The "big deal" is when the temps don't get above freezing mid day.

We could have been out camping for almost two months at this point without much risk at all. None of the parks would have been open / none of the water turned on, but we could have been there.

Bob

GettinAway · 03-10-2020, 08:17 AM

Until recently we’ve never had electricity at our campgrounds. However with retirement we are going to new places like the Outer Banks and now four weeks in Florida State parks. Every site has electricity. It is nice not having to think about it. Our next trip though is to the northwest and down the west coast. No reservations. I’m thinking we will be on batteries 90% of the time, but moving often enough to possibly keep the batteries charged. Plus we will bring along the Honda 2000. Maybe just getting a suitcase solar panel and upgrading to 6 volt batteries will be all I need. I just don’t see us boondocking out in the desert for weeks on end.

OTRA15 · 03-10-2020, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

. . .
. . . Maybe just getting a suitcase solar panel and upgrading to 6 volt batteries will be all I need.
. . .

This would probably be our next move, when the OEM Interstates give up the ghost. Our Yamaha 1k propane-fired generator is so quiet and easy to use, we may not even need more.

Peter

lsbrodsky · 03-10-2020, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

Until recently we’ve never had electricity at our campgrounds. However with retirement we are going to new places like the Outer Banks and now four weeks in Florida State parks. Every site has electricity. It is nice not having to think about it. Our next trip though is to the northwest and down the west coast. No reservations. I’m thinking we will be on batteries 90% of the time, but moving often enough to possibly keep the batteries charged. Plus we will bring along the Honda 2000. Maybe just getting a suitcase solar panel and upgrading to 6 volt batteries will be all I need. I just don’t see us boondocking out in the desert for weeks on end.

A prudent man would carry a jug of distilled water and check the battery water levels daily during those long trips, certainly at least weekly. You are gonna evaporate some water...not an issue with AGM's.
Larry

GettinAway · 03-10-2020, 08:32 AM

Thanks Larry and Peter. Aren’t some of the 6 volt batteries sealed? Maintenance free.. Just wanting as much usable power as I can get, for the lowest price and least hassle.

OTRA15 · 03-10-2020, 08:39 AM

Yes I believe the 6v batteries are available that way.

KISS

Peter

Airstute · 03-11-2020, 02:48 PM

Can you place and connect lithium batteries in the regular Airstream battery box on the trailer tongue? I realize you can place in the coach, but for simplicity it would be nice to just replace the lead acid batteries and put the lithium batteries in the existing battery box.

uncle_bob · 03-12-2020, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airstute

Can you place and connect lithium batteries in the regular Airstream battery box on the trailer tongue? I realize you can place in the coach, but for simplicity it would be nice to just replace the lead acid batteries and put the lithium batteries in the existing battery box.

Hi

Yes, that's what we did with two of ours. The other two are under the couch.

Putting in lithiums (even in the existing box) still requires you fiddle the converter /charger to match the new batteries. If you have solar, that needs to be fiddled as well. Finally the charge wire to the TV needs to be pulled (or something more exotic done).

None of that is a really big deal. It just means that they aren't quite a "drop in", even in the existing box.

Bob

Milo1952 · 03-12-2020, 10:34 PM

Just purchased 2 Lion Ut1300 lithium.
I need to upgrade my charger.
Any suggestions to which one I should get ? These are group 24 size.
Other than the charger is there anything else I NEED to do ??????
Plan on using an Renogy 200 watt suitcase or Zamp 230 w. suitcase.

**Rocinante** · 03-12-2020, 10:52 PM

The BMS that is required for lithium batteries, which is built into batteries like Battleborn, will prevent your batteries from charging if they are too cold to be safely charged. Don’t make this more complex than it is. I think you’d find that a pair of Battleborn batteries on the tongue would be a very nice upgrade, assuming you have the right charger.