240V lithium charger

Graz · Veteran Member

240V lithium charger

TimTim · Guru

In simplistic terms LiFePO4 240v charger is very basic and to be honest there is no reason why they are the price they are. They do not need equalisation and they do not need float. Your 3 stage charger will charge the battery but it may only take it up to say 95% as you state. There are all sorts of arguments in fully charging LiFePO4 but i wont go into that.

Many people find they do not need a 240v charger anyway because as i stated above there is no need to float LiFePO4 as the self discharge rate is very low. Bet you a beer you dont need to use yours in the next 12 months smile .

Just remember it is difficult to determine the state of charge as the charge and discharge curves are very flat until they reach what we call the knee where the voltage climbs and falls very quickly. At rest a fully charged battery will sit at 13.4V to 13.6V.

Your Redarc BCDC N2140 is Lithium ready so no issues there.

What brand of MPPT solar controller do you have as again you do not want it running on equalisation mode. Some however that do not have a lithium profile you can manually change the settings in a User profile.

Welcome to the world of LiFePO4 biggrin

Good luck

Tim

Graz · Veteran Member

Hi and thanks Tim

I am using the built in MPPT controller in the Redarc BCDCN1240

TimTim · Guru

Hi Graeme,

OK sry thought you meant a seperate solar controller. You are all good to go. When not using the van dont put you battery on charge and you will soon realise how little discharge there is.

Tim

Graz · Veteran Member

Thanks again Tim

I might be overthinking this but I noticed the attached note in the Redarc BCDCN1240 manual re inbuilt bms..........do you have any thoughts on this for the DCMont battery I was looking at?

TimTim · Guru

I do not know the brand so I cant comment on that but all LiFePo4 have a bms which provide over voltage protection. The description implies that it does cell balancing and that is one of the intended feature of the BMS.

Personally I wouldnt buy that brand and when I was looking for batteries before I built my own Ausssie Batteries were at the top of my list. A couple of friends now have batteries from them in their golf carts.

Here is a video you might want to look at. Not your size of battery but some good information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbS5XJ0aIo

If it is the same seller that I think, I had issues with two solar panels. I did manage to get a refund only because they couldnt pull the wool over my eyes .

Good luck

Tim

Graz · Veteran Member

Any cheaper budget brands you might have a good word for ????

TimTim · Guru

135Ah is not really a popular size with most companies and it is 120Ah that seems most popular when going up from 100Ah.

It think it is Dick0 that has VoltaX so send him a message and there have been a few good video reviews of them but it seems that 120Ah is down from the size you are looking for.

There is a discount code so price is $539.10.

https://outbax.com.au/voltx-12v-120ah-lithium-battery-lifepo4-deep-cycle-solar-charger-caravan-camping

To be honest with you I would pay the extra and go for this one with prismatic cells. Also dont forget these batteries are going to last you 10 years and longer.

https://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/atlas-135ah-12v-dual-bms-prismatic-lithium-battery

Once you start going below these prices it can be hit and miss and unless people do capacity tests then they have no idea what they are getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUP1L4UuDrU

Good luck

Tim

-- Edited by TimTim on Tuesday 23rd of May 2023 03:18:35 PM

Graz · Veteran Member

Hi Tim

Yes I am thinking the Atlas 135 is the go at this stage and once again I really appreciate your thoughts and input.

Brenda and Alan · Guru

I'm pretty sure the electro charger can be switched to power supply mode at 13.8 volts.If so it would be an excellent lipo charger.

We have used an electro 20 A dc/dc charger in this mode to charge our lipo pack for the last 10 years wiyhout any problems.

Alan

Graz · Veteran Member

Hi Alan

Yes it does have power supply mode, but to be frankly honest I never really knew what that mode meant

Dick0 · Guru

TimTim wrote:
135Ah is not really a popular size with most companies and it is 120Ah that seems most popular when going up from 100Ah.
It think it is Dick0 that has VoltaX so send him a message and there have been a few good video reviews of them but it seems that 120Ah is down from the size you are looking for.
There is a discount code so price is $539.10.
https://outbax.com.au/voltx-12v-120ah-lithium-battery-lifepo4-deep-cycle-solar-charger-caravan-camping
To be honest with you I would pay the extra and go for this one with prismatic cells. Also dont forget these batteries are going to last you 10 years and longer.
https://www.aussiebatteries.com.au/atlas-135ah-12v-dual-bms-prismatic-lithium-battery
Once you start going below these prices it can be hit and miss and unless people do capacity tests then they have no idea what they are getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUP1L4UuDrU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUP1L4UuDrU
Good luck
Tim

-- Edited by TimTim on Tuesday 23rd of May 2023 03:18:35 PM

You're right Tim, I did get the VOLTAX 135ah batteries; two at first then another one three months later (perfectly matched batteries and connected in parallel). No need for the gennie to be lugged around anymore and I run all my 240v appliances from a 3000/6000w inverter.

The VOLTAX have performed flawlessly for three years and I maintain a float charge of 13.4v (90-95% SOC).

Would stay clear of the "VOLTX" as any seller who maintains that there may be a problem connecting the batteries in series/parallel has no confidence in their product.

FYI, I bought my batteries for under $450.00 each.

The ATLAS batteries specs seem to read well.

smile

Graz · Veteran Member

Thanks Tim and Dicko

Did a quick search for Voltax LifePO4 and seems nothing available.
Will probably go the Atlas135.

TimTim · Guru

You are not looking hard enough Graeme smile Reduce price too. Drop the a it is Voltx

https://www.catch.com.au/product/voltx-12v-120ah-lithium-iron-phosphate-battery-lifepo4-rechargeable-deep-cycle-11286789/?offer_id=47907189&ref=gmc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_N-R1KqN_wIViKGWCh0IMgCCEAYYBSABEgJozvD_BwE

Not sure what Catch are like but Alternative is here

https://outbax.com.au/voltx-12v-120ah-lithium-battery-lifepo4-deep-cycle-solar-charger-caravan-camping

Good luck

Tim

-- Edited by TimTim on Wednesday 24th of May 2023 05:29:58 PM

TimTim · Guru

Thanks DickO I worked out some time ago that VoltaX and VoltX were the same company and just dropped the a from the name. They seem to have gained popularity and have had a price increase.

No idea why they say not to place them in parallel and it seems a few companies say that. I cant remember what company it was that had on there website not to connect in parallel. i told the poster to email them and they received a reply stating that they could be paralleled.

Good to hear that your batteries are still going strong smile .

Tim

Graz · Veteran Member

Hi Alan

Yes I can set my Electro BC-1230 to Power Supply Mode and can set the voltage to 13.2, 13.5 or 13.8.

Are you suggesting setting it to 13.8 Power Supply Mode and I can use this to charge my Lithium LifePO4 battery.

I realise this won't fully charge them but I still have solar and BCDC charger.

TimTim · Guru

Yes Graeme, set it to 13.8.

A simple test for when your battery isnt fully charged. Put it on the charger until it stops charging. Let it rest for a couple of hours and then take a voltage reading and compare it with the table I posted.

Tim

-- Edited by TimTim on Friday 26th of May 2023 09:17:31 PM

Brenda and Alan · Guru

Yes Graeme as Tim Tim said set to 13.8. In our case the charger is a DC/DC charger so only works when driving.

Our solar controller is also set to charge up to 13.8 V.

It has been operating this way since late 2013.

Alan

Oops typed 1.8 instead of 13.8

-- Edited by Brenda and Alan on Saturday 27th of May 2023 02:35:54 PM

Graz · Veteran Member

I am looking at using this battery as a replacement for my old AGM setup.

outbax.com.au/12v-100ah-lithium-battery-lifepo4-deep-cycle-solar-charger-caravan-camping-rv

Any comments appreciated

Cheers
Graeme

Dick0 · Guru

Graz wrote:
I am looking at using this battery as a replacement for my old AGM setup.

outbax.com.au/12v-100ah-lithium-battery-lifepo4-deep-cycle-solar-charger-caravan-camping-rv

Any comments appreciated

Cheers
Graeme

I would be reluctant to install a Lithium battery that is not recommended for parallel or serial connection.

Quote:

"IMPORTANT: While our LiFePO4 batteries are top-notch & can be wired with other batteries of its kind, it is not advisable to connect any LiFePO4 batteries in parallel or series. This poses several risks and should only be done in emergency situations. If you must wire batteries together, make sure you are familiar with the correct procedure or seek help from a professional if needed."

"Suggestions From the Outbax Team

Batteries connected in series should have the same amp-hour rating while batteries in parallel bank should have the same voltage rating.
As much as possible, only connect batteries in series or parallel during emergency situations.
It's better to go for batteries with higher voltage when running high-power electrical appliances instead of wiring two battery packs together."

Graz · Veteran Member

Their specs say up to 6 of these in series or parallel