Best battery upgrade

[ozzyhufc]

Hi only me again , I also want to upgrade my battery to a lithium one something which will last long on wild camping and a straight swap if possible for a Bailey Autograph 74-4

Thanks

 

[Jon Stewart]

Seems like a bit of an unfair trade.

Joking aside, does your charger have a lithium profile, and would any other bits in the chain need changed.

I'm sure Lenny will turn up any moment to inform you!

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Hi only me again , I also want to upgrade my battery to a lithium one something which will last long on wild camping and a straight swap if possible for a Bailey Autograph 74-4

Thanks

How much power do you consume per day at present?
How many consecutive days of wid camping?
Do you have solar to top up?

 

[ozzyhufc]

How much power do you consume per day at present?
How many consecutive days of wid camping?
Do you have solar to top up?

Not sure on what we consume , as we new to it
We do two or 3 days wild camping at most of the time and yes we have a solar panal on roof of van , we use all low voltage items etc and tv…

 

[MisterB]

Hi only me again , I also want to upgrade my battery to a lithium one something which will last long on wild camping and a straight swap if possible for a Bailey Autograph 74-4

Thanks

my advice is to get as big a battery as you can afford that will fit in the space available. we dont have a lithium setting on our charger, so we just set it to lead acid, it charges to around 98% and solar does the rest. though driving between wild camping spots will replenish your battery, so a large B2B will def help.

you will also need to consider what 'electric appliances' you want to use off grid, to give you an idea, we can last around four days without solar or top up, with a 304ah battery and a 3000w inverter and we use a 240v kettle, induction hob, microwave, pizza oven, george foreman grill and air fryer as and when we want!

if you were using gas and just 12v, then you probably dont need a lithium battery ....

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[ozzyhufc]

Seems like a bit of an unfair trade.

Joking aside, does your charger have a lithium profile, and would any other bits in the chain need changed.

I'm sure Lenny will turn up any moment to inform you!

Not sure mate as we new to it all, but not many place by us to get advice. They all miles away unfortunately live in wales

 

[ozzyhufc]

my advice is to get as big a battery as you can afford that will fit in the space available. we dont have a lithium setting on our charger, so we just set it to lead acid, it charges to around 98% and solar does the rest. though driving between wild camping spots will replenish your battery, so a large B2B will def help.

you will also need to consider what 'electric appliances' you want to use off grid, to give you an idea, we can last around four days without solar or top up, with a 304ah battery and a 3000w inverter and we use a 240v kettle, induction hob, microwave, pizza oven, george foreman grill and air fryer as and when we want!

if you were using gas and just 12v, then you probably dont need a lithium battery ....

Hi thanks for your reply, yes been watching a few YouTube videos lately
I like the idea of using our 3pin plugs on wild camping , we so miss using the kettle , toaster etc …. Just haven’t got a clue who to speak to or who to go to etc
Thanks

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Not sure mate as we new to it all, but not many place by us to get advice. They all miles away unfortunately live in wales

I think you need to experiment to see how long what battery storage you have at present will last. Have a read of https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/portal/motorhome-electricity-the-basics/ to help get a grasp of what your needs are.

 

[MisterB]

Hi thanks for your reply, yes been watching a few YouTube videos lately
I like the idea of using our 3pin plugs on wild camping , we so miss using the kettle , toaster etc …. Just haven’t got a clue who to speak to or who to go to etc
Thanks

RogerIvy or AshVanBitz - both are members of the forum ....

our 'camping' experience is so much better since we changed our mindset to using a motorHOME, there are other members who have really gone deep into the lithium jungle and the more you use it in conjunction with 240v, the more you realise you havent got enough lithium, which is why i suggested get as big a capacity as you can afford that will fit in the space available (which doesnt have to be where the leisure battery is currently situated ....)

dont forget though, that the key to it all is replenishing the power you use. yes you can stay off grid for 5 days, but then what? its fine if youve got solar, but is it? is it big enough and do you get enough sunshine and light to replenish what you use each day? and to me that is the key, replenishing what you have used, which can be from solar when static, B2B when driving (though the on board charger via the alternator wil add some) or by hooking up to EHU for a day or two ....

 

[ozzyhufc]

RogerIvy or AshVanBitz - both are members of the forum ....

our 'camping' experience is so much better since we changed our mindset to using a motorHOME, there are other members who have really gone deep into the lithium jungle and the more you use it in conjunction with 240v, the more you realise you havent got enough lithium, which is why i suggested get as big a capacity as you can afford that will fit in the space available (which doesnt have to be where the leisure battery is currently situated ....)

dont forget though, that the key to it all is replenishing the power you use. yes you can stay off grid for 5 days, but then what? its fine if youve got solar, but is it? is it big enough and do you get enough sunshine and light to replenish what you use each day? and to me that is the key, replenishing what you have used, which can be from solar when static, B2B when driving (though the on board charger via the alternator wil add some) or by hooking up to EHU for a day or two ....

Thanks, any advice on who I can speak to ref a bigger battery etc

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[OldAgeTravellers]

How much power do you consume per day at present?
How many consecutive days of wid camping?
Do you have solar to top up?

As above plus,
Do you have a B2B charger if not you will need one.
Do you know the max output of your altonator.

Some of your wiring probably will need replacing for the B2B
a Shunt is more or less essential so as to know what is happening to the battery.

There are very many very comprehensive threads on here about Lithium Systems. Do yourself a favour and do a search and spend a day reading them you will learn a great deal either to do it yourself or to understand what an installer is suggesting.

As an example we have installed 600Ah of Lithium with a B2B and Shunt, 1200 W inverter, 300 W solar panels and an EBL with a GEL setting which is ok but a little underrated for Lithium.
We have been Wild Camping in Spain for 3 Weeks, hardly moving but not using the inverter at all for kettle, air frier etc. so only using the gas hob and kettle, but lighting, running the heater as there are some very cold dark nights consequently we have been watching quite a bit of TV and watching films for most of each evening. And the batteries got down to 50%. We have had quite a bit of sun but with flat solar panels have not really got above 5A input above my basic load which is about 2A as I run a home router and Raspberry-Pi 24/7 to monitor the electrics. So I suppose we could have lasted 5 Weeks off grid. But we stopped for the night at a Motorhome Dealer in Jerez with secure parking and free electric for €15 per night so as to spend the day and evening looking round the town, so ten hours plugged in have got the batteries back to 100%.
We are heavy users of 12 volt for iPads charging phones etc.
Lithium is a game changer my 90% usable 600Ah of lithium is probably half the weight of my 3 x 90Ah gels of which only half the 270Ah is usable. But it is not “home electric” and does need recharging. If we were using the inverter for kettle, air frier etc. I would only last about 4 or five days maximum then would need a 24hour recharge on mains or 12 hours of continuous motorway driving to recharge.
I wouldn’t be without it but it does have limitations.
Good luck, do you research. I 100% recommend RogerIvy & nigelivy at OffGrid Power solutions who give a generous discount to members and fantastic advice. They supplied most of my kit.

P.s. https://offgridpower.solutions/ sign up on their site to qualify for their generous discount. No connection just a very satisfied customer.

 

[autorouter]

How big is the battery you are using now? The capacity is usually on the label, measured in Ah, which is amp-hours. Ignore any figures like 'CCA 500A', that's only relevant for powering a starter motor.

You can estimate your present usage from that. For example, if it's a 100Ah battery - a fairly average leisure battery size - then you probably discharge it down to the 40% or 30% level. That means you have used about 60Ah or 70Ah. If that lasts you 3 days then you are using about 20Ah per day.

What size is your solar panel? Likely to be about 100W if it's a standard factory fit. At this time of the year the solar contribution will be very little. You might get 20Ah per day from a 100W solar panel later in the year, and might even get 40Ah from it on a good long summer day.