I won't use LiFePO4 Batteries

[Minxy]

No good for a Winter trip to Finland

Need moon panels for there.

 

[Steve and Denise]

I remember houses with them.

I bet you can remember accumulators tacking them to get charged aah the good old days remember Rickits, Dipthearea, Adolf Hitler oh how times have changed

 

[Ditcha]

When our van was new, the original owner who we still see from time to time had 2 x 120 ah Gel batteries fitted. (Gels used to be spoken about in the same way as lithium).
Another gel was subsequently fitted later so now 3 x 120 ah batteries. I guess weight could factor somewhat but plated at 4.8 tons, no problem for us.
The original fit was by vanbitz including B2B, inverter etc along with an Alden tracking solar panel. Everything still works like clockwork to this day with no major power loss ever encountered. When the gels ever die, I will investigate changing to lithium but ” if it ain’t broke don’t fix it“ rules apply here.
Phil

#Philkissofdeath.com

 

[Ditcha]

You joke but I had gas powered mantle lamps in my first caravan.

What's a gas mantle? is it the same as a mantle piece

 

[Basildog]

Just had a quick squizz at this, very interesting… Could you give me a rough price on these please? Need trade acc to log in…

We have them in stock now , not used one myself though but we have had good feedback.

Imass Instantaneous Water Heater

This mobile instantaneous water heater IWH-1.5 E, is the latest innovation in Europe & CE approved, guarantees instant hot water!

autogasshop.co.uk

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[chaser]

I bet you can remember accumulators tacking them to get charged aah the good old days remember Rickits, Dipthearea, Adolf Hitler oh how times have changed

Yeah we had a caravan with gas lights, and for what it's worth yeah we used to take accumulators about a two mile walk to a garage in the village, accumulators long gone as also is the garage in the village.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Need moon panels for there.

It's nearly April

 

[Jim]

Need moon panels for there.

They're called Lunar Panels, I have some for sale

 

[Minxy]

They're called Lunar Panels, I have some for sale

View attachment 716471

Noooo, I mean moon panels ... You tell your MH neighbours about them and they start 'howling' with laughter.

 

[bigtwin]

What's a gas mantle?

If you ever loose one, I Geiger Counter can help you find it.

Ian

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[Spriddler]

You joke but I had gas powered mantle lamps in my first caravan.

So did my parents caravan. As a nipper I loved falling asleep to their amber light, their gentle hiss and the warm fragrance of Calor.

 

[Steve and Denise]

So did my parents caravan. As a nipper I loved falling asleep to their amber light, their gentle hiss and the warm fragrance of Calor.

And helps keep the van dry

 

[Coolcats]

7 years of a motorhome. No solar, no B2B, no lithium, just two batteries. Never run out of power, and money in my pocket, not someone else’s. I know we are all different but more toys, more problems and I like simple. The posts on this forum show lithium is not as simple as some suggest.

Dont get me wrong if your set up works for you no one can tell you you are wrong.

Regarding more toys there is an adage that says 'He who dies with the most toys wins' says nothing about what it costs though

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Noooo, I mean moon panels ... You tell your MH neighbours about them and they start 'howling' with laughter.

Thanks goodness….. I thought for a minute that you were mooning and the neighbours were howling with laughter

 

[Coolcats]

Need moon panels for there.

Solar Panels That Work at Night Developed at Stanford​

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[Bessy765]

Fine you like a simple life, great, but making up problems about lithium because you can’t afford it/don’t want it without backing your statements up is disingenuous

Just saying ‘I’ve read stuff’ isn’t proof

We had 700 watts of solar a Victron 12/2000/80 inverter charger with 2 x 100 Transporter Lithium batteries, this allows us with sensible use to run the hab air con when its warm. If there plenty of sun to make it hot there’s plenty of sun to charge the batteries, just dont try to turn the van into a fridge. We have a Dometic cx 30 freezer box and 2 underslung lpg tanks. We use the van at any time of the year so invested time and money to do so in a relaxed manner. The installation is warranted for 5 years and the batteries for ten. Not cheap but each to his own. When the van next to us ran out of power late in the evening to run their cap machine I just put the inverter on and they plugged into out external socket, more than happy to have done so as others have helped us in the past. Horses for courses/

 

[Raul]

Nice work,
You not suppose to set the inverter equal to bms. BMS should be higher, and all other charger inverter should be 5-10mv per cell, under the inverter/ chargers settings.
If bms is set at 3.55v, you set the charger at 3.45v . And inverter disconnect at 2.8v then bms Low voltage cut off at 2.65v with 2.5v bms shut down.
Is that a JK bms on the table?

 

[Outdoors Dad]

When my 2 old LA batteries retired early at the grand old age of 3 years old but (2 years more than warranty stated), I fitted 1 lithium. I choose lithium because it's very simple. No more guessing if the battery is charging correctly, it has enough water, it's not over heating, it's not over charging under charging, it's leaking, it's gone to flat, it's breather pipe is blocked, can it handle the current draw of inverter.....will it explode near retirement or poison us. Half the weight charges quickly and you can monitor any abnormal charge issues immediately via app. Double the usable power usage. It was a little more than double the price of the previous batteries though.

 

[oldiesontour]

With self build lithium at around £1 per ah Pb is about the same price and much longer life plus many other advantages I see no reason to buy Pb ,the thousands of pounds argument is no longer valid even if a b2b is required

 

[MitchandJenny]

Lithium is currently a faff because the existing chargers in vans generally don't support the appropriate charge profiles. You've got to think about your solar, B2B/DC and mains hookup chargers as well as whether your wiring will cope. But I suspect that newer vans will start to support lithium from they factory, even if it remains an expensive option for a while.

The other issue is charging when it's below freezing. But I'm not sure how much of an issue this is. It's rare that a van will get down to freezing inside when you still intend to use it. As long as your BMS protects it, it shouldn't be damaged.

Yes, LiFeO4 batteries with their associated Battery Management System are more complex than a lead-acid. But that doesn't make them less reliable.

Mine have heaters
Mitch

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