Information request please

[Petroleumblownapart]

I use L-ion habitation battery with solar etc. and it all works fine. However I was wondering....... If I charge both the hab batt and my Ecoflow batt to 100% (both similar Ah capacity at 100 & 120).... Is there any harm in connecting the 12V cigar lighter 10A Ecoflow output to the habitation circuit existing 12V outlet socket (plug on both ends of the patch lead) so that the fridge could run longer off grid ie. Putting the two batteries in parallel... Fridge draws around 5A when compressor comes on?
Both Cigar lighter plugs, wired back to back have internal 10A in internal fuses.
Please could anyone answer this who has actual information (no opinions please).

 

[mitzimad]

not many on here use battery packs most opting for a second battery which is cheaper and permeant so in absence of hard facts your unlikely to get a response that's not just an opinion

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

and‽

 

[Cush]

No experience of that setup. Not thought of it tbh but using the built in inverter on the power bank to the van’s ehu and charger facilitates longer off grid and the fridge running on electricity from the power bank. Must admit. I prefer gas as my fridge is not the best on 240. Hope someone with direct experience comes along. I’d be interested to learn from your setup if you go for it.

 

[bigtwin]

Please could anyone answer this who has actual information (no opinions please).

What do you mean by “actual information”?

Would you consider an answer based on electrical theory as an “opinion”?

For what it’s worth, my answer is no.

Ian

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[Petroleumblownapart]

We don't have a gas fridge but a Dometic compressor unit, which is awesome, as max draw at startup, is only around 5A. I can and have used the Ecoflow 1300 to run the habitation via the 240V EHU. Unfortunately to do that requires the inverter, built in to the Ecoflow which wastes around 15-20% of the stored juice, to be used.
The solar easily runs the fridge, charges the hab and the engine (via a Battery Master) at the same time and manages to get to float in full sun. Unfortunately until a cell that works in the dull light (or a Mr Fusion reactor) is invented I would still like to do a couple of days off grid rather than just 1 as at present in the autumn/winter.
I picked an Ecoflow primarily for power cuts at home so using it is a no brainer in the van and avoids the need to buy another Lithium just for the van. It's also great for a tea and toast lunch whilst on the road.
Using the 12V 10A out avoids the 20% inverter loss, which gives me an extra 25% from the Ecoflow.
If all else fails I may well give it a try and add to the post. As long as the hab Lithium and the Ecoflow both start at 100% full all should be fine but facts are always preferable to opinion..... In my opinion!

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

What do you mean by “actual information”?

Would you consider an answer based on electrical theory as an “opinion”?

For what it’s worth, my answer is no.

Ian

Actually Ian electrical theory does not say no, there is no reason it shouldn't be fine as long as the feed between the battery and the Ecoflow are fuse protected from each other. The only problem is if one of the Lithiums is much lower charge than each other. Lithiums can deliver immense amounts of juice, even with a BMS.

 

[nabsim]

I think I would ask the question of EcoFlow tech support.

support.eu@ecoflow.com

 

[Lenny HB]

If they are both LifeP04 type batteries it should work but no way would I connect through an existing socket. The wiring won't be up to it and cigar lighter sockets are well dodgy connections best not used for anything.
Connect straight to the battery with Anderson connectors and the cables fused at both batteries.

 

[bigtwin]

Actually Ian electrical theory does not say no, there is no reason it shouldn't be fine as long as the feed between the battery and the Ecoflow are fuse protected from each other. The only problem is if one of the Lithiums is much lower charge than each other. Lithiums can deliver immense amounts of juice, even with a BMS.

Your question asked:

Is there any harm in connecting the 12V cigar lighter 10A Ecoflow output to the habitation circuit existing 12V outlet socket (plug on both ends of the patch lead) so that the fridge could run longer off grid

Ian

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[Petroleumblownapart]

If they are both LifeP04 type batteries it should work but no way would I connect through an existing socket. The wiring won't be up to it and cigar lighter sockets are well dodgy connections best not used for anything.
Connect straight to the battery with Anderson connectors and the cables fused at both batteries.

Agreed but the only 12V out of the Ecoflow is the 10A cigar socket. The cables are well up to 10A current and both ends have a 10A fuse. I assumed that the fuses would mitigate any excess demands. What you say does make sense I thank you for your answer.

 

[Lenny HB]

Agreed but the only 12V out of the Ecoflow is the 10A cigar socket. The cables are well up to 10A current and both ends have a 10A fuse. I assumed that the fuses would mitigate any excess demands. What you say does make sense I thank you for your answer.

If you are plugging into a van socket what is the van wiring like?

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

If you are plugging into a van socket what is the van wiring like?

Excellent as it's all OEM.

 

[Tombola]

There has been a lot of debate about connecting 2 different batteries in parralel and the general answer is NO, fot leads obvs, but seems ok for lithiums.

The only issue would be trusting/knowing the vans cabling wouldnt it, the amount of current that lithium can pull/push through it.
once thats out the way ? jobs simple, but only you will know op

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

Excellent as it's all OEM.

Also wondering if a B2B feeding to the 12V hab system would be better so that all the draw is from the hab but when needed the Ecoflow would be supplying to the B2B only and best via a direct connection to the hab, not via the existing hab circuit in the van.?

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[Lenny HB]

Excellent as it's all OEM.

Probably useless then, have you checked the cable sizes?

 

[Tombola]

What about ecoflow supplying just the 12v fridge? and then ecoflow charging from your 12v hab circuit that in turn is charged via b2b and solar

 

[nabsim]

What about ecoflow supplying just the 12v fridge? and then ecoflow charging from your 12v hab circuit that in turn is charged via b2b and solar

That should be doable as the EcoFlow support pass through charging so you could always leave the dc charge cable connected

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

Probably useless then, have you checked the cable sizes?

Not sure why you say that?

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

That should be doable as the EcoFlow support pass through charging so you could always leave the dc charge cable connected

How is that possible you'd effectively be plugging the Ecoflow 12V out feed into the Eco 12V in feed. You can't get energy from nowhere!

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[Tombola]

How is that possible you'd effectively be plugging the Ecoflow 12V out feed into the Eco 12V in feed. You can't get energy from nowhere!

ecoflow out feed to fridge
ecoflow charge in field from 12v hab

 

[Lenny HB]

Not sure why you say that?

Manufacturers often use the minimum size cables they can get away with.

 

[Tombola]

What van is it ?

 

[mitzimad]

Manufacturers often use the minimum size cables they can get away with.

agree with you there lenny also i , not sure if lighter sockets are rated for a continous flow one of ours got warm with the sat nav

 

[Petroleumblownapart]

ecoflow out feed to fridge
ecoflow charge in field from 12v hab

But I don't want to unwire the fixed fridge. I'd need a changeover switch of some sort. If I feed out from the EF into the hab circuit that is connected to the fridge by default. The EF is not a permanent fixture. Also if we can 'back feed' into the hab circuit I can also run the heating fan and run the heater on gas. My only concern is how to limit the feed to under 10A from the EF. Hence question regarding a stand alone B2B to bridge the back feed.
I actually think I'm wasting my few remaining brain cells on this.
I'd like to thank everyone else for lending me their brain cells.

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[Petroleumblownapart]

But I don't want to unwire the fixed fridge. I'd need a changeover switch of some sort. If I feed out from the EF into the hab circuit that is connected to the fridge by default. The EF is not a permanent fixture. Also if we can 'back feed' into the hab circuit I can also run the heating fan and run the heater on gas. My only concern is how to limit the feed to under 10A from the EF. Hence question regarding a stand alone B2B to bridge the back feed.
I actually think I'm wasting my few remaining brain cells on this.
I'd like to thank everyone else for lending me their brain cells.

Just got this from Google Bard....
Yes, it is OK to wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel without either battery becoming overloaded with charge or discharge. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure that the batteries are properly balanced and protected:

• Use the same size, brand, and age batteries. This will help to ensure that the batteries have the same voltage and capacity, which will help to prevent them from becoming unbalanced.
• Use the correct size cables. The cables that you use to connect the batteries should be the same size as the cables that came with the batteries. This will help to prevent the batteries from overheating.
• Use a battery management system (BMS). A BMS is a device that can help to protect the batteries from overcharging, over-discharging, and short circuits.

If you follow these guidelines, you can safely wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel without either battery becoming overloaded.
Here are some additional tips for wiring lithium leisure batteries in parallel:

• Charge the batteries individually before connecting them in parallel. This will help to ensure that the batteries have the same charge level, which will help to prevent them from becoming unbalanced.
• Use a fuse or circuit breaker to protect the batteries from overcurrent. This is especially important if you are using the batteries to power high-current devices.
• Monitor the batteries regularly to make sure that they are properly balanced. If you notice that one battery is becoming more discharged than the other, you may need to adjust the charging settings.

By following these tips, you can safely and effectively wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel.

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[Petroleumblownapart]

Just got this from Google Bard....
Yes, it is OK to wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel without either battery becoming overloaded with charge or discharge. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure that the batteries are properly balanced and protected:

• Use the same size, brand, and age batteries. This will help to ensure that the batteries have the same voltage and capacity, which will help to prevent them from becoming unbalanced.
• Use the correct size cables. The cables that you use to connect the batteries should be the same size as the cables that came with the batteries. This will help to prevent the batteries from overheating.
• Use a battery management system (BMS). A BMS is a device that can help to protect the batteries from overcharging, over-discharging, and short circuits.

If you follow these guidelines, you can safely wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel without either battery becoming overloaded.
Here are some additional tips for wiring lithium leisure batteries in parallel:

• Charge the batteries individually before connecting them in parallel. This will help to ensure that the batteries have the same charge level, which will help to prevent them from becoming unbalanced.
• Use a fuse or circuit breaker to protect the batteries from overcurrent. This is especially important if you are using the batteries to power high-current devices.
• Monitor the batteries regularly to make sure that they are properly balanced. If you notice that one battery is becoming more discharged than the other, you may need to adjust the charging settings.

By following these tips, you can safely and effectively wire two lithium leisure batteries in parallel.

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Looks as though our consensus was in the right ballpark!

 

[pappajohn]

Not thought of it tbh but using the built in inverter on the power bank to the van’s ehu and charger facilitates longer off grid and the fridge running on electricity from the power bank

Perpetual motion isn't possible.
The inverter will draw massively more from the battery bank than the charger can put back in.

 

[Tombola]

Use the same size, brand, and age batteries. This will help to ensure that the batteries have the same voltage and capacity, which will help to prevent them from becoming unbalanced.

this but was posted on here w few weeks ago and some one got an answer from fogstar saying that it isn't too critical with lithiums.
TBH myself I would be arsed for the sake of 20ah, either, over the life of the batteries what are you gonna lose, 5% ???

 

[Reallyretired]

I don't think the original idea would work. Your lithium leisure battery is 12v +, but the ecoflow 12v outlet is not a direct connection to the ecoflow battery which is 28.8v and so there is some electronics which reduces the output to 12v.

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