Which Lithium Batteries Do You have & Why

Smokaijo said:
Would still like to know which Lithium batteries people chose & why?
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I chose the cheapest available on Amazon and 18 months ago paid 649 pounds for 200 ah of it.
I bought that one because it is believed I work hard for my money and I hate spending too much.
I have somewhere around 350 watts of solar and B2B and charge 2 well used Ebikes on a daily basis with little else electrical being used.
I do use free electric charge up for the bikes when out and about but we dont need it.
We have plenty of electric and I rarely check to see how much we have used because we rarely go below 13 volts.

Would I buy the cheapest one available again. YES
 
It really won't matter which lithium battery it is.

Yes, they may have different features and apps, but all modern Lithium leisure will do what you need it to, it is all about capacity and your ability to recharge.
 
It's not too difficult to work out the energy, charge and power you are using. Basically, one amp-hour (Ah) of charge at 12V is 12 watt-hours (Wh) of energy. So your 230Ah 12V battery can hold 230 x 12 = 2760Wh of energy.

If your chair is using 15% of it, that's 2760 x .15 = 414Wh, which I think is about right for recharging a wheelchair battery. The CPAP is using 10%, so that's 2760 x .10 = 276Wh. That sounds about right too. CPAPs vary in their consumption, especially if using the nebuliser option which some people have to use.

Your 575W of solar should give you about 230Ah of charge on a good day, and about 170Ah on an average day. 170Ah is 170 x 12 = 2040Wh of energy, which should be enough to top up the battery from your CPAP and chair usage, with plenty left over. Basically if you are down to 50% in the morning, it should have topped up to 100% by sunset.

Are the panels in full sun, ie not shaded by anything? Even the shadow of a satellite dish can almost stop power from one of the panels.
 
I have two nds 100 amp battery’s with their controls and couldn’t be more pleased with them.
No shutting down in cold temperature like a lot of readers have, and a sterling 60 amp b to b charges
I was going to get the cheaper range but the 60 amp was too powerful for them

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I have 1x100Ah Relion. I use a CPAP with humidifier on an inverted 230v supply and use somewhere around 30Ah overnight, I suspect the humidifier accounts for about half the consumption. The battery recharges from an Efoy fuel cell if staying more than one night. When I chose Relion 5+ years ago there was a limited choice of LiFePO4 leisure batteries and it was the make that had the best reviews and history at that time.
 
Smokaijo said:
Would still like to know which Lithium batteries people chose & why?
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I have a eco tree 230ah lithium, chose it because it sits under the drivers seat and doesn’t eat into storage. I am a normal power user and the battery is ridiculously over sized for my use, along with the B to B I have never seen the battery below 75%.
 
Looking at the specs for your chair, it looks like it has two 22NF lead-acid batteries at 55Ah each. So worst case from flat to 100% would require 110Ah of charge from your lithium battery, which is about 50% of its 230Ah capacity. But you probably never take the chair batteries lower than 20% anyway, so more like 40% if the lithium battery's capacity to fill them up again.

I know the two 12V 22NF batteries are wired in series, and work at 24V, but that doesn't make any difference to the amount of energy needed to refill them, the calculations are the same.
 
autorouter said:
It's not too difficult to work out the energy, charge and power you are using. Basically, one amp-hour (Ah) of charge at 12V is 12 watt-hours (Wh) of energy. So your 230Ah 12V battery can hold 230 x 12 = 2760Wh of energy.

If your chair is using 15% of it, that's 2760 x .15 = 414Wh, which I think is about right for recharging a wheelchair battery. The CPAP is using 10%, so that's 2760 x .10 = 276Wh. That sounds about right too. CPAPs vary in their consumption, especially if using the nebuliser option which some people have to use.

Your 575W of solar should give you about 230Ah of charge on a good day, and about 170Ah on an average day. 170Ah is 170 x 12 = 2040Wh of energy, which should be enough to top up the battery from your CPAP and chair usage, with plenty left over. Basically if you are down to 50% in the morning, it should have topped up to 100% by sunset.

Are the panels in full sun, ie not shaded by anything? Even the shadow of a satellite dish can almost stop power from one of the panels.
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Yep they were in full sun no shadows anywhere which is why we didn’t understand what was going on.
On the day when we had sun most of the day we thought it would top up but we only got to 73% 😬
 
Smokaijo said:
Yep they were in full sun no shadows anywhere which is why we didn’t understand what was going on.
On the day when we had sun most of the day we thought it would top up but we only got to 73% 😬
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The sun is getting quite low in the sky now so the output from solar will be a lot less than in June.
Also although the sky may look clear the slightest haze which is hardly detectable will drop the output considerably. I noticed this year my solar output has been low compared to previous years and I put that down to haze

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Smokaijo said:
Yep they were in full sun no shadows anywhere which is why we didn’t understand what was going on.
On the day when we had sun most of the day we thought it would top up but we only got to 73% 😬
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If you get 25 ah per hour from the 500 w panels this time of year is about right (or good even) in uk
X that by what, 5 hours on a good day this time of year you have put 125 ah back in of your 230, less whatever you may have been using at the time, so probably about right if you say it was sunny

Stick another battery in after you have measured the current from the panels to make sure you are happy with what they are pumping when sun is shining full middday (if you can get a day) so you have 460ah

I have 2 x 200ah KS Energy
3 x 200w panels
B2b
USE Microwave, internet via starlink,
Induction hob for most cooking,
fridge on gas (or leccy if its a glorious day)
2000-4000w inverter,
CPAP for the lady, (used to be via inverter but 12v uses much less) turn inverter off at night,
tellly lights
higher power laptop that has to be via inverter for work as no low volt available for it.

200ah on its own was a struggle unless in sunny spain, or height of mid summer here.....then if too much you can always heat your water or run your fridge on it $$$ though :(
 
We have already reached that time of year where the best solar angle is less than 45° i.e. your panel would work better on the side of your van than on the roof.
 
autorouter said:
Looking at the specs for your chair, it looks like it has two 22NF lead-acid batteries at 55Ah each. So worst case from flat to 100% would require 110Ah of charge from your lithium battery, which is about 50% of its 230Ah capacity. But you probably never take the chair batteries lower than 20% anyway, so more like 40% if the lithium battery's capacity to fill them up again.

I know the two 12V 22NF batteries are wired in series, and work at 24V, but that doesn't make any difference to the amount of energy needed to refill them, the calculations are the same.
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2 x 55Ah in series is one 55Ah 24v battery.
 
tonyidle said:
2 x 55Ah in series is one 55Ah 24v battery.
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Yes, that's true. But the energy calculation comes to the same result. One 55Ah 12V battery holds 660Wh of energy, so two will hold 1320Wh. One 55Ah 24V battery holds 55 x 24 = 1320Wh, which is the same. You would expect the total amount of energy to remain the same if all you are doing is switching the connections. You are not putting energy in or taking energy out, so it should stay the same.

And in terms of charging it from a 12V leisure battery, it's going to take the same energy, ie 1320Wh, from the leisure battery, which is equivalent to 110Ah at 12V. Plus a bit for inefficiencies and conversion losses.
 
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I had 2 x SuperB Epsilon 90ah batteries and wanted more capacity, SuperB are good but stupidly expensive so I changed to 2 x 280ah Fogstar Drift batteries and have so far been very pleased with them.

I went to Fogstar to collect them personally and spoke to the 2 guys whom I think own the company, they were very approachable and seemed to know their product answering all my questions.

I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from Fogstar again and would recommend them no question based on my experience.

Al

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I have 640 amps of Ecotree Lithium, 640 watts of solar and a 2 x 30 amp Victron B2B. Always been off grid for the past 12 months never had a problem,

Compressor fridge and an extra one for the cold drinks in summer.
Air fryer, slow cooker, Microwave, coffee maker amongst other stuff.

In the summer the solar just keeps on replacing very quickly. Never really need the B2B if I am parked up all day.

But this time of year the solar will not replace all I use and at the end of the day I have used about 10% of my total power after taking into account of the solar has put pack in.

Also you will find people will talk up their own setup as they have spent a lot of money on it and according to them it's the best you can get.

Wait till you get to Spain or full uk summer and it will be 100% most of the time.
 
autorouter said:
Looking at the specs for your chair, it looks like it has two 22NF lead-acid batteries at 55Ah each. So worst case from flat to 100% would require 110Ah of charge from your lithium battery, which is about 50% of its 230Ah capacity. But you probably never take the chair batteries lower than 20% anyway, so more like 40% if the lithium battery's capacity to fill them up again.

I know the two 12V 22NF batteries are wired in series, and work at 24V, but that doesn't make any difference to the amount of energy needed to refill them, the calculations are the same.
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Yep sadly it is very thirsty if I ever let it get that low and hilly terrain really saps it’s energy - with the site at the show being quite vast I was running it down to 60 most days and then I had to charge as I knew the next day would be the same 🙄
 
Reevsie said:
I have 640 amps of Ecotree Lithium, 640 watts of solar and a 2 x 30 amp Victron B2B. Always been off grid for the past 12 months never had a problem,

Compressor fridge and an extra one for the cold drinks in summer.
Air fryer, slow cooker, Microwave, coffee maker amongst other stuff.

In the summer the solar just keeps on replacing very quickly. Never really need the B2B if I am parked up all day.

But this time of year the solar will not replace all I use and at the end of the day I have used about 10% of my total power after taking into account of the solar has put pack in.

Also you will find people will talk up their own setup as they have spent a lot of money on it and according to them it's the best you can get.

Wait till you get to Spain or full uk summer and it will be 100% most of the time.
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Trust me it’s on the list but going to stay with friend in April so no van needed but august in Germany I’m hoping will be a doozy
 
Smokaijo said:
Yep they were in full sun no shadows anywhere which is why we didn’t understand what was going on.
On the day when we had sun most of the day we thought it would top up but we only got to 73% 😬
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The human eye is very good at adjusting to sunlight.

It might seem to be bright and sunny, but it is significantly less powerful than midsummer.
 
hja said:
For what it is worth we have a 230ah ecotree battery fitted by Oaktree Motorhomes in Nottingham (home to eco tree) . We already have 120 w solar. We did get a new mppt solar controller. B2 b etc already in place. Seems fine for us for 4 days. Don’t know what it went down to on recent stay because app didn’t want to work properly, although it did a few days later. However we don’t use anything like your electrical consumption. Compressor fridge, phone, iPad charging, pump. We don’t have an inverter. Rob, mentioned above, was really helpful when I spoke to him before we decided to install anything.
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This echos, pretty much, our experience. Oaktree fitted our system and we also use much fewer appliances than you. Currently in France.

After three days running the standard fridge fitted to our 2012 Bailey, all lights are led, no inverter, iphone and ipad charging, 4 hours per night of 12v tv, 120w solar panel. Alarm on at night. 2 x 110 ah Eco trees. Victron smart shunt showing 84% of battery capacity left. So for us, no problems.
We do drive every two to three days and have a b2b charger and have never arrived with less than 100% showing on the Smartshunt.
Incidentally, be interested to see your response after contacting Oaktree. When I last looked up Eco Tree, Oaktree didn’t appear to be one of their suppliers.

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200a KS Energy under-seat. Seems to work well and can cope with using air fryer, , induction hob etc.
Never taken it below 60% yet as the 300w solar or just driving the van keeps it topped up.
 
I have one Roamer 160ah that replaced my 95ah Lead acid....if we can use the phrase "Game Changer" then for me...this is it...
Got a tilting 200w Solar for November onwards...I think I made a good choice, which can only be the case for individual needs..
I've got a 150w solar, put where you want (need) to supplement....I also subscribe to Spanish Solar on an annual contract....👍🇪🇦😂🥳🥳🥳
 
I bought the cheapest Li almost 3 years ago 100Ah (expecting to add eventualy, but not required)
550w solar (100w of which is tiltable), 30A B2B. all Votronics kit apart from BmV712. Mostly 12V kit apart from washing machine, Charge laptop from 12V- 19V brick. No power guzling 240 V stuff. 2 e-bikes charged by 12V. I added a sophisticated microprocessor controled charge monitoring system but not required when i came to conclusion i have enough. 3 weeks without worrying. Now your requirements are different but i suspect 230 should be sufficient if you start with a full battery but as previously stated more gives peace of mind for later in year with less sun.
 
Thank you to all funsters who answered my query - we went back to Eco Tree & Blue Fix who were amazing they swopped the 230ah for a 460 Fogstar Drift as they realised my chair had not been factored in even though it was mentioned in initial quote - we now feel reassured that we will not run through our power off grid because of my chair which was happening on the smaller battery.

Cannot rate Bluefix more highly they have been so good and explained every part of the process and swopped out battery without too much trouble- so many more off grid holidays for us 🥳
 
Smokaijo said:
Thank you to all funsters who answered my query - we went back to Eco Tree & Blue Fix who were amazing they swopped the 230ah for a 460 Fogstar Drift as they realised my chair had not been factored in even though it was mentioned in initial quote - we now feel reassured that we will not run through our power off grid because of my chair which was happening on the smaller battery.

Cannot rate Bluefix more highly they have been so good and explained every part of the process and swopped out battery without too much trouble- so many more off grid holidays for us 🥳
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Excellent - glad it all worked out

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I don’t think you will be disappointed with the fogstar performance
 
With the new battery and the amount of solar you have you will be fine most of the year.

If you plan on winter use in the UK you might want to look at your B2B if only a 30 amp it would be worth fitting a second 30 amp or swapping for a 60 amp.
 
I don't have Lithium batteries in the motorhome, but I do have Sterling Lithium batteries at home controlled with time switched charger and inverter.

All on an Octopus Energy Agile account. Basically cheap charging at night and inverter at peak times for house lights, fridges, freezers and TVs.

It is amazing how much electricity fridges and freezers gobble up all day, every day. And, as winter approaches, the lights are on more and more.

Very pleased with the Sterling batteries and charger.
 
Smokaijo said:
We had a whole Victron system fitted by BlueFix Energy Solutions and we have 575w of Solar on the roof.
Running fridge water & heating off gas so everything else 12v.
But do have a CPAP machine that runs at night - a Quantum 6 Edge 3 Electric wheelchair - microwave and 12v TV.

By first thing Saturday morning we were down to less than 50% according the Victron App and I was obviously worried that with 2 more days & nights to go it would run out.

According to the app my electric chair took up to 15% of power and CPAP took 10%

Got to say it was making me paranoid looking at the app so I took to just checking what our van told me the Leisure Batteries were doing as the “shunt” was making me nervous lol.
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Electric chair! How many executions do you do per day?
Joking apart, Ive got a fogstar 230 seat base lithium. Running with no B2B still gets 20A on alternator. 140w solar, and the standard electroblok charger. Ive not done a massive amount off grid yet but it happily runs my mains kettle and toaster on a morning and uses around 2% of my battery to make breakfast and in summer the solar brings it bask up in the morning. With a bit of sun and the alternator ive seen 26A going in while driving
 
jezport said:
Electric chair! How many executions do you do per day?
Joking apart, Ive got a fogstar 230 seat base lithium. Running with no B2B still gets 20A on alternator. 140w solar, and the standard electroblok charger. Ive not done a massive amount off grid yet but it happily runs my mains kettle and toaster on a morning and uses around 2% of my battery to make breakfast and in summer the solar brings it bask up in the morning. With a bit of sun and the alternator ive seen 26A going in while driving
Click to expand...
Lol not enough to kill someone 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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