House battery upgrade

[Russell-SMB]

My original batteries are not what they used to be. Sportsmobile installed them with build 2017. Not sure if they are 200ah, or larger. I want to go to lithium ion? What is the best brand to research? What have you found to be the best product on the market?

 

[clicker44]

@Russell -- There are tons of battery options out there. The "best" are the BattleBorn batteries:

Battleborn Batteries:
https://battlebornbatteries.com/

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A few other great choices are:

LiTime (unbeatable price)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQ7PHWSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SOK
https://www.us.sokbattery.com/?ref=...JR5TtVCTr2pXH7EfJzy4qTBPmVIZGxthoCiVIQAvD_BwE

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I went with the LiTime batteries on my tow behind camper and was blown away with the quality. If you need a quick fix I would highly recommend. If I was going for a "best in class" purchase I would go with the SOK. I think the BattleBorn are awesome but you're paying a ton of money for the name. SOK is mega high quality.

 

[arctictraveller]

You may be aware of this but its a lot more involved switching to Lithium than simply installing them. The charge profile is different, often times requiring a DC to DC charger to increase the voltage, larger gauge wiring from the alternator, a larger alternator, a provision to prevent freezing (possibly self heating or instillation inside the van) etc. some brands claim to be dropin replacements but i dont know how true that is. Sorry but i dont have any brand recommendations because i havent switched (yet) Good luck with your research.

 

[dbhost]

Another one to look at and on par with LiTime is Chins. I have a 400 A/H Chins Smart battery in my SMB and it has been flawless. I have a pair of 200 A/H Chins dumb batteries in my pickup camper shell camper setup that likewise has been great. However if your budget can do it, grab the one with the Bluetooth smart BMS, I love getting battery data right from the battery...

 

[didntwanttojoin]

You may be aware of this but its a lot more involved switching to Lithium than simply installing them. The charge profile is different, often times requiring a DC to DC charger to increase the voltage, larger gauge wiring from the alternator, a larger alternator, a provision to prevent freezing (possibly self heating or instillation inside the van) etc. some brands claim to be dropin replacements but i dont know how true that is. Sorry but i dont have any brand recommendations because i havent switched (yet) Good luck with your research.

Depending on your needs this might not be required.

For the hassles listed above my plan was to replaced it with another AGM. Our previous 4D AGM was from 2018 and it served us well in both winter and summer for the past 6 years. However, when it came time to replace it we could get a Lithium battery from Renogy for the same price as an equivalent AGM. Everything else being equal, I felt it was worth the change for the weight alone to save my back. :n5: (Never mind the double useable capacity...)

I haven't bothered with a DC-DC charger and simply don't have alternator charging yet. In the summer we've never needed anything more than our solar set up. In the winter we used to be able to go a few days without running the engine on our 230Ah AGM. Now that we have a full 200Ah capacity from the lithium, I feel like we should be able to get 5-6 days which covers most winter trips. That's ignoring any small solar we might get.

Anyway, if you're going to make the switch I would re-evaluate your use and whether or not you even need to bother with alternator charging.

As for vendors, no issues with our Renogy battery so far. I know they don't have the same following as Battle Born, but for well over half the price I think they're worth a look. They have a new 300Ah battery that's less than $1,000 CDN ($600US?) and is smaller than a 4D.

 

[VanMiller]

The SOK batteries look good. My only concern would be the cold and lithium’s poor performance in cold weather. I would also be concerned with the safety issues often associated with lithium batteries.

I currently have a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Portable Power Station. It keeps the refer going for up to 5 days. I have been using it since 2018 with no issues.

 

[vandiesel]

I think this new battery could be the ONE. I saw it at overland expo and was really impressed. Expion builds top notch batteries.
https://expion360.com/products/12v-240ah-ex2-edge-smarttalk-vhc

 

[mjcleland]

Check Will Prowse on YouTube for research on battery manufacturers - and lots of good context information regarding lithium usage and such

 

[Charliesmom-SMB]

I installed Expion LiFePO4 360 120 AH X3 batteries in our Sportsmobile West build (now Field Vans) in 2020. They have functioned flawlessly for the past 4 years. The newer versions have built in heater systems to enable charging in cold temperatures. The batteries I have are group 27, weigh ~ 30 lbs each. I use a REDARC 50 amp DC to DC charger / 230 W solar on the roof with a portable 120 W Zamp suitcase if in a shady area. Customer service was great when I was looking for cold weather charging options.

 

[Russell-SMB]

Battery Upgrade

Wow, thank you all for the suggestions. Looks like I have a lot of research to do. I really want to keep it simple if possible, so I'm talking with Battle Born to get their recommendations, there is a lot to factor in when buying a 10 year plus house battery system.
So I will see where it leads me, and report back to you all.
Enjoy our new red wave.

 

[brianpdx-SMB]

I replaced my AGM a couple years ago with this
https://www.lifebluebattery.com/rv-...ion-batteries/200ah-d-lt-lithium-battery.html

Needed a new bracket to mount behind the rear axel.

Also, had to replace the originally installed separator with this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY8S815/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

New battery lasts down to about 50% state of charge over 3 days with the fridge, normal lights, etc. Probably would do better with my solar, but I camp in the shade.

Brian
2007 SMB

 

[dbhost]

The SOK batteries look good. My only concern would be the cold and lithium’s poor performance in cold weather. I would also be concerned with the safety issues often associated with lithium batteries.

I currently have a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Portable Power Station. It keeps the refer going for up to 5 days. I have been using it since 2018 with no issues.

Lithium Ion batteries are known for thermal runaways and rather dramatic fires. Those are what are used in high discharge setups like EV batteries. For lower discharge devices Lithium Iron Phosphate, A.K.A. LiFePO4 are not subject to the thermal runaway that Lithium Ion is... Those are what we are using in our campers...

Lithium no matter the chemistry does NOT like to be charged below freezing. Keep your batteries inside, and keep inside, including your batteries at least 40 deg F and all is good.

I have warming pads for my underslung water tank project to keep the tanks from freezing. They make warming pads for batteries as well. LOTS of folks use these setups doing full time vanlife in Canada, and Northern Europe...

 

[didntwanttojoin]

We ran into some cold weather issues with our Lithium battery this weekend.

Ours is stored in a battery compartment within the insulated space of the vehicle. I didn't think a heated version was required because of this. Over the weekend we had our battery drop below freezing and the BMS wouldn't let it charge until it warmed back up. Even with the living space at 18'C (~65'F) overnight, and a relatively warm winter night of -10'C (~15F), the battery box still got below freezing. Bummer.

The good news is, the 200Ah of useable power came in handy with us using about 180Ah over 5 nights of camping. The increased charge rate of the lithium after it warmed up compared to an AGM was also great. We recovered 180Ah in less than 5 hours of driving on the way home.

Time to look into some heating pads I guess.

 

[1der]

Kerman - Are your batteries upright or laying on their side ?

I placed my two batteries each atop 1/8" thick aluminum plate. On the underside of each plate and insulated from the bottom face of insulated compartment, I attached two silicone heating pads controlled by a programmable thermostat and an on/off switch. It has worked awesomely. Set to come on at 35F, off at 42F

Heating pads - https://a.co/d/jfv75T8
Thermostat - https://a.co/d/2sNuF18

 

[VanMiller]

Lithium Ion batteries are known for thermal runaways and rather dramatic fires. Those are what are used in high discharge setups like EV batteries. For lower discharge devices Lithium Iron Phosphate, A.K.A. LiFePO4 are not subject to the thermal runaway that Lithium Ion is... Those are what we are using in our campers...

Lithium no matter the chemistry does NOT like to be charged below freezing. Keep your batteries inside, and keep inside, including your batteries at least 40 deg F and all is good.

I have warming pads for my underslung water tank project to keep the tanks from freezing. They make warming pads for batteries as well. LOTS of folks use these setups doing full time vanlife in Canada, and Northern Europe...

Thanks for the info! I may look into some warming pads.

I haven’t had any issues with the Goalzero Yeti in cold weather (yet). I was on a hunting trip in 2022, and the inside of my van was 20°F one morning. -I really need to get a heater.

-Maybe it was so cold it didn’t matter if the battery kept the refrigerator going or not. My entire van was refrigerated. :d3: