I am between a lithium battery and a sealed acid battery. I will be taking a trip at least every 6 weeks. I need to know which is better?
Storage? Care? Safety? Can I keep it in my camper? If so how do I do so safely? What should I know That I haven’t asked???
And How can I save money on these batteries???
Oh, it’s for a solar setup.
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Exactly what devices are you powering? Fan, lights, heater blower, refrigerator, personal electronics, etc.? You can’t pick a battery, or even battery type, nor the charging system without knowing what the loads and amp draw(s) will be, the time between available discharge/charge cycles, and the typical usage - obviously solar charging capacity differs greatly between seasons and geographic region. What works well in the desert southwest normally won’t work camped under the trees in New England or in overcast/rainy climates. Even if you charge via solar (when possible) you’ll still usually want to charge off the vehicle’s alternator when it’s running as well. So, lots more info needed.
Typically, when sizing lead acid deep cycle or AGM/gel battery systems you’ll need up to twice as many batteries of the same ah rating/size as with Li Iron Phosphate. This is because you really can’t discharge lead acid batteries more than about 50% of their capacity without hurting their recharge capacity/lifespan, where as Li Iron can discharge 80% or even a bit more. And the lead acid batteries will weigh twice as much. So for the same amount of power, as a rough rule of thumb, figure twice the physical space and twice the weight for lead acid vs lithium. Then add that lead acids will last for fewer discharge/charge cycles. Lead acid AGM types cost half or a little less than Li Iron. Or you can scrounge for lead acids on the used market or even junkyards - but only if you can deal with the unreliability/unknown factor and don’t mind the effort that requires. Works for some people but not my cup of tea.
Lithiums have their own disadvantages - upfront cost, charging controllers, temperature limitations, etc.
So there is no simple “which is better” answer. Again, more info needed.
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it’s going to be for my Alpicool fridge. 110-220 v/12v/24v 45watts.
I will mainly be staying in the Southwest. I am mainly looking for something safe and works.
My dad did their adobe house with solar. He says he used batteries meant for a golf cart. ? So I am getting some conflicting info. I just need something to power my little fridge on 3 day trips. I have a gas generator, but some places don’t allow them after 10 pm. Understandable. I would rather use the gas generator for my a/c and heater when needed.
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So if it’s just for a 45 watt fridge, typically that fridge will only run about half the time. While you’re driving, or running the engine, it will draw power from your vehicle’s alternator. But I would size the battery to run it for a full 24 hour period, so if camped for a full day and night you have power for it. 45 watts/12 volts = 3.75 amps at 12vdc. Call it 4 amps for 12 hours (actual compressor time), or rounding up again, 50 amp hours. If that’s the only load, or just adding a couple of LED lights once in a while and a single phone charge, you should be fine with a single 100ah lead acid or AGM or gel deep cycle battery charging off solar and the vehicle’s alternator. You could also go with two 6 volt golf cart batteries connected in series ( 6 Volt vs 12 Volt RV Batteries: Which Is Better? - Getaway Couple ) You should ideally get a split charger for the deep cycle (either agm or gel) battery(s) to isolate the vehicle starting battery from the “house” (refrig) battery.
Hopefully, some other folks here will chime in with options as well.
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Hi, I built my van’s solar with 2 lead acid deep cycle 6v golf cart batteries. My panel is a 250 watt, and the batteries are set in series, for 230 amp hours of storage. I have powered my thermoelectric cooler, 2 USB fans and 2 DC phone chargers with great success. I also put a Keyline Smart Battery isolator on, to supplement charging from the van’s alternator while driving. Also added a 750W power inverter. Everything is working fine, and didn’t burn my van down! I got my batteries at Batteries Plus, $275 for the pair. Got my panel at San Tan Solar, in Gilbert, AZ for $50. They have all sizes of panels for industrial, residential and RV/Van projects.
Have fun building out your van! Mine was my Covid-19 project.
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Better late than never on a reply. We are in a similar situation- the only real power draw is our Iceco JP50 fridge, which draws only 32 watts on eco mode, and runs well less than 50% of the time- more like 20-25%. BTW, we love this 50 liter top loading fridge- 1/2 the cost of comarable Dometic, quiet, well insulated. Other than that, charging a phone or laptop are the only power needs. Our lights are currently cheap battery powered LED, from Grocery Outlet, $20 total, powered by rechargeable NiMH AAA’s. Sink water pump is a $12 USB rechargeable one off Amazon, meant for 5 gal water jugs. Good 'nuff. Rather than go the solar panel/battery route, we got a Bluetti EB150, 1500 watt hour LiFePo unit, 1/2 the cost per stored watt of Dometic or Jackery, and it will run the fridge for 5 days. The Bluetti has the battery, charger, charge controller, inverter and AC and 12V DC and USB outputs all integrated into one unit, so it is simple, and can be removed from the van in 2 minutes, to run whatever you want wherever you want. Bluetti has d/c’d these, and there is a 2000 wH unit instead, I assume same performance. The 1500 is perfect for us, we tried the EB70, 1/2 the capacity, was not happy. The only issue with the EB150 is that it requires 16V min to recharge, so cannot go off a cigarette lighter. We solved that by putting a $50 inverter under the drivers seat, wired direct to battery - when driving, we can plug the regular wall charger for the Bluetti in, and top it off. Or charge pre-trip at home from wall. Works for us.
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Ah - the EB150 is still showing on Amazon $899, the only place the manufacturer sells them. However, not on the Bluetti site. But apparently still available. EB240, 2400 wH is $1300 on Amazon. Neither the EB150 or the EB240 are on the Bluetti site, no idea what’s up with that.
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