Battery & Converter compatability

[cujman]

rockwood TT 8329SS 2014. Unit came with a group 24 Marine Battery and I want to change to a group 24 deep cycle. Are there any restrictions to the due to the converter

Thanks

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by cujman

rockwood TT 8329SS 2014. Unit came with a group 24 Marine Battery and I want to change to a group 24 deep cycle. Are there any restrictions to the due to the converter



Thanks

A group 24 12 volt marine battery is somewhat of a deep cycle battery.
A true group 24 12 volt deep cycle battery is not as common and much more expensive. Trojan Battery is one of the few companies that make one.
Shouldn't have any converter problems. You might consider a pair of GC2 6v golf cart batteries wired in series.

[Aussieguy]

What bikedan said + 2


Marine dual purpose starting and deep cycle ... just a bit better than a starting battery ... On a trailer there is no starting a BIG engine so why even consider it

Marine deep cycle for trolling motors etc ... is better for rv


Golf cart and electric hoist batteries are purposely designed to do the heavy grunt work that a electric vehicle requires

[BD Nomad]

It all depends on the kind of camping you are going to do. For example, I am a boondocker. As such, I need reliable deep cycle batteries. My particular case, I use two interstate 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in series that I charge with a 200 watt Renogy solar suitcase or generator. You could also go with lithium batteries. Although lighter, they are much more expensive.

On the other hand, if you stay mostly in RV parks then it's not a big deal because you're on shore power.

[jimmarako]

For the OP's question I think you can replace any lead acid battery with any lead acid battery and the battery & convertor won't care, all the same. One caveat, I think AGM batteries can use a different profile/voltage to charge. Not sure how crucial that is as I've read many people putting AGM's in their trailers.

Jim M.

[cujman]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

For the OP's question I think you can replace any lead acid battery with any lead acid battery and the battery & convertor won't care, all the same. One caveat, I think AGM batteries can use a different profile/voltage to charge. Not sure how crucial that is as I've read many people putting AGM's in their trailers.

Jim M.

Thanks appreciate your insight will check with a battery supplie as I have not had a response from FR

[cujman]

Battery and Converter compatability
FYI
heard from Forest River. Can replace battery with flooded, AGM or Lithium. Not Gel "our converters don't play nice with Gel Batteries" direct quote from FR

[2tracks]

Originally Posted by cujman

Battery and Converter compatability
FYI
heard from Forest River. Can replace battery with flooded, AGM or Lithium. Not Gel "our converters don't play nice with Gel Batteries" direct quote from FR

I want to upgrade/replace my two 60AH Interstates with AGM's in my 2018 Wildwood TT. It's good to hear from FR that the WFCO can charge them but I still wonder if it's a best recommended practice? Just because you can doesn't always mean you should.

[NavyLCDR]

WFCO states that their converters are fully compatible with AGM batteries. Second question in FAQ:
https://wfcoelectronics.com/faq/

[tomkatb]

Not a fan of AGM batteries.

Best bang for the buck is two GC2 batteries. $200 if they fit.

The maintenance free batteries advantage is you no not have to fill them up, no leaking, work upside down and can be installed indoors. Otherwise they have a shorter life, cost more. and are more sensitive to abuse.

[2tracks]

I have a 2018 WFCO 8955 Power Center and contacted WFCO about AGM and their reply was my model will charge AGM but NOT lithium. The charger would have to be changed out to a model: WF-8955-AD-MBA
"Hi,
Your WF-8955 will only charge your lithium battery to about 85%.
You would want to swap out the converter from the base of your WF-8955 with a lithium compatible model.
Part number is WF-8955-AD-MBA.

Shaun"

[PhilFromMaine]

Originally Posted by 2tracks

I have a 2018 WFCO 8955 Power Center and contacted WFCO about AGM and their reply was my model will charge AGM but NOT lithium. The charger would have to be changed out to a model: WF-8955-AD-MBA
"Hi,
Your WF-8955 will only charge your lithium battery to about 85%.
You would want to swap out the converter from the base of your WF-8955 with a lithium compatible model.
Part number is WF-8955-AD-MBA.

Shaun"

85 percent is the ideal amount to charge a lifepo4 battery if you want to add additional years to its life.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by PhilFromMaine

85 percent is the ideal amount to charge a lifepo4 battery if you want to add additional years to its life.

And where did you receive this misinformation from? From the BattleBorn website:
"3. Our BMS also keeps all the cells in balance. At the top of each charge cycle, the BMS reduces the charging rate in cells that have been topped off first, letting the rest of the cells catch up. This ensures that the cells are always in balance and maintains the quality and efficiency of the pack. "

If you only charge to 85 percent, the internal BMS will not have the opportunity to balance the cells and the efficiency of the battery will be REDUCED.

[jimmarako]

I've read in several places that the optimal life of a Lithium battery is to use it from 20%-80% charge. Not always practical, and maybe for something like a trailer battery occasionally going to 100% to let BMS do it thing could help.

Globs of battery info here:
https://batteryuniversity.com/articl...-an-ev-battery

Jim M.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

I've read in several places that the optimal life of a Lithium battery is to use it from 20%-80% charge. Not always practical, and maybe for something like a trailer battery occasionally going to 100% to let BMS do it thing could help.



Globs of battery info here:

https://batteryuniversity.com/articl...-an-ev-battery



Jim M.

Which "Lithium" battery type. There are at least 5 different types which are differentiated by the Cathode materials.

Each is different in their charge/discharge characteristics.

As for adding to the "Lithium" batteries life by only using 60% of their capacity? The batteries will most likely age out long before their life is shortened by using 90% of their capacity (100% charge-discharge to 10% SOC.) Especially in RV usage at Low C rate.

The average RV probably discharges a battery bank (~200ah) at a .025 or less C Rate and charges at .25 C rate. Both are a fraction of what a "Lithium" battery may be exposed to with 1 C rate discharges and .5C rate charging.

[NavyLCDR]

I can tell you what will get the most life out of your lithium batteries with 99% certainty:

Read the documentation that comes with the battery.

Read all the information on the manufacturer's website, not an RV forum.

If you have questions about how to treat your lithium battery, ask the manufacturer of the battery, not an RV forum.

Note: there is nothing on any battery manufacturer's website that I have found yet that says to stop charging at 80% to get more life from the battery. What a couple have said is that for long-term storage of the battery, it is best to store it at 50% SOC. All of the manufacturers also state that the sooner you charge the battery the better. In other words, just connect the RV to shore power with the converter on whenever you can - or keep the solar charge controller on.

[PhilFromMaine]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

And where did you receive this misinformation from? From the BattleBorn website:
"3. Our BMS also keeps all the cells in balance. At the top of each charge cycle, the BMS reduces the charging rate in cells that have been topped off first, letting the rest of the cells catch up. This ensures that the cells are always in balance and maintains the quality and efficiency of the pack. "

If you only charge to 85 percent, the internal BMS will not have the opportunity to balance the cells and the efficiency of the battery will be REDUCED.

I think you have to be very careful when you categorize someone's post as misinformation You can respectfully disagree with what is posted, but characterizing it as misinformation is probably against the rules of the forum, right?

It is well known among the lifepo4 battery community that keeping your lifepo4 battery charged (SOC) between 20-80 percent will extent the already long life of lifepo4, even further-maybe even up to 20 years when natural end of life may occur.

Most lifepo4 sellers warranty their batteries from 3-10 years. The warranties in part are predicated on the settings in the programmable BMS which control the output and stresses on the lifepo4. Different manufacturers set their voltages differently. Programmable SCCs and battery chargers also allow users to set their charging voltage values to in effect set the theoretical SOC values which are only approximations.

My post was made in response to the OP noting that his RV converter only will charge his battery to 85 percent of the battery's SOC. My point being that that IMO is not a deal killer by any means. If he buys a good SCC like a Victron he can program the charging parameters any way he chooses.

Regarding top balancing, all that is need to satisfy that need is to occasionally charge to 100 percent.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by PhilFromMaine

Regarding top balancing, all that is need to satisfy that need is to occasionally charge to 100 percent.

Which is certainly an important need. Unlike L/A cells, when a LiFePo4 cell reaches 100% SOC it stops all current flow thorough the battery to allow the other cells to catch up. This occurs as the battery is deep cycled without regular top balancing of the cells.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by PhilFromMaine

I think you have to be very careful when you categorize someone's post as misinformation You can respectfully disagree with what is posted, but characterizing it as misinformation is probably against the rules of the forum, right?

It is well known among the lifepo4 battery community that keeping your lifepo4 battery charged (SOC) between 20-80 percent will extent the already long life of lifepo4, even further-maybe even up to 20 years when natural end of life may occur.

Most lifepo4 sellers warranty their batteries from 3-10 years. The warranties in part are predicated on the settings in the programmable BMS which control the output and stresses on the lifepo4. Different manufacturers set their voltages differently. Programmable SCCs and battery chargers also allow users to set their charging voltage values to in effect set the theoretical SOC values which are only approximations.

My post was made in response to the OP noting that his RV converter only will charge his battery to 85 percent of the battery's SOC. My point being that that IMO is not a deal killer by any means. If he buys a good SCC like a Victron he can program the charging parameters any way he chooses.

Regarding top balancing, all that is need to satisfy that need is to occasionally charge to 100 percent.

Then why don't the manufacturers of the batteries have the same information on their websites? Is it so they can sell replacement batteries more often?

[PhilFromMaine]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

Then why don't the manufacturers of the batteries have the same information on their websites? Is it so they can sell replacement batteries more often?

It isn't that sinister. They are selling their batteries to people who want (hypothetically) a 100 AH battery and to be able to use 100 AH of that capacity.

Most people are not willing to give up 15% SOC at the top and 10 percent at the lower end SOC for the sake of gaining years of life from their battery. They go with their warranty for a particular time period and are happy with their 5-10 years of usage.