Stock battery changer and Lithium

[kenbrand]

I have a 2019 2509S and I would like to change out the lead acid battery with lithium (something like the battleborn).
does anyone know if the stock charger voltages and charging program be changed to accommodate the Lithium?

[NMWildcat]

Get access to your converter, get the model number and brand. Look up the manuals on the manufacturer website.
Otherwise it's just a guess.

[Chuck_S]

My only experience with Lithium batteries is on a much smaller scale but they require special chargers. A Google search will turn up more knowledge than is on a RV site.

Start here:
https://www.progressivedyn.com/frequ...hium-charging/

Current systems seem exorbitantly expensive for general use. From the above link:

How Much Will it Cost Me to Update to a Lithium Battery System?

That will depend on the size (Amp Hour Rating) of the Lithium Battery Pack and Amp rating of the charger you plan to install. A typical RV would have at least a 100 AH Lithium Battery which would be equivalent of a 250 AH Lead/Acid Battery, this coupled with a PD9160LAV (60-Amp) charger would provide a two-hour recharge time. Based on pricing available on our Distributors’ websites, this upgrade would cost a minimum of about $1,200.

-- Chuck

[NXR]

From the above link:

Can I Use My Present Progressive Dynamics PD9200, PD4000 or PD4500 Series Lead/Acid Units With the Charge Wizard to Charge My Lithium Battery?
Yes, if you are willing to live with an expensive battery that is only partially charged. The Normal Output voltage of the PD9200, PD4000 and PD4500 Series voltage provides only 13.6-volts and a full charge voltage for Lithium needs to be 14.4 – 14.6 Volts. The PD9200, PD4000 & PD4500 Series Charge Wizard will initially jump to 14.4-volts in the Boost Mode when first connected to 120 VAC power and will remain there until the battery voltage reaches 13.8-Volts, then automatically drops down to the Normal Mode of 13.6-Volts. The faster charge rate of Lithium means that in the Boost Mode it will reach this 13.8-Volt point after only a few minutes of recharging and then the charging current will drop to ZERO AMPS and will not add any additional charge to your Lithium Battery. This lower charge state will not damage your battery, but will eliminate most of the advantages you paid for.

Our Georgetown came with a Progressive Dynamics PD9270 Converter. The PD9160LAV Lithium version is about $220 from Amazon so the rest is in the actual battery system:

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-D.../dp/B07DP3X16F

The 70-amp version is about $20 more from BestConverters.

Still, if I were due for a house battery replacement and were contemplating AGM batteries or four golf cart batteries to replace the two lame 12 V standard house batteries the cost difference gets even smaller and I'd have a weight savings. Assuming they would fit in the same physical space.

Ray

[JLeising]

My lithium conversion I documented here (post #171):

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2286869

An interesting discussion of lithium converters starts about post #65 in this thread:

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2329932

What I understand now - a standard converter will charge the LiFeP Battleborn batteries, but will not hold 14.2 to 14.6 volts after charging for 20+ minutes to allow the batteries’ internal management circuit to properly equalize the cells. I believe, if you have solar or another means of doing the equalization, the stock converter will probably work fine. Further, if you leave your unit connected to shore power for long periods (weeks, as I understand) the stock converter may be better for the Battleborn batteries than some of the lithium converters - some never drop out of the >14.2 volt mode.

[jvalich]

Call Battleborn with your charger make and model and they can tell you if your charger will work. I just changed out 4 6V gc2 batteries with 2 battleborns. My charger is at Magnum MS2000. If you have a Magnum you will need the better controller for the Magnum so you can customize the settings to play nice with the battleborns.