Tag Archives: RV Lithium Batteries

Considering Lithium RV Batteries? | Part 2

04 Wednesday May 2022

Posted by in Tech Tips

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In part one we discussed the difference between lead-acid, AGM, and Lithium batteries. Since then I have talked with our technical department and asked “how do you know if the lithium battery you are considering is good quality? They indicated that “lithium” is the new hot button in the RV industry and they are flying off the shelves. Many “opportunistic” companies are doing a “lick & stick” (his words exactly) by purchasing cheap overseas lithium and putting their sticker name on it. Many of these have prismatic and palmer cells that can not withstand the vibration and bouncing the typical RV encounters as well as temperature changes. This creates connectivity issues and produces thermal events.

Quality lithium batteries use cylindrical cells for the internal pack and protect them with molded ribs instead of foam filler. Also, the connection between these cells is best with mechanical connection rather than solder which is cheaper but is not as stable.

So how do you know? First, look for the UL listing and the file number. Then ask for an exploded view and description of the interior of the battery! If they can’t provide it, chances are the components are sub-par!

Then I asked; “What else should we look for in Lithium Batteries for an RV?” The answer was a good Battery Management System or BMS built into the battery. A BMS monitors the cells within the battery and keeps them from operating in an unsafe condition due to overcharging or undercharging. It can detect any shorts in the connections and balance the charge in each individual cell. If it does find an issue, it will shut the battery down before any damage can occur. This is especially important if your charger has a bulk charge stage or if you’re trying to get that last bit of sunlight in your solar panel charging system.

Temperature Is Important

The BMS will also monitor the temperature to make sure the battery either shuts down during extreme high and low temperatures or controls fans or heaters that could be part of the system. Extreme high temperatures can cause thermal runaway and charging a Lithium Battery at below-freezing temperatures will ruin the battery. The BMS will shut down the battery if it is not equipped with a cooling fan or heater. A quality Lithium Battery will either have an internal heater or heat pad/blanket that the BMS will activate when needed.

Now that we know what to look for in a quality Lithium Battery, there is more information you need to consider before jumping into the Lithium world! In Part 1 we talked about the WFCO converter that was used in the RV and how it only provided a 13.6-volt charge however you need to research what converter/charger or inverter/charger you have and how it operates. Most Lithium Batteries want 14.6-volts for charging and can be charged much faster than the typical lead-acid batteries. If your converter only provides 13.6-volts it will take longer to charge and will not charge 100% so you lose about 35% of what you paid for. Even worse, if you have a multi-stage charger it will start the bulk charge at 16-volts to break up sulfation in the lead-acid battery and then go to a float and equalizing charge. 16-volts will ruin a Lithium Battery unless it has a BMS in which case it will shut down and won’t charge!

One option is to install an upgrade to your converter such as the Progressive Dynamics 4655CSV model. This runs approximately $250 but is well worth it to get 100% out of your Lithium Battery.

If your converter, inverter, or solar charger is not putting out 14.6-volts I would recommend you consider upgrading the charger, lead-acid, or AGM. I did speak to a representative at Magnatek which is owned by Parallel Power Supply and they are using a stand-alone converter that puts out 13.8-volts and recommending it for use with Lithium. If you have a larger diesel pusher model and/or a residential refrigerator chances are you have a larger inverter that is also a battery charger and need to verify what voltage it is providing. Most newer models have a setting for Lithium.

DC To DC Charger

If your rig has the capability to provide a charge from the engine battery whether it’s a tow vehicle pulling a trailer with the 7-pin connection or a motorhome through the Battery Isolation Management solenoid (BIM) your alternator could potentially provide over 225 amps such as the case with a Mercedes model. This would require a DC to DC Charger that will regulate the amps. Battery Born recommends the Victron and Mike Sokol of The No Shock Zone recommends the Redarc model.

The Advantage Of Lithium Batteries

The biggest advantage of Lithium Batteries in my opinion is they do not sulfate and do not require much maintenance. Yes, the cost can be 5 times as much, however, the average lead-acid battery lasts about 2-3 years unless it is maintained religiously then it could last up to 4-5 years. The average Lithium Battery will last 8-10 years, so if you plan to keep your rig for more than 5 years, it will most likely cost about the same, however, you get all the other advantages.

A Lithium Battery can be drawn down to almost 100% vs a lead-acid battery at only about 50% and it will charge up about 5 times as fast so you get longer battery usage when dry camping and faster recharging so you don’t have to run the generator all day or worry about only getting a few hours of sun with a solar charging system.

Lithium Batteries are about ½ the weight of lead-acid batteries and you get the same amp hours out of one 100-amp hour Lithium vs two lead-acid batteries. So the Lithium Battery is lighter and takes up ½ the room in a compartment or on the tongue of your trailer.

Once you review all the information and what type of charging system you have, you can now decide if Lithium is the right choice for you and worth the money.

About the author: Dave Solberg: Managing Editor, RV Repair Club

For the last 25 years, Dave has conducted RV maintenance and safety seminars, developed dealer and owner training programs, written RV safety and handyman articles authored an RV handbook reference guide, and logged over 100,000 miles on the road in an RV.

RV Repair Club

RV Repair Club is your go-to online resource for enthusiasts who want quality RV maintenance, repair, and upgrade information – a community where passionate RVers can come together to gather knowledge and share their experiences.

Learn more about RV Repair Club.

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Considering Lithium RV Batteries?

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by in RV Safety, Tech Tips, Tips & Tricks

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Over the past few years, I’ve written several articles about deep cycle batteries such as “RV Battery Types and The Power They Provide” in May of 2018, “Choosing The Right Battery For Your RV” in October 2020, and others along the way.

For the past 6 months, RV shows have started back up and I have been conducting seminars again and it seems that Lithium batteries are the rage! I would guess mostly due to the fact that the lead-acid batteries used in most of the new rigs for the past 20 years have been failing miserably in just a couple years. I ask attendees at the seminars about who has changed batteries every 3 years and once in a great while I’ll find an owner that has had the same batteries for over 3 years! Mostly because he has a multi-stage charger in his rig and they have not sulfated.

Is Lithium Worth The Money?

This is the most important question to ask yourself when it comes to upgrading to Lithium batteries and it really depends on how much dry camping you are planning to do and how long. A good friend of mine just bought a motorhome that has two Interstate batteries that will not hold a charge and had not been maintained very well if at all.

As you can see, the batteries are bloated, there is corrosion at the terminals, and a rat’s nest of wiring. These batteries are also 6-volt batteries as they only have 3 cells and so they are connected in series which means the positive cable of one battery is connected to the negative battery of the second battery which gives a 12-volt “bank”. This is not original equipment, rather someone that obviously did not maintain his batteries very well and when the original set went bad, they ran to an interstate distributor who set them up with these. I did a little research and this rig has a WFCO converter which is the charger and it provides a 13.6-volt charge when the battery is drained to 50% capacity and drops to a 13.2-volt maintenance charge when the batteries get to 12.6-volts. This will do nothing to break up the sulfur that will coat the plates during normal operation so it will get thicker and thicker with every cycle and eventually look like this. I also find it ironic that the fill caps have the quick-flick bar as I call it so you can just pinch the two bars together and take all three caps off at once. The problem is…the batteries have little or no water/acid so it was a waste of product!

The first question I asked was; “How often do you plan to boondock or dry camp?” Then I had to explain what that meant as he is really new! “How often are you going to camp where you will not have shoreline power to plug into so you can recharge your batteries?” “Never” was his answer, so buying a $1000 Lithium battery would be a waste of money! In his situation, a good set of Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries would be the best as they require little maintenance and are not as affected by sulfation. He could get by with just one 12-volt deep cycle that would give him 100 amp hours but then since the Flooded Lead Acid batteries can only be drawn down about 50% he might want to go with two 12-volt FLA batteries just in case he wants to tailgate at a football game. The two 6-volt batteries that are currently in there only increase the voltage when connected in series, not the amp hours so he would need to go with four 6-volts instead. There are several advantages of 6-volt batteries that were covered in the previous articles, mostly longevity in cycles and years of use.

The History Of Lithium Batteries

Lithium batteries have been available for over 40 years and there is still some concern from owners about their safety. You hear stories about them catching on fire and even have to take them out of suitcases in checked luggage when flying. The Lithium batteries that are available for the RV market are not the same type, rather Lithium Iron Phosphate or LiFEPO4, and are very safe. Initially, these batteries were too expensive for the RV market but new technology and completion have brought the price down to a more manageable level if you consider $1000 manageable? However, the value of this type of battery price compared to FLA or AGM is a Lithium battery can last 3-5,000 cycles at which time it has a 75% capacity and can outperform the others for 10 or more years.

You Get What You Pay For!

This is so true in so many products and especially Lithium Batteries. I talked with several different manufacturers such as Go Power, Renogy, and a new one called Expion 360. For the past 7-8 years I have been working with Zamp Solar out of Bend OR with my seminars at shows and videos on RV Repair Club. I believe they make some of the best quality solar panels on the market and are rugged enough to withstand the brutal wear and tear of RV use. John Yozamp is the original founder of Zamp Solar and was an avid camper frustrated with poor-quality solar panels. I won’t bore you with all the quality details, however, he sold Zamp and has started another company to supply a superior Lithium battery to the market…Expion 360. I talked with John and their technical department and there are so many cut-rate batteries flooding the market that will not stand up to RV use. Many are made for the solar explosion in the residential and industrial market and the batteries are housed in a climate-controlled room and never move. These are made of thinner plastic, cells are divided by paper board or foam, and connections are soldered, all of which will not last in an RV.

And there is so much more. In part 2 we will discuss the importance of a smart Battery Management System incorporated into the actual battery, cold weather charging issues, and if your converter will properly charge a Lithium battery or ruin it!

About the author: Dave Solberg: Managing Editor, RV Repair Club

For the last 25 years, Dave has conducted RV maintenance and safety seminars, developed dealer and owner training programs, written RV safety and handyman articles authored an RV handbook reference guide, and logged over 100,000 miles on the road in an RV.

RV Repair Club

RV Repair Club is your go-to online resource for enthusiasts who want quality RV maintenance, repair, and upgrade information – a community where passionate RVers can come together to gather knowledge and share their experiences.

Learn more about RV Repair Club.

RV Protect


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