Dear Dave,
I bought this camper used; I’m the second owner. It came with these batteries. Original owner told me they were lithium. My question is, what is or are the extra pieces with the batteries? Went to one RV dealer and asked; he said he didn’t know. I didn’t get any paperwork on the batteries. Thanks. —Ed, 2016 Coleman Lantern
From Dave: I asked Ed for more photos, especially a brand label. I got these along with this response:
From Ed: BMS has Bluetooth but I can’t get it to work.
Dear Ed,
Thanks for the pictures. The large ribbed red component looks to be a BMS (battery management system), and the photo of the cable with round component is the Bluetooth remote.
Research on Eneramp brand battery
I had never heard of the brand Eneramp so I did some research. All I can find on the internet is a YouTube Video done in 2021 showing power of the cells by a Youtuber called HighTechLab. That happens to be a Current Connected LLC channel, which is the main company listed on the data label. I’m not saying these are not good batteries; however, the video was pretty much a staged tech show just showing a bunch of cool meters.
What was interesting is the Eneramp brand is no longer listed on Current Connected’s site and the link they show on the YouTube channel is gone. It seems that Current Connected is just a distributor of other brand components started by two guys out of Idaho. Now they feature Battle Born, Victron, and SOK (which I have also not heard of).
The DeligreenCS battery management system (BMS) is still available from DeligreenCS but not Current Connected.
The BMS is designed to monitor the cells and perform a variety of functions. It is designed to measure temperature, charging voltage, discharge, dropout voltage, current, state of charge, as well as dormancy. According to the website here, it looks like it has a minimum voltage requirement of 2.082 volts. The BMS does not provide a charge—that comes from your converter or inverter/charger from the RV. It only monitors and will typically shut down the battery and not allow a charge if the parameters get out of line.
Temperature can be a problem for lithium batteries
Temperature has been a big issue with lithium batteries, as you can damage the cells if they are charged below freezing. Some BMSs will shut the system down; others have a heating system that keeps the temperature above 32 degrees. Another function is to shut the system down if the batteries get below a certain low voltage. We installed a set of Expion 360 lithium batteries in a vehicle. The owner let it sit for two months and the batteries were completely dead and would not take a charge.
Low or no voltage batteries
Typically, a lithium battery will only discharge 1 percent per month, so it was strange they were completely drained in a couple of months. What we found was the residential refrigerator was not turned off and the battery disconnect switch was not activated.
The challenge with a dead battery is most current chargers need some type of voltage to register in the battery or they think it is shorted and will not charge. This is especially true of onboard converters and inverter chargers. So plugging the unit in or connecting a battery charger with this feature would not provide a charge.
In the case of the Thor with dead batteries, the owner had to connect jumper cables from his brother’s tow vehicle and let it charge long enough to have ample voltage for the converter to recognize it. What a pain! If he would have just disconnected the negative posts, it would stay charged for almost a year.
Check first with a multimeter
In your case, I would start by using a multimeter to verify voltage of the batteries. I see in the photo you have four main cells which look to be connected with a buss bar correctly. You should be able to verify 12.6 volts or more. My guess is they are very low.
The Bluetooth device is a Daly remote that DeligreenCS uses and still offers on their site. You may need to connect a dedicated 12-volt charging source such as a jumper from another battery. Again, most current chargers will not provide power in low-voltage situations.
If your batteries do have a charge, you will need to contact DeligreenCS for troubleshooting. Most lithium battery companies have either a 5-year or 10-year warranty. However, with Eneramp not being found anywhere, I doubt they are in business. Plus, the label shows 2016, so if they have a 5-year warranty it would be over. DeligreenCS has a 3-year warranty on the BMS and the Bluetooth remote so that is over, as well. Let’s hope it is just low voltage!
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Will a ‘trickle charge’ ruin lithium batteries?
Dear Dave,
I replaced my lead acid batteries with two Ampere Time 200-amp-hour lithium batteries. I replaced the converter with a Progressive Dynamics converter, and 14.6-volt output that goes down to 13.6 when charged. The manufacturer says not to trickle charge them. Any advice would be great. —Rodney, 2022 Twilight Signature 3100
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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That/those are homade batteries put together with 4 cells and a BMS. (I’ve built several) The brand of battery cell and BMS probably have nothing in common. As Dave said, probably need to get voltage up or reactivate the BMS to charge. The batteries should be fine once going again.
Looks like a good detective story! I did notice what appears to be the red cable end thats not connected in the last pic seemed to have gotten hot as the black shrink wrap is melted &
perhaps some arcing going on as well also the color of the copper seems to have gotten hot! ! Would suggest cleaning up all those connections & follow what Dave had said about charging.
Would be great if we had a follow up to the end of the story!
Snoopy
Thank you, Dave! Have a wonderfully blessed 2024! 🙂
Dave, Will Prowse of DIY Solar website was very impressed with SOK batteries when he tested them a few years ago. He does very extensive testing of solar related products. This many times involves disassembling the items, which he did in the case of SOK batteries. I purchased two almost three years ago and am happy with them. The 12v 206Ah batteries I purchased for about $1080 are on sale now for $649. They also have heated ones and some with Bluetooth capability.
What I have tried to learn is can lithium batteries of different ages be connected in parallel? I’ve heard that’s not advisable with lead acid batteries but not sure on lithium.
Not all Lithium batteries are the same. The CEO of Battle Born Batteries stated that B.B. batteries function properly and can be recharged below 24 degrees but at a reduced rate. The chemicals in the batteries move from the anode to the cathode and can separate in too cold of an environment. If my house batteries are below 24 degrees, I’m not there to care how fast they recharge. My solar panels keep them charged so it isn’t a problem.
FYI, Current Connected is quite legitimate, and SOK batteries are excellent, I installed a pair of the SOK 12V 206AH in my trailer a couple years ago, they have been great.
Those batteries in the questioner’s picture look like home made batteries built from individual cells. If Current Connected built them, it’s quite possible they are still under warranty. My SOK’s came with a 10 year warranty from them
Current Connected is a great outfit, I’ve asked them several technical questions and got rapid and clear answers from them. I have 4 206H SOK lithium batteries and they have been perfect for 2 years now. SOK offers a 7 year warranty but if you buy through CC you get 3 more years. SOK does offer online support too but it isn’t up to CC standards.
Saw a YouTube vid regarding discharged LI batteries, the repair guy said the batteries need to have a small amount of voltage in them for the charger to recognize them as active. So by putting them next to a charge battery and connecting them in parallel, together, the good one will charge the dead one enough, for the charger, and will start charging the dead one again. this also works with power tool LI batteries that seem to be dead and will not take a charge.
thanks for repeating what Dave said.. I got to read it twice