Dear Readers,
As promised, Tony Barthel from RVtravel.com and Stressless Camping was able to upload our lithium battery virtual seminar from the Quartzsite show last week while he was sitting in a Starbucks cafe that had WiFi access.
So, after a whole lotta cappuccinos, here we are in a 40-minute video discussion about what you should know before upgrading your RV to lithium batteries. I’ve learned a lot about lithium battery upgrades and charging over the last year, so now is a great opportunity for you to learn the basics.
I’ve linked this video to start where I actually begin my RVelectricity seminar and PowerPoint slides. But you can jump back to the beginning if you would like to see all the fun and frivolity of Tony and me testing his cellular connection in Quartzsite for the first 15 minutes. Hey, we test because we care! (Or if it doesn’t start at the 15-minute mark, just fast forward to get to it if you’d rather skip testing.)
Next week I’ll post our second Quartzsite virtual discussion on surge protector types. So stay tuned for that really interesting video discussion.
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To watch the 40-minute lithium battery video, just click on the picture below or HERE. If your browser doesn’t automatically begin the video at 14:45 and you want to skip the fun of Tony and me testing the video connection, you can simply jump ahead to 14:45 when I actually start my PowerPoint presentation. Â
And if you have any general or specific questions about lithium battery upgrades, please post them in the comments below or at my RVelectricity forum here.
Let’s play safe out there….
Send your questions to me at my new RVelectricity forum here.
Mike Sokol is an electrical and professional sound expert with 50+ years in the industry. His excellent book RV Electrical Safety is available at Amazon.com. For more info on Mike’s qualifications as an electrical expert, click here.
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Mike, Here is a link to an interview with the CEO of Battle Born batteries. It answers the low temp charging of Lithium question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywn-vBjKblI
What a great presentation! You have brought to mind some questions about the lithium/solar power system in my Class C RV. I have installed two 100 ah Battleborn batteries and four 100 watt solar panels. I am still using the original equipment Progressive Dynamics 60 amp converter charger. Because I mostly boondock, I rely primarily on solar for charging.
I am concerned about whether my alternator might be at risk with the factory charging system in place. I will add that I have been using this setup for three years without issue, driving across the country from Massachusetts to the southwest every winter. Am I driving on borrowed time?
Probably okay since you must have a battery isolator of some sort that’s reducing the voltage and amperage a bit. Do you have a way to check your battery voltage or State of Charge?
Yes, I have a Bogart Engineering Tri-Metric monitor. I’ll be moving from our current boon docking spot in two days. I’ll check to see how much current is being fed to the batteries when the engine is running.
Is there a maximum amount that I should be looking for to be safe? I should add that our batteries never go below 70% under normal use. We are never charging them from a deeply discharged state.