Join Tom and Cheri of EnjoyTheJourney.life for an exploration of what RVers who want to upgrade from lead acid to lithium batteries need to know before they begin. For extra accuracy lithium battery expert Harrison from Enduro Power joins the couple.
It turns out there was a lot the couple was surprised to learn about RV lithium batteries. They reasoned if they were surprised by some of this stuff, you would be too. Hence the video. So let’s dive in!
RV refrigerators
There has been a trend lately steering RV manufacturing away from gas/electric refrigerators in favor of 12-volt refrigerators or residential-style fridges. Both consume about the same amount of energy, about 6 to 7.5 amps per hour.
Be sure to watch the video for the visual aid comparison of AGM or lead acid batteries vs. lithium batteries in regard to RV refrigerator use. But the bottom line is, lithium is the hands down, no questions, winner when it comes to powering refrigerators.
Battery capacity
The lithium battery, if needed, can be drained down to zero. It’s not optimal and you should try not to let it get below 20%, but you can. On the other hand, you will damage your lead acid batteries by draining them below 50%. So you will get about twice the energy out of your lithium batteries before you need to charge them again than you will from lead acid batteries.
Parallel connections
This section of the video gives examples of unbalanced and balanced parallel connections.
The way you connect your batteries together can have a significant effect on their performances and life expectancies. The video explains and troubleshoots while giving you three different wiring options.
Lead acid to lithium battery upgrade best practices
The video ends with the best practices, including the proper inverter and a battery monitoring shunt that takes away all guesswork about your power consumption.
Do you have additional thoughts about upgrading from lead acid to lithium batteries on an RV? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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