Roscoeapproved
Forum Replies Created
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Wow, Steve I’m impressed. Unfortunately I do not have your talents. But, it is food for thought.
Thanks,
Roy
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
ThreeGreens: You didn’t call 911?
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
The way it’s going,,,, trade this barn find for that.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
In an effort to stay healthy and corona virus free, I just told Jon and Tom to go home.
They have been in my driveway long enough …
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
I am shocked about your coach weight. I have never heard of a 40 footer with an 8V92 weighing more than 42,000 and until 45 foot coaches came out most were closer to 40,000.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Living life as we always do. It is amazing to me how much panic is associated with this.
I’m guessing the way everyone is acting that this has a death rate greater than heart attacks, cancer, drug overdoses, deaths from smoking, car accidents, distracted drivers, and Chicago shootings.
And for the life of me I cannot figure out what toilet paper has to do with this.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
So interesting I have Royale 232 and don’t have that switch on mine. We have the instahot with the switch in the cabinet under the sink which probable explains why mine does not work. Our units were born very close together.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Hello,
Have you tried the Busforsale.com site? This site is mainly entertainer coaches which are built differently then RV coaches. You would want a Star Coach with bunks.
I think there are not many converters of RV Prevosts that add bunks into the mix. Most coaches are designed for two people.
Thanks
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Jon – let me get this out – nothing wrong with getting the relion 200ah unit. I have nothing against their batteries. They do have some lazy sales people who give out inaccurate information.
What I do have – is that people should be fully informed about these batteries. I’ve known quite a few people who took short cuts and ended up with bricks. So people should understand what they are getting in to and not rely and read what they want to read or listen to sales people just trying to sell something.
In terms of lithium iron phosphate batteries vs lead acid batteries – it’s best to completely throw out what one knows about batteries. Lifepo4 batteries are not just another type that has different charging voltages. It’s a completely different paradigm shift. For Instance –
AGM batteries need and want 3 stage charging (or even 4). LIfepo4 – want one stage. They don’t want absorbtion and float is actually detrimental to them.
AGM batteries like to be topped up and full or they develop a memory and lose capacity. Lifepo4 prefer to be at 50 percent charged. So if you are storing or not using the batteries – they prefer to be stored at 50 percent. Holding them at a high SoC is actually detrimental to them.
Alternator charging – you need to control and stop it once you hit your charge point.
Cold temp -if it’s below 32 – no charging. Even onetime will cause damage.
Low voltage – yes the bms will save the battery from irreparable harm. But deep discharges down to cut off will shorten life cycles significantly. AGM is 50 percent before cycles shorten significantly. Lifepo4 is somewhere around 90 percent.
But all the benefits are there. It’s lighter, smaller, has a wider usage band, charges faster and everything else. But all those things above and relevant. Whether those are cells or batteries. What people are getting is people trying to package the batteries to market them easier. And I get it. Nothing wrong with that. But some serious compromises are being made. And the basic premises of the issues listed above are still present – no matter how you encapsulate them.
So I’m just pointing out the issues that I’ve seen. And the same lifepo4 companies that are here and now are not going to be the same ones in a few years. And the sales rep who sold you those batteries are not going to back up the warranty he sold you the batteries with. So get the best quality you have and hope for the best. But claiming warranties and that you don’t have to worry about it – isn’t the best advice in my opinion. Especially since the place is littered with people who have had issues as well as some who haven’t. some of it is systems that handled things properly, some with people who thought they did, and some who didn’t think things would happen to them.
You started looking at this years ago and it took you this many years to comfortably get there. I have seen your posts asking about lithium years ago. And the companies that were around then are not the same even just 5 years later.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Some house batteries are a nightmare to change, those with Liberty’s that have never seen the backside of their entertainment center will find that article informing.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
I’m still a candidate, I’ve been preoccupied.
I need a new inverter, it will be capable of charging the LifePo batts. Not sure I trust the 458.
Unlike Jon I won’t do a full bank replacement. I need to get a better handle on my DC loads before I decide to reduce the bank to 2 or even 1 batt. I have been slowly converting all the DC loads to lower amp demands. Long gone are the 12 VDC fluorescent lights, replaced with leds, etc. But i have a lot of passibe DC loads I need to understand.
But hey, I think I finally found a good location for pressure pro pulse fx receiver! The run to Oysterfest will determine if I finally found the sweet spot for the receiver and dipole.
The 3/8 tempered glass for the door arrived today. Get to play with the silkaflex in the morning.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
And you dont think this also happens with Lithium batteries ? There are plenty of cases of lithium batteries that have been deeply discharged and “not recover from just a few severe discharge cycles and the batteries are recycle material at that point”. . But its irrespective of battery manufacturers or technology – you seem to take the word more of a 5 year old company than Lifeline at this point. Lifeline publishes a cycle chart as well. I’ve included it here as well which I’m sure you’ve seen. Guess what – its rated for deep discharges as well. Not just a “few cycles” but several hundred at 100% DOD(about 300+).. . . So a battery manufacturer you have stood behind ardently for years – is now nothing because you’ve seen this happen and it doesnt follow that chart ? And you dont think this follows for a brand new lithium company trying to make a name in the marketplace ?
LiFepo4 batteries generally are rated at 2000 to 4000 cycles for 20-80 type of use. If you go to extremes, obviously that lifecycle is shorter. The BMS doesnt save it from shortened lifecycles. It saves the batttery from bricking it. As in if you go below a certain point – there is no return.
But I digress. I’m reasonably certain Lifeline/Corncorde has tested their spec all the way through the graph. They arent extrapolating data. I dont believe Relion have tested their batteries to what they have published on their graphs. And while I dont have proof either, I know they dont make their own cells (as they are all made in China by a few manufacturers). And most everyone claims 2k to 4K cycles under ideal conditions.
and if you want to change your definition of “damage” or harm – sure. The reality is that we all talk about damaging the battery from exceeding the 50% DOD point for AGM – and that “damage” is reduced battery lifecycles. The same thing for LiFePO4, but I guess you arent calling that harm. Well, if thats the case – we’ll say that you wont harm a AGM battery if you discharge past 50% either. . . it is just reduced lifecycle count, but no harm is done.
But lets do the math – using their chart, they can test at most 6 cycles of 100% DOD and back for each day. So 24/7 for a year is 2190 cycles. The company isnt but 5 years old, and these batteries were available at least 3+ years ago. So how do you test to 13,000 lifecycles when in 3-4 years time when its impossible to accomplish that given that time travel isnt possible yet. . So the data is pure extrapolation without concrete evidence.
No idea where you got your graph on. So now you’re using some graph pulled from some other places and applying it to Relions performance curve ? Most LiFePO4 manufacturers recognize that 100% DOD results is approximate 1k cycles or possibly even less. You’re claiming 2500 cycles on this chart – but relions own chart doesnt support that.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
We spend a lot of time in AZ during the winter. Just like Jon describes, when the sun first hits the panels after a cold night you will hear the a pop or two. Completely normal.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Thanks for the info and the offer. I’ll see how things shake out this weekend. I’m eyeballing a Marathon of the same vintage in SoCal but we spend a lot of time traveling AZ, Vegas, etc. in the heat of summer. Roof airs and/or OTR is my preference. I keep reading about Cruiseairs locking up in dry heat and the Marathon only has the Cruiseair.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
When I first got my coach, I had some charging issues that made me hesitant to buy anything but the cheapest lead acid batteries. I installed four 6v golf cart batteries, two in series for each of my two 12v house circuits. I replaced the old converters with new Iota smart charge converters, and have new Victron battery equalizers and a battery isolator ready for installation.
I have at least a few good years of service out of the existing batteries, but have been looking at LiFePO4 batteries as a replacement. I could go with a couple of 8D sizes for maybe $5000 to $7000, but that’s all I have room for in the current location. It’s also in the engine compartment, which isn’t ideal.
What are your thoughts on installing these inside the coach? That would eliminate any cold temperature charging issues. I have a wardrobe in the bedroom that is directly above the existing battery bank. It’s awkward to access, given the narrow gap between the bed and the side of the coach, so it would be easy to sacrifice. No chance of a fire blocking my exit from the bedroom, but I’m not really sure of the risks involved. In any event, I love the weight and space savings with the new technology, and it is tempting to plan the upgrade!
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL