Swapping to Lithium? WATCH THIS FIRST!

Thank you for the great information. My question that no one seems to address is which lithium batteries do I go to if I currently have two 6 V agm batteries which are apparently better than 12 V agm batteries? In other words, are two 6V lithium batteries, better than two 12V lithium batteries, or do you go from two 6V agm to two 12V lithium??

Youre the best sir.

Thank you so much! I am doing the conversion now. DO I keep or remove the (battery protector) box? Maybe it is not needed for LI ion phosphate batteries in that my dc-dc charger might already contain all safety electronics necessary.

Thx

Awesome video, thanks very much for the info

Great explanation. Thank you.

Leaning on you for help again - Manufacturer of converter in my trailer says it can support lithium upgrade with proper initial charging procedure so it can recognize new battery. They say the standard 30Ah fuse on the main battery line should be upgraded to a 60Ah fuse - what do you think about that ? Wire guage is #6 I believe and distance from converter to battery is about 14-15'.

On the DC-DC charger - do you need to increase the wire size coming from the alternator to get a higher charge rate to the DC-DC so it can charge a travel trailer battery faster or are we just trying to protect the alternator and not worrying that it is only providing 3-5 amps (according to local RV dealer) to the trailer ?

Many new LiFeP04 batteries come with a BMS and bluetooth systems that you can connect your phone directly to (in order to see current state of charge) - is it required then to still have a shunt? It would seem redundant in that case, or?

You mentioned a DC/DC charger was necessary on motorhomes/class A/B/C - But what about a truck camper or travel trailer that charges through the regular 7 pin connector while driving? Will a step up (Dc/Dc charger) be required in that situation too?

Excellent

Amazon has 12.5v lithium batteries. I’m wondering if I replace my 12v battery in my dump trailer with an extra/.5 volts is that compatible? Or will it cause damage?

For a Class A there is a chassis battery and a house bank battery. I clearly understand the video content on Li battery charge voltage, amps and discharge monitoring. Question. The chassis battery needs to lead acid for the cold crank blast to start the engine. So what happens to the lead acid battery when charged at 14.6 versus 13.6 volts?

Unbelievable. Been searching for weeks for a simple, straight forward explanation, and this dude killed it. Thanks man!

LIFEPO batteries seem to be the ultimate battery that gets you the safety of the lead acid battery and the charge capacity of the full Lithium battery, so for me it's LIFEPO batteries all the way. 🤔🧐😎👍

Lead acid ALSO catches fire from charging fumes. Problem many times they blow up RIGHT IN YOUR FACE-Almost as explosive as gaslines.

If buying a lithium battery with blue tooth could you delete the shunt from your setup since you can now read the battery directly ?

Great overview of transition from AGM to LiFePo... not just parts and pieces, but you tell us WHY the parts and pieces. Thanks

Brilliant explanation of Lead acid and Lithium and drop in batteries and I’m going to install a shunt because what you said about battery accuracy about how much power is really left in your battery is correct, as this has caught me out may times and left me with low batteries. Thanks for this informative information. Watching you from Australia.

Also I have an inverter not a converter? 😊

How do you know what the volts are in the lead acid battery? Is there a specific piece of equipment?

I charge mine to 13.8v then every 50 or so cycles take them to 14.4 to top balance - for maximum life it's wise not to charge them deep into the knee - that part of the charge where voltage rise or falls fast relative to the capacity - cycling your battery between 20% - 95% avoids stressing the cells

So I have a sailboat, with 3 AGMS in parallel....shore power comes in on a 30 amp connection to the charger - and then batteries to the whole 12v system. So would I only need to change out the charge controller?

Remote rural off grid here Australia never thought about changing my voltage regulator thank you indeed am just about 2 go over to lithium from lead acid.

With a very heavy load the voltage sag will be bigger.

What concerns should i have with my Chevy 2500HD which provides a trickle charge to my current lead acid as we drive down the road?

When shopping for Lithium batteries, I know the charger is different compare to my old acid battery charger. I never knew why I need a new charger. NOW... i DO! 👍 Thanx for all those info and what is actually happening behind the scene! I agree w/ the other viewers, Very comprehensive and nicely explained! Thanx again

And as your leading article says watch this first before you switched to lithium.
It’s worked well for me, and so far I’ve gotten away with it. Always something new to learn thank you ,,but I do wish I had seen this article. 1st,,,it would’ve been helpful.

Do you do the conversion? I’m interested but not able to do it myself. Where are you located?

I am a truck driver and am considering switching to lithium. But I am in the north east corridor and stuck in weather in the 20s and can be single digits at night. Should I stick with my AGM in your opinion. I know some Lithium are heated but still have issues in the cold from what I have read.

Nice job on this video, thank you!

Thanks Nick, for making this great video available. I for one had changed to lithium Lifep04 in the Forklift, and thought volt meter, but need a shunt instead. 😁

My new charge controller says it’s only good for lead acid batteries. The voltage regulation is variable and adjustable on many different levels. Why would the charge controller limit itself to lead acid batteries?

LA charger will charge lithium slower, and peak to a lower voltage; but it will not only do no harm to the lithium, it will increase the lifespan of the lithium. No? Isn’t charging lithium to only 80% good for the battery? Doesn’t fewer top offs over it’s lifespan increase it”s lifespan?

Sorry to bother you again what do I really need a DC to DC charger for my tow vehicle to charge the lithium batteries properly and to not damage my alternator on my truck? Seems like there's a lot involved plus expense to switch over to lithium? Thanks again

can I build a custom battery box that would include both lithium batteries and an inverter.

What about using my lithium batteries to start my generator? I am connecting 2- 300 amp hour lithium batteries in parallel so I will have 600 working amp hours. Or do I need a dedicated battery for my generator? Thank you

Question: I've heard conflicting reports on whether to charge to 100%. Some say LiFePO4's last longer if cycled from 20% to 80% or so, only charging to 100% a couple times a year to equalize the cells. When I changed our camper from lead acid to LiFePO4, I disconnected the old charging system, and I charge the battery manually, as I only need to charge it about 5 times a year, and this gives me more control.
I'm using both kinds of battery monitors - one with an internal shunt and one external, one in the house and one in the camper. They both work great, letting me know how many watt/hours I've used so I know what I have left. Remember to add in self discharge, which is around 2-4% per month depending on temperature.

If you charge a lifepo4 to 14,6 on a regular basis, it will last less long than a lead acid. Lifeopo4 is top balanced at 3.65V/cell but charged to 3,45V..

JUICED -up and Cute AF❤

You did an excellent job a lot more than I expected thank you for sharing this information very well done very professional work

Thanks, you just saved me a boat load of work and addressed all my questions. Very well done explanation of the two systems. I have an older RV, and now I know what to do if I choose to upgrade or even purchase a new rig with the LI batteries. Thanks again.

Great video, I am swapping out my lead acid for lithium on my travel trailer. Do I need to have a dc-dc wired from my truck or will the 7 pin charge slowly while I drive without damage to my truck alternator?

Excellent information. Clearly broken down in layman terms. I can see with all those different extra components needed in order to run LiPo, it can get 4x as costly as LA. I’ll stick with my AGM’s for now and change out every 4-6 years.

Thanks for the info man

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how can I run my TT off an inverter without the converter trying to recharge the batteries that I'm drawing from

I Tried Lithium in an unheated garage and they keep going bad .I never have that problem with AGM