38 replies to this topic

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Thanks for the link. Pulled the trigger and bought one. When I took a day between adding it to my cart and actually hitting the buy now button, they tossed me an extra 5% which helped defray shipping/tax. 👍 I’m going to drop this into my ArkPak 730 and see if it does a better job of powering the Dometic 75L fridge & freezer…a real power hog. 

[Kokopelli]

Rando,

 

I see you are from Colorado also and use a Lithium battery.  What do I need to do or be aware of in using the Lithium battery in the cold.  That was one of the things slowing me down from Lithium, but from what I can figure out, it seems not to be that big of an issue.

 

As I understand it, it will discharge and power things until -4F, but just won't charge until it is warmed up to 32F - correct?  Do I have to do anything special, or does it just work on it's own in the cold under those parameters and if it gets colder won't charge/discharge but no damage is done to the battery?  Or will it get ruined if it gets too cold?  As of now, I am not using the camper in the winter - I take if of the truck and used to leave the battery in the camper - putting a trickle charger on it once in a while.  But I do go on some shoulder season trips.

 

Should I take the battery out of the camper during the winter (camper sits outside) - temps can get below 0F or is it fine to just leave it there all winter with no draw on it.  And for shoulder seasons, I don't need to do anything?  If we're camping we'll have the heater on so it won't freeze inside at night, and the days usually warm up when it will be getting charged from the solar panel.  So I don't really see any problems there.

 

Just want to make sure I don't ruin my new battery

Thanks!!

[rando]

The low temperature charging thing is really not that big of an issue, but has been overblown on many of the blogs/forums.   First, the BMS has a low temperature charge cut off.   It won't let the battery charge if the cells are below 0C which means you cannot damage it, even if you tried.   You can just leave the battery in the camper and use it as you have used your previous battery. 

 

The down side to this protection is that you will not do any detectable damage to the battery charging well below 0C if you are charging at typical 'camper' rates (say 0.1C or 10A), so this could cause you to miss out on some charging opportunities.   However, in sunny Colorado  and if you heat the camper at night I think you will find that the battery easily stays above 0C while the camper is in use.  We use our camper year round in CO and the Southwest and I have never had a low temp issue with my lithium battery.

 

If for some reason you notice you are not getting enough charge, you can insulate the outside walls of the battery box with some foam, and add a vent (or open the hatch on some models) to allow enough heat from the camper into the battery box.    Or, if you really need to, you can add a 12V heating pad, but I would seriously doubt you need to.   You can leave the battery in the camper over winter with the loads disconnected.   

Edited by rando, 09 June 2021 - 03:58 PM.

[Kokopelli]

Awesome.  Thanks Rando!!

[Stokeme]

Wow, this way too tempting. As MDR mentioned above, there is a 5% code that can be applied. (I always look for coupon codes on the net) It is quan. It basically pays for shipping. I ordered a new kayak that needs a battery, (I have a 50Ah) 100Ah would give all day fishing.

My question is ... can you use the communication port for anything kind of Bluetooth attachment? Or, just in general, can you add any version of external Bluetooth in an economical, simplified manner? I’d like to construct a simple DIY power box with a solar controller.
Thank you Rando.

Edited by Stokeme, 09 June 2021 - 03:38 PM.

[rando]

There is a bluetooth module available for these:

https://www.renogy.c...uetooth-module/

 

There is also a little plug in screen that will give you what you need to know:

https://www.renogy.c...battery-series/

 

Basically this means you wouldn't need a BMV-712 with this battery, but you can only have either a screen or bluetooth, not both. 

Edited by rando, 09 June 2021 - 03:57 PM.

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

For anybody who ordered one of these batteries and hasn’t seen it arrive on their front porch yet:

 

I dropped an email inquiring about the shipment which had a tracking number but no record of it in transit. I received a very prompt response, with an included pic, of a bunch of batteries sitting on several pallets waiting to be picked up by FedEx. Apparently, FedEx is limiting the number of daily hazardous material shipments they’ll accept from any single business. You can imagine how frustrated the folks at Battery Hookup have become. As for me, I’ll wait patiently for my delivery. The excellent response from BH is both refreshing and encouraging. 

[Kokopelli]

Thanks Richard - I got an email from them a week ago saying the order was on the way, but same as you a link to a FedEx # with no record of in transit.  I was wondering if I needed to follow up and hoped nothing was wrong.  Nice to get an update so I don't have to worry. I too will wait patiently

 

-Rick

[rubberlegs]

The delay is... re-VOLT-ing! yuk yuk

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Yup, trying not to get too amped up about it.