For anyone on the fence about Lithium - 100Ah Renogy LiFePO4 for $499

Resistance to electrical puns is futile.

From a silicon error long long ago:
I am Pentium of Borg.
Division is futile.
You will be approximated.

i worked at Intel at the time. The above almost got a co-worker fired. Management had no sense of humor.

Another co-worker was threatened with dismissal for asking on an online BBS if the new processor would be named the RePentium. Engineers thought it funny.

Paul

Hey, WATTS UP!? Quick update: battery arrived yesterday, well packaged. I’m going to install it in my ArkPak today and then we’ll see how it compares to the 105ah SLA marine unit I currently have. Hoping for a longer run time and better recharge off my alternator.

The two batteries I ordered were delivered Tursday by Fedex and were well packaged. Clearly marked Renogy. Installation next.

Got my battery today. It was NOT the Renogy I ordered, but a HQST lithium battery that sells for $500 on Amazon. Very disappointed. Have sent them an email.........

HQST?! This is starting to sound like a too good to be true kinda deal. Mine should be showing up up Monday/Tues. Can anyone else confirm that they either got a renogy or HQST in their order?

Just called them - went straight to a recording "we are assisting other customers, please email us or call later". We'll see if they answer their email..........

Full disclosure: there was an “issue” with my delivery, but not with “my” battery. The FedEx guy delivered two boxes, which I thought was kinda strange. I opened the smaller box and there was my Renogy 100ah battery. When I checked the larger and heavier box it did have the yellow FedEx routing tag with my name and address, so I proceeded to open it. Inside…a Renogy 170ah battery. Huh? Before proceeding any further, I rechecked the label. Again, yellow routing tag to me, but the original shipping tag addressed to someone in NJ. Now that’s obviously a FedEx problem, not Battery Hookup. Not a spokesman for BH, just sharing my experiences. Emailed and received an immediate, but incredulous, response. I’m waiting for instructions on how to proceed with this $1500 retail battery. ‍

Both of the batteries I ordered came in sealed Renogy boxes and upon opening were found to be Renogy Smart LiFePO4 100 Ah model
RBT100LFP12s batteries just as advertised.

I just checked the Renogy website to confirm the model number and these batteries are on sale right now for $699.99. List price is $899.99

Situation resolved I sent them an email Sunday after I got the HQST battery. No response yesterday (Monday). Called numerous times and the phone went straight to a recording with no option to leave a voice mail. I was starting to worry...... Sent them another email this am "Urgent Response Needed" - and finally got a reply. They apologized, said a pallet of the HQST batteries got mixed in with the rest, and they unfortunately shipped out 40 of the wrong batteries. They sent me a label to send the HQST back to them and are sending the correct Renogy battery.

Finally got around to setting up the new Renogy 100ah. Pulled the old 105ah SLA marine battery out…geez, either I’m getting older or that battery got heavier! Dropped the new battery into the ArkPak 730 and connected the leads. Activated the battery, super simple. Checked voltage with a multimeter, 13.5 volts with indicated 88% charge. Plugged in the Dometic 75 DZ set at 33* for the reefer and 0* for the freezer. I keep the ArkPak plugged into AC all the time on its “smart charge” but will “pull the plug” after a 100% charge just to see how quickly it discharges to 20% with an empty but running fridge. The ultimate test will be running the battery off the distributor. I have a simple Lance Camper connection in the bed, 8ga wire running from a solenoid separator back to a Lance connection, a pigtail running to the battery posts on the ArkPak. This doesn’t take advantage of the smart charging feature of the ArkPak but hey, it’s what I have for now.

The marine battery didn’t do so well on the last trip. It completely discharged overnight, so…‍♂.

Kokopelli: good to hear it’s starting to work out. I’m still waiting to hear what they want to do about the extra battery shipped to me.

Ordered two batteries June 4, rec'd to HQST batteries today, waiting to hear from Battery Hookup.

Bummer BND..... They did resolve mine quickly - I got my Renogy today, so hopefully you will get your replacements in a week or so. Mine came a week after I contacted them. They sent me a FedEx label to send the HQST battery back. I dropped it off at FedEx last Friday and it came back to me on Sunday with a note saying they needed Haz Mat paperwork. I thought the original paperwork on the original box would work, but I guess not. I sent a note to Battery Hookup yesterday saying I needed the correct paperwork to send it back. Haven't heard anything yet. Mighty Dodge Ram - we may have those extra batteries sitting around for a while. But at least we've got our batteries! Looking forward to getting the Renogy in the camper later this week.

Hey Rick: yup, I emailed them yesterday reminding them that I still have the 170ah battery sitting in my garage. FedEx was supposed to pick up at the house but I haven’t seen them yet. Good tip re: dropping off the battery. I was thinking about doing the same but I’ll just cool my heels for now.

Just got word from Battery Hookup that my Renogy Batteries are being shipped on Monday, got the tracking numbers, so far all looks good. Good response from Battery Hookup on the mix up with HQST batteries.

Received my Renogy batteries from Battery Hookup yesterday. A bit of a delay but happy with the result.

This one deserves a ‍ with a happy ending. In the garage I leave the ArkPak plugged into AC with the Dometic CFX75DZ running off the Renogy 100ah LifePo4. “Apparently”, I unplugged the extension cord to use the wall receptacle and neglected to re-plug it back in. IOW, the battery was not being recharged while powering the fridge. I discovered this 3 days later when I glanced at the ArkPak control panel and noticed that the indicated battery capacity was 5%. The fridge was still running without a hiccup, no low voltage shutoff. Had the previous SLA battery still been in the unit it would have shut down long ago. Although there was nothing mission critical inside the fridge…unlike the 18# turkey from the week before…it was reassuring to know that I was getting full power from the LifePo4 even so close to total depletion of the charge. Thanks to all for their comments re: lithium batteries that lead me to buy one.

On another note: I bought the ArkPak 730 in what has turned out to be more than a couple of years ago. At the time, it was one of the only units that fit my requirements: portable (albeit very heavy using an SLA battery), capable of holding up to 130ah battery, rechargeable using the truck’s DC system (through a ciggy plug) or my Lance connection in the bed, small inverter, solar ready, and ciggy output ports. But these features are pretty rudimentary compared to today’s units. The “smart charge” system, although programmable to different battery types, is limited to 7 amps. 300 watts of inverter is not much. Limited ports, etc.

I’ve toyed with the idea of building my own box using a WolfPak with hi-rise lid, for both the “savings” and the challenge. I really like the National Luna DC-25 Power Pack but the price tag scares me off a bit. I think I’ve found my workaround thanks to Andrew St. Pierre White (4xoverland) )and Heiner Klarmann (Perth Pro)…the National Luna Auxiliary Battery Box comes with multiple and varied input/output ports and is expandable. Attached to the back will be a DC-DC 25 charger (much quicker than the 7 amps on the ArkPak) and two Anderson connections for battery/solar charging. I’m just finishing up the $$ analysis and product availability and will report back.

For reference you can check out 4xoverland YouTube “Backpacker Build”, basic electrics.