Rickyrocket
Coventry,RI
Senior Member
Joined: 04/09/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
 Offline
|
I want to add lithium to my travel trailer. I have researched it and can't understand what is the best way to go. Do I upgrade just the charging part or entire distribution panel, what parts would I need.
|
CA Traveler
The Western States
Senior Member
Joined: 01/03/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Li charging is unique and for the best results use a good lithium compatible charger. Many may say WFCO isn't a good charger even for flooded.
Consistent with WFCO the wiring may be to small for the lenght and you might want to upgrade the wiring from the charger to the LI battery. Locate the charger closer to the battery if you can. Fuse any new wiring.
Then depending upon you "new" power needs other wiring updates could be considered. There are a lot of variables depending upon what you want to accomplish now and perhaps in the future.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins
750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Bob
|
CA Traveler
The Western States
Senior Member
Joined: 01/03/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Li charging is unique and for the best results use a good lithium compatible charger. Many may say WFCO isn't a good charger even for flooded.
Consistent with WFCO the wiring may be to small for the length and you might want to upgrade the wiring from the charger to the LI battery. Locate the charger closer to the battery if you can. Fuse any new wiring.
Then depending upon you "new" power needs other wiring updates could be considered. There are a lot of variables depending upon what you want to accomplish now and perhaps in the future.
|
time2roll
Southern California
Senior Member
Joined: 03/21/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
|
Lithium is not that different. Most "lithium" converters are actually not the best for lithium batteries.
The existing WFCO might work fine even if not perfect. Will not harm the lithium. Charging might be a little slower but will still far exceed lead-acid. Might short charge the lithium to maybe 90% - 95% which will not harm the lithium one bit. Might even last longer.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675w Solar pictures back up
|
Rickyrocket
Coventry,RI
Senior Member
Joined: 04/09/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Thanks,this lithium upgrade is a challenge for the brain.
|
|
|
Boomerweps
Hills of PA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/30/2018
View Profile
Offline
|
So far, my experience with LiFePO4 has been that the non lithium rated converter has kept the battery at full charge. My TT is always connected to power in storage so extra charging time hasn’t mattered. I did buy and initially use a standalone battery charger to make sure it got the full voltage needed to equalize the cells occasionally. As long as the stock converter voltage is higher than the battery, it will continue charging. A lithium capable converter puts out higher voltage and amperage to charge the battery faster. I’ve since installed 200 watts of CIGS solar panels with a solar controller (previously had free standing panels) that keeps the batteries topped off. I have no plans to replace my converter unit. I did research that. About $240 or so for the WFCO converter and install didn’t seem to hard for a semi-knowledgeable DIYer. On my power center, its the metal box attached below the fuse box.
2019 Wolf Pup 16 BHS Limited, axle flipped
2019 F150 4x4 SCrew SB STX 5.0 3.55 factory tow package, 7000#GVWR, 1990 CC Tow mirrors, ITBC, SumoSprings,
|
StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 07/16/2003
View Profile
|
Rickyrocket wrote:I want to add lithium to my travel trailer. I have researched it and can't understand what is the best way to go. Do I upgrade just the charging part or entire distribution panel, what parts would I need.
just upgrade the converter part of the power center. if you are doing it yourself you can buy a standalone converter and just screw it to the floor behind or under the power center then take the wires out of the lugs from the existing converter and put the wires from the new one in that place. This way if you sell the unit and want to keep your nice LFP batteries you can just put it back to normal and keep the converter/charger also for your next unit.
I only did a whole power center in my camper as it was a 1991 parallax with glass tube fuses and unfiltered dc power.
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
|
Rickyrocket
Coventry,RI
Senior Member
Joined: 04/09/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Wow thanks for the info I am struggling with the 84 Amp hr.lead acid battery and I plan to upgrade to a lithium in the spring, my travel trailer came with the 12v only fridge that drained the battery in about 4 hrs. We have a huge state park with no hookups here and w/o good battery life it is rough. I don't like having to run a generator for hours.
|
CA Traveler
The Western States
Senior Member
Joined: 01/03/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Likely a starting battery. 2x GC2 would provide 220Ah.
For minimum gen time with a Li battery you need a good charger that's designed for Li. Flooded battery chargers are 3 stage and many hours are required to fully charge plus best if only discharged to 50%. Li can be discharged to 20% or even lower. Then with a compatible charger they can take the full charge to 100%.
WFCO are well known to not charger to the absorb state (about 14.4V) so sure they will charger a Li overnight for example. There may be some models and/or installations that do better so understand what you have and what you want to accomplish.
|
CA Traveler
The Western States
Senior Member
Joined: 01/03/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Recommend you do a energy audit to determine your usage and then you will have a goal to what you want. But certainly you can install a Li and see what happens. Just keep in mind that there is no free prower with Li, what you use has to be replaced just like flooded.
|
|
|
