No periodic water replenishment (so no need to go hunting for distilled water).Weighs just one-third that of a comparable lead-acid battery.Can last well over 10 years! Manufacturers may even offer 10-year warranties, which are underhead of for lead-acid batteries.
Good for 3,000-5,000 lifecycles (5-10x that of a lead-acid battery!).Can be fully and safely discharged to 0-20% of capacity!.Here, at a glance, are the many benefits of converting your RV to lithium batteries! No more dimming lights!Īctually, I’m such a fan that I created this list of lithium battery benefits.īig Benefits of a Lithium Battery for Your RV So you get a constant supply voltage throughout the entire cycle. Oh, and high-quality LiFePO4 batteries discharge at a constant voltage. So you basically get twice (2x) as much usable power as a true deep-cycle battery and three times (3x) as much usable power compared to a hybrid marine/RV battery! Lithium batteries can be discharged to 0-20% of their state of charge. Meanwhile, lithium batteries can be repeatedly, safely, FULLY discharged. That’s why your car starting battery often kicks the bucket a few months after you left your headlights on all night.įor even more information on lead-acid battery state of charge, read this deep dive article. Beyond that, sulfates form, plates crack, mats flake, electrolytes freeze, and catastrophe reigns.įull battery discharges drastically shorten battery lifespan and can even ruin a battery in one go. You can’t discharge a lead-acid battery all the way.Įven the best RV deep-cycle batteries really aren’t designed to be discharged more than 50-60%. In order to understand the appeal of lithium batteries for RVs, you need to understand the one BIG limitation of lead-acid batteries. But lithium batteries may soon render them all footnotes.
#Camper battery monitor letters series
Upgrading to heavy-duty, long-lasting 6V batteries wired in series for a system rating of 12V.Īll of these improvements are useful and well worth the money.Purchasing deep-cycle batteries with sturdy lead plates for deep discharges and more usable capacity.Moving from flooded/wet batteries to sealed/valve-regulated construction (e.g., AGM).Today, most RVs are still equipped with these 12-volt lead-acid batteries. More advanced construction types, such AGM and gel batteries, overtook the market 20 years later, in the 1970s, but the basic technology is steadfast. This technology remains fundamentally the same in today’s batteries. Electrons flow between the two due to a chemical reaction, and wallah! – you have electricity.įor more information, see our Ultimate Guide to Your RV Batteries. A separator plate keeps the plates from touching. It’s a simple affair: Two plates (anode and cathode) are submerged in an aqueous sulfuric acid solution (electrolyte). And since then, it really hasn’t changed much. Please read our Ultimate Guide to the RV inverter here.Īlmost all RV batteries from OEMs and dealers are some type of lead-acid battery, whether flooded, AGM, gel, etc.īefore we roll out the red carpet for lithium batteries, let’s bid farewell to the old guard: the lead-acid battery.īy the 1950s, the familiar flooded 12-volt lead-acid battery had established itself as the battery of choice for the automotive and RV markets. Some RVs have an inverter that inverts 12VDC battery power to 120VAC electricity to power your larger appliances.Please read our Ultimate Guide to the RV Converter here. Virtually all RVs have a converter that converts shore power into 12VDC power to charge your battery and run your small appliances while plugged in.Your RV has at least some ability to connect the two systems.
You get 12VDC power from onboard “house” batteries. You get 120VAC power by plugging into shore power at a developed campground or house. Larger appliances, such as your microwave and air conditioner, run on 120VAC. Small items, like lights and fans, run on 12VDC. Otherwise, skip ahead.)Īll RVs have two electrical systems: 12-volt direct current (12VDC) and 120-volt alternating current (12VAC). (If you’re new to RVing, please read this 2-minute primer on RV batteries and electricity.
0 kommentar(er)
