Anyone installed Lithium battery without solar panels as primary

[orbeamike]

For me the ideal setup would be using shore power to fully charge a new Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFe)house battery before starting a trip, during the trip the LiFe house battery would primarily be charged through the alternator. A portable solar panel is only used when the house battery gets critically low.

Has anyone done this?

I am looking at Redarc BCDC in vehicle charger :
https://redarcelectronics.com/products/dual-input-25a-in-vehicle-dc-battery-charger

Do I also need to upgrade the battery isolator and the old Magnetek converter?

[Zeitgeist 13]

One of the guys in our local VW van club has a couple really expensive lithium batteries in his Vanagon that he says can last up to a week without any external charging source. I would suggest that you use solar any time you are discharging your house battery. I don't think a small solar panel is a great way to replenish a deeply discharged battery.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Abscate]

Start with a realistic budget of your electrical needs. If your are a long weekend camper, it’s very likely you can easily meet your needs without external chargers or solar
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.ssS!

[orbeamike]

[bigfoot_ev]

I installed something very similar to the Redarc you linked to, a Ctek D250SA. I think it is one of the best things I ever did for maintaining my house battery. Not only do you get a correct charge off the alternator, but an MPPT solar charger as well. These units also act as an isolator. All of that is a great addition for maintaining your house battery.

What I had before was a solid state battery combiner and PWM solar charge controller. I honestly feel I killed an AGM battery with this combination by never getting a good charge once drained, but I can't prove it. I have a wkndr so I don't have room for a wet lead acid of any decent size. In an EVC, that would be an option to go for longevity and low cost.

I use a 100W solar panel and the MPPT charge controller has improved the output of my panel by 40%. Now I admit my PWM controller was a super cheap imported model. Also during my trials and errors trying to lengthen the life of my battery I ended up connecting my alternator source through the solar charge controller. That worked pretty well and I was able to get a better charge profile. That was AGM #2. I'm on AGM #3. I think LiFePO4 has gotten to a price point so that it will definitely be my replacement for my AGM since it's already showing signs of weakness and it's only 2 years old.

As an aside, a person with lead acid batteries that is conservative will only deplete their battery to 50%. In other words, in this scenario you would expect 50Ah from a 100Ah battery for best longevity. With LiFePO4 you can safely use all of the rated Ah, ie 100Ah = 100Ah. So, you might want to look at the Gowesty LiFePO4 50Ah battery at $290. That seems like a pretty decent deal.

That's a long way to say, I think you are on the right track. Get the Redarc and LiFePO4 and have the solar input available when you need it. You should have a good setup.

[Abscate]

[1961tbird]

orbeamike

Did you ever sort out your problem because I'm thinking of the same thing.

[TheOneTrueQuux]

[TFB777]

The average for a 100ah LifePo4 battery is about 2.5~3 days with an electric fridge + lighting. This is after you have stopped and set up camp since while driving, your battery is constantly recharged. So I would say unless you plan on being stationary for more than two full days (off grid), solar isn't really needed. It all depends on your camping style; if you are a van lifer or spend extensive off grid time, solar is a must.