Does anyone here have any expertise in LiFePO4 batteries?

[LT Barclay]

I’m hoping to get some opinions about various brands before investing in a set

[Rver]

1. I haven't

bought any yet but I know there's Chinese made and Made in the USA. Battle Born are made in Nevada. They make some with freeze protection as you don't want them to get below 32F. If you put them in an RV your onboard converter needs to be able to charge that type of battery. And if they're for solar your charge controller needs to be able to charge that type as well. Hope that helps.

[Enter stage left]

2. Go to "Amsolar.com"...

very informative website.

I had them install my solar panels & batteries (4 Lifeline AGM, not lithium) in my motor-home over 7 years ago. Excellent, very professional job.

[SmartJellyfish]

3. For what purpose?

[LT Barclay]

5. We have a small sailboat with an electric motor rather than a inboard diesel. We love it, but

we had 4 Lifeline AGM Group 31 batteries just give up after 3 years. It was either too hot a couple of summers ago or I discharged beyond 50% (both are possibilities).
My wife is going through her 2nd round of chemotherapy, so I'm wanting to get the Lifelines replaced under warranty, sell them, and then decide on a LiFePO4 set for replacement.
I've already looked at a couple of manufacturers, but with a steep learning curve about the batteries and with the current high prices, I want to have time to find some I like so I can watch the price trends and purchase when the price is right.

[yonder]

4. What post #1 said: Do your research and be wary of fake, imported knock-offs.

Similar to Li-ion, good ones require care and attention to charge/discharge cycles. They can be dangerous otherwise. Fake/cheap ones aren't worth the risk.

The Candle Power Forums website (and others) might be helpful.

[dumbcat]

6. I have some experience with them

I see you are using them on a sailboat. You say you have group 31 AGM batteries. What size in amp-hrs is each one? And how many batteries do you have?

I have been using the Bioenno Power 100 Amp-Hr batteries in a couple of applications and find them very dependable and not very temperamental.

[LT Barclay]

7. I have 4 105 Amp-hr.

I was thinking of things incorrectly and thought that gave me 420 amp-hrs, but I realized I have 105 but at 48 volts.

Are the Bioenno AGM or LiFePO4?
If I can convince my wife the cost of conversion is worth it, I really want to try the LiFePO4. I was just watching some of the manufacturer's videos and I believe I know how I killed mine. It was either discharge beyond 50%, although I did that to my first set and was able to power them back up and got 9 years out of them. Or we've had a couple of hot summers here.

The operational temperature range on the Lithium is supposed to be better, as well as the ability to discharge 95% of rated power and greater number of charging cycles.

[dumbcat]

8. They are LiFePO4 batteries

I think they are great, but they are quite a bit pricier than AGMs. You also have to be careful how you hook them up in parallel or series to make sure you get the charging right. They need a significantly different charging cycle than AGMs or other LA batteries. Internal cell balancing is critical.

I think they are well worth the significant trouble/expense, but you really need to have a local solar installer go over your installation plans as to charging and environmental conditions. Best to get the single 48VDC battery rather than set smaller ones up in series/parallel like you would with Lead-Acid.

[link:https://www.bioennopower.com/collections/24v-series-lifepo4-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries/products/bioenno-power-lithium-iron-phosphate-lifepo4-battery-model-blf-48100lb|