Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidEM
That may be true for discharging, ie supplying current to your devices, but charging at even a few degrees below freezing can ruin Li batteries.
I guess it depends on what is meant by “use”.
David
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Great point. There may be times when owner wants to use a little electrical power from lithium batteries even though below safe charging temperature. For example, may want to power 12 V lights, start generator, or most likely need would be to power propane furnace to get temperature in MH warmed up above freezing.
The last point, powering furnace, is why I prefer lithium batteries inside motorhome if possible. You always have option to run furnace and keep batteries and pipes well above 32 F.
Two options are to disconnect batteries completely, or disconnect only the charging sources, which can be tricky for some to remember and or manage. And of course, that only provides discharging from roughly 0 F to 35 F, so those in really cold climates below ~0 F can’t discharge either unless they somehow heat batteries. I’ve never camped below 0 F, but have many times below 32 F, though usually it was only that cold at night and early morning.
We all know motorhomes can often charge batteries in numerous ways, including shore, generator, alternator and solar, so it’s important that all sources are prevented from charging below battery rated temperature.
After conversions, it seems many owners forget about disabling solar. When motorhome is stored outside it’s easy to forget sun will charge even in winter. Obviously, higher quality equipment have built-in temperature protection, but I would not rely solely on them as primary disconnect. Battery BMS, solar charger, and DC-DC for alternator and possibly inverter/charger can have temperature disconnects, but I would always want a manual disconnect.
Linear Mode
