3175375 Report post Posted January 10 Obiwan, any updates to share onyour upgrade? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cwswine Report post Posted January 12 I was told by Battle Born I need a BIRD (I think that what he called it) because Battle Born will take all the charge you can throw at them and they will burn up alternator in just few months. They also make Battle Born with a built in heater that suppose to out preform lead acid in cold weather. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obiwan_canoli Report post Posted February 4 On 1/10/2021 at 1:38 PM, 3175375 said: Obiwan, any updates to share on your upgrade? Yes, a brief one... I left on a 45-day boondocking adventure, and the battery system worked just fine. Due to the angle of the sun, my solar panels didn't charge as much as I'd hoped, although I never fell below 40% SOC. I did run the generator a few times, but more for my own peace of mind than any actual need to recharge the batteries. I have portable solar panel I also used, but same performance limitations as those on the roof. The solar did charge, of course, but without the generator, probably would have ended up at 70-80% SOC. Overall, I was pleased with the system, and I'm sure it will perform better as the season changes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted February 4 Obiwan, Thank you for the update! It will help others in the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joelashley Report post Posted February 4 (edited) Much to my chagrin, the supplier informed me that contrary to what others have said, and what I regrettably repeated on more than one site, US Battery’s AGM products are also made in China, not the USA. I ultimately chose to forego my lithium dreams, and have 4 Fullriver AGMs awaiting pickup when the weather here cooperates long enough for installation and tray renovation/painting. Top notch complete professional lithium installation went north of $9000, with less complete around $7K. Our “older” Magnum model 2012 inverter system , ca. 2006, turned out to be too low of a version (level 1?), requiring a costly software and/or hardware upgrade to use lithium’s. This was counter to what a respected tech told me, who’d indicated I could pretty much replace the wet cells with lithium’s straight across. His experience I have to assume was with more recent coaches and inverters at higher levels. Even without moving the batteries inside for temperature control or upgrading our solar system that’s nowadays comparatively minimalist, a self-install would go close to $5000. I just can’t fathom the value. So reverting to my still-respected tech’s AGM experience, I chose his first recommended Fullriver brand and their longer warranty. His second choice was US Battery, but the warranty is less and the price identical since my supplier offered the normally more expensive but regularly stocked Fullriver at the same price. Like it or not, mostly not, certain Chinese-made AGMs have better records/quality than those made elsewhere. Cost for 4 Fullriver 6v AGMs: $1136. A simple inverter remote programming change and one changed dipswitch on the solar controller is all else needed. Also I should note that in a prior post I’d stated that AGMs were quite heavy. What I’d read in that regard was mistaken. The author was ambiguously referencing a different and much heavier leaded model than what fits a normal 4 wet cell tray. The ~224 ah models weigh about the same as wet cell U2200/GC2 deep cycles, ~60-65lbs. So there is no concern regarding weight. Edited February 4 by joelashley Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
