Change from Acid Battery to Lithium Battery HELP!!!

[Extreme]

So I'm buying a new 2021 2500RL and I asked the sales person this question:

Can I swap out the Acid battery for a Lithium 12v 100 amp instead and would it require any extra equipment for the battery?
My concern is the current system may show its 100% full only due to the fact the Lithium is ALWAYS putting out 100% energy until its about 5-10% empty.
The system may NOT allow the battery to be recharged until its too late and the lights/heater go out on a late night. Catch my drift?

So will the 2021 new monitor do the job of correctly?
Do I need a 2nd independent system that will keep the battery charged when I'm driving, let alone allow me to track how full the battery really is?
Or am I just worrying too much and everything will just work out fine.
Any thoughts would be really appreciated.

[MoonShadow_1911]

The only other thing you will need is a different (Lithium compatible) inverter/charger. There are several out there. Schneider makes one. (I'd have to look up the ones I researched to list more.)

The standard one that comes from Grand Design is not (as far as I know) a lithium inverter/charger.

That said, the standard one will not charge the battery completely, because it doesn't put it enough amperage, it will only charge the LiFePo battery to about 80%, and over time, that will ruin the battery.

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[huntindog]

There is some concern out there about charging a lithium from the TV. Apparently todays autos vary the voltage quite a bit. Since I have solar I will just pull the TV fuse to the trailers charging circuit and let the solar handle it.

Without solar, if you want to charge while towing a DC to DC charging setup is probably a good idea.

[FT4NOW]

I highly recommend a good battery monitor. The Victron BMV-712 is easy to install, works great, and has Bluetooth so you can monitor everything from your phone or tablet. It will even give you estimated time remaining on your battery based on actual current draw.

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[Extreme]

Thanks for the information!
But is there a way to find out from Grand Design if their inverter does charge a Lithium Battery or not?
The Sales people on the lot don't really know.
Also how about when I'm driving, will my F-150 be able to fully charge the Lithium Battery like it would for a normal Acid battery?
I know this is alot to question but I'm really stuck on this one.

[CoChris]

Thanks for the information!
But is there a way to find out from Grand Design if their inverter does charge a Lithium Battery or not?
The Sales people on the lot don't really know.

Yes. Call Grand Design directly. but the answer is no, the stock converter will not fully charge a Lithium battery (requires a higher voltage and the stock WFCO converter is not user adjustable.

Also how about when I'm driving, will my F-150 be able to fully charge the Lithium Battery like it would for a normal Acid battery?
I know this is alot to question but I'm really stuck on this one.

Again, no. The truck (which is set up for lead acid battery) will not charge to a high enough voltage to FULLY charge a Lithium battery. Most people in this situation will use a DC to DC converter to boost the voltage (but I am not sure what they do for a charger).

Chris

[Extreme]

Sweet!
Thanks.

[TheLexx]

Does one need a DC to DC converter to charger lithiums? The current through the 7 pin connector is pretty low and I don't see how that could ever charge up lithium batteries.

[pengle]

Thanks for the information!
But is there a way to find out from Grand Design if their inverter does charge a Lithium Battery or not?
The Sales people on the lot don't really know.
Also how about when I'm driving, will my F-150 be able to fully charge the Lithium Battery like it would for a normal Acid battery?
I know this is alot to question but I'm really stuck on this one.

"Most", I don't know of "any", converters in our trailers are just standard lead acid battery chargers that have a charge voltage output of 13.6VDC. Converters designed for Lithium Ion have an output voltage of 14.6VDC. Alternators in trucks usually have an output voltage of around 14.2VDC

Full charge on a lead acid battery is 13.6
Full charge on a Lithium Ion battery is 14.4

But the charging METHOD of lead acid and Lithium are different, so the voltage charging difference isn't the only difference.
You can read A LOT and get very detailed information here: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/..._ion_batteries

A 60amp Lithium converter from Progressive Industries (PD9160ALV) runs around $220. Their website can give you the Lithium Converter equivalent to your lead acid converter.

Your truck WILL charge your lithium battery, but not to the full voltage that it can take. I'm sure your main concern is, will it keep it somewhat charged while I'm driving to my next location. Will I be able to put my slides out and put my leveling jacks down? Yes. Even if your lithium battery only stays charged to 13.5 volts while driving, your new lithium converter will top off the battery after you plug in.

[MoonShadow_1911]

Does one need a DC to DC converter to charger lithiums? The current through the 7 pin connector is pretty low and I don't see how that could ever charge up lithium batteries.

A DC to DC converter steps up the voltage from 13.5VDC to add much as 24VDC. For LiFePo batteries, you need a charging voltage of at least 15VDC at 2-10 Amps.

Your alternator can put it that much voltage and current, but is electronically limited so it doesn't blue the vehicle electronics.

Simply put, charging LiFePo batteries from your tire vehicle is not ideal. The most you can hope for is to maintain it trickle charge the LiFePo batteries.

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