Getting started with solar and lithium

[terryriddle]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but here I go. I am up in age and the flooded battery seems to get heavier every year. I am looking at a lithium Dakota 100ah battery (know my converter may only charge to a max of 80%) and will be installing a 100-watt solar panel with a controller that will permit me to id battery type from flooded to lithium. Would it be logical to assume that with the solar, I would possibly get close to the max charge on a lithium battery while still running a converter that will not take it to the max charge? Bottomline, would like a lighter battery and am not sure if the solar would take it to max charge over time. And yes, I know most will say just change the converter..but can I avoid that with this type of setup. We do not dry dock and almost 100% of the time at a campground are connected to 50 amp on the post. Once home, I normally remove the battery and keep it in the garage. I also know that as long as I disconnect the negative side, I should not have to do that thru the camping season, but also know with solar the battery will be kept charged at some acceptable level. Will this logic work without significant harm to the battery???

[MoonShadow_1911]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but here I go. I am up in age and the flooded battery seems to get heavier every year. I am looking at a lithium Dakota 100ah battery (know my converter may only charge to a max of 80%) and will be installing a 100-watt solar panel with a controller that will permit me to id battery type from flooded to lithium. Would it be logical to assume that with the solar, I would possibly get close to the max charge on a lithium battery while still running a converter that will not take it to the max charge? Bottomline, would like a lighter battery and am not sure if the solar would take it to max charge over time. And yes, I know most will say just change the converter..but can I avoid that with this type of setup. We do not dry dock and almost 100% of the time at a campground are connected to 50 amp on the post. Once home, I normally remove the battery and keep it in the garage. I also know that as long as I disconnect the negative side, I should not have to do that thru the camping season, but also know with solar the battery will be kept charged at some acceptable level. Will this logic work without significant harm to the battery???

Short answer, yes.

Long answer, it depends on how much solar you have. It is recommended to have 2-4 times the Ah in solar wattage. So, in your case, for one 100 Ah battery, you would need between 200 and 400 watts of solar. The biggest reason behind this is, even on shore power, with a lithium capable converter, you would be constantly cycling between charge and float, due to the 12 vdc system draws. With a non-lithium capable converter, you are going to be relying on solar to charge it completely. Also, a non-lithium converter will never go into float mode.

Overall, it would be cheaper to replace the converter and ditch the solar.

1 converter will run about $300.00

2 100 watt solar panels, wire, the charge controller, connectors, tools, etc., will run you about $600, if you cheap out on as much as you can.

[terryriddle]

Short answer, yes.

Long answer, it depends on how much solar you have. It is recommended to have 2-4 times the Ah in solar wattage. So, in your case, for one 100 Ah battery, you would need between 200 and 400 watts of solar. The biggest reason behind this is, even on shore power, with a lithium capable converter, you would be constantly cycling between charge and float, due to the 12 vdc system draws. With a non-lithium capable converter, you are going to be relying on solar to charge it completely. Also, a non-lithium converter will never go into float mode.

Overall, it would be cheaper to replace the converter and ditch the solar.

1 converter will run about $300.00

2 100 watt solar panels, wire, the charge controller, connectors, tools, etc., will run you about $600, if you cheap out on as much as you can.

I think I made out. The RV was prewired for solar with an MC4 connector on the roof and an inline 30amp in the front storage bay. I have been able to get the 100-watt solar panel, Wanderer 30A charger, and BT-1 Bluetooth module for 214.00. I have the extra wiring I might need and hardware for installation plus a 15amp inline fuse from the panel to the controller. The prewire setup has a 30-amp inline fuse between the controller and battery. I did pick up copper connectors for the battery and an extra 15-amp inline fuse for the roof. So, I did fairly well for what I was looking for. I could keep my flood acid battery and let the solar setup keep it charged when not in use and forget the lithium battery. Then I would only have to deal with it after camping season. Get a young kid to take it out of the RV and onto my golf cart and off in the garage for $20 bucks.

[SolarPoweredRV]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but here I go. I am up in age and the flooded battery seems to get heavier every year. I am looking at a lithium Dakota 100ah battery (know my converter may only charge to a max of 80%) and will be installing a 100-watt solar panel with a controller that will permit me to id battery type from flooded to lithium. Would it be logical to assume that with the solar, I would possibly get close to the max charge on a lithium battery while still running a converter that will not take it to the max charge? Bottomline, would like a lighter battery and am not sure if the solar would take it to max charge over time. And yes, I know most will say just change the converter..but can I avoid that with this type of setup. We do not dry dock and almost 100% of the time at a campground are connected to 50 amp on the post. Once home, I normally remove the battery and keep it in the garage. I also know that as long as I disconnect the negative side, I should not have to do that thru the camping season, but also know with solar the battery will be kept charged at some acceptable level. Will this logic work without significant harm to the battery???

Based on what you have said, you should be fine just replacing the battery with a Lithium battery. If your present lead acid battery is meeting all of your electrical needs currently, you can just install the Lithium battery and forget about the solar.

Adding Solar in your use case is simply not required. While it would be better to fully charge your Lithium battery, you will not kill the battery any time soon, so don't worry about adding Solar. Even if you were able to prematurely kill the battery, the money saved by not adding Solar would pay for a second battery.

Not every camper needs Solar, while I often recommend Solar and a large battery bank, I also recognize when Solar isn't needed, and in your use case, Solar will not enhance you camping experience.