This is just theoretical at the moment. I think.
So I have been thinking about replacing the two 100 Ah Group 31 AGM batteries in my Thor Rize with a single 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery. Mostly to save weight - if my calcs are correct it would drop from ~150lbs to ~28lbs.
Couple of pre-qualifications to start this off -
- Temps <32F rarely happen around here, and most likely I will not be camping then. If I do, I can take a separate Power Station inside and run things from there.
- My energy requirements are very humble (therefore the reduction in Ah)
- Where I go it is usually sunny enough for solar panels to do their thing
- We usually don't have a way to plug in (boondocking, dispersed camping)
My thought is NOT to charge the battery from the alternator. So the whole DC-DC and alternator current stuff should be a non-issue. Mostly, I want to charge it from solar, and if needed (expected to be very rarely) via the generator, or even less frequent, via hook-up.
I have been playing with a 100Ah Power Station and without recharging, it allows me to run the fridge and everything else needed (lights, water pump, propane solenoid, roof fan or Truma) for around 3 nights. However, via solar it will fully re-charge during the day. If staying in a shady place for extended periods I would have to run the generator to recharge after two days or so.
Questions...
- Does this somewhat make sense, considering the specifics mentioned above?
- Will not charging with the alternator simplify the installation - just need to disconnect/disable whatever charges the batteries during driving?
- Solar should work by choosing the correct profile - right?
- I would need to see if/how the converter handles lithium charging. I understand it may not perfectly fill up the battery, but maybe that doesn't matter as long as the solar panel fully charges the LFP?
- Are there any other electronics/electrics that would be affected by a switch like this?
This seems all a bit too simple (besides the physical switcheroo) that I conclude I am missing a few things completely. One thing is that right now, the chassis and house batteries are somehow synchronized, not sure exactly how. I guess I would interrupt that connection and would need to keep an extra eye on the chassis battery.