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LiFePO4 heating pad for cold temperatures

I used Trophy's for an install I did for a neighbor near our cabin. This is at a little under 9,000 ft elevation in the Colorado mountains, so it get's cold there in the winter.

I went with Trophy in part because of the built in heating, but also because of the reputation of the guy who runs the company. He lived up to - and exceeded - my expectations. We got stuck on getting the batteries to correctly report SoC to the Victron Cerbo GX, and he spent a total over probably close to an hour in three phone calls to help us get it working. Awesome guy.

One thing I didn't really like is the way the Trophy's manage the heating, which unfortunately seems to be the way all the batteries that do have heaters manage their heaters. The heat doesn't turn on until the temperature falls to the point where the BMS cuts off charging. You asked if there was an interruption to charging while the batteries heated up, and this design almost guarantees that there would be an interruption. I think the logical way it should work is that the heaters should be turned on TO PREVENT the BMS having to cut of charging. To correct for this I augmented the battery box with the same thermostat-controlled heating pads that I used previously. Two pads on the sides of each Trophy battery case, set to turn on whenever the temperature of the case got to something like 38°F (I can't remember now exactly where I set it). When I talked to the neighbor in late January he said that whenever he went into the cabin the batteries were generally around 40°F, even though the outside temp was closer to 10°F.
what heating pads did you use?
 
what heating pads did you use?
I've actually purchased several different pads of the years, all 12V and either 10W or 12W. For the 24V batteries I've built, I just used two in series under the aluminum plates. For the two Trophy batteries, I used four in series, with one on each side (left and right) of each battery.

I know I've purchased some from Amazon, and these were in my order history from three years ago: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0794V5J5H

If you can wait for the shipment from China, there are lots of silicone heating pads on Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.us/w/wholesale-12V-heating-pad.html

I know I've purchased several from Aliexpress and most have been good quality. I may have gotten some on EBay too.

In my mind, the key is to have relatively low watts so as to not "cook" the cells. The guy who now has the two Trophy batteries in his cabin says that when he has gone up there this past winter the batteries were always above 50°F. He has a somewhat insulated box around the two Trophy batteries, in his otherwise unheated cabin at 9,000 ft elevation.
 
Curious to get more info on your usage conditions for the Trophys.
How extreme are the temps? Any interruptions to charging while they heat up in the morning?
I'm considering them and live where it can occasionally get to 0⁰ F and wondering how much insulation and extra heating pads I might need to add if they were in an uninsulated compartment at the back of my bus. Thanks!
I have two Trophy batteries in my uninsulated "shed" in Montana. Got down to -30F twice this winter. When the sun hits the solar panels in the morning, all the electricity is used to heat the batteries up. No charging occurs until the batteries get warmed up, usually takes an hour or so. The only insulation on my batteries is the 1-inch foam packing that the batteries came in (top and 3 sides).
 
One thing I didn't really like is the way the Trophy's manage the heating, which unfortunately seems to be the way all the batteries that do have heaters manage their heaters. The heat doesn't turn on until the temperature falls to the point where the BMS cuts off charging. You asked if there was an interruption to charging while the batteries heated up, and this design almost guarantees that there would be an interruption. I think the logical way it should work is that the heaters should be turned on TO PREVENT the BMS having to cut of charging. To correct for this I augmented the battery box with the same thermostat-controlled heating pads that I used previously. Two pads on the sides of each Trophy battery case, set to turn on whenever the temperature of the case got to something like 38°F (I can't remember now exactly where I set it). When I talked to the neighbor in late January he said that whenever he went into the cabin the batteries were generally around 40°F, even though the outside temp was closer to 10°F.
This is the way JK BMSs heating pad controller works. I agree with you that you should be able to turn on the heating pad a few degrees above the low temp shut off so the system can keep running without interruption. It seems the way the BMS are controlling the heating pad is only good for protecting the cells while in storage.

This is making me think I want a separate control for the heating pad like you ended up doing.
I saw in a later post you shared heating pads that you used. Thanks! What did you use for the temperature switch/controller?
 
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