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Finding a LiFePO4 Power Charger That Will Actually Work?

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reederm

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May 27, 2022
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Per Will's suggestion from videos a few years ago, I am using an Ampere Time 12V 100Ah battery to power my home office during power outages:
www.amperetime.com

Ampere Time 12V 100Ah, 1280Wh Best RV Lithium Battery with 4000+ Deep Cycles & Built in 100A BMS

Ampere Time 12V 100 amp-hour battery provides an adequate 1280Wh energy. long-lasting, and super lightweight. It's the best RV battery with 4000+ cycles and 10 years lifespan!
www.amperetime.com www.amperetime.com

I have been wholly unable -- over the past two years -- to find a charger that is reliable.

The original charger from Ampere Time lasted for about 6 months then died.

I have run through 3 power supplies from Aliexpress since then that have all died in 1 to 6 months.

Can someone please suggest a 14.6V 10A or 20A LiFePO4 Battery Charger that ACTUALLY WORKS??

I am very tired of buying new chargers and this is making the whole battery back-up project more of a hassle than is worth it.

I am not using a solar array -- I am merely keeping a battery system running that can keep my home office operational when the power grid dies temporarily.

Thanks,
Michael

​

 
Anything *not* from AliExpress will probably work just fine.

Amazon has been a winner for me. Just read the reviews and you’ll know what to steer clear from.
 
I have been using a victron 12/30amp charger. Works great, lots of settings, easy to adjust. even has a predefined lithium spec.

are you sure lithiums are a good fit for your need? keeping lithium batteries fully charge for an outage seems like a disaster. How many outages do you see?
 
dmkjr said:
Anything *not* from AliExpress will probably work just fine.

Amazon has been a winner for me. Just read the reviews and you’ll know what to steer clear from.
Click to expand...
dmkjr -- This makes sense and is likely my next move.

That said, its not quite that simple. Most (all?) of these power supplies are made in China. As an example, here is a unit that is fairly well-regarded on Amazon although short on reviewers:

ECO-WORTHY 12V 20A Lithium LifePO4 Battery Charger​


This same company (ECO-WORTHY) is for sale on Aliexpress at lower prices. Is there any reason to expect that a higher quality control process is utilized for the ones on Amazon? Lots of the other power supplies appear to be the same, just with different company logo stickers.

The obvious thing for me to do is to pick one off Amazon with MANY MORE sales and reviews -- which I will likely do, but I'm trying to get a unit with the metal loop connectors rather than clips. Would prefer not to splice on my own loops, but I guess I could do so.

Any particular brands on Amazon that you like?

Thanks,
Michael
 
yodamota said:
I have been using a victron 12/30amp charger. Works great, lots of settings, easy to adjust. even has a predefined lithium spec.

are you sure lithiums are a good fit for your need? keeping lithium batteries fully charge for an outage seems like a disaster. How many outages do you see?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Victron recommendation -- I will check out that brand.

No, not sure Lithiums are the best solution (although that's what I've got). Are you thinking lead acid batteries?

I have a timer set-up so my lithium battery gets cycled a few times per week since apparently they need that for optimum health.

I only anticipate needing the battery backup a few times per year.

Thanks,
Michael
 
reederm said:
dmkjr -- This makes sense and is likely my next move.

That said, its not quite that simple. Most (all?) of these power supplies are made in China. As an example, here is a unit that is fairly well-regarded on Amazon although short on reviewers:

ECO-WORTHY 12V 20A Lithium LifePO4 Battery Charger​


This same company (ECO-WORTHY) is for sale on Aliexpress at lower prices. Is there any reason to expect that a higher quality control process is utilized for the ones on Amazon? Lots of the other power supplies appear to be the same, just with different company logo stickers.

The obvious thing for me to do is to pick one off Amazon with MANY MORE sales and reviews -- which I will likely do, but I'm trying to get a unit with the metal loop connectors rather than clips. Would prefer not to splice on my own loops, but I guess I could do so.

Any particular brands on Amazon that you like?

Thanks,
Michael
Click to expand...
I would say if money was not an object, Victron would have my vote. Victron, to me, has been the Rolls Royce. I have all Victron in my motor home.
 
reederm said:
Thanks for the Victron recommendation -- I will check out that brand.

No, not sure Lithiums are the best solution (although that's what I've got). Are you thinking lead acid batteries?

I have a timer set-up so my lithium battery gets cycled a few times per week since apparently they need that for optimum health.

I only anticipate needing the battery backup a few times per year.

Thanks,
Michael
Click to expand...
yes they have batteries designed for your application. they are always kept on a float charge. I believe they are telecom batteries. They are probably used in UPS as well. Lead acid loves being full.

I unfortunately don't have any recommendations. I do see them for sale on facebook marketplace.
 
Victron IP22 12/15 or 12/30 would be my recommendation. Totally configurable via Bluetooth with Victron Connect phone app. 5 year warranty. Available on Amazon but make it's being sold by inverterrus or another reputable dealer.

Also available from current connected and they have reputation for great after sales support if needed.
 
Hi All -- Okay, so I finally purchased the Victron IP22 12/30 which several people recommend. It seems to run beautifully -- charged the Li-ion battery very quickly in about 20 minutes (an Ampere Time 12V 100Ah, 1280Wh Best RV Lithium Battery).

I used old cables from a 20AMP power supply to connect the Victron to the battery. The Victron is of course plugged into my house power.

I then hooked the battery up to a BESTEK 500W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V Charger as I have been doing all along.

Finally, I hooked the BESTEK unit to a new APC UPS 1500VA UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector, BX1500M since my old APC unit has died.

The result was a too hot to touch Victron unit that I had to shutdown to prevent damage.

I'm now trying to figure out what made this Victron unit so hot. My neophyte theories:

a) The power cables are too cheaply made and/or under-rated for a 30AMP Victron unit. So I purchased Spartan Power Battery Cables 2 Gauge AWG. The copper wire is too thick to screw into the Victron unit. The Victron needs cables the size I started with. What cables do you all use with the Victron unit (if this is the likely problem)?

b) I don't hear a fan running in the Victron. But I don't think it has a fan, does it?

c) I am running it all at once -- that is, I am simultaneously charging the Li-ion battery, while using the battery to power the APC unit, which is powering my office. Is this an incorrect use case? I would prefer not to have to manually switch to battery power when wall power goes out, but maybe I have to... Maybe this is why the cheap Aliexpress power chargers die every 2-8 months? But then again, they can do this for 2-8 months...

d) Do I have to switch to a lead acid battery to run the whole set-up simultaneously as in C above? If I was doing this over, I'd start with a lead acid battery, but I might as well use the Li-ion battery I have... Unless I can't.

e) Some other reason?

This is a far, far more simple project than most of you all are doing. I'm not sure why this has been so difficult for me. I'm just trying to have a day or so of battery backup for my home office.

Thanks,
Michael
 
I just tested the Victron powering up the Li-ion battery with the battery powering nothing.

The APC unit powering my office (and giving me 30 sad minutes of battery back-up) is plugged into the wall outlet and has nothing to do with the battery or the Victron at this moment.

Victron unit still really hot to the touch -- again had to shut it down.
 
reederm said:
Hi All -- Okay, so I finally purchased the Victron IP22 12/30 which several people recommend. It seems to run beautifully -- charged the Li-ion battery very quickly in about 20 minutes (an Ampere Time 12V 100Ah, 1280Wh Best RV Lithium Battery).

I used old cables from a 20AMP power supply to connect the Victron to the battery. The Victron is of course plugged into my house power.

I then hooked the battery up to a BESTEK 500W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 110V Charger as I have been doing all along.

Finally, I hooked the BESTEK unit to a new APC UPS 1500VA UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector, BX1500M since my old APC unit has died.

The result was a too hot to touch Victron unit that I had to shutdown to prevent damage.

I'm now trying to figure out what made this Victron unit so hot. My neophyte theories:

a) The power cables are too cheaply made and/or under-rated for a 30AMP Victron unit. So I purchased Spartan Power Battery Cables 2 Gauge AWG. The copper wire is too thick to screw into the Victron unit. The Victron needs cables the size I started with. What cables do you all use with the Victron unit (if this is the likely problem)?

b) I don't hear a fan running in the Victron. But I don't think it has a fan, does it?

c) I am running it all at once -- that is, I am simultaneously charging the Li-ion battery, while using the battery to power the APC unit, which is powering my office. Is this an incorrect use case? I would prefer not to have to manually switch to battery power when wall power goes out, but maybe I have to... Maybe this is why the cheap Aliexpress power chargers die every 2-8 months? But then again, they can do this for 2-8 months...

d) Do I have to switch to a lead acid battery to run the whole set-up simultaneously as in C above? If I was doing this over, I'd start with a lead acid battery, but I might as well use the Li-ion battery I have... Unless I can't.

e) Some other reason?

This is a far, far more simple project than most of you all are doing. I'm not sure why this has been so difficult for me. I'm just trying to have a day or so of battery backup for my home office.

Thanks,
Michael
Click to expand...
a) use 6AWG for the wire, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/WINDYNATION-Welding-Battery-Inverter-WindyNation/dp/B01N5GMXJX

b) it does have one but doesn't move a lot of air.

c) the ip22 is designed to do this for years on end.
 
reederm said:
I just tested the Victron powering up the Li-ion battery with the battery powering nothing.

The APC unit powering my office (and giving me 30 sad minutes of battery back-up) is plugged into the wall outlet and has nothing to do with the battery or the Victron at this moment.

Victron unit still really hot to the touch -- again had to shut it down.
Click to expand...
Ip22s run very hot, it's by design, basically the case is used to dissipate the heat from the internals. its normal, don't panic. They will derate if needed based on ambient temps.
 
Your problem is the new UPS... it does pass-through of up to 15 amps. On battery power it can only do 900w, on top of that it is running its own battery charger at 11w. It is also using part of the power for all those advanced features.

So, figure it all up, what is your wattage of draw?

Also, I would bet your old UPS just switched to the battery when there was a brownout. This one fills in for voltage sags below 107vac. When you load up that 500w inverter it is probably sagging below while the new one tries to draw more current to fill in the missing power.

You would be better off just running straight from PSW inverter connected to the battery while the MPPT is also connected to the battery. And, just skip the UPS all together. Either repurpose or return the UPS.

P.s. I have exactly that same UPS.
 
Okay... So very good feedback. Thank you both Brucey and robrob2112!!

So, given that:
-- the Ip22 (Voltron) runs very hot anyway by design, &
-- It runs very hot even when the battery is NOT powering the UPS unit (APC brand)

I am therefore trying this out again with it all running simultaneously (Wall -->Voltron-->Battery-->Bestek-->UPS-->Office)

This does not yet address robrob2112's concern about the UPS/APC unit. I have not yet added up wattage of draw on my own, but I do observe that the UPS/APC unit indicates on its display panel a load of about 230 watts and 2 out of 5 bars of load. So, I'm GUESSING this is low enough to be okay?

As for the wire -- thank you Brucey for the 6AWG wire reference. I will be searching down the right 6AWG wire to buy (maybe this one you linked to, but I'd rather not crimp on the rings if I can avoid). In the meantime I am running with the wire from an old 14.6V 20Amp charger and hoping this is safe? The wire only says "01012m" on it which is not really very helpful. When I search on "01012m" I get hits on several manufacturer part numbers -- those products have ratings such as 28AWG/300V, 12Amp/300V, and 10Amp/250V -- not all of which might refer to the wire portion.

For my own peace of mind, I have the Voltron unit up on a box structure to let air pass beneath it and I have a small external fan blowing on it. Can't hurt.

Thanks,
Michael
 
reederm said:
Okay... So very good feedback. Thank you both Brucey and robrob2112!!

So, given that:
-- the Ip22 (Voltron) runs very hot anyway by design, &
-- It runs very hot even when the battery is NOT powering the UPS unit (APC brand)

I am therefore trying this out again with it all running simultaneously (Wall -->Voltron-->Battery-->Bestek-->UPS-->Office)

This does not yet address robrob2112's concern about the UPS/APC unit. I have not yet added up wattage of draw on my own, but I do observe that the UPS/APC unit indicates on its display panel a load of about 230 watts and 2 out of 5 bars of load. So, I'm GUESSING this is low enough to be okay?

As for the wire -- thank you Brucey for the 6AWG wire reference. I will be searching down the right 6AWG wire to buy (maybe this one you linked to, but I'd rather not crimp on the rings if I can avoid). In the meantime I am running with the wire from an old 14.6V 20Amp charger and hoping this is safe? The wire only says "01012m" on it which is not really very helpful. When I search on "01012m" I get hits on several manufacturer part numbers -- those products have ratings such as 28AWG/300V, 12Amp/300V, and 10Amp/250V -- not all of which might refer to the wire portion.

For my own peace of mind, I have the Voltron unit up on a box structure to let air pass beneath it and I have a small external fan blowing on it. Can't hurt.

Thanks,
Michael
Click to expand...
You could always connect via BT with Victron Connect and reduce the charge amps to 20A etc until you get proper wires.
 
Brucey said:
You could always connect via BT with Victron Connect and reduce the charge amps to 20A etc until you get proper wires.
Click to expand...
Amazing. Okay, set to 20A. Had not messed around with the app yet.

Actually, it was already running cooler than yesterday. I suspect because I started with the battery already fully charged. Slim chance the improved air flow under the Victron and the fan aimed on it help too.

Thank you!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: At 20Amps the Victron is actually running cool to the touch.

-- Michael
 
Last edited:
reederm said:
Okay... So very good feedback. Thank you both Brucey and robrob2112!!

So, given that:
-- the Ip22 (Voltron) runs very hot anyway by design, &
-- It runs very hot even when the battery is NOT powering the UPS unit (APC brand)

I am therefore trying this out again with it all running simultaneously (Wall -->Voltron-->Battery-->Bestek-->UPS-->Office)

This does not yet address robrob2112's concern about the UPS/APC unit. I have not yet added up wattage of draw on my own, but I do observe that the UPS/APC unit indicates on its display panel a load of about 230 watts and 2 out of 5 bars of load. So, I'm GUESSING this is low enough to be okay?

As for the wire -- thank you Brucey for the 6AWG wire reference. I will be searching down the right 6AWG wire to buy (maybe this one you linked to, but I'd rather not crimp on the rings if I can avoid). In the meantime I am running with the wire from an old 14.6V 20Amp charger and hoping this is safe? The wire only says "01012m" on it which is not really very helpful. When I search on "01012m" I get hits on several manufacturer part numbers -- those products have ratings such as 28AWG/300V, 12Amp/300V, and 10Amp/250V -- not all of which might refer to the wire portion.

For my own peace of mind, I have the Voltron unit up on a box structure to let air pass beneath it and I have a small external fan blowing on it. Can't hurt.

Thanks,
Michael
Click to expand...

230w * 1.2 ( account for inversion losses and overhead from the ups)

Still only 270ish. I would measure the voltage at the plug of the ups with everything running full out. I.e. turn on system test to exercise the puter while you check.

Install apc powerchute software to monitor and graph the line power.

Watch carefully for any dips below 107vac. Also you can check the logs and alerts to see if it was toggling on/off or filling in voltage.
 
Texas-Mark said:
Then pretty much every Bluetti and similar power station would be a disaster to own.
Click to expand...
Thank you -- I will avoid Bluetti.

Since I bought a Li-ion battery a few years ago, I might as well keep using it...

What I do is keep it on a timer -- so 2X per week the timer turns the wall power off and the Li-ion battery gets some exercise.

Stupid, but then I already own it and they like to be used, so its what I can do.

-- Michael
 
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