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Battery Heater Recommendations

rj86

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Joined
Jul 14, 2022
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13
Just wondering does anyone have a good recommendation or experience heating DIY battery banks? I live up north and it's not out of the realm for temps to dip below zero for me and the space my system is in will not be heated. This was not a big deal when I had my GC2 setup but I moved into lithium and I see it's a pretty big deal to keep the cells above freezing when charging. My inverter will provide some heat but I don't think it will be adequate enough during the really cold days.
 
Silicone mat heaters with or without attached thermostats from AliExpress. Electronic temperature controllers/monitors. Then some testing.
 
Here is how I implemented my battery heaters.

 
Untested yet, but I'm planning on using heat trace cable on a thermostat, in sand under an aluminum plate upon which the batteries sit. All in an insulated truck box.
 
I like the heated mat idea. I would need to find some 48v versions which don't look too hard. I am in the building automation industry so I have a few programmable controllers/probe combinations that I would like to test with this idea so I don't overheat or underheat the cells. Otherwise, I may just stick with a generic temp controller. Not 100% if I would put my cells in a closed box as the space is really well insulated just not heated.

Wonder if you can wire the 12v pads in series?
 
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I like the heated mat idea. I would need to find some 48v versions which don't look too hard. I am in the building automation industry so I have a few programmable controllers/probe combinations that I would like to test with this idea so I don't overheat or underheat the cells. Otherwise, I may just stick with a generic temp controller. Not 100% if I would put my cells in a closed box as the space is really well insulated just not heated.

Wonder if you can wire the 12v pads in series?
As long as the wiring insulation is adequate. I've used my 12v 6-8A versions with 3.2v cells for spot balacing, using alligator clips. Works great. 1.5-2A and just warm to the touch. You can also get a 48-12vdc converter for $20-$30 on Amazon.
 
I don't do series wiring much, nor have I strayed from a 12 volt system. Four 12v warming pads wired in series to a 48 volt source should work.
 
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