I have a small boat, though I’ve spent 3 years building it to Taj Mahal stature, which includes a live well with an aerator pump and an Oxygen Generator. Currently, the live well is powered by one 12v 7ah sealed lead acid battery which is ‘assisted‘ by a Battery Tender 15w Solar Panel. The BT Solar Panel has a charge controller built in. My question is: can I replace the lead acid battery with a LiFePO4 12v 10ah and use a small BMS between the solar panel and the batteries?
Battery Tender
- Thread starter Penjones
- Start date
MisterSandals
Participation Medalist
Let me change that to possibly.
The BT will not charge as high as the LiFePO4 can handle but it may be enough for your use.
MisterSandals
Participation Medalist
If you are not able to monitor the charging (aka you're the BMS) then the chances of not
destroying a cell(s) are against you.
You would need really well matched cells and conservative charging profile.
The BT shouldn't care or know if there is a BMS... its pretty much just a cutoff switch (tho some have minuscule balancing capabilities).
Unattended LiFePO4 needs everything to be handled properly. I'm not there yet, I
spend a lot of time being a BMS when the greenhouse is going in the spring and when out RV'ing.
destroying a cell(s) are against you.
You would need really well matched cells and conservative charging profile.
The BT shouldn't care or know if there is a BMS... its pretty much just a cutoff switch (tho some have minuscule balancing capabilities).
Unattended LiFePO4 needs everything to be handled properly. I'm not there yet, I
spend a lot of time being a BMS when the greenhouse is going in the spring and when out RV'ing.
Another gray area for my boat is: Will, or any other knowledgable pundit talk to me about LiFePo4 batteries for boats in general, e.g. starting batteries and trolling motor batteries. I’m concerned about boat motor’s alternator charging the LiFePo4. Also, I’ve included an ACR (automatic charging relay) which switches the alternator’s charge to a second battery (trolling) when the first battery (starting) is fully charged. Help!
