Charging LI from tow vehicle plug???

[Rbertalotto]

So you get up early in the morning after using the heater all night in the travel trailer and your lithium batteries are very low because you had marginal sun the day before. You hook up the trailer and the batteries are demanding high current to charge....and they are pulling this current through the thin wire going to the tow vehicle. Is there concern that this wire can't handle the current and will melt or best case blow a fuse?

 

[rmaddy]

Definitely a possible issue. There are many discussions about charging LiFePO₄ via the 7-pin.

You may find lots of good info from the following search results:

Search results for query: 7-pin lifepo4 charging

diysolarforum.com

 

[time2roll]

Wire has a fuse so no real issue. I recommend allowing the battery to get low on charge while at home and take some measurements to see if there is a concern. Otherwise just chasing fear of the boogie man.

 

[memilanuk]

Driveway testing is always a good idea before hitting the road and getting an unhappy surprise

That said... I did opt for a Victron Orion DC-DC charger in my truck camper, and disconnected the #12 wire from the 7-pin plug and ran separate #6 cable from the vehicle battery back to the camper, using Anderson plugs and appropriate over-current protection. I wasn't so much worried about the wiring as I just wanted more charge current available.

 

[rickst29]

Definitely a possible issue. There are many discussions about charging LiFePO₄ via the 7-pin.

You may find lots of good info from the following search results:

Search results for query: 7-pin lifepo4 charging

diysolarforum.com

OTOH, my "clever scheme" (good for a bit more than 400 watts) doesn't match that search. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/r...charge-solar-in-the-trailer.20730/post-242536