Hi All. I have a class C motorhome and have always wanted a better power solution to lead-acid. I made a relatively impulsive purchase at Costco last year when they had the Lion Energy lithium ion batteries on special (Safari UT 1300). I am finally getting to the point of installing it (replacing my two 12v 68Ah SLA batteries). The marketing made the battery sound like it was a simple plug and play replacement for a lead acid. Well, it appears that there are multiple issues I was certainly ignorant of.
1. My WFCO WF-8955AN converter would not fully charge the lithium battery. I would need a new converter that could handle the lithium charge profile. Doh! But, OK, I can swallow that.
2. Much more concerning to me: I could fry my alternator since the lithium battery will suck as much power as it can get as it recharges (causing my alternator to possibly burn up), and/or when it's done charging it could kill the alternator by immediately shutting off it's use of that power.
I don't fully understand how this all works and I'm sure I'm making errors in my explanations here, but I trust you all know what I'm trying to say.
My questions:
Am I over-reacting to these issues/possibilities?
Are there any other speed bumps I don't list here that I should know about in going from lead acid to lithium?
It seems that a new converter is necessary, but is there a relatively inexpensive way to remedy the alternator issue?
If I can't get this to work safely/reliably I may end up giving up my lithium dream for now and just return the battery to Costco
Thanks in advance for your help!
1. My WFCO WF-8955AN converter would not fully charge the lithium battery. I would need a new converter that could handle the lithium charge profile. Doh! But, OK, I can swallow that.
2. Much more concerning to me: I could fry my alternator since the lithium battery will suck as much power as it can get as it recharges (causing my alternator to possibly burn up), and/or when it's done charging it could kill the alternator by immediately shutting off it's use of that power.
I don't fully understand how this all works and I'm sure I'm making errors in my explanations here, but I trust you all know what I'm trying to say.
My questions:
Am I over-reacting to these issues/possibilities?
Are there any other speed bumps I don't list here that I should know about in going from lead acid to lithium?
It seems that a new converter is necessary, but is there a relatively inexpensive way to remedy the alternator issue?
If I can't get this to work safely/reliably I may end up giving up my lithium dream for now and just return the battery to Costco
Thanks in advance for your help!