Im planning to run 2 Renogy 100ah Lithium batteries in my trailer tongue box. My question is can the batteries be mounted touching each other or should there be a space between them? Im planning to build a low lip box using some 13g plate steel, all thread and bar stock i have laying around.
Lithium battery spacing needed?
- Thread starter BThor1
- Start date
It's fine if the batteries are touching.
But keep in mind that LiFePO₄ on a tongue of a trailer means they can get too cold. You do not want the batteries to be charged at all if they are at or below freezing.
But keep in mind that LiFePO₄ on a tongue of a trailer means they can get too cold. You do not want the batteries to be charged at all if they are at or below freezing.
Yes I know about the below 32 F thing but unfortunately that is where they must go. Thankfully I live at the beach in Virginia so cold doesn’t happen too often. What would you suggest I do to help for those random cold times when I’m traveling in the mountains? Would a powered heat blanket or those regular cloth battery wrap blankets help?
Most LiFePO₄ can handle being discharged even it's below freezing (to a point) so if you need the batteries for a day or two in the cold then just be sure you make no attempt to charge, just discharge. But if will be where it's that cold during a time you need to charge the batteries then you need an insulated and heated box for the batteries. Something that will keep the batteries above freezing. There are several threads on this forum about doing just that.
You have to be careful when selecting a heating pad for your batteries. Too high of maximum temperature is bad, really bad. A pad that heats too fast is also bad. Low and slow is the way to go. I spent considerable time researching locations in my bumper pull trailer. I found an unused area that I could fit two 4s 280Ah batteries into as well as all the other components.
Here is a link to the build thread for my battery warmer:
LiFePO4 Battery Warmer Install
This is my install of a custom set of battery warmers from Ultra Heat. I had contacted them through email asking about a warming profile for LiFePO4 batteries. They responded with a design to my specifications, including warming pads that fit my batteries exactly. While I initiated the...
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With regard to your question about spacing, if you're asking about spacing for heat dissipation, then no, we don't do that. The cells don't generate a huge amount of heat that has to be dissipated unless you're abusing them. If I were to rebuild my batteries, I would put a thin non-conductive layer between each cell. The most often recommended material for this is the cheap flexible cutting board material that you can buy at Walmart. There is a very small charge on the outside of the cell. It's usually not enough to worry about. There's no amps there, but there is a small voltage that can be measured. My cells and the surrounding objects haven't complained and I've never been zapped by my cells. All the material used for my compression fixture that comes into contact with the cells is non-conductive, so there's not an issue there.
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