New member buying my first battery bank

[Tasemu]

Hi all! I'm a new member and live full time on a narrowboat in the UK. My sealed lead acid batteries have finally bit the dust and I have been wanting to make my first Lifepo4 bank for a while now. I have a few questions I was hoping to get some advice on. I want a simple setup that I can use daily, I have the following 2 charging options that support lifepo4.

2x - Victron Bluesolar 100/30
1x - Sterling Procharge-Ultra Battery Charger 12v 20 Amp

I was thinking of purchasing the following cells and BMS, then hooking it up to the charging sources and calling it a day. I can imagine as a beginner I may be missing some important details and was hoping to gain some advice here on what parts I may be missing for a simple reliable setup. Thanks in advance!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001432303362.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.3d453c006T4KR5&mp=1 <- Cells
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001731375784.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.3d453c006T4KR5&mp=1 <- BMS

OH ALSO! Are there any major issues with buying batteries in the current world situation? I wouldn't want to spend hundreds of pounds and have the batteries stopped at the border or something.

 

[Steve_S]

I would suggest that you do more RESEARCH before buying anything.

Daly BMS... sorta ok, they are a "Value BMS" more or less. Always derate their spec, if it says 100A use it for 50A and no more.
You MUST specify for LiFePo4 any other chemistry BMS will KILL you LFP cells.

LiitoKala cells.​

Better look at these threads... BEWARE
Search results for query: LiitoKala | DIY Solar Power Forum (diysolarforum.com)

NOAH'S ARK: Index of LiFePO4 cell manufacturers | DIY Solar Power Forum (diysolarforum.com)

 

[Tasemu]

I would suggest that you do more RESEARCH before buying anything.

Daly BMS... sorta ok, they are a "Value BMS" more or less. Always derate their spec, if it says 100A use it for 50A and no more.
You MUST specify for LiFePo4 any other chemistry BMS will KILL you LFP cells.

LiitoKala cells.​

Better look at these threads... BEWARE
Search results for query: LiitoKala | DIY Solar Power Forum (diysolarforum.com)

NOAH'S ARK: Index of LiFePO4 cell manufacturers | DIY Solar Power Forum (diysolarforum.com)

I've been doing as much research as possible over the last month or so, fairly confident. I have already derated it, thought the 100a model would suit my charging sources as they wont push 50A. Also we run no high loads on the boat through an inverter (got a 7kva diesel generator for that) so the biggest load we have is some laptop chargers and a LED tv.

 

[ArthurEld]

Most people here buy thru Alibaba and if you inquire, you should get similar pricing.

I recommend a spare cell or two. Sometimes you get a crappy cell that limits your capacity. And I don't think they wear evenly.
Spares allow you to swap cells. I think it is a valuable option.

Research as long as you can but realize you have about 1.5 months wait for the cells.

EVE or LISHEN

Hello, I am about to buy 280ah cells, but I can't decide if it would be better to buy EVE or LISHEN, from everything I have read in the forum it seems that EVE is the king of purchases here, but there are also people who have bought LISHEN and there are no negative comments about them, the...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Tasemu]

Most people here buy thru Alibaba and if you inquire, you should get similar pricing.

I recommend a spare cell or two. Sometimes you get a crappy cell that limits your capacity. And I don't think they wear evenly.
Spares allow you to swap cells. I think it is a valuable option.

Research as long as you can but realize you have about 1.5 months wait for the cells.

EVE or LISHEN

Hello, I am about to buy 280ah cells, but I can't decide if it would be better to buy EVE or LISHEN, from everything I have read in the forum it seems that EVE is the king of purchases here, but there are also people who have bought LISHEN and there are no negative comments about them, the...

diysolarforum.com

Is there a reason for alibaba over aliexpress? I've never heard of it in the UK. I thought aliexpress is for international shipments to eu/uk and such... Bit confused now haha

 

[ArthurEld]

Alibaba is usually for large quantities. But they'll sell you 4.
You need to spend time reading through threads and participating.

Who is best supplier for lithium cells ?

Hi, I wish to build up a 30Kwh lithium battery bank to put fully relly on solar for 100% I would like to get some references for best and cheaper suppliers of Lithium cells through Alibaba. I find the Chinese suppliers to be very rigid. Any idea?

diysolarforum.com

Lishen 270ah-272ah cell group buy.

Ok, this will be a longish post but I want to lay some foundation before taking orders on these cells. Eve 280ah cells appear to only be available at this point from suppliers that want a premium price for them From everything I can find, Lishen is extremely popular in China but has yet to get...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Tasemu]

Just ordered the cells and the BMS. Going to get a victron smart shunt and battery sense too. Thanks for the help, wish me luck

 

[DThames]

Welcome and glad to see someone diving in.

I have one BMS (not Daly) with Bluetooth and I LOVE it. I have a pair of second life LiFePo4 batteries (acting as one) and being able to see the cell level voltage from my phone is fantastic. I have purchased 2 more Bluetooth BMS, one for a mobile pack and one for a new 8s LiFePo4 280ah pack. Both are future projects. I don't have an issue with Daly, FYI. My only Daly experience is with small (dumb) units.

Do you understand that building a clamping fixture for the cells will protect them from some swelling and increase cycle life?

 

[Tasemu]

Welcome and glad to see someone diving in.

I have one BMS (not Daly) with Bluetooth and I LOVE it. I have a pair of second life LiFePo4 batteries (acting as one) and being able to see the cell level voltage from my phone is fantastic. I have purchased 2 more Bluetooth BMS, one for a mobile pack and one for a new 8s LiFePo4 280ah pack. Both are future projects. I don't have an issue with Daly, FYI. My only Daly experience is with small (dumb) units.

Do you understand that building a clamping fixture for the cells will protect them from some swelling and increase cycle life?

Thanks! Yeah I have heard that clamping can help with swelling, however I also heard that swelling only occurs over time with high current loads being used. Is this the case with low loads also?

 

[DThames]

Thanks! Yeah I have heard that clamping can help with swelling, however I also heard that swelling only occurs over time with high current loads being used. Is this the case with low loads also?

If the MFG says 3500 cycles with clamping and 2500 cycles without clamping, I will blindly clamp (correctly applied). People on this forum have experienced some swelling with initial bench testing. I can't comment with any authority under what conditions you may or may not get swelling. I have decided (still waiting on 8 cells to arrive) to clamp before any testing or use.

 

[DeeK]

If the MFG says 3500 cycles with clamping and 2500 cycles without clamping, I will blindly clamp (correctly applied). People on this forum have experienced some swelling with initial bench testing. I can't comment with any authority under what conditions you may or may not get swelling. I have decided (still waiting on 8 cells to arrive) to clamp before any testing or use.

Would you mind providing a reference to where EVE suggests clamping will increase cycle life?

 

[A.Justice]

I have used ThriveEnergy on DHGate for 3 sets of batteries and a BMS. They will price-match within reason. Cells come matched and take about a month to arrive, free shipping as well.

https://m.dhgate.com/store/21533366?invitorid=qyIvEf4c