Opinions on a pair of 12V 100Ah Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

[Jetguy]

Replacing my 4 75ah 6volt Lead acid house batteries with two 100ah 12V Lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Live in north Texas.
Don't camp in winter.
Don't need low temp cut off just a smart BMS for all the other stuff.
Can afford to invest $1000 for the total cost of 2 batteries.
Looking for a midrange dependable battery from a good company that will honor their warranty!
Already have the Renogy DCC50s 12v 50a DC-DC battery charger with MPPT solar charger with BT-2 bluetooth module
and Renogy one core monitor.
Will install later 4 Flexible 100W 12v solar panels. Watching sales!
Will be watching the Black Friday sales for the best buys!
Not trying to create a large battery setup just wanting to DIY what I have with small 400w solar set up with better batteries on a budget!

So Im trying to decide which brand batteries to buy.
What do you guys think of the Renogy 12v 100ah smart batteries?

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[Bluedog225]

If you want good support, I’d go with SOK from current connected. They are outside your price range.

There are much cheaper but I wouldn’t trust the support. It is what it is.

watching some will prowse videos will help. Though some he recommends later go on to produce a cheaper/sh!ttier product with the same label. So I’d focus on the current reviews.

And welcome.

 

[MisterSandals]

Will install later 4 Flexible 100W 12v solar panels. Watching sales!

Lots of problems and very disappointing production from flexible panels:

Search results for query: flexible

diysolarforum.com

400W of solar sounds pretty anemic for 200Ah of LiFePO4.

Will these be mounted flat on an RV ?

 

[Philip53]

Ditto @MisterSandals on the flexible panels - only if you had no other choice. There is a lot of bad reviews from folks with flex panels. Buy rigid for longer life and better productivity. Is your question for a camp, or for an RV? If you have an RV, 400watts of panel(s) may be as good as you'll get, at least if you have an air conditioner up top. As far as batteries, get as good quality as you can, as it will probably save you aggravation and money, in the long run. Almost every time I try to save money on equipment, tools or machinery, it costs me more over time . Hopefully at 69, I have learned my lesson(s).

Good luck.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

You might get a better deal and less wiring with a 200Ah LIFEPO4.

I have reviewed AmpereTime, LI Time and Enjoybot and they are basically the same batteries with a different name tag.

AmpereTime has probably been around the longest and quality is decent for a midlevel battery but no low temp shut off so they need to be stored above freezing.

I would suggest better panels than the portable. Those just don't hold up in harsh weather and can't be mounted.

Ecoworthy and Renogy has decent 100 watt panels and you can build a simple ground mount using cinderblocks and some 2x4s or I used cedar landscaping posts. My Renogy panels in the pic are still producing at range after 10 years.

400 watts of solar and 200Ah is what I use on one of my systems and that will run a lot of stuff and is the size system I recommend for starting off grid. You can always add batteries and panels later if you need more power.

Here is my ground mount for ideas:

 

[Jetguy]

Yes the panels will be mounted on the roof of a motorhome. I wanted to go with the flexible panels for low drag, was thinking of Renogy 100W flexible panels. With the low profile mounting of the flexible panels I could avoid getting debris under the panels like leaves and such. Modeling my set up after Will's 400 watt solar package w/Alternator charging. Most of the time the RV will be connected to shore power with an occasional overnight at a rest stop while traveling to camping spots so don't need a lot of solar. Will did a video on the Renogy batteries with a good review from him.

 

[MisterSandals]

With the low profile mounting of the flexible panels I could avoid getting debris under the panels like leaves and such.

You should mount them in a sturdy, lightweight (aluminum?) frame and cover it with glass to keep it from flapping and self-destructing in the wind.

</snarkiness>

 

[Bluedog225]

The renogy batteries may have gotten a good review, and I’ve had good luck with intro level renogy stuff, but I’ve never heard that they have good support. Ever.

100 watt panels are pretty tiny these days. If you have the space and way to mount, I’d increase the size.

Really depends on how many watts you need.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I recommend the 200Ah 12v Powerurus that Will Prowse recommends. I have one and it’s great. $730 free shipping no tax and free charger. Email them for the discount code.

For flexible panels I only recommend Sunpower. The 100W panels are about $160, free shipping. To get that price you need to use code “Rvwithtito” at sun powered yachts.com

IMO, don’t buy any more renogy stuff. Especially their batteries. Their support system is for the birds. Nice people but unable to actually help. I’ve sold most of t renogy gear at a loss. Their rigid panels are decent though.

 

[Tomthumb62]

Will did a video on the Renogy batteries with a good review from him.

Look at the date on that video. He no longer recommends renogy. Notice it’s not on any of his current recommended buys. He recently posted publicly here that he no longer supports renogy. They were decent once but no more.

Here’s the link to the Powerurus battery I use that Will recommends:

PowerUrus 12V 200AH LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Rechargeable Battery

PowerUrus 12V 200AH LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Rechargeable Battery Model S12200A Nominal Voltage 12V Capacity 200 Ah, 2560Wh Life Cycles >3500 @ 70% DOD BMS Board Yes (Internal) BMS Rating 200A BMS Mechanical Performance Cell Type Grade A LiFePO4 Cells (Prismatic Cell) Number of Cells 8...

powerurus.com

(This is Will’s affiliate link, no other affiliate links allowed, helps pay to keep this forum alive).

If you email Powerurus, they will give you a $20 coupon code.

I have been tickled pleased by their pre and after sales support. Always answering my questions within 24-48 hours.

 

[Jetguy]

I want to go with two batteries for redundancy. My electrical system in the 2004 Monaco goes crazy if the house batteries fail.
Must have a working house battery for it to work properly. Watched Will's video on the PowerUrus Batteries. They look good.
Sounds like they have updated their IOS app for better performance. Definitely a contender. Is it worth the extra $50 for the self heating function? Definitely considering the rigid panels now with all the comments.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I want to go with two batteries for redundancy. My electrical system in the 2004 Monaco goes crazy if the house batteries fail.
Must have a working house battery for it to work properly. Watched Will's video on the PowerUrus Batteries. They look good.
Sounds like they have updated their IOS app for better performance. Definitely a contender. Is it worth the extra $50 for the self heating function? Definitely considering the rigid panels now with all the comments.

Most people don’t need heated batteries. If you end up actually needing such a feature, you can build your own heating pads for cheap.

There are two iOS apps that work with the Powerurus batteries: “Epoch Li-ion” and “Roypow fish”. I assume the same for Android. I tend to prefer the Epoch one as it shows remaining amp hours, too.

The apps are very very useful. The built in battery percentage monitor is very nice to have to know approximately how much juice is left in the battery. But it’s not as accurate as a $80-130 external battery monitor like the Victron Smartshunt ($130). But like an expensive external shunt, you’ll still need to recalibrate the monitor on occasion. We lived full time in our camp trailer for over 6 weeks recently, living most of the time on solar power with the 200Ah Powerurus at the helm. It wasn’t until near the end of the trip that it seemed that the built in monitor was reporting with less accuracy. To reset it, all you need to do is fully discharge the battery until the BMS cuts off, then fully charge up until BMS cuts off.

 

[Bluedog225]

The apps also tell me what my loads are consuming. Handy.

 

[Tomthumb62]

The apps also tell me what my loads are consuming. Handy.

In my experience, very handy, but not so great at loads under 1A (12v). So it can’t detect a load when only my LED light(s) are on in the camp trailer.

 

[Samsonite801]

Replacing my 4 75ah 6volt Lead acid house batteries with two 100ah 12V Lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Live in north Texas.
Don't camp in winter.
Don't need low temp cut off just a smart BMS for all the other stuff.
Can afford to invest $1000 for the total cost of 2 batteries.
Looking for a midrange dependable battery from a good company that will honor their warranty!
Already have the Renogy DCC50s 12v 50a DC-DC battery charger with MPPT solar charger with BT-2 bluetooth module
and Renogy one core monitor.
Will install later 4 Flexible 100W 12v solar panels. Watching sales!
Will be watching the Black Friday sales for the best buys!
Not trying to create a large battery setup just wanting to DIY what I have with small 400w solar set up with better batteries on a budget!

So Im trying to decide which brand batteries to buy.
What do you guys think of the Renogy 12v 100ah smart batteries?

What about something like this, would it fit in there somewhere? (it's in the price range)

EG4 LifePower4 Lithium Battery 12V 400AH Server Rack Battery (Stephenville, TX)

I have for sale: 1x EG4 LifePower4 Lithium Battery 12V 400AH Server Rack Battery This battery was seldom used and I've had it in storage for the better part of 9 months. Price is $1000. Thanks for looking!

diysolarforum.com

5.5 hours away from Amarillo, TX, might be worth looking into...


EDIT:
That same guy seems to have these SOK ones too:

SOK 12V 100AH Batteries (Stephenville, TX)

I have for sale: 2x SOK 12V 100AH Batteries. Both of these batteries were very lightly used for under a year, were backup batteries in my truck. They do not have bluetooth. Price is $375 each. Thanks for looking!

diysolarforum.com

 

[upgrader]

Lots of problems and very disappointing production from flexible panels:

Search results for query: flexible

diysolarforum.com

400W of solar sounds pretty anemic for 200Ah of LiFePO4.

Will these be mounted flat on an RV ?

Well, I learned the hard way that if you want to add an 2000W inverter, you’ll need 200ah of LiFePO4. A 100ah lithium will work just fine with 300-400W of solar. But adding an inverter changes that equation.

@ Jetguy: I agree with other posters: stay away from flexible panels.

It’s cyber Monday! Check out HQST & Rich Solar. Both favorites of Will. I have 3 100W “compact” HQST panels. Highly recommend these panels.

Rich Solar is currently offering a 20% Black Friday discount. Their 200w 12V panels is hugely popular. If you have room for 2 of these panels, snatch them up. Rich Solar has great customer service. They’ll answer any questions on the phone.

Best of luck!

 

[Brucey]

Replacing my 4 75ah 6volt Lead acid house batteries with two 100ah 12V Lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Live in north Texas.
Don't camp in winter.
Don't need low temp cut off just a smart BMS for all the other stuff.
Can afford to invest $1000 for the total cost of 2 batteries.
Looking for a midrange dependable battery from a good company that will honor their warranty!
Already have the Renogy DCC50s 12v 50a DC-DC battery charger with MPPT solar charger with BT-2 bluetooth module
and Renogy one core monitor.
Will install later 4 Flexible 100W 12v solar panels. Watching sales!
Will be watching the Black Friday sales for the best buys!
Not trying to create a large battery setup just wanting to DIY what I have with small 400w solar set up with better batteries on a budget!

So Im trying to decide which brand batteries to buy.
What do you guys think of the Renogy 12v 100ah smart batteries?

​

​

If you can stretch your budget to $1100 you could pickup two powerurus 12V 200Ah batteries with bt for monitoring, reviewed and recommended by Will.

Amazon.com

 

[sylulu]

I have four 100Ah and one 300Ah batteries from RedOdo. They have excellent prices right now with Black Friday. They typically have higher capacity than advertised and work very well. YouTube videos are always favorable on their build. Only issue is no BT so I added a Victron shunt to keep an eye.

 

[Benjamin Yang]

Ensure that the new battery is compatible with the Renogy DCC50s charger and monitor that the user has already purchased. This helps to ensure that all parts of the system run smoothly and that the user can monitor battery performance in real time via the monitor.