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Orphan batteries

Bluedog225

Texas
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Messages
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I’ve got a couple of newly acquired 12v 100 amp BBs. These batteries serve my modest 12v man cave needs well. They are light and can be around to various applications (trailer, boat, etc). Couldn’t be happier.

BB says I can add a couple more batteries within the first 2 years, no problem.

Later in life, maybe next summer, maybe the following, I will have a grown up solar, IQ8, fortress battery full meal deal system.

Looking at the 10 year time frame, would getting a couple more 12v 100 amp “matching” batteries now make sense in terms of integrating with a future, larger, 48 volt system?

I don’t want to be stuck with 2 orphan batteries. Wondering if I should pick up a couple more while they are on sale. Any thoughts appreciated.
 
You mention BB units, are those Big Battery units or Battle Born?

Two companies with same abbreviations, but of vastly different quality.
 
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In my opinion I wouldn’t worry so much about “someday” because on the ten-year span you mentioned the technology will be entirely different. Batteries better, equipment more refined.

What do you need now? what will you need in the next 24months?

Buy for the need you have.

Or- on the other hand I assume the reason you are not doing 48V now is cost/money? If not a cost barrier then just buy them and sufficient panels to do it now. Man cave is a luxury, not a need; if you can afford the luxury just do it.

If it were a need and starting small enables you to save so much in other areas that a year down the road a big upgrade is affordable then just do what you need now would be my advice. And buy the future with money you stick in a jar on a shelf every month from all the money your solar enables you to not spend until you get to the future.
 
Well at Battle Born price…
I go back to my prior post. If you aren’t financing them or missing a car payment if you buy them outright: do it.
 
So u have 2x100ah battle born units in a 12v system.

You foresee you might upgrade to a 48v system, possibly maintaining 200ah of storage. That’d be adding 6 more units. IMO it’d be best to keep the same Ah storage as you increase voltage to allow more headroom of an upgraded system.
 
That’s the question. I was thinking 4 of these 100 ah batteries in series could serve in any future 48 volt system as capacity. Whereas 2 of them have no way to be used.

Am I thinking about it wrong? E.g. 4 batteries with add 100 ah at 48 volts, plug and play.
 
That’s the question. I was thinking 4 of these 100 ah batteries in series could serve in any future 48 volt system as capacity. Whereas 2 of them have no way to be used.

Am I thinking about it wrong? E.g. 4 batteries with add 100 ah at 48 volts, plug and play.
No you are not thinking wrong. UNLESS you plan on using more power than that…
Lightly cycled batteries of any kind are happier batteries
 
I was planning on more capacity. My thought was that the battle born capacity could be added to my larger future battery back. Eg something I make or a fortress.

Thinking out loud, I guess my question is can an inverter be fed by 2 different battery banks or can the different LiFePo battery banks be joined. And I’m thinking the answer is no. It would be a bad idea to mix new and old batteries?
 
With lithium consensus is a year or two diff don’t hurt for battery age. But in a series bank it might be a bigger deal

You ‘can’ parallel batteries to the inverter but that’s not best practice and not a good plan in 48V series config
 
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