Putting Lithium Batteries in a Styrofoam box?

[Offgridder8888]

Hi guys I'm using my solar system on a boat so I'm trying to make everything as light as possible. I bought waterproof lifepo4 batteries but I want to make sure it's in a box as well to preserve the battery. Could I put them in a Styrofoam box to keep the weight down as much as possible or would it get too hot and overheat? Are there any other lightweight options for a battery box better than plywood? Otherwise I will probably just make it from plywood. Thanks for all the help guys I really appreciate it!!!

 

[HRTKD]

My LiFePO4 cells (4s) are in a compression fixture that uses plywood ends and threaded rods, so not an off-the-shelf battery. In the winter I have the batteries encased in foam insulation and that works fine. I remove the foam for summer to give the batteries the opportunity to disperse heat.

How much heat the batteries generate depends on how many amps you're pulling. If the amps are low you won't see much change in battery temperature. If the amps are high then you should have a strategy for handling the heat. If the BMS is inside your battery box, that will add to the heat generated.

 

[Bluedog225]

Really depends. Heat is ok in the winter and bad in the summer. Want to maintain 70-80 F.

Stryo doesn‘t help with fire concerns. Polyiso is better but often foil faced and that introduces other conerns.

 

[timselectric]

A plastic tote, works well. Light weight and keeps the weather out. May want to add some ventilation for summer.

 

[A.Justice]

I used a cheap styrofoam cooler to house my battery when I was moving in January, I had to keep the deep freezers running in the trailer. Outside temps got down to 10°f or so, the batteries stayed over 35 with no additional heating for almost 48 hours, of course, they were being discharged the entire time so they stayed warm.

I say that to reinforce how hot those batteries will get in the sun on a boat without some sort of cooling.

All my battery cases are made from wood and plastic.