diy solar

diy solar

Valence U27-12XP 12 volt 138Ah

Been thinking about replacing my Lifeline AGM batteries with one of these. I've seen a couple on ebay used, but I'm concerned about the previous usage which seems to be either bus fleets or Staples delivery trucks which see heavy usage for about a year to a year and a half.
 
WinnebagoMan said:
Been thinking about replacing my Lifeline AGM batteries with one of these. I've seen a couple on ebay used, but I'm concerned about the previous usage which seems to be either bus fleets or Staples delivery trucks which see heavy usage for about a year to a year and a half.
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I have 6, purchased two different times, all came from Staples trucks. None of them have cycled more than 200 times. The last two less than 50
 
Any way to tell whether the battery is coming from a good source and do you happen to know which seller on eBay you went through?
 
WinnebagoMan said:
Any way to tell whether the battery is coming from a good source and do you happen to know which seller on eBay you went through?
Click to expand...
I have been getting mine from people in Milwaukee, there are different ones but I think source is the same. They have been buying trucks all over the country though. Last two I bought I took laptop and they let me plug in to look at bms info.
 
Ended up buying an older black Valence U27 from ebay. Fingers crossed it works well for boondocking. Seller supposedly ran the Valence software and said this lot only had 70 cycles (I want to believe). Going to test it out camping this weekend which will replace my dual 12v parallel Lifeline AGMs. Initially, I'll have it in a battery box on the tongue but will eventually move it into the storage compartment under the bed for better temperature regulation and security.

On a side note, I'd like to have this battery be removable as I'm forced to store my trailer in a storage facility. What would be a safe amperage rating for a Anderson connector so the battery is easily removable and able to be brought home to charge and store without having to use tools?
 
WinnebagoMan said:
Ended up buying an older black Valence U27 from ebay. Fingers crossed it works well for boondocking. Seller supposedly ran the Valence software and said this lot only had 70 cycles (I want to believe). Going to test it out camping this weekend which will replace my dual 12v parallel Lifeline AGMs. Initially, I'll have it in a battery box on the tongue but will eventually move it into the storage compartment under the bed for better temperature regulation and security.

On a side note, I'd like to have this battery be removable as I'm forced to store my trailer in a storage facility. What would be a safe amperage rating for a Anderson connector so the battery is easily removable and able to be brought home to charge and store without having to use tools?
Click to expand...
The rating you select depends on your charger and loads you intend to run and are fused for. The battery itself can do 150 amps for discharge and can be charged at 70 amps.
 
morth said:
The rating you select depends on your charger and loads you intend to run and are fused for. The battery itself can do 150 amps for discharge and can be charged at 70 amps.
Click to expand...

Nothing too crazy, I currently have an EP EVER 30amp MPPT controller and one 100w solar panel (not mounted) that I move around while camping. I eventually want to get the MPP Solar 12v unit that Will reviewed a while back but they're out of stock to replace my onboard 12v/120v electronics. Realistically, a 175amp Anderson connector should be sufficient for continuous charging and loads?
 
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WinnebagoMan said:
Nothing too crazy, I currently have an EP EVER 30amp MPPT controller and one 100w solar panel (not mounted) that I move around while camping. I eventually want to get the MPP Solar 12v unit that Will reviewed a while back but they're out of stock to replace my onboard 12v/120v electronics. Realistically, a 175amp Anderson connector should be sufficient for continuous charging and loads?
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I don't see any issues with that. Guess we'll see if the rest of the collective has to say....
 
The main thing I'd add to this conversation is just to point out that Valence U27-12XP batteries are not drop-ins; they have internal monitoring, yes, but no true BMS for HV/LV or hi/lo temperature cutouts... so always keep an eye on them, because they will not shut themselves down before any charge/discharge condition might kill them.
Only the U-Charge RT series batteries are drop-ins. Every other model, as expressly stated by Valence, "requires the Battery Management System", which of course is not available for retail purchase, thus the workarounds that people have developed.

I don't see any issues with the charge rates mentioned above, just keep a really close eye on everything until/unless you have your batteries connected to 3rd-party HV/LV cutouts and (ideally) temperature-sensitive cutouts as well. Otherwise, if that Epever ever decides to throw 16v at your batteries, or any number of other possible conditions, the batteries will be crisped rather quickly because they're not capable of shutting themselves down.

I do concur with the use of a 175A Anderson connector, though - those things are great and on my test bench I have consistently run way more than they're rated for through them without any issue... not that I recommend doing that.
 
Justin Laureltec said:
The main thing I'd add to this conversation is just to point out that Valence U27-12XP batteries are not drop-ins; they have internal monitoring, yes, but no true BMS for HV/LV or hi/lo temperature cutouts... so always keep an eye on them, because they will not shut themselves down before any charge/discharge condition might kill them.
Only the U-Charge RT series batteries are drop-ins. Every other model, as expressly stated by Valence, "requires the Battery Management System", which of course is not available for retail purchase, thus the workarounds that people have developed.

I don't see any issues with the charge rates mentioned above, just keep a really close eye on everything until/unless you have your batteries connected to 3rd-party HV/LV cutouts and (ideally) temperature-sensitive cutouts as well. Otherwise, if that Epever ever decides to throw 16v at your batteries, or any number of other possible conditions, the batteries will be crisped rather quickly because they're not capable of shutting themselves down.

I do concur with the use of a 175A Anderson connector, though - those things are great and on my test bench I have consistently run way more than they're rated for through them without any issue... not that I recommend doing that.
Click to expand...
What float voltage do you recommend? Also, just an FYI for anyone interested. I use my inverted for my battery protection. I have my low voltage cutoff set pretty high so when and if I go below that the only thing pulling from my batteries is my low voltage DC circuits which are mainly my LED lighting. So if I'm out and about and that happens I'll be able to crank up the gen set and recharge.
 
Justin Laureltec said:
The main thing I'd add to this conversation is just to point out that Valence U27-12XP batteries are not drop-ins; they have internal monitoring, yes, but no true BMS for HV/LV or hi/lo temperature cutouts... so always keep an eye on them, because they will not shut themselves down before any charge/discharge condition might kill them.
Only the U-Charge RT series batteries are drop-ins. Every other model, as expressly stated by Valence, "requires the Battery Management System", which of course is not available for retail purchase, thus the workarounds that people have developed.

I don't see any issues with the charge rates mentioned above, just keep a really close eye on everything until/unless you have your batteries connected to 3rd-party HV/LV cutouts and (ideally) temperature-sensitive cutouts as well. Otherwise, if that Epever ever decides to throw 16v at your batteries, or any number of other possible conditions, the batteries will be crisped rather quickly because they're not capable of shutting themselves down.

I do concur with the use of a 175A Anderson connector, though - those things are great and on my test bench I have consistently run way more than they're rated for through them without any issue... not that I recommend doing that.
Click to expand...

My EP Ever has a temperature probe that I have routed into the battery box. I'm not sure how accurate or effective it actually is but I'm in San Diego and we don't typically have freezing temperatures although I will be camping in the Sierras on occasion. Any recommendations on an inexpensive BMS? I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole with the expenditures with lithium but the AGM batteries I just removed were bought used and I think one of the two batteries had sulfated at one point because I lost power completely to my 12v system. Didn't have a multimeter with me at the time but the EP Ever was showing around 5-6v on my last trip.
 
Cliffman said:
What float voltage do you recommend? Also, just an FYI for anyone interested. I use my inverted for my battery protection. I have my low voltage cutoff set pretty high so when and if I go below that the only thing pulling from my batteries is my low voltage DC circuits which are mainly my LED lighting. So if I'm out and about and that happens I'll be able to crank up the gen set and recharge.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, we do not deal with these batteries (strictly Victron and Battle Born when it comes to batteries) so I can't offer any meaningful advice re float settings for them.

@WinnebagoMan -similar to my answer above- we only deal with Tier-1 components which -generally speaking- either have their own BMS built-in like BBs, or have dedicated BMS systems that work with them, like Victron, so I am unable to recommend any 3rd-party BMS systems. I know plenty of others here have experience with those systems, though, so I'm sure someone else will have some good recommendations for you!
 
Just installed my Valence BMS from Muller Industries on my U27 install of 3PS4.

Works like a champ and has contactor cut-out functionality. 7D3C4CCE-F65A-483A-A9CE-A42FB7D765A8.jpeg
 
adambant said:
FYI, new product on market, a BMS for the Valence U27-12XP batteries Much less cost that Valence (hard to find) units and can program yourself easily. Tradeoffs, less overall features, but will probably handle 80% of users out there. https://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/valence-battery-bms.html
I ordered one today. Will report back when I get to take it for a drive.
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Adamant- Can't wait to see if this works. I ordered 4 of the batteries. I ordered the vectron multiplex 3000 inverter as well so I'm hoping via some means or settings I can protect the batteries.
 
I have a pair of u27-12xp black valence batteries and i cannot get them to connect to the software for love nor money, what can I be doing wrong ? the software seems to be talking to my usb adaptor through the correct com port but the software keeps reporting no battery found !!
 
Is ebay the best place to purchase Valence u27-12xp batteries or are there other sources.
 
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