Hey all, anyone have experience with Renogy batteries? Thinking of getting these https://www.renogy.com/deep-cycle-agm-battery-12-volt-200ah/ for house bank and bow thruster. Could I also use one for a starting battery for a Lehman 120? They seem to be the most affordable AGMs I’ve found. Want AGMs because batteries are right under salon in engine room.
Renogy Batteries
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catalinajack
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What advantage do you see, for your use case, for AGM batteries vs flooded?
Main one for me is that flood lead acid batteries are not supposed to be used in living spaces because of off gassing during charging and these are right below the salon. As I understand it (not an expert), they can also be discharged to 80% and have the same or better cycle life as a flooded acid battery discharged to 50%. So more usable capacity.
Comodave
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Then you need to do much much more homework. If you are not completely sure what you are doing get a certified marine electrician to help you design the battery system.
Comodave
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Blowers are required in gas boats, and they suck air out from low in the engine room. Blowers are not required in diesel boats.
mvweebles
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No experience with their batteries, but had stupendously awful experience with them as a company. Inverter arrived clearly DOA (throwing over-temp error in 50-degree ambient temps). You have no idea the hoops they sent me through to RMA. Ultimately required a BBB complaint and credit card dispute. Still had to dog them for 2 months to actually pay
If you buy, do it via Amazon. But seriously, in a world of poor customer service and tech support, they really stand out in my mind. Waste of time.
Peter
If you buy, do it via Amazon. But seriously, in a world of poor customer service and tech support, they really stand out in my mind. Waste of time.
Peter
Terry Jackson
Newbie
Damn, already bought Renogy AGM 12V 100 Ah battery and 100W solar panel kit (which includes 30A PWM Battery Solar Charge Controller). Hope I have better luck with Renogy than mvweebles did!
I Also have the Vevor 2.500 kW pure sinewave inverter (fridge, microwave) , and Jupiter 2kW quasi sinewave inverter (lights, heater).
I was (maybe naively) wondering if anyone had run the two inverters in parallel with success off the common 100Ah battery (low enough battery impedance).
For emergency use only in kitchen of house
Thanks, Terry
I Also have the Vevor 2.500 kW pure sinewave inverter (fridge, microwave) , and Jupiter 2kW quasi sinewave inverter (lights, heater).
I was (maybe naively) wondering if anyone had run the two inverters in parallel with success off the common 100Ah battery (low enough battery impedance).
For emergency use only in kitchen of house
Thanks, Terry
Comodave
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Well at least I learned something today!!!!
That is a nice thing about diesels, we don’t have to have ignition protected electrical devices like a gas boat requires.
mvweebles
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I have a couple solar panels I bought 5 years ago from renogy that work fine, and a DC-DC charger, and a pretty nice MPPT controller that ingests both solar and engine Alternator. All before my disaster experience. Their tech support, if needed, is pretty bad - days between responses, and the responses were often wrong (telling me my 12.4V FLA batteries were dead and needed to be replaced before they'd replace the 12v inverter).
If it works, great. If it needs to go back, do so asap. That's my experience.
Peter
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Many boats (including mine) safely have FLA batteries in the ER below the main salon. The engine room is vented anyway and FLA still delivers the most AHrs for your dollar compared with AGM & Lithium per Jim Healey over on the MTOA & AGLCA forums.
I agree in sleeping spaces, best to use AGM (that’s I what I use for my thrusters) but two 4 D’s cost more than my 1100 AHr FLA housebank.
Comodave
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Our last boat also.
ranger58sb
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Don't know about that brand, but...
If your batteries are in living spaces, and/or access for service is difficult, there's a good use case for AGMs. Not sure engine room batteries needs the same attention as batteries in living living spaces. Check your venting, though...
That 80% discharge thing is probably a tad aggressive. Odyssey says that in some of their literature, but then I think their thousand-cycle chart (similar to what Lifeline publishes) still suggests longest life if you usually discharge to no less than 50%.
Sailboat cruisers (cruisersforum.com) point out that AGMs don't do well if not routinely/often brought back up to 100% charge... which many have difficulty doing (unless they have solar) 'cause they don't have access to shore power very often. That has not been an issue for us...
We have been using Odyssey and Lifeline AGMs. Usually Odyssey when we need to emphasize cranking amps, Lifeline when we want to emphasize capacity. Track record for Odysseys has been 11 and 12 seasons for the banks we had the longest. Don't have enough time with Lifelines to confirm similar lifetime, though...
I'd say you might be looking at a brand where you get only what you pay for.
-Chris
catalinajack
Guru
AGMs are leaad batteries. They pwrform no differently than flooded lead acid batteries. Depleting them often to 80% will sugnificantly shorten their life.
This below from the Trojan Users Guide...
The 50% DOD cliff where exceeding it somehow damages batteries is a myth
Yes you get fewer (large AH) cycles but the alternative is more (smaller AH cycles)... it is essentially a wash (within 10%).
Consider the case where you run your bank to 40% discharge daily. 365 cycles / yr with continuous use
Now compare recharging every other day... 80% DOD 183 cycles / year with continuous use.
Many will say you lose 50% of your "life" with higher discharge... per above ( approximation) it's a wash but in the rough order of magnitude for many batty life cycle charts... losing 50% of cycles for a 2X DOD.
The 50% DOD cliff where exceeding it somehow damages batteries is a myth
Yes you get fewer (large AH) cycles but the alternative is more (smaller AH cycles)... it is essentially a wash (within 10%).
Consider the case where you run your bank to 40% discharge daily. 365 cycles / yr with continuous use
Now compare recharging every other day... 80% DOD 183 cycles / year with continuous use.
Many will say you lose 50% of your "life" with higher discharge... per above ( approximation) it's a wash but in the rough order of magnitude for many batty life cycle charts... losing 50% of cycles for a 2X DOD.
SteveK
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Thanks for posting this. I had this thought often, having depleted batteries more than 50% and still getting years of service from them. Explained like this it all makes sense.
ranger58sb
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Yes, there's trade-off, but...
Consider a battery that predicts 1500 cycles to 40%, 1000 cycles to 50% DoD... but only 550 at 80%. (Lifeline Technical Manual, Rev G., 11/26/2019, p40. Understanding that lab predictions aren't real world...)
Using a 100 Ah battery for example, that'd be 50K used amps versus 44K used amps. I think.
-Chris
I'll consider your numbers correct, as I don't have the Lifeline curve, but that is a 12% loss of capacity if it is done over its whole life. Not too far off from my 10% statement and a long way from what most folks quote as "damaged" or " lose half its life ".
I am not a proponent of using 80% DOD as a design target but doing that, even multiple times, is not catastrophic as some would lead others to believe.
ranger58sb
Guru
Fair enough, those numbers.
I guess I haven't really noticed catastrophic predictions about damage or half-life...
-Chris
artfulltune
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Hello, NMT; I bought 3 Lifepo4 200ah Renogy’s to replace 3 dying LA’s last year. They’ve been in service since January ’22. I find them to be, so far, satisfactory for my purposes. They’re charged by a Xantrex Freedom 3000 Marine unit that is AC wired directly from shore power. I was careful to charge them above freezing temperatures. All DC power was kept off (at the panel) except for the bilge pumps. The batteries are parallel cabled & registered an approximately a 50% SOC between owner’s “well” visits. They quickly were brought back to 100% by bulk charge. I intentionally tested them occasionally during the boating season by using air conditioning, which brought the SOC down to @40%. Re-charging from that SOC took 70 min using my Balmer 70 amp, single pulley alternator. As far as the Renogy brand is concerned I can’t give any pro/con, except I did find the “support” by phone lacking. Further, however, I am near purchasing a 600 watt solar “kit” from Renogy soon. As an aside comment, I'd get an AGM for "start" and a separate battery (Lifepo4 or AGM) for your thruster to eliminate a lengthy cable run.
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I wonder if voltage is the measure used for SOC. Getting the voltage from 11.5 to 12.5 is possible in that time. Fully charged takes much longer.
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I understand 50% discharge is FLA. If it is also the same for AGM, as far as Odyssey goes, why spend the extra money if you don't need to store them on their side?
Also. what is used to measure SOC as far as capacity left or used?
Thanks.
artfulltune
Senior Member
Hello James, I understand the point you made but I'm using my Xantrex & Renogy remote displays, both showing the charge rates and results in that approximate period of time.
pacopico
Veteran Member
I just purchased four (4) of the same for my boat, general purpose application as starting and house batteries, no idea how they will last but so far they start the engines and keep the lights on.
For reference, I use my boat as a picnic boat -vs- extended cruising so utilizing the batteries to the fullest and/or monitoring Wh on charging and discharging is not something I am interested in pursuing in the depth others here mention.
MacPhid
Senior Member
What were the instantaneous charge rates showing? Our Xantrex link pro is configured to show both amp-hours and instantaneous amps into or out of the bank. Was the Xantrex reconfigured for the new bank? Although I’m guessing the Renogy monitor was installed and configured with the new bank. Just seems odd that the numbers don’t equate.
James
artfulltune
Senior Member
Hello Pacopico, When I first started my plan to swap-out the 3 LA's for Lifepo4'a I looked at the all the appropriate PYS videos and schematics of what the new system should or would look like. While doing that I also quizzed a bunch of manufacturers, Dakota, etc., and none recommended lithium deep cycle batteries used as "start" batteries. I did buy 2 Dakota 50ah Lifepo4 100cca batteries for starting and they wouldn't even engage the solenoid on my Perkins 635's. I bought an Odyssey type 31 AGM for for starting. It charges off a small Victron powered by the Delco alternator.
