Which lithium battery did you buy

[freshalaska]

Wonder which brand lithium ion battery boaters are buying and why did you choose and are you satisfied with you choice.

 

[Graeme Walker]

We installed all Victron equipment on both our boat and RV. We had both professionally installed, didn't want to have any issues and yes it cost $$$ but I sleep well at night. 960ah-980watt solar on boat, 600ah-1200 watts solar on RV. This allows us to run everything including multiple fridge/freezer on boat and residential fridge/freezer on RV for several days. I could have gone less but the incremental savings wouldn't have been too much and 'other half' would have 'suffered', which is not what I want to have happen.

 

[ksanders]

I bought EPOCH 300 amp hour batteries, three of them and are very happy with the results.

These are charged by two parallel running Victor on multi plus each with 120 A of capacity and a Balmar alternator on one of my engine engines with 150 amp capacity

 

[CharlieO.]

I went with Vatrer brand battery. Bluetooth and self heating with built in BMS. I am happy so far and will be adding another one.
Disclaimer-I am no expert but chose this battery based on Rod Collin’s recommendations on his Marine how to web page.

 

[Delta Riverat]

LiTime, no problems.

 

[psneeld]

LiTime, no problems.

LiTime for me too...now have 6 total... 2 for RV, 2 for trolling motor on skiff, one12V for one small trolling motor for inflatable and one 36V for 3hp electric outboard for the inflatable replacing the other smaller setup.

Very pleased, gets high ratings on battery reviewers, not one issue and price point for reputation seem good. Also like the documentation package they send with battery.

 

[Mambo42]

My whole system is Victron, so I also went for Victron LiFePO4. Lithium Ion is not coming on my boat, I don't like sleeping on top of a bomb, lithium ion is simply too dangerous.

 

[mvweebles]

My whole system is Victron, so I also went for Victron LiFePO4. Lithium Ion is not coming on my boat, I don't like sleeping on top of a bomb, lithium ion is simply too dangerous.

I assumed the OP meant LiFePO4. Market seems to have settled on LiFePO4 these days.

I recently purchased a LiTime 230AH 12v battery based on strong reviews. Epoch seems like a good value for a step-up on quality. Frankly, the market is moving so fast that if I were to buy another battery today, I would look at LiTime but would mostly be a start-from-scratch search even though I'm happy with my choice of LiTime.

You might also ping DIY Solar forum, the one Will Prowse monitors. Serious wonks on that forum. Just make sure you ask for 12v/48v. Many of those folks are 48v.


Peter

Peter

 

[Mambo42]

I assumed the OP meant LiFePO4. Market seems to have settled on LiFePO4 these days.

I recently purchased a LiTime 230AH 12v battery based on strong reviews. Epoch seems like a good value for a step-up on quality. Frankly, the market is moving so fast that if I were to buy another battery today, I would look at LiTime but would mostly be a start-from-scratch search even though I'm happy with my choice of LiTime.

You might also ping DIY Solar forum, the one Will Prowse monitors. Serious wonks on that forum. Just make sure you ask for 12v/48v. Many of those folks are 48v.


Peter

Peter

OP spoke about Lithium Ion, asking which brands everyone buys. I just wanted to point out that Lithium Ion is an absolute no-go on a boat (at least for me). And any sane person, who thinks consciously about his or her safety should not put Lithium Ion on his or her boat either. No matter that stories the sellers would like to tell you, lithium ion is an inherently dangerous battery system to have onboard a boat.

 

[Delta Riverat]

LiFePO4 batteries are lithium ion batteries. Just another of the the lithium battery chemistries.

 

[Mambo42]

LiFePO4 batteries are lithium ion batteries. Just another of the the lithium battery chemistries.

Unfortunately there is a huge difference between lithium ion batteries and LiFePO4 batteries. The main differences being possibility of overheating (even catching fire) and overall safety. If a lithium ion battery is damaged it can catch fire, while this is impossible with a LiFePO4 battery.
Not only is a LiFePO4 battery safe to use on a boat, it also has a larger lifespan.
A lithium ion battery like e.g. a Tesla powerpack has become popular to use on boats since the total Kwh stored in a lithium ion battery is much higher than in a same size LiFePO4 battery. However, as has shown over and over again, once a lithium ion battery catches fire it is almost impossible to extinguish the fire. If your boat is made of GRP and you sail on heavy seas, thereby putting stress on the internal battery, you do run an increased risk of a fire.
For me that was more than enough reason to not accept lithium ion on my boat. Although LiFePO4 is much more expensive it is also much safer, in fact it is even safer than an AGM or gel battery.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yes, I know all these things. Did you read the link? LiFePO4 is a type of lithium ion battery.

I was really happy to not see lithium polymer on the list as it is probably the most unsafe chemistry of all. All you boaters know about fiberglass eh? Mixing the methyl ethyl ketone peroxide with the polyester resin and working fast before it kicks. Mean while the the mix in the can is smoking hot because it has more depth. Yeah, polymerization makes heat, a lot of heat.

 

[Nordlund Xpress]

Wonder which brand lithium ion battery boaters are buying and why did you choose and are you satisfied with you choice.

We engineered a 100% Victron system with six 200 amp, 12V batteries in a 600 amp 24V house system in the same space as our previous 440 amp, 24V house bank built on 8 Lifeline 6V, 220 amp AGM batteries. Works great. 480-600 useful amps versus 220 and saved 247 lbs. Very satisfied and no finger pointing due to mixed components.

 

[North Baltic sea]

Hi, eco worthy 2*280A working very nice my boat homebank.

 

[Mac2]

6 LifePower EG-4s in a rack.

 

[slowgoesit]

Mambo42, you're not getting the point Delta Riverat is making.

LiFePO4 batteries ARE Lithium Ion batteries as the link he provided shows. But some CHEMISTRIES of Lithium Ion batteries are less stable (safe) than others.

LiFePO4 happens to be a very stable (safe) type of Lithium Ion battery.

Stating that Lithium ION batteries are BAD, but Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), or sometimes abbreviated further to LFP are GOOD is like stating:

Fruit is BAD, but Bananas are GOOD.

Since Bananas are a fruit, stating that Fruit is Bad is an incorrect statement.

 

[slowgoesit]

We installed 1,200 ah of Dragonfly Energy batteries (sold by Battleborn) in our boat three years ago. We couldn't be happier with them. They have functioned flawlessly for three years, and the primary reason we decided on them was Battleborn's warranty and reputation for customer support.

Having said that, if we were to do it again today, we would have gone with another brand. Today we could install a brand with more features that costs 1/3 the cost of what we installed, and what was available three years ago.

Do we regret our decision? No. There will always be a better, cheaper, more capable SOMETHING available tomorrow . . . . But we've enjoyed the house battery bank we installed, with all the benefits, for almost three years of full time cruising, when we could have been limping along with old technology for those three years.

LiFePO4 batteries are not for everyone, for instance, if you are a marina rat, or only go hook-up to hook-up, you hardly need any battery bank at all, but FOR US, it was the right decision.

 

[heysteve]

We have four 206AH SOK marine batteries with no issues in two years. I notice they have a new 314AH version coming out with Victron CAN bus connectivity. The "early bird" price on their site is $899 which seems like a good deal.

 

[tiltrider1]

I installed 4 Eco-worth 260a batteries a year and a half ago. So far all is good. At the time they were half the price of the bigger names and even cheaper than Li-Time. Shortly after I bought them new features like cold temp cutoff, self heating and Bluetooth became available. Even Eco-worthy provides these features on many of their batteries. My point is the market keeps changing and I am not sure which brand I would buy today.

I have noticed that the batteries keep claiming bigger power numbers but the margin between advertised and actual are shrinking. Turns out eco-worthy’s 280a battery actually produces the same power as the 260a model. Meaning years from now I will still see 260a or better but the 280a battery might not actually still produce 280a. This is not an eco-worthy issue but a trend showing up with most the battery suppliers.

All of this is just my opinion.

 

[Pocoron]

Installed 2x460Ah Epoch batteries last year. Very pleased with the batteries.

 

[Barking Sands]

I have used Dakota, Chins, and about 30 or so of the various Epochs and currently have 2 of the Epoch 460 V1 Marine batteries in the boat currently. A pair of the 460ah V2 Elite batteries will be here Weds which will replace the V1s for testing. Also have a pair of the 120ah dual purpose lifepo4 start batteries that I am trying to settle on a method to incorporate for starting.

 

[NoRain]

What’s the practical difference between the V1 and V2 Allen?

 

[Barking Sands]

It should have better victron comms, resolves a few quirks such as when you have the batts addressed via dip switches for victron comms you lose bluetooth on all batts but master and a few other quirks. Has an increased voltage for full charge protection form 14 to 14.3. It also has a more refined internal fuse. Once I get them I will make a few videos and then remove the v1s and install the v2s in my boat for testing with the victron system.

Capacity and amp ratings remain the same, however, something to note that will be of interest to many:
The V2 Elite can have up to 16 in parallel. And that will be true of the 24v 230ah and the 48v 100ah batteries hitting the market later in the month. So you could have a 48v 100ah x 16 batt banks. And surprisingly, the 48 volt is $100 less than the 12 volt. So with the constant sales going on...a 48v 100ah battery will be around $1400 give or take. Click the pic to see it expanded showing testing ov the 12v V2 with 16 in parallel being addressed to cerbo.

 

[Capt Ray]

Battleborn GC2 (x2) 270ah each.

Particularly satisfied with the pre-sales engineering/support.

All the YouTube "channels" we frequent use Battleborn: S/V Delos, S/V Basik, Sophisticated Lady. It was a no-brainer for me.

 

[Dswizzler]

Wonder which brand lithium ion battery boaters are buying and why did you choose and are you satisfied with you choice.

You might want to start by asking your insurance company which brand they will insure . I was recently denied coverage because my batteries were not made in the US and professionally installed. I asked about having the install checked and approved by a certified by an approved installer? They said No. Their concern was not about the batteries or install, but that they would not take a company to court that did not reside legally in the US.

I have a setup of Victron, solar and 2 Multiplus charger inverters and six RJEnergy 250 amp hour batteries from China. This install has performed flawlessly for 3 years while we have lived aboard full time and cruised from Mexico to Panama and back.

So at the end of the day, we are now self insured except for our Mexican liability insurance. Good luck

 

[Mambo42]

Mambo42, you're not getting the point Delta Riverat is making.

LiFePO4 batteries ARE Lithium Ion batteries as the link he provided shows. But some CHEMISTRIES of Lithium Ion batteries are less stable (safe) than others.

LiFePO4 happens to be a very stable (safe) type of Lithium Ion battery.

Stating that Lithium ION batteries are BAD, but Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), or sometimes abbreviated further to LFP are GOOD is like stating:

Fruit is BAD, but Bananas are GOOD.

Since Bananas are a fruit, stating that Fruit is Bad is an incorrect statement.

In my part of the world Lithium Ion is not considered to be the same as LiFePO4. Perhaps in the US they will classify it as lithium ion, but even my insurance company does not think they are somewhat related. I did not get permission for lithium ion, but I did get permission for LiFePO4.
In any case I think that we all know what the dangerous version is and what the safe version is and that is basically what is most important.

 

[tiltrider1]

You might want to start by asking your insurance company which brand they will insure . I was recently denied coverage because my batteries were not made in the US and professionally installed. I asked about having the install checked and approved by a certified by an approved installer? They said No. Their concern was not about the batteries or install, but that they would not take a company to court that did not reside legally in the US.

I have a setup of Victron, solar and 2 Multiplus charger inverters and six RJEnergy 250 amp hour batteries from China. This install has performed flawlessly for 3 years while we have lived aboard full time and cruised from Mexico to Panama and back.

So at the end of the day, we are now self insured except for our Mexican liability insurance. Good luck

Who is your insurance company? This is not something we have seen with insurance companies in the PNW.

 

[Nordlund Xpress]

Had the 'professional installed' requirement from The Travelers per our agent. We stated we were using Victron batteries. We are in Southern CA.

 

[SteveK]

LiFePO4 batteries are lithium ion batteries. Just another of the the lithium battery chemistries.

Yes, LFP is in the family of l-ion, but it is the chemistry that makes it safer than others.​

Lithium Iron Phosphate(LiFePO4) — LFP​

Can LiFePO4 catch fire?​

LiFePO4 batteries are the safest of the lithium batteries, because they will not catch fire, and won’t even overheat. Even if you puncture the battery it will not catch fire. This is a massive upgrade over other lithium batteries, which can overheat and catch fire.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

You might want to start by asking your insurance company which brand they will insure . I was recently denied coverage because my batteries were not made in the US and professionally installed. I asked about having the install checked and approved by a certified by an approved installer? They said No. Their concern was not about the batteries or install, but that they would not take a company to court that did not reside legally in the US.

Don't tell your iinsurance company that the company that built your entire boat in 1988 also does not reside in the US. If they just figured out that Taiwan isn't in the U.S., you need a new insurance company. Also, based on your insurance company's apparent decades of mind-boggling incompetence, ask for your premiums to be refunded.