DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES and BUSH POWER

[condor22]

Not so keen on buying a battery or panel from ALDI. I wouldn't buy a Rump Steak at Battery World, lol.

Still a great believer in you get what you pay for.

If you want a 100 AH AGM it will or should be at least 30 kg. They are not really made to be portable i.e. lug around. Once I've installed mine, they only get moved when replaced, in hopefully 10 or so years. The only way of reducing weight is LiFePo4, but then you need to charge it properly and pay a lot more.

 

[Solid Luck]

Not so keen on buying a battery or panel from ALDI. I wouldn't buy a Rump Steak at Battery World, lol.

Still a great believer in you get what you pay for.

If you want a 100 AH AGM it will or should be at least 30 kg. They are not really made to be portable i.e. lug around. Once I've installed mine, they only get moved when replaced, in hopefully 10 or so years. The only way of reducing weight is LiFePo4, but then you need to charge it properly and pay a lot more.

Well, I've had my solar panel from Aldi for over 7 years and it still works fine. Picked up my LED camping lights around the same time. They still work fine.

And about 10 years ago I picked up a 42" LCD for 1k. At that time they were twice that price for the brand names. I remember the nerds at Whirlpool dissected the TV and the panel was either an LG or Samsung. That TV is still going strong on it's third owner now.

Most of their stuff is ok I have found.

 

[Solid Luck]

An update on the Nomad lithium ion battery I picked up around December last year. Still early days but so far so good. It powers a 35 litre fridge on my backseat and I use the 5 amp trickle charger connected to the ciggie outlet. Depending on how much I drive it keeps charge for between 7-10 days. That's down to two green bars on the control panel. Then I take it in and fully charge it with the 240 volt charger.
As the weather cools I reckon it will power the fridge for a lot longer before needing full charge.

So far very happy with it.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Not so keen on buying a battery or panel from ALDI. I wouldn't buy a Rump Steak at Battery World, lol.

Still a great believer in you get what you pay for.

If you want a 100 AH AGM it will or should be at least 30 kg. They are not really made to be portable i.e. lug around. Once I've installed mine, they only get moved when replaced, in hopefully 10 or so years. The only way of reducing weight is LiFePo4, but then you need to charge it properly and pay a lot more.

Well, I've had my solar panel from Aldi for over 7 years and it still works fine. Picked up my LED camping lights around the same time. They still work fine.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/4748/1615924098_20201218_173107.jpg

And about 10 years ago I picked up a 42" LCD for 1k. At that time they were twice that price for the brand names. I remember the nerds at Whirlpool dissected the TV and the panel was either an LG or Samsung. That TV is still going strong on it's third owner now.

Most of their stuff is ok I have found.

Also you have to remember that Aldi/Lidl are German Companies and as a rule only sell quality item with a good solid warranty and they stand by their products and if they don't have a replacement they will give you your money back which means you have had the use of something for Free for how ever long you had it, Awesome Company. :Y: :inlove: layful: layful: layful:

 

[condor22]

First up, I'm no expert when it comes to Lithium Iron deep Cycle batteries, but have a better than average understanding of them, especially charging. However, my mate (the one I sourced my van panels from) is well versed and has tested one in particular, more on that later. I'll add he has some great battery test equipment.

I mentioned briefly in an earlier post re some testing done in Australia and found out more after a conversation with my mate today;

About 2-3 years ago a company located in the ACT was given a Federal Government Grant of $9+ million. The purpose was to test Lithium Deep Cycle batteries sourced from all over the Globe. Approximately 240+ batteries were sourced and tested in parallel. By that I mean at the same time (not connected in parallel). The test was done in 8 stages, each stage progressively more intense and the total test over 14 months, hence the significant cost of the testing. I gather they were electrically and environmentally tested.

I do not know the company concerned, the details of the tests or which batteries were involved, other than 2. I am also told that not all batteries tested were LiFePO4 but other types of Lithium Ion. Apparently, 15 of the batteries failed during phase 1, only 2 passed all 8 test phases successfully. The 2 that passed were a Tesla (no details given) and the PulmanTech 100 AH LiFePO4. Which is why my mate sourced one initially to test himself and as a result is now a supplier.

There are different Lithium battery chemistries available - I won't list here, but this link will explain them if anyone is interested. Including the NMC type the Nomad PDU is made of. https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion

My mate has tested the PulmanTech 100 AH LiFePO4 and on full discharge got 132 AH out of it, so its 100 AH rating is very conservative in the consumer's favor. (FYI He sells them for $980). It's stated cycle life is 4,000 cycles, I can't remember at what depth, but will check next time I see him.

I didn't ask, but if I can get the Tech Specs for it, I'll post at a later time.

 

[condor22]

I have no doubt about Aldi quality, especially from the many comments I hear from others. But if you want some background or tech help in store, I'm not sure the "checkout chick" will have that knowledge, lol.

I have bought, other than groceries, at Aldi, in the past. I guess if I look for 4x4 stuff, I go to known brands, or a TV or 12 V gear etc. I'm probably "old school".

 

[Ridge Runner]

If your running AGM Batteries a person should invest in the Big Noco G26000 smart charger,

The way it has managed to recover all my Lead Acid and AGM batteries is incredible,

So much so I am taking out the new battery and putting the old one back in so I can try and wake the New one up.

 

[Nightjar]

Repeating myself, but if you're just looking for a battery for a bush camp you can't go past a battery recycler. (At any one time we have about 6 batteries at our camp ($30.00) generator, lighting, pumping water, inverter for bread making & lighting for three caravans.)
As already mentioned we buy our so called dead batteries for the princely some of $5.00.
We pick the ones only a couple of years old take them home jump start the charging and we now have a battery that lasts us a few years or more.

We did think about starting up a little business considering the hundreds of slightly imperfect batteries that are wasted because they had been completely drained and wouldn't recharge, or so they thought so.
On second thoughts we thought a business like that would be too "heavy." :lol:

 

[Jaros]

When I was in hospital once, my wife had left the interior light on by accident and flattened the battery. The RACQ were called and instantly told her that we need a new battery. I agreed to that as my wife couldn't manage it. So when I came home I placed the "dead batt" on my 7 stage charger and it slowly came to life again.
I have 4good batt's now 2 for the car and 2 for the camper trailer.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Repeating myself, but if you're just looking for a battery for a bush camp you can't go past a battery recycler. (At any one time we have about 6 batteries at our camp ($30.00) generator, lighting, pumping water, inverter for bread making & lighting for three caravans.)
As already mentioned we buy our so called dead batteries for the princely some of $5.00.
We pick the ones only a couple of years old take them home jump start the charging and we now have a battery that lasts us a few years or more.

We did think about starting up a little business considering the hundreds of slightly imperfect batteries that are wasted because they had been completely drained and wouldn't recharge, or so they thought so.
On second thoughts we thought a business like that would be too "heavy." :lol:

You should give it a go, This big Noco has fixed 5 of my batteries, But with AGM's you do have to hit them with a Normal charger til they reach around 14.6v and then use the smart charger then run the repair mode and the more you do it the higher voltage they will store and after that they charge better normally too,

You could earn your self some pocket money to buy other toys with do that, It's a Great Idea.

 

[Icarusvonlubey]

Repeating myself, but if you're just looking for a battery for a bush camp you can't go past a battery recycler. (At any one time we have about 6 batteries at our camp ($30.00) generator, lighting, pumping water, inverter for bread making & lighting for three caravans.)
As already mentioned we buy our so called dead batteries for the princely some of $5.00.
We pick the ones only a couple of years old take them home jump start the charging and we now have a battery that lasts us a few years or more.

We did think about starting up a little business considering the hundreds of slightly imperfect batteries that are wasted because they had been completely drained and wouldn't recharge, or so they thought so.
On second thoughts we thought a business like that would be too "heavy." :lol:

Ive done this a few times for my trailer battery which operates my hydraulic tip. Amazing how people think because it wont charge its useless.

 

[oldtimerROB]

Rob - AGMs are designed for confined space use. In a battery box, by your bed is as safe a place to install it as any.

I'm assuming you have a motor home and what kind of "fan heater" are you talking about?

Is your charging limited to solar only?

No the van is a Mitsubishi Star Wagon sort of a delivery van which is excellent through narrow bush tracks and serves as shelter. I keep it simple and light for the uphill sections with very little in it except a few necessities of life but heating is missing so the first thing to do is to insulate the van and find and try out the components and see how they work. I don't want to sleep around diesel heaters or generators and the last option would be to install a small wood stove. I'm hoping this battery is around 20 Kg. as I need to keep the van light as I get very good fuel economy and want to keep it that way.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Rob if you have the Battery power those Greenhouse/Glasshouse heaters are good for small areas, I am fitting one in mine, If you have Solar power should not be an issue, you can buy them from 300mm to 2.4m in length and are the safest option,

Those Cheap Diesel Heaters are Brilliant and are very cheap to run, and SAFE, I have seen them keep a van warm when it's -40*c outside and about 25* in the Van.

I have also just bought some 12v electric blankets, which makes a good backup plan.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07WQSPD4V/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A4RM6YKJVHXHA&psc=1

Hope that helps.

 

[Solid Luck]

First up, I'm no expert when it comes to Lithium Iron deep Cycle batteries, but have a better than average understanding of them, especially charging. However, my mate (the one I sourced my van panels from) is well versed and has tested one in particular, more on that later. I'll add he has some great battery test equipment.

I mentioned briefly in an earlier post re some testing done in Australia and found out more after a conversation with my mate today;

About 2-3 years ago a company located in the ACT was given a Federal Government Grant of $9+ million. The purpose was to test Lithium Deep Cycle batteries sourced from all over the Globe. Approximately 240+ batteries were sourced and tested in parallel. By that I mean at the same time (not connected in parallel). The test was done in 8 stages, each stage progressively more intense and the total test over 14 months, hence the significant cost of the testing. I gather they were electrically and environmentally tested.

I do not know the company concerned, the details of the tests or which batteries were involved, other than 2. I am also told that not all batteries tested were LiFePO4 but other types of Lithium Ion. Apparently, 15 of the batteries failed during phase 1, only 2 passed all 8 test phases successfully. The 2 that passed were a Tesla (no details given) and the PulmanTech 100 AH LiFePO4. Which is why my mate sourced one initially to test himself and as a result is now a supplier.

There are different Lithium battery chemistries available - I won't list here, but this link will explain them if anyone is interested. Including the NMC type the Nomad PDU is made of. https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion

My mate has tested the PulmanTech 100 AH LiFePO4 and on full discharge got 132 AH out of it, so its 100 AH rating is very conservative in the consumer's favor. (FYI He sells them for $980). It's stated cycle life is 4,000 cycles, I can't remember at what depth, but will check next time I see him.

I didn't ask, but if I can get the Tech Specs for it, I'll post at a later time.

Condor22. Do you have a link to this battery? PulmanTech 100 AH LiFePO4. I cannot seem to find it anywhere.

 

[condor22]

I've tried to find a link myself and can't. I'll speak to my mate and see if he has any info.

Rob - x2 in what RR says re diesel heaters, very SAFE and once going about 1 AH average power per hour. Far more economical on battery than 12 V blankets or any other heating system. Also uses around 0.1 lt of diesel per hour. My 10 lt tank last 5-6 days with it on at 4pm - off at 8am, I run it all night. I take it the Star wagon is petrol, so yes it means carrying diesel.

 

[Ridge Runner]

This Guy in this video has the best set of videos regarding these cheap Chinese Diesel Heaters

This is one to watch and the others pop up in like to the install etc,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mXizB_hrpU

 

[condor22]

Firstly a correction mybad, I misheard the Lithium battery brand, lol it is NOT PulmanTech it is PYLONTECH.

Had a chat with my mate, his words, "Not every product available is on the internet, especially items of a technical nature, this is one of them." However a brief Google shows me some responses for the corrected name. If I find more I'll post it.

I've seen the spec sheet, but was not able to get a copy. However, the most important spec I saw is;

This 100AH LiFePO4 Deep Cycle battery will deliver 4,000 cycles @ 100% discharge. I also saw his test results of PylonTech's latest offering, a LiFePO4 starting battery. I copied those results from the tests he did.

70AH Lithium Starter battery

Capacity Cranking Amps
100% 850
75% 700
50% 650
25% 550

So with 17-18 AH left in it it still gave 550 CCA

Re the 100AH, my previous comments re charging still apply. He had a customer that had 2 x 100 AH's Pylontechs installed and that customer had already purchased a well known brand of 25 Amp DC-DC charger (combined Solar charger) that states it has a Lithium Profile. Five minutes after starting the vehicle, the battery went into over voltage alarm. The battery is smart enough to protect itself. My mate has tested this and still advocates 13.8 V as the best charging voltage. He is in fact trying to get the manufacturer to establish the "sweet spot" charging voltage, but is dealing with China. The internal battery BMS will charge it to 98% at that voltage (13.8). To get the remaining 2% the voltage needs to increase to 14.5 V and puts the battery under stress to do so, this will reduce its life. He is also in the process of manufacturing a DC-DC/Solar controller to a better Lithium profile. In the mean time if I were to buy one, my best charging option is the current regulated power supply mode of my 240 VAC 30A charger. I'm gonna wait, as my primary charging is DC-DC and Solar. Renogy do voltage programable Lithium profile 20 or 40 amp solar controller. I'm thinking to get one to test. The 20 A is around $100.

 

[condor22]

Found this on Google

Pylon Technologies, Co. Ltd (Pylontech) is a Chinese company that was founded in October 2009. It produces a wide range of battery systems - everything from powerbanks for small devices to containerised 1MW systems for commercial and industrial use.

Also link to the battery, some info differs from the spec sheet I saw re cycle life. I'm assuming it's the same battery.

http://en.pylontech.com.cn/pro_detail.aspx?id=132&cid=53

 

[Ridge Runner]

Due to the lack of Sun Hours Lithium is the best option for me,

Using Lead Acid or AGM just won't work for me and unless I run 2 banks of 450w panels I will never be able to get a pair of 100Ah + batteries topped off and 6x 150w panels take up a lot of space,

Using the 2 Lithium packs charge so fast, Be it by the Wall Wart or 120w folding Solar panel or the Cigar lighter they charge at around 17.5 to 18% + per hour, which means from 80% discharge they will be full in 4.5 hours and at that rate of discharge have a life span of 2000 cycles, As a rule I never take them below 65% using only 35% at any one time.

Due to the charging speed makes lithium the ideal choice for use in Aussie Winters, I thought of buying one of the huge 1500Wh or the 2400Wh packs but you need to hook up around 700w of Solar to get them full in 3 or 4 hours and a Cigar socket will take as much as 10 to 12 hours to fully charge one, So it makes more sense to use these 2X 512Wh packs because they charge much faster and I can run my gear from them whilst charging at the same time,

One of these 512Wh packs will run the ARB 47 for anything between 2.5 days to about 3.2 days And what it draws during the night can be replaced with about 45 minutes from the 120w Solar panel in the morning,

If you do go the Lithium route you stand to gain Faster Charging and Saving a lot of weight that you were worried about, Seriously these things Charge as fast as your Cell Phone,

I wish I was closer coz I would give you one of mine just so you could take it and use it to see the difference they make,

 

[condor22]

Thanks for the offer RR. I'm gonna have to save my pocket money to buy a Pylontech, lol. (Gotta keep SWMBO happy re the bank account lol). Also need to resolve charging to my satisfaction.

However, my current AGM system is doing its job and I'm about to find out how well my 4x4 electrical rejig will work. Although my horizontal tow load 4x4/van is only 60% of capacity, my GVM/GTM is getting close to the limits (still not fully weighed.) I'm going on my first annual prospecting trip in around 4 weeks and am only buying a weeks worth of shopping. Instead of loading up the van fridge (130 lt) I'm going to use the Engel for fridge and the Brass Monkey as a freezer. Dry food will be split between van and car.
I'll do an overnighter half way and run both fridges from the 100AH AGM in the 4by, Engel set to 2 C and the BM at -12 C. No prob when driving, so I'll check battery SOC when I stop the first night and again before I continue the next morning. Keeping in mind I also have solar on the 4by. (will report )

When I get to camp on my mates block, I'll be there for several weeks and on arrival will set the van fridge to cool on LPG, then stock it. Will shop up a few days later.

Two benefits, keeps the weight down on the van and I don't need to power anything in it from the car while driving as its solar will do that.
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Re weight - I have a ball weight spring (Milenco) and a Reich Weight Device, the day before I go, I'll load up, hook up and weigh the car and van wheels as well as ball weight. Then I'll know how close I am and as I have 60 kg of water in the tank of the van I can use that to reduce if needed.