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Lithium battery installation
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Geezerbill View Drop Down
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Joined: 09 Jul 2022
Location: Puyallup, Wa
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Posts: 37 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Geezerbill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Lithium battery installation
    Posted: 11 Aug 2023 at 9:13am
Yes, thank you. 
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Ben Herman View Drop Down
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Posts: 355 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Ben Herman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2023 at 9:14am
@Geezerbill, another option for you to consider (if where you live has enough sunshine) is a suitcase solar charger. We live in Colorado and 99% of the time do not have hookups. With a solar charger, we have no problem keeping up with modest 12v usage (like you, fridge, lights, occasional furnace in the am). We recently replaced our battery with a 200 amp Gel Battery from Renogy (cost was about $200), and it has vastly extended our battery life in between solar charges. Our inverter does not support LI battery so the cost differential was too high. The solar unit is $200-300. Just another option for you to consider. 
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EchoGale View Drop Down
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Posts: 461 		Post Options Post Options   Quote EchoGale Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2023 at 9:43am
Hi geezerbill, 

Sorry to hear about your fall!

I just switched from LA batteries to lithium and I'm thinking about your concerns over how much longer you'll be able to camp.  For me, the Lithium simplified so much that I think it might let you camp longer.

No watering and checking the charge level constantly since it's okay to run it all the way down. It's so light I can easily move it around by myself and since I have rooftop solar it is usually fully charged without me doing anything. I get the point about adding a generator but--to me--that's one more thing to keep up with.

I learned a lot over the years with my LA battery setup, renogy suitcase solar, and multimeter but I was always getting in behind the propane tank to open the battery boxes, monitor the charge and hook up the solar panels. I know there  are ways around all these little issues but the complete switch-out was a game-changer. I don't do anything now! I imagine at 80+, if I'm still lucky enough to be around and camping, I'll value the time and simplicity more than the money.  :)
Julie
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Geezerbill View Drop Down
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Posts: 37 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Geezerbill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2023 at 2:05pm
Julie, thank you for your comments and views. I am still going to seriously consider the lithium battery installation in the early spring. I want to wait out the hip situation. My hip is fine but the fall onto the concrete patio somehow messed up my knee really bad, otherwise I would be able to dance a gig🤔. 

Hopefully the cost will drop a bit more also. Today I went to Costco and decided to stop by the batteries and tires. Had a talk with the sales tech and he agreed about the cost going up and quality dropping like a rock. Now the batteries are prorated from the date of purchase by the month. That’s great confidence in one’s product

 I guess. My wife reads a LOT and has an Apple Watch to charge every night so I constantly worry about the charge. One of my Interstate batteries is marginally ok as it has dropped voltage after arriving home two weeks ago and fully charging both batteries. So I’ll look at the lithium again in the spring. 

Thanks again for your input. I appreciate it. 

Bill
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Geezerbill View Drop Down
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Posts: 37 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Geezerbill Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Aug 2023 at 2:13pm
Hi Ben,
It’s good to hear from you. We have, in fact, talked about a portable solar charger. One issue is that we camp in campgrounds that have many Douglas Fir trees (Pacific Northwest). But of course the sun does get through. So that certainly sounds like a good option to evaluate. 

Thanks so much for your input. 

Bill
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