$1,200 -300ah LiFePo Battery?

**creativepart** · 06-19-2021, 10:51 AM

I just saw this Chins brand 300ah LiPo battery for $1,199 on Amazon. I checked and Will Prouse hasn't tested one, but at that price it sure looks interesting.

They also had 100ah batteries for under $500.

https://www.amazon.com/CHINS-LiFePO4.../dp/B08N53GF81

There are a few videos on YTube but not much else out there.

Anyone else looked into these or maybe already have one in their RV?

DavidM · 06-19-2021, 01:11 PM

That is a deal!! I wonder if it's BMS shuts off charging at freezing temps. Looking forward to Will Prowse's review.

David

Aerneau · 06-22-2021, 11:59 AM

It doesn't. There is,however a 200AH model that does. This brand does not have a capable BMS in their products.

DavidM · 06-22-2021, 04:01 PM

I Googled CHINS LiPO batteries. I found a review thread that wasn't very complimentary. First it didn't make its capacity spec, but not by much, maybe 10%. More concerning was that the battery didn't shut off even when the voltage dropped below 9.5. In fact the tester thought that the BMS wasn't doing anything.

Not for me, when for a few bucks more you can buy a SOK that Will Prowse gives a thumbs up to.

David

Marine359 · 06-22-2021, 04:12 PM

IDK if I trust Will Prowse anymore. Eight months ago. he gave a glowing review of my battery, so I bought one. Recently he totally trashed the company recommending nobody buy from them. Seems he got a FREE battery with a leak, which Bigbattery.com immediately replaced. But Prowse still trashed them. Makes me wonder if Prowse is being paid by the big boys. My Bigbattery has worked great for seven months. Great value, Anderson terminals, built-in disconnect, and great BMS. It’s not a BB, but it delivers the power for half the price. Wassup with that Will? I think I trust the posts on this forum more than Will.

Aerneau · 06-22-2021, 04:58 PM

I bought those and just finished the install 2x 100AH. Biggest hurdle was an insulated battery bay with a regular 12volt tank heater underneath. After install I realized that 2 206AH batteries would have fitted also but less insulation.
View 24D

DavidM · 06-22-2021, 05:30 PM

Bigbatteries look pretty good, but they are too darn tall at almost 12" to fit in my battery compartment.

I think RVers will first look to replace their existing batteries in the existing battery compartment and these won't fit into most of them.

David

lenore · 06-22-2021, 08:16 PM

I have ordered my batteries and BMI, Hopefully in August will begin my 280 AH journery. I am making my own, with Prouse documentation and book. Will post pictures when done.

RocknRoll · 06-23-2021, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

IDK if I trust Will Prowse anymore. Eight months ago. he gave a glowing review of my battery, so I bought one. Recently he totally trashed the company recommending nobody buy from them. Seems he got a FREE battery with a leak, which Bigbattery.com immediately replaced. But Prowse still trashed them. Makes me wonder if Prowse is being paid by the big boys. My Bigbattery has worked great for seven months. Great value, Anderson terminals, built-in disconnect, and great BMS. It’s not a BB, but it delivers the power for half the price. Wassup with that Will? I think I trust the posts on this forum more than Will.

Yeah, I saw that video and thought that was interesting he still blasted the company even though there were no further reports of issues. Weird. I'd be fuming if I was Big Battery.

I agree with you that it's the best bang for the buck and will look at purchasing it if/when I upgrade.

Marine359 · 06-23-2021, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RocknRoll

Yeah, I saw that video and thought that was interesting he still blasted the company even though there were no further reports of issues. Weird. I'd be fuming if I was Big Battery.

I agree with you that it's the best bang for the buck and will look at purchasing it if/when I upgrade.

If you decide to buy Bigbattery, be aware that the price on their website for the 17oAH unit has gone up. It was $899 when I bought (free shipping). But, I paid $800 by not buying online. I called their sales desk and said I wanted one but couldn’t afford it, and could you help me with the price? Sales clerk dropped $100. So call to order and ask for a discount.

Elkman · 06-27-2021, 12:40 PM

My concern is with putting all your eggs in one basket. If one of my two 125Ah lithium-phosphate batteries fails I still have the second one to power everything in the RV. People have had problems even with the Lithionics batteries and this would be a trip killer.

n9wdq · 06-27-2021, 04:30 PM

Will has recently tested the 100amh battery. He likes it but it lacked a low temp sensor. They do sell a version with the sensor for a bit more. Will says that this is mostly identical to the amphere hour battery. There are many versions available on Amazon

brican · 06-27-2021, 09:16 PM

N9wdq Which 100Ah battery are you referring too?

n9wdq · 06-28-2021, 01:27 PM

Chin 12v 100amh $479. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 the"smart" version for $659 includes low temp sensor- supposedly

Ret.LEO · 06-28-2021, 03:36 PM

Must have Will's seal of approval to consider purchasing

ACTUALLY
if you go to one of Will's video's on YouTube and click on "Show More" there's links to Will's Amazon store which he sells solar & tools that he uses.
One of the items has caught my eye. Li's BMS is very important and I know if he sells these he has tested them thoroughly. They look great at a great price!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRTmvjcLXxs

Ret.LEO · 06-28-2021, 04:21 PM

Overall Will liked it a lot except for the absence of a low temp. cut off. Will thought it was a good value for the money BUT.........he still prefers the SOK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBonGQe363g

n9wdq · 06-28-2021, 04:52 PM

Wiil's only complaint was the lack of low temp sensor

DavidM · 06-28-2021, 05:53 PM

So, how important is the low temperature cutoff?

Here in Connecticut we have maybe a few weeks in the spring and another two weeks in the fall where the temps can go below freezing but the MH has been dewinterized so we can go camping on nice days. During that period we will never be charging at high rates, just the 100 watt panel for keeping the batteries topped off. Will a few amps into a pair of 100 Ah Li batteries with no low temp cut out harm them at 20 degrees overnight?

After the fall camping season I winterize the coach and can easily disconnect the solar panel to eliminate any chance of charging at really low temps.

So back to my question: is charging at a few amp from a solar panel a problem at 20 F?

David

n9wdq · 06-28-2021, 07:01 PM

Theoretically charging below freezing can damage the Li cells. I am not sure about the margin on this. The sales ad states that at below freezing, a warming circuit becomes active (??). You might consider moving the batteries to a warmer area. I plan on insulating my battery boxes

Elkman · 06-29-2021, 03:34 PM

The Lithionics batteries and probably others as well, have low temp sensors built into them that restrict charging below a certain temperature. For use in very cold weather on an regular basis the lithium phosphate batteries from Relion which are more expensive but are designed for cold weather use.

https://relionbattery.com/blog/lithi...y-cold-weather

The Relion RB100-LT (LT for low temperature) sells for $1,300 or roughly 30% more than standard lithium-phosphate batteries.

Relion mentions in their comments on lithium-phosphate batteries is that at 0 degrees C these batteries retain 90% of their capacity as compared to only 50% with a lead acid type battery. The only issue is with recharging when tempertures fall to -4F degrees and I have never used a camper as even at warmer tempertures I have had problems with ice in the water lines that jammed the water pump impeller.