Lithionics 320 ah battery replacement alternative?

[toby575]

I purchased a 2022 Minnie Flex. The battery may need to be replaced. I noticed the replacement was over $4000. Can I buy two 200 amp renogy batteries with BMS instead? I noticed the original Lithionics battery in the camper has some sort of snap in plug . Is that a universal BMS port or is it specific to the 320 amp Lithionics battery and Winnebago? I’m hoping to purchase two Renogy batteries at 1/3 of the price and get 80 more amp hours.

 

[Old Navy]

Rather than 2 batteries, I'd prefer a single larger battery. Here's a video comparing 460AH batteries from 2 reputable companies:

Epoch seems to be a little higher end product and in this case has more features, but LiTime has a pretty solid rep. The prices have come down on these, with the LiTime currently at $1250 and the Epoch at $1499. There is a new version of the Epoch with a few improvements for $2200.

Pretty much all Lifepo4 batteries include an internal BMS. Maybe another Lithionics owner can explain the external BMS on your battery. There is a member here, @electric , who works for Lithionics, and has been helpful with questions. He started a thread here:

Assistance with Lithionics batteries​

 

[Bnystrom]

Will recently took the 460Ah Epoch battery off his recommended list due to software issues.

My personal preference is for SFK batteries, which are built in Baton Rouge, LA. They're top quality products from a very responsive and helpful company. Their new 315Ah battery is $995.

That said, you didn't specify the issue with your Lithionics battery. Also, have to contacted them about the problem?

 

[Old Navy]

SFK looks nice, especially if you have a Victron system and want all the tech associated with them. I'm a bit of a geek, so that appeals to me. Also I see the EPOCH battery I linked to isn't actually an older battery than the new "V2", but a newer "essentials" version that lacks some of the bells and whistles of their flagship, like Victron comms or the over-the-air firmware update that Will had problems with. It's a basic battery like the LiTime with nicer build quality and a couple extra features like built in heating.

For toby575, even though you aren't the original owner, you might still be able to get some help from Lithionics. For the price of their product, I'd expect it.

 

[cruizered]

A 3 year old Lithionics needs replacing? I don't understand. That battery should last 10 years or more. Doesn't Lithionics offer 5 year 3000 cycle warranty why not use the warranty? If you can't get them to honor the warranty DIY Solar youtube channel has excellent information. As for 1 vs 2 batteries in parallel. I'd lean toward 2. With two batteries you can charge at 1C but each battery will be charging at 1/2C which will reduce heating. Same for when you are discharging. Additionally with 2 batteries you don't have a single point of failure. Of course all of this is mitigated by the cost and work required to fit two batteries.

 

[creativepart]

I have 1-460 amp hour Epoch “Essentials” battery. It is simpler and doesn’t include the Victron connection capability. It’s that feature that has proven problematic and caused the “software issues” so, the Essential series doesn’t have that concern.

I had 2-200 amp hour Renogy batteries previously and had problems and one battery failed completely. The Epoch has worked great for me.

 

[Gizmo1137]

As others have said, I am to surprised a Lithionics battery has gone bad in 3-years and would investigate with the company. Having said that if you do replace with another battery, we have had zero issues with our Epoch 300AH and the company was very responsive and helpful with some questions. Other than Epoch I would consider Battle Born.

 

[Bnystrom]

Why would you jump to a BB battery at more than double the price of the Epoch, when you can get an SFK 315Ah battery with Victron comms for $1035, which is substantially less than the Epoch and at least as high quality? It's also built in the US, rather than China.

 

[creativepart]

It's also built in the US, rather than China.

All LFP batteries are made from cells, BMS, cases, etc made in China, including Battleborn. At most they may be assembled in the US but are usually just warehoused in the US.

 

[Bnystrom]

Exactly. SFK batteries are built in Baton Rouge, LA. Of course they use Chinese parts, as there's no other source for most of them. They provide comprehensive documentation on the cells, including testing data. Their batteries are designed to be serviceable and upgradeable, and they're constantly working on improvements and new features. When you contact them, you're literally talking with the people who build the batteries.