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Firefly Oasis Battery – Carbon foam AGM
#11

Steve,

So glad you investigated the warrantee in detail. I now know why they have been targeting only the marine industry. Hoping for a cool bilge to keep the battery cool

Wow what an absurd operating parameter.
I'm sitting here in Fort Lauderdale its 4 PM and the outside temperature is 78 degrees F. The Storage compartment temp is now at 95 degrees and the battery compartment is reading 82 at the top and 81 at the bottom with no real load being on the batteries over the last month and the compartment door out of the sun for the last 7 hours.

Road Temp in Phoenix AZ during the summer is 160 for asphalt and 150 for concrete.
Just what would constitute a "prolonged period" and how are they figuring out its exposure time?

Those Battle Born are looking much better.

Regards,

Mike

2008 Newell #1223 4 slide, Cat C15 with ZF 12 spd, 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 Duramax 6.6[Image: thumbnails.php?album=143] Toad for fishing. 
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#12

i was considering the battleborns for my 02. then a couple of gurus talked to me and asked me why i wanted them. i dont hardly dry camp, so why spend the money.

so i ask you guys.....why get them?

i did put in agm's but moreso because i got a good deal on them and i like sealed batteries.

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#13

There is a super huge reason to get the Lithium’s (especially if your batteries need replacing). They are about 1/10 the weight of the AGM batteries. I gotta believe that hauling all that weight is bad for handling / fuel economy, etc.

My battleborn’s have been completely trouble free. With that said, I still worry about them. (They have the potential to suck your alternator off of the engine due to potentially high current draws during recharging).

They are not cheap, but seem to be really well done.

Bill

Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama
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#14

2400 for 6 agm's vs 6000 for battleborns is a pretty big difference.

i dont have an issue with weight in my coach so i will live with spending the spare 3600 on other toys

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#15

I'm aspiring to much more dry camping and about to pull the trigger on the Battle Born lithiums. Wondering if the LiBIM isolation manager that they sell is the best tool for the job of protecting the alternator when on the road? Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Chuck

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#16

The LiBIM only limits the time the alternator is charging, 15 minutes on and 20 off. I know a few Foretravel guys who are using a Sterling Battery to Battery charger successfully. They range from 20 amp up to 120 amp and pull from your chassis battery to charge the house battery. They say this protects the alternator from overheating better. Worth checking into.
In my Foretravel I replaced 3 8D gel batteries with 3 100 amp Battle Borns and am seeing much more capacity. Best is to figure out how many amphours you use in 24 hours and how you'll replace using either generator or solar.

Forest & Cindy Olivier
1987 log cabin
2011 Roadtrek C210P
PO 1999 Foretravel 36'
1998 Newell 45' #486 

1993 Newell 39' #337 
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#17

Thanks for the tip, Forest. I'm puzzled about why it's OK (in the original Newell design) to send constant alternator voltage to the house battery during travel, but we're much more careful with the inverter/charger settings that charge the house battery on shore/genny power. That does seem to be a controllable feature on the Sterling chargers.

I'm working on my load calcs to establish battery sizing and recharge time/current. The drive-every-day dry camping scenario brings the importance of the alternator into focus. Naturally, one would like to get the house battery as recharged as possible while driving to minimize genny time. Solar is still down the road if boondocking gets to be a thing.

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#18

Chuck,

The difference between then (lead acid) and Lithium is simply the rate at which the Lithium’s will accept charge. The much much higher charge rate of the lithium’s will cause the alternator to operate at a much much higher amperage. If you have the 50DN oil cooled alternator you will be OK, but if you have the standard 300ish amp Leece Neville or similar, I would think very much about trying to charge the lithium’s at all with the air cooled alternator. And if you have the smaller alternator with the simple belt arrangement that lacks a belt tensioner, don’t even think about it.

You also have to figure out how you are going to handle the sense voltage for the regulator since the lead acid chassis batteries and the lithium’s require two different charge voltages to remain happy. Set it for the chassis batteries and you could overcharge the lithium’s. Set it for the lithium’s and you never fully charge the chassis batteries.

When I put in the lithium’s I bought a programmable charge controller to prevent the alternator from cooking itself, but after really thinking about it, I did not install it. Instead I disabled the ability of the alternator to charge the Lithium’s, unless I manually engage the merge switch. That programmable controller is available if you want to play with it.

Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home Cool )
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#19

Hi Richard, I have a 270A Leece Neville alternator with belt tensioner. I'm leaning towards using a Sterling B2B controller so that the current going to the house bank is well within what the alternator can produce continuously. Is this what you chose not to use?

Thanks!

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#20

The one I chose not to use is made by Balmar. It has all kinds of features like current limiting, time delay, alternator temp sensing, and more. The reasons I chose not to use it were 1. the different voltage requirements between my Lithium pack and the chassis batteries, 2. we just don't boondock for very long, so charging from the Magnum seemed more foolproof, 3. For whatever reason both my old and replacement battery isolator doesn't connect to the Lithiums.

At the time, I thought I would put it on one day. I have had it for five years if that tells you anything.

Lithium batteries have improved and operate closer to lead acids in voltage than the pack I have. We don't boonie that often. So my thinking may not be applicable to your situation at all.

In my unasked for opinion, the Leece Neville will not produce 270 amps continously very long before you are replacing diodes. If you do opt for a alternator setup, I think one with a temp sensor for the alternator is a good idea.

Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home Cool )
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