Lithium Batteries

[Glade]

I'm about to buy my 4th battery.

Alarm, no electricity in garage.

Won't solve my current drain issue, but might not die when discharged??

[hairyben]

possible to fit one of those solar charger thingumys?

[anonymous-user]

Glade said:

I'm about to buy my 4th battery.

Alarm, no electricity in garage.

Won't solve my current drain issue, but might not die when discharged??

Assuming you are talking about replacing the conventional LeadAcid battery in your car with a Lithium Iron one, then all that will happen is that when the battery voltage falls, the inbuilt protection circuits in the new battery will kick in and disconnect the output. At that point, your car will power down. The same effect could be got by just disconnecting the normal battery!

If you car sits for extended periods, then a simple solar trickle charger mounted on the roof of your garage and wired down to the car would be a good idea!

[Glade]

I was thinking of this... You can get 100w 10a 12v panels!!!

[73mark]

Get power to the garage from the house via electrician,surely cheaper in the long run bonus in winter dark nights and all that.

[Glade]

Rented house and neighbours houses between mine and the garage... I thought I posted in Bike banter... It's for a motorbike btw.

One of my friends just told me lithium ion batteries are actually worse for dying when discharged... But already better at retaining charge with no current drain.

So solar panel it is!

[HustleRussell]

AGM batteries such as Odessey are supposed to be more tolerant to repeated deep discharge.

[996TT02]

Glade said:

One of my friends just told me lithium ion batteries are actually worse for dying when discharged... But already better at retaining charge with no current drain.

If no current drain a lead acid is good for many months. You have an alarm so that is draining something.

I'd simply disconnect the battery. But the solar panels are a good idea if you can set one up to trickle charge your battery.

[Glade]

996TT02 said:

If no current drain a lead acid is good for many months. You have an alarm so that is draining something.

I'd simply disconnect the battery. But the solar panels are a good idea if you can set one up to trickle charge your battery.

mmm I guess, bit of a faff on the bike as it is under the seat. Perhaps an isolator switch.

[Nigel Worc's]

Be very wary of fitting lithium ion where lead acid should be (if that is what you are doing).

The charging circuits are not compatible, at best you won't get the results you're looking for, at worst it can catch fire.

[Caruso]

Glade said:

996TT02 said:

If no current drain a lead acid is good for many months. You have an alarm so that is draining something.

I'd simply disconnect the battery. But the solar panels are a good idea if you can set one up to trickle charge your battery.

mmm I guess, bit of a faff on the bike as it is under the seat. Perhaps an isolator switch.

I've got a car with the same problem - largely due to lack of use. I've fitted an isolator switch which has the added bonus that removing the red bit gives some extra security.

Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Battery-Master-Isolator-...

[saaby93]

How are you charging the battery currently? Do you charge it up for a few hours then take it in the garage? Or is it permanently on charge?

[Evanivitch]

Glade said:

One of my friends just told me lithium ion batteries are actually worse for dying when discharged... But already better at retaining charge with no current drain.

A Li-Ion battery will suffer from more discharge over time. Eventually, a LiPo battery will 'brick', which means charge will drop low enough that it can't be saved.

Lead batteries can usually be rescued from a low discharge, but may suffer from the effect.

[Huff]

+1 to the battery disconnect switch - it's the most robust answer for any car that might have to stand for a few weeks; and the cheapest too.

[gixxer]

I've had 2 batteries for about 3.5 years--so that makes 7 battery years
If you live in a coldish country, the Lithium Ion (LiFe) probably isn't a good bet for a daily driver.
The main problem I've encountered, is when the battery is used in near freezing conditions. The power output drops more than a lead acid, and the recharge rate seems to slow down quite a bit as well. So even if the battery has enough poop to start the car, the alternator may not be able to charge it back up as the cells are too cold to let the alternator actually put power back in.
The other problem is that the onboard monitoring system saps power from the main cells and the battery will run itself down a bit faster than usual.
Usually you can find a type that has an onboard computer that renders the battery compatible with a regular charging system, and has a variety of safety systems built in.
So pretty good in a warmish climate, but not in a cold one if the car sits outside.
This year we had a warmish winter, and the batteries have performed perfectly.

[carl_w]

Huff said:

+1 to the battery disconnect switch - it's the most robust answer for any car that might have to stand for a few weeks; and the cheapest too.

Don't know if they're still sold but there used to be one called dis-CAR-nect.