Batteries - Lithium LiFePO4

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What is a Lithium Battery?

A lithium battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses lithium ions as its primary component for energy storage. These batteries are known for their high energy density, lightweight construction and long lifespan compared to other battery types like lead-acid or nickel-cadmium.

Due to their superior performance and efficiency, 12v lithium battery or 12 volt lithium battery systems are widely used in various applications, including portable electronics, electric vehicles and solar power storage. They offer faster charging and deeper discharge capabilities and maintain a stable voltage throughout the discharge cycle, making them ideal for high-demand applications like RVs, electric-powered watercrafts and off-grid systems.

What are the main differences between lithium and AGM deep cycle batteries?

Lithium batteries and AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) deep cycle batteries serve similar purposes but differ significantly in performance and technology. Lithium battery 12v models are lighter, more efficient and have a longer lifespan compared to AGM batteries. They can typically be discharged to a much lower level without damage, offering up to 95% usable capacity, whereas AGM batteries generally allow for around 50% depth of discharge.

Additionally, 12 volt lithium battery systems have a faster recharge time and maintain a consistent power output until nearly fully discharged, making them more reliable for high-demand applications.

How to choose a quality lithium deep cycle battery?

It is true that it is difficult to tell this by just looking at the battery itself, however, taking a moment to read over the specifications can save you not only big dollars but it can also save you a huge amount of headaches!

How do I test a 12v lithium battery?

To test a 12v lithium battery, you’ll need a multimeter. Follow these steps:

Set the multimeter — Set your multimeter to measure DC voltage.
Connect the probes — Connect the positive (red) probe to the positive terminal and the negative (black) probe to the negative terminal of the 12 volt lithium battery.
Check the voltage — A fully charged lithium battery 12v should read around 13.4 - 13.6 volts. If the reading is below 12 volts, the battery is likely undercharged or damaged.
Do a load test — For a more thorough test, apply a load (like a 12V appliance) and check if the voltage drops significantly. A healthy 12v lithium battery should maintain its voltage close to the no-load state.

How do I charge a lithium 12v battery?

Charging a lithium battery 12v is straightforward but requires the correct charger:

Use a lithium-specific charger — Ensure your charger is designed for 12v lithium battery systems, as these chargers manage the unique charging profiles required.
Connect the charger — Attach the charger’s positive lead to the positive terminal and the negative lead to the negative terminal of the 12 volt lithium battery.
Set the charge rate — If your charger allows, set it to an appropriate charge rate, typically 20-50% of the battery’s capacity.
Monitor the charging — Lithium batteries charge quickly. Monitor the process to ensure the battery doesn’t overheat or overcharge.
Disconnect when fully charged — Once the battery reaches 100% (usually around 14.6 volts), disconnect the charger to avoid overcharging.

How low can a 12v lithium battery go?

A 12v lithium battery can safely be discharged to around 10-12% of its capacity, which corresponds to a voltage of about 9.5 to 11 volts. Unlike other battery types, lithium battery 12v models can handle deeper discharges without damaging the battery, but for optimal lifespan, it’s recommended not to regularly discharge below 20-30% of capacity.

Most 12 volt lithium battery systems are equipped with a Battery Management System (BMS) that prevents the battery from discharging too low, safeguarding it against potential damage.

Why choose Home of 12 Volt Online for lithium batteries?

Home of 12 Volt offers an extensive range of Lithium batteries to suit every Caravan, camping or off-road design!

We specialise in the Thumper range of Lithium LiFePO4 batteries; built with the highest quality BMS (Battery Management System), these batteries are built to last and are backed by a 5-year manufacturing warranty.

The Thumper Lithium LiFePO4 range of batteries offers the ability to UPGRADE the capacity of the internal BMS so you can run heavier loads directly from one battery!

What does this mean?

Take the 100 AH Thumper Lithium Battery for example. This battery is equipped with a 100 Amp BMS, which allows for a maximum discharge of 1200 watts. As these batteries are serviceable, we can offer the option to UPGRADE this 100A BMS to a 120A or even a 200Amp BMS.

What else does Home of 12 Volt offer?

Home of 12 Volt Online has everything you need to keep your power setup reliable, from high-quality 240v battery chargers to Lithium batteries. We also have resources on the different types of battery chargers, but should you need more support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at 08 8391 3121 or connect with us through our Contact Us page.

Browse our full range of products today to find the perfect power boost for your needs. Plus, with flexible payment options like Zip, you can enjoy our products now and pay later!

How can you tell a quality lithium battery from an average lithium battery?

It is important to look for certain specifications to ensure that the lithium battery supports your application and will last the test of time.

Here are 6 key points to look for when choosing the best Lithium LiFePO4 battery.

How to choose a quality Lithium Deep cycle battery

It is true that it is difficult to tell this by just looking at the battery itself. However, taking a moment to read over the specifications can save you not only big dollars but it can also save you a huge amount of headaches!

Six key points to consider when choosing a lithium battery

1. The Brand Name

Choosing a trusted and well-known brand is one of the easiest methods to guarantee a high-quality battery. Building a reputable brand takes years of good customer service and quality products, so usually, good reviews and word of mouth can help you select a high-quality Lithium battery.

The Thumper brand name has been on the Australian market for nearly 30 years. Originating as the trusted Battery pack, the Thumper name has now extended to Solar Panels, Batteries, Lithium Battery Hubs and more!

2. The BMS Rating

All reasonable Lithium batteries on the market are built internally with a BMS.

*Note: Some cheaper lithium batteries do not have a BMS system!

The BMS, or Battery Management System, is a power board built within the battery that controls the input charge, output capacity, heat operation, maximum discharge and more.

Using a BMS within a lithium battery is essential to ensure the battery will operate at its optimum while offering a safe and reliable power source.

But are all BMS systems built the same? The answer is NO.

Not all BMS boards are built the same. It is not until you look at the BMS board that you can really identify the difference between a high-quality BMS system and an inferior model.

Take, for example, our Thumper Lithium batteries in the image shown below. This particular image of the Thumper Lithium shows a 100-amp BMS board. This is a high-quality BMS board designed to handle a continuous 100-amp load with its 4-string design. This image then compares our BMS board to that of a cheaper brand Lithium battery (unnamed), which you can see is significantly smaller in design.

This unnamed brand claims that this smaller BMS board is also 100 Amps.

Home of 12 Volt offers the ability to upgrade our BMS size from 100 Amp to 200 Amp, so you can run those heavier-draw appliances from one battery!

3. The warranty period | Pro-rata vs Manufacturer warranty

Warranty on a Lithium battery can sometimes be a confusing and hazy topic. How is it that some brands offer a whopping 7-year warranty while others with reputable names only offer 3 years of warranty? The main difference is pro-rata vs manufacturing warranty.

But what does this mean?

A manufacturing warranty is a warranty given directly from the product’s manufacturer. It is essentially a product guarantee that tells you, as the consumer, that your product is protected within that time frame for any defaults or imperfections that the battery may experience within normal operation use. This type of warranty covers either repairing or replacing the item to restore it to working condition.

A manufacturing warranty is the best type of warranty you would be looking for as it is essentially a product guarantee under normal use.

Many cheaper brands offer a pro-rata warranty. This type of warranty is usually offered over an extended time (say 5 or 7 years). While the warranty period looks appealing to the customer, it is designed to benefit the seller more than you as the end user.

The pro-rata type warranty divides the amount paid for the product over the total number of months within the warranty period. It then allows the supplier to calculate the remaining months in the warranty period and provide this amount back to the customer as a 'credit' to be used towards a replacement battery. This means you are actually spending MORE money to even have your warranty claim processed.

Example of Pro-rata:

Bob buys a Lithium battery for $ 500.00 with a 7-year pro-rata warranty period.

After 4 years and 2 months, Bob experiences difficulty with his battery charging and approaches the company about his warranty. The company calculates that Bob's pro-rata warranty period was 7 years (otherwise known as 84 months).

Bob has experienced 4 years and 2 months of use from the battery (50 months). This means he has 34 months remaining on his pro-rata period.

The battery cost was $ 500.00 / 84-month warranty period, equivalent to $ 5.95 per month.

As Bob has 34 months of pro-rata warranty remaining, he is eligible for a credit of $202.30 (34 months x $5.95 per month) towards purchasing another battery.

A pro-rata warranty will allow Bob to purchase another $500.00 battery, with a credit of $202.30 applied to this. Thus, Bob is now further out of pocket, with a value of $297.70, to claim his warranty.

4. The Internal Construction

This is a hard point to usually assess as most lithium brands do not like to show the internals of their lithium batteries. This may be for a number of reasons such as poor quality fastening of the cells, smaller cells than advertised, poorly manufactured BMS boards or simply lack of firsthand use with the internals of the batteries.

Our brand of Thumper Lithium batteries uses high-quality A-grade cells, fastened together in a solid steel casing and secured with quality foam padding within an ABS case to ensure the battery has the highest strength possible when used in rough terrain.

We are so confident in our battery that we have stripped one down to demonstrate its internals and how it is held together for you to see firsthand.

Many cheaper lithium batteries on the market are only tapped together and do not use such a steel cage to secure the batteries and prevent movement.

5. Linking ability in Parallel and Series

Linking batteries to build a system capable of running heavy loads is standard practice. But what good is it if your Lithium battery can not be linked to more than 1-2 batteries?

Many cheaper Lithium batteries on the market will limit the number of batteries that may be linked in parallel, and sometimes, it is limited to 2 batteries! This is because the BMS system inside these batteries cannot support multiple batteries being linked together.

The Thumper Lithium batteries are non-limited on their parallel link-up ability. This means you can link as many batteries together in a 12 Volt system as you desire!

Both our Thumper Lithium 120AH and 170AH models are capable of series linking. See item specifications for more details on individual models.

6. The weight of the battery

Many cheaper brands have been known to fill their lithium batteries with glass plates and old tiles in order to increase their weight to compensate for undersized cells.

A standard rule of thumb is that a 100 AH battery should weigh between 9 and 10 kilograms, a 120 AH battery between 11 and 13 kilograms, and a 160 AH battery between 13 and 15 kilograms.

This can be used as an average guide if you see a 100 AH battery weighing less than 9 kilograms, then you can almost guarantee that it is not a true capacity battery.

Still need convincing? We strip down our Lithium batteries in the videos below to give you further peace of mind when choosing a Thumper Lithium Battery!