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I've been working with various kinds of mobile RV solar systems since about 2017. Started with some AGM batteries back in the day, quickly figured out I should move to lithium. Built my first "real" system in 2018 with 200ah of LiFePO4 (DIY) and Outback components (inverter, solar charge...

Yes, you can put (4) agm batteries in parallel. I wouldn't bother with fuses between each battery, seems like a lot of fuss to me and not necessary.

I ordered a EG4 48v 100ah battery from Signature solar. After modifying a couple of 2/0 lugs to fit within the battery terminals of the unit, everything got up and running pretty well. Then one day we turned on the vacuum cleaner. This isn't some industrial-sized piece of equipment, this is an...

The EG4 battery is supposed to be able to handle 100 amp continuous output with a slight surge above that. 100 amps at around 51.2v = 5,100 watts. Yet somehow running a household vacuum caused it to go into short circuit protection (which is only supposed to kick in at 250 amps). The battery...

Update for any that are watching: Did a test yesterday after holding at 13.6-ish for a couple days. Instead of hitting OVP at 13.9, they're now at 14.2. Going to leave it balancing for another couple days (or more?), really hoping for a OVP of 14.4 or better.

If your equipment works perfectly, then you won’t have any issues. Just don’t count on their customer service to treat you right if something isn’t working properly.

They never actually detailed how they came up with the figures they used. My purchase price was $1,499 + $182.12 (shipping) = $1,688.12 total. They chose to NOT refund me 100% of the purchase price because they couldn't reproduce the issue. So let's assume a 100% refund would have been...

Sure, a sales guy will always spend a bunch of time with you to get you to buy things. It's the after-sale customer service that I'm having issues with.

I checked my email this morning and found that I was refunded an additional $299.80. This brings my total refunded amount up to $1,238.85.

You're going to want to look for a DC-DC charger that is lithium compatible. That'll ensure the power being passed to your lithium batteries is corrected to the right voltage. They're available from Sterling, Renogy, and now even Victron.

Most MPPT controllers won't power on until there's a battery connected. I think the instructions say to wire it up that way so you can see the MPPT come alive right away. People have the belief that if there's power going into the MPPT (from the panels) that it should power it, but it doesn't...

This makes sense when used with a charge controller, since it's designed to put power into a battery. My question here is, am I crazy thinking the inverter is sending it's excess 12v power back from the inverter to the batteries when it decides it doesn't need it? With regards to top-balancing...

curiouscarbon had suggested it was available for $50, so I was just inquiring as to where. I have found a victron DC-DC on Amazon for $64.60 (close enough to $50) that I'm thinking about getting. Only trouble is it's too big for my current enclosure, so I'd have to go to a larger size...

I have a video of the jackery running the vacuum and pictures of a connected windows laptop communicating with the battery, and it shows a short circuit error. I wish I had a really clear video of the whole failure process. I don’t know which BMS they’re using. I got the “cheap” version as I...

"typical output current of up to 2 A". Yeah, charging a 100ah battery is going to take 4+ days with that. I'm concerned that I'll burn it up, seeing as it's not a DC-DC charger. I like the Victron 9amp DC-DC. It'll charge overnight, and I'm fine with that. Now I just have to give up my...

P.S.: I shared all of these images with Signature Solar as we were working through the debugging process proving the the battery was failing. They then proceeded to do their own tests and determine the battery was fine and I was wrong.

I was planning on setting it to 14.4 and then unplugging it. Most of the time it'll be charged via DC connections in my truck when driving or in my camper when the sun in shining. Stuff like that. Thanks for the offer of the Arduino code, but I'm trying to apply more of KISS method here...

I purchased two Li-Time 100ah "Trolling Motor" batteries. I noticed when charging them with a regular AC to DC shore power charger that they'd be putting in power at around 30 amps until they got to 13.9 volts. Then the amperage would instantly drop to zero and the voltage would read 14.4 (the...

Hello Richard, Thank you for taking the time to look into this. I don't doubt that the battery was able to handle the loads they threw at it. In my testing, I was adding space heaters and microwaves until I got it up to around 90 amp continuous discharge. The battery handled it like a champ...

Meaning you don't have to spend potentially weeks trying to top-balance a battery that is in a sealed case. That's what I'm working on right now and it's frustrating.

Is your coach battery bank a 12v system? I'm assuming you know if it's lead-acid, AGM, or some other type of battery chemistry, right? You've got the right idea, you basically put some solar panels on the roof, grab a solar charge controller appropriately sized (I recommend one that you can...

Yes, I was just providing a clarification to my original statement. And without Bluetooth on this particular battery I purchased, I have no way of knowing what the voltage spread is, so I'm blindly trying to top-balance for who-knows-how-long.

I don't have the equipment to do a capacity test, unfortunately. And I need this system for its intended purpose to NOT be in over-voltage condition at 14.4 volts as it has to be able to absorb some amount of power while at that voltage.

I've installed a couple of the Renogy 50-amp DC-DC converters, and they're working well. They are in traditional setups though, where the alternator is charging a starter battery. If it were me, I'd go ahead and hook up a DC-DC directly to the alternator. Worst case scenario, it doesn't work...

The cells were top balanced before being assembled with a desktop charger. They're exceedingly crappy cells though and won't maintain balance through even a single cycle, so OVP kicks in way too early, all the time.

Agreed, and since this user only occasionally gets shore power, it'll never be long term. The DC-DC and Solar charge controllers are a bit smarter and will drop their voltages a bit. I think these batteries are so bad that they're in OVP at 13.5-ish. When the inverter kicks in, the voltage...

I would personally avoid doing any business with Hot Spot Energy. I purchased a 48v heat pump from them and have had lots of trouble with it and their support was sub-par. I very much wish I had purchased a regular heat pump from one of the major brands instead of going super-efficient with...

Thanks for replying, but I'm looking for something even simpler, that doesn't need setting or have any kind of parasitic load.

Seems like it! My old RV had a mechanical thermostat that took zero power. When the temperature dropped to the pre-set value, it would close the circuit and the furnace would come on. I feel like having it the other way around (when the temperature rises instead of drops) shouldn't be that...

If the battery disconnects, the MPPT will shut off. The panels won't / can't harm the MPPT in that situation.