Also re the lithium batteries... I thought I read that marine insurers for boats in the United States were not insuring 99% of lithium batts. The only ones passing the insurance test were manufactured here in the United States, with charging systems made in the US, and installed by qualified/approved lithium battery professionals. Has that situation changed?
Janice, I can't speak to other peoples experiences, but here was our experience.
We removed our existing AGM house battery bank and installed a 1200ah LiFePO4 house battery bank. We also installed new wiring, new main buses, Victron Quattro 12/500 inverter charger, Victron BMS-712 with shunt, Touch Screen 50 and Cerbo GX and associated circuit protection, battery switches, etc. Also solar, but that's another story.
Although the batteries ARE manufactured (or at least assembled) in the United States, the charging system (Victron) is in the Netherlands.
I am NOT an "approved lithium battery professional", but with my background, and my research, I am confident that I am "qualified" to design and install the system I put in.
As a side note, many people state that lithium and solar MUST be installed by qualified/trained/certified ABYC certified technicians . . . .
Yeah, about that . . . . Two years ago when I was contemplating upgrading our house battery system, I contacted ABYC and asked them for a list of ABYC technicians on the West Coast of the United States "Qualified and trained" to install solar and LiFePO4 systems on boats. There were three. That's right, THREE ONLY on the entire West Coast of the United States. If I remember correctly, one was in the Los Angeles area, one in San Diego, and the third in Seattle. . . . .I called the one in Seattle, and he stated, "Well, I'm QUALIFIED, but not really CERTIFIED by anyone to install LiFePO4, as they're so new, and by the way, I'm two years out on new install work . . . ."
I have no idea how many technicians "Qualified, Trained, and Certified" by ABYC there now are on the West Coast now, in October of 2023, but I suspect they are still pretty rare . . . . .
On another side note: I have spoken to several "professionals" who claim to be "Trained and Certified" to install LiFePO4 systems, who after a brief conversation prove that they really shouldn't be relied upon to change a light switch in a floor lamp . . . .
, but they are "Qualified and Certified" . . . . see? . . . , it says so right on their business cards! . . . . but when you ask for specifics as to who exactly they are certified BY . . . well it gets pretty murky at that point.
Anyway, with help from others, and with research, I designed, purchased, and installed a system that to the best of my knowledge complies with all the recommendations of ABYC E-13, as well as generally accepted practices in the marine industry.
We have clearly disclosed to two separate insurers, Red Shield, and Markel Insurance that we have LiFePO4 installations on our boat, and they had no issues with issuing insurance policies, with no restrictions whatsoever associated with LiFePO4.
Note: The only reason we changed from Red Shield to Markel was because Red Shield could not support our current navigation, or cruising area (Mexico).
If you need more info on LiFePO4 and insurance, I suggest you contact Peter Ricks of Novamar Insurance at:
2100 Westlake Ave N, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98109; (800) 823-2798/ (206) 350-5051/ fax(206) 281-8036
Oh, and by the way, we absolutely LOVE our LiFePO4 house bank and the solar we designed and installed!!!
Enjoy!