twistedtree
Guru
What are your current views on LFP batteries for your boat? Already have them? Switching to them at your next battery replacement interval? Will consider them at my next battery replacement interval? Have no interest in them?
What? Nobody has any opinion or plans for LFP batteries in their boat?
I have to say that the results are a lot different than I expected with much more interest in LFP than I anticipated.
The thread title might be skewing the results somewhat as someone who genuinely had no interest in LFP may not bother to open the thread whereas if it had been titled simply "Battery Poll" it might have attracted a different slice of the userbase.
Also, I'd suggest there are a couple steps of choices missing between the bottom two responses. There are those who have already considered and rejected LFP as well as those who have a general interest in LFP as a technological innovation but haven't considered or have reservations about considering it for their boat.
I switched to Fireflys last fall, and that will probably be my last set for this boat. My take was that there is an advantage if you plan to own the boat for 7 or more years. My fear was manufacturers standing behind their warranties. Most of the models and a fair number of the companies haven't been around 7 years. My first set of batteries were Trojan T-105s. There are no unknowns about those batteries or the company. When I bought the Fireflys, same story. Known commodity with a good track record. I'm sure in the near future that prices will have bottomed out, we will know better whether to only buy the name brand ones or if the Amazon and Ebay ones are any good, and if the deep cycle numbers and retained capacity numbers are real.
Ted
And my strange economics. On something like batteries I will pay a good bit more than double, perhaps three times as much, for twice the longevity. There's the cost and effort to replace and the trouble of them showing their age at the most inopportune time. When it comes to parts and small items, I'm that way. I love LED because of the longer lives. I'd gladly pay for car batteries with lives longer than I intended to keep the car. Nothing worse than the morning you go to start the car and the battery has died.
I can't count the number of hours I've spent on researching LiFePo4 batteries as i am driving an all electric boat and plan on doing it until I'm 90.(9 more years to go.) My present battery bank consists of 16-6 volt AGM golf cart batts but when they die, LiFePro4s are going in. I haven't found one bad thing, other than price, about them in over 2 years of investigating battery chemistry.Cost is still a factor though diminishing. But it's pretty much the only downside. The upsides to LiFePO4 are considerable.
Regarding 3 times the price for twice the projected life, no thank you. I'd rather put a new raw water impeller in every year than find out the twice life expectancy one has died between Miami and the Bahamas.
If you're really worried about the car battery dying, change it when you take it in for routine service.
Ted
I agree with you on impellers, but I've never had a warning or known how to predict the failure of a car battery. Always just failure to start.
I agree with you on impellers, but I've never had a warning or known how to predict the failure of a car battery. Always just failure to start.
I agree with you on impellers, but I've never had a warning or known how to predict the failure of a car battery. Always just failure to start.
We have owned LFPs for one year. Had to put off the install last summer due to health problem. I plan to install system-Victron inverter, 6 Lion Batts, Wakespeed- this May when I get back to Alaska.
Tator
With car batteries, there is a simple load test that's done to determine the health. Can be done when the car is in for routine maintenance. Normally a good quality car battery lasts 4 to 7 years, depending. Starting cars below freezing is much tougher as it takes a lot more cold crankig amps. Changing them at 3 to 4 years old would eliminate the no start.
My wife works outside Chicago. Going outside in January when it's dark and near zero to find the battery is dead, isn't worth the additional cost of changing it one year early!
Ted
In NC, we had horrible luck with batteries. Testing didn't reflect the upcoming problems either so we just changed every three years before cold weather hit.
In FL, our pattern of use isn't conducive to battery life. We have three personal vehicles and they are all 9 1/2 years old and all have between 35,000 and 38,000 miles. We do get them checked and have someone who runs them weekly if we're gone. Also very high performance engines. Especially tough on them the last two years as we haven't taken any on our long trips but have driven a company owned Sprinter instead.