How do i charge lithium batterys from the vans alternator ? thank you

cyclone2

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can someone please tell me how to charge my 280ah lithium batterys from the vans alternator i know i have to keep them seperate from the lead acid starter battery
and will be fitting solar to help charge them later on next year but until then i would if possible like to put some charge into them from the alternator if possible
thanks in advance for any suggestions .
 
the best way is to use a B2B charger, which should have a profile to suit the lithium batteries. This will only charge the leisure battery when the vehicle battery has reached a suitable voltage.
 
In order to minimise cost in the long term, it may also be worth considering now what you will require when you fit the solar next year. You may want to consider a device that will, in due course, also enable you to put a trickle from the lithium batteries into the starter battery if it gets a bit low. @wildebus is the man to advise you.
 
Wouldn't a voltage sensing relay be best, it only kicks in when it senses the VB getting a charge, and then opens the relay to charge the LB.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
Wouldn't a voltage sensing relay be best, it only kicks in when it senses the VB getting a charge, and then opens the relay to charge the LB.
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A standard VSR wouldn't work - the deactivation voltage is below a Lithium Batteries resting voltage so it would never disengage.
The Victron Cyrix-ct-li (I think that is the name) is a Lithium orientated version of the Cyrix-ct Battery Combiner, which is a posher more-featured type of VSR is an option as that has higher voltage thresholds.

Now this is where opinions split ...
Go with a Relay solution and you can potentially get the best/highest current delivered to the Lithiums and it is the cheaper solution
Go with a B2B and you are controlling the load by throttling the current to the B2B Rating, and it is also a more expensive option

Personally I always go for the B2B option as the potential high load of an fairly discharged Lithium battery bank can put significant strain on an Alternator, and as they get older they do wear out, and I don't want to be the person that broke the van!


PS. I am not thinking of the infamous Victron video of an alternator smoking when attached directly to a Lithium battery, just the added strain of adding much more load to an existing possibly old and already less efficient alternator (been there after adding a VSR and Lead Leisure Battery to a Transporter conversion and the load from Lithium is a whole level above that!)
 
oooh here was me thinking buy something like victron orion tr smart 12 12 30 connect to van lead acid starter battery tnen connect the other side of the victron orion tr smart 12 12 30 to the lithiums and that would be it?
 
wildebus said:
A standard VSR wouldn't work - the deactivation voltage is below a Lithium Batteries resting voltage so it would never disengage.
The Victron Cyrix-ct-li (I think that is the name) is a Lithium orientated version of the Cyrix-ct Battery Combiner, which is a posher more-featured type of VSR is an option as that has higher voltage thresholds.

Now this is where opinions split ...
Go with a Relay solution and you can potentially get the best/highest current delivered to the Lithiums and it is the cheaper solution
Go with a B2B and you are controlling the load by throttling the current to the B2B Rating, and it is also a more expensive option

Personally I always go for the B2B option as the potential high load of an fairly discharged Lithium battery bank can put significant strain on an Alternator, and as they get older they do wear out, and I don't want to be the person that broke the van!


PS. I am not thinking of the infamous Victron video of an alternator smoking when attached directly to a Lithium battery, just the added strain of adding much more load to an existing possibly old and already less efficient alternator (been there after adding a VSR and Lead Leisure Battery to a Transporter conversion and the load from Lithium is a whole level above that!)
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Thanks David I keep forgetting these lithium jobbies require more thinking about.
 
marchie said:
A jobbie in Scotland is an outpouring from one's rear end, Kev. So a Lithium jobbie would probably risk a giant explosion in the Bathroom ... :)

Steve
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I refer to things as "jobbies" a lot to wind up my captive weegie (aka Linda, the OH) :D
 
What happened to drop in replacement with supper BMS ? I have sargent 328 so bought alpha lead carbon .
 
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Molly 3 said:
What happened to drop in replacement with supper BMS ? I have sargent 328 so bought alpha lead carbon .
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I don't think there is such a thing as a genuine "drop-in replacement" unless you already happen to have a system that would support the higher charging demands of Lithium.
I would not want to use a Sargent EC328 to charge a lithium bank (TBH, I wouldn't want to - and didn't - rely on my Sargent EC325 to charge the Lead Carbon batteries I fitted in my Motorhome).
 
wildebus said:
I don't think there is such a thing as a genuine "drop-in replacement" unless you already happen to have a system that would support the higher charging demands of Lithium.
I would not want to use a Sargent EC328 to charge a lithium bank (TBH, I wouldn't want to - and didn't - rely on my Sargent EC325 to charge the Lead Carbon batteries I fitted in my Motorhome).
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I only have one 1 LCB and find my sargent charging system very poor on Mains and engine taking hours to put the last few amps in on Mains , I have a cheap Chinese monitor that dose what it says on the tin and find it very usfull. , As you know the sargent is rated at a TOTAL 25 amps but the most I have seen is about 5 amps , battery about 30 % down , never been any lower ,should I expect more from my sargent ?.
 
Molly 3 said:
I only have one 1 LCB and find my sargent charging system very poor on Mains and engine taking hours to put the last few amps in on Mains , I have a cheap Chinese monitor that dose what it says on the tin and find it very usfull. , As you know the sargent is rated at a TOTAL 25 amps but the most I have seen is about 5 amps , battery about 30 % down , never been any lower ,should I expect more from my sargent ?.
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I think I was getting a consistent 8A from either the split-charge or the Mains Charger on my EC325, which was also a 25A rating. It is reasonable to expect more than your 5A or my 8A but whether you ever will is another matter. I always intended to fit other chargers so never really investigated deeper this.
I have bypassed all the charging functions on my Sargent and the only time I ever use it is a very occasional starter battery charge (by switching the panel to Vehicle instead of Leisure and turning the charger on, you would charge the starter rather than the leisure battery).

If it is very very slow to finish off the charge, it could be the battery is full and the battery monitor needs a recalibration to 100%? They do need a recal every month or so. My Victron one on the Lead Carbon goes about 4% out after a couple of months. I probably need to fine-tune some settings but not got round to it :)
 
wildebus said:
I think I was getting a consistent 8A from either the split-charge or the Mains Charger on my EC325, which was also a 25A rating. It is reasonable to expect more than your 5A or my 8A but whether you ever will is another matter. I always intended to fit other chargers so never really investigated deeper this.
I have bypassed all the charging functions on my Sargent and the only time I ever use it is a very occasional starter battery charge (by switching the panel to Vehicle instead of Leisure and turning the charger on, you would charge the starter rather than the leisure battery).

If it is very very slow to finish off the charge, it could be the battery is full and the battery monitor needs a recalibration to 100%? They do need a recal every month or so. My Victron one on the Lead Carbon goes about 4% out after a couple of months. I probably need to fine-tune some settings but not got round to it :)
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Thanks for comments, it all makes good sense to me.
 
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