I had a group 24 and a 27 initially in the pod --though I never knew the exact AH for them. (I know unmatched is bad...that's how it came to me). I could manage with those by being really careful using only necessary power (fridge control panel, Co2 detector, brief pump use etc). I now have 190 watts of solar on the roof and my Go Power controller can be switched over for Lithium. I'm looking at a single 100AH LifePo4 which I expect will give me about the same amount of usable amps, if not a little more.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4Z8FML - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4Z8FML

and one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091TTD8Y9/ - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091TTD8Y9/

Both have performed well. I have the 100AH in my house for backup for my amateur radio equipment now. The 200AH is mounted in a box on the tongue of the new trailer. Mine has solar on the roof, but only 50 Watts.

Now the question: Does your new camper have an AC/DC only refrigerator or one that uses propane also? If it uses propane, then your power needs will be lower. If AC/DC only, then the bigger battery capacity would be good, especially if you need to go more than just overnight on battery power alone.

Anyway, let us know what you decide.

Hank, I have typically boondocked for days at a time--often until my batteries are too low and I can't get enough recharge from my portable solar panel. It's just that this one battery was down to 71% in about 8 hours at 9:00 PM.

Stephen,  I looked at the 100AH version of your 200 AH and I think it would suit my needs. (My fridge does run on propane). Some follow-up questions, if you don't mind:

1) do you see a difference between your higher priced and lower priced batteries?

2) do you make anything of that tech guy's advice about only buying a $1K battery or do you think it's reasonable to assume he was referring to BMS and had out of date information?

3) the unboxing procedures have me confused. It seems they come partially charged and you have to discharge and then fully recharge them "before using them" but I can't find anything on how to do that. Can I put it in the camper and run stuff to discharge (how is that not "using them")?  What recharge instructions I found said to use a solar panel without a controller?  I don't have that. Can I recharge it in the camper on shore power?

Thanks, all

Julie

2, I think by cheap ones, he may have been referring to one without a BMS. Just about any of them you see on Amazon will have a BMS. You can purchase cells and put them together into a battery for pretty cheap, but it will not have the BMS. You can add that and then you are getting into the price range of a complete one with BMS from what I have seen.

3. Yes. The instructions are confusing. Install and run appliances until it shuts down is one way. On the other hand, installing it and charging it is likely to work just as well. The part about connecting a solar panel without the controller had to do with activating the BMS if the battery had been discharged down to where the BMS went into protective mode. Since it is partially charged, the BMS should not be triggered that way, so regular charging with the converter or with a solar panel through the controller should be just fine. I am guessing that your converter is suited for Lithium batteries. Mine came with a sticker saying it would auto-detect the type battery, so I did not have to change anything with the new Grey Wolf when I removed the L-A battery and installed my LiFePO4 battery. Please confirm though whether the converter is suitable for Lithium batteries.

Hi Miss Julie,

I have 2 of these Eco-Worthy 100 A-Hr batteries, in parallel, in my home system and one is likely destined for my R-pod.  One of these has about the same usable A-Hrs and my previous Pb-SO4 bank and is so much simpler.  I have been well satisfied with everything I've gotten from Eco-worthy, so far.  Though pretty new, I expect the batteries to be the same. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L89LW3P?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Most likely the "have its own computer" statement meant a BMS and all of the Li batteries in retail have the BMS built in. 

Your original converter will be adequate for a LiFePO4 battery, but you may want to upgrade sometime to a converter with Li capability. 

What is questionable is the ability of the vehicle to charge the battery. Newer vehicles use a "smart" alternator charging circuit. The higher voltage of the LiFePO4 battery makes the alternator think the vehicle's start battery is charged, so it loafs, drawing power from your house (trailer) battery. You may find you start with a fully charged house battery and arrive with it significantly lower. For that, you need to use a DC to DC charger. I was using the Renogy 20A DC to DC charger with the RPod. I won't need it with the Grey Wolf because I am going to be installing a Renogy MPPT charge controller with dual input. That handles the DC to DC charging from the vehicle as well as the solar from the panels. I have not decided what to do with the DC to DC charger yet. 

Secondarily, it would be nice if vehicles cam with 48V battery systems. I know Tesla is switching to 48V for all internal systems (separate from the motors). This may become a trend because it allows you to eliminate a lot of copper (which weighs a lot).

Charge 0C-50C (32F-122F)

Discharge -20C-60C (04F-140F)

Storage -10C-50C (14F-122F)

Unless you are camping in Death Valley in the summer, I don't think you will have a problem with heat. As for cold weather use, you can mount it inside since it doesn't put off fumes. Given that these cost a lot, having it inside is also better protection against theft. Mine is inside of a locked metal Harbor Freight tongue box that is U-bolted to the A frame. I do have some foam padding for insulation. I have had no problem with using it when it was inside under the bed in our RP-179. 

This site has a good comparison and may help ease your mind.

https://lithiumhub.com/lifepo4-batteries-what-they-are-and-why-theyre-the-best/ - https://lithiumhub.com/lifepo4-batteries-what-they-are-and-why-theyre-the-best/

LFP batteries do not have the fire risk of the various "Lithium Ion" batteries. From all the things I've read, they appear to be as safe as lead acid.

I wasn't that worried and was mostly teasing you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzt9RZ0FQyM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzt9RZ0FQyM

The install was simple and everything went as I hoped and it's charging properly with my solar panels.

It's slightly bigger than the group 24 battery I had, so I needed to use a bigger box that doesn't fit as well.  I'm not thrilled with the positioning of it but I'll likely move the battery inside at some point anyway.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

I looked up the WF 8735-AD. Here is what it says:

"WFCO’s proven WF-8735-AD Power Center offers an industry-first, Auto-Detect technology. This new microprocessor-driven technology will recognize lithium-ion and lead-acid battery chemistries and automatically adjust the charging profile to match the battery type."

So, it is a qualified yes. The converter will not have a problem. Solar would not be an issue. The only issue is in charging while driving. "Smart" alternators won't work as they will think the tow vehicle's battery is charged because of the higher voltage of the LiFePO4 battery and cut the charging. That will mean your house battery will be supplying power so you arrive with your battery lower than when you started. You do need to use a DC to DC charger or equivalent to both isolate the house battery from your starting battery and to have the correct charging profile for the LiFePO4 battery if you install one.

https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/resources/chargers-isolators-faqs/smart-alternator-fixed-alternator/ - https://www.redarcelectronics.com/us/resources/chargers-isolators-faqs/smart-alternator-fixed-alternator/

I am driving a 2005 tacoma so would guess I don't have a smart alternator.  I had read the newer WFCO s adjust to the LiFePO4 but had seen a post on a different site were someone had a problem, so wanted to reach out before putting one in.   When it comes to electricity i'm almost as green as r poding which consist of two months .  

David

One at the higher price was fine (I needed batteries so I was going to spend 2-300 anyway so 475 wasn't much more)-- but I was afraid I'd decide to add a second and that would have been too much.

Such an upgrade from my old system: 2 golf cart batteries (heavy!) where I was always pulling to boxes apart to chef the charge level and hauling around my heavy portable solar panel to keep them charged up...not to mention maintenance. 

It's a sweet setup. Thanks again for the advice while I was figuring it out.  :)

Did you install a DC to DC charger or just drop the battery in place of the LA battery without other modifications?

My alternator is 230 amps and the battery make charge.  With the power wire going back to the trailer being so small I wonder how much it could possible draw.  

Would pulling the 30amp fuse on the trailer power lead in the tow vehicle affect anything else besides not supplying power to the battery?

We had the pod dialed in and it’s going to take some time to get the Grey Wolf exactly how we want it.

My wife really lovesthe ramp patio and larger refrigerator and was really pushing for the new trailer for those features.

But every little thig: where to stand to lift the dog out of the camper? How that new fangled coupler works, how to pull out those damn steps.  lol

Like other things in life, the Rpod served its purpose. It met our needs and then the time came for it and us to move on to new adventures.

Here we are owning the same 177 for over 12 years, in fact the oldest 12v battery turned 12 years old last month, we boondock a lot and both batteries get used a lot as well.  No solar, no generator, no A/C and no microwave/convection.  Simple, functional, we go anywhere/everywhere we wish to go - result is lots of memories made.

In our case, we do need power to run medical equipment. I am glad to have a refrigerator that will reliably cool, even if it does mean that I need solar or a generator to keep the battery sufficiently charged to run everything. We don't have an inverter in the Grey Wolf. That is something I am pretty sure we can do without.

Jato, you need to give that battery a name soon. At this rate it will be able to apply for its own driver's license!

How about "Die Hard?"  Rats, that name is already taken!