I bought my 4 G31 in 2019 and they are now dead. Paid over $2000 for under 3 years of use. My last wet bank lasted 9 years and cost me $500. My Fireflys were installed according to the parameters set by Firefly when I bought them in 2019 and treated VERY well. We live aboard but haven't been off the dock much in the past year so they haven't been DEEPLY discharged in quite awhile which is probably what killed them- they were never just floated either. Tried calling Firefly and all voicemail boxes were full. Just noticed their webpage account has been suspended. Guessing they've folded. Good luck to everyone out there, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I feel like we've all been screwed.
Firefly battery issues
- Thread starter tfox2069
- Start date
This goes with my general philosophy on marketing. Marketers will tell you anything to make the sale.
My opinion, FWIW, batteries can last years or die the next day after purchase. The best choice is industrial grade with thick plates and deep voids beneath them. If the price is a show stopper then go cheap and replace every 1-2 years.
I definitely feel your pain, and shake my head at Firefly for this mess. At this point the market is moving to lithium batteries with all their advantages, and expensive alternatives to traditional lead acid like Fireflies are quickly becoming obsolete - particularly with the significant quality issues that Firefly has experienced since jumping into the marine market. I'd be surprised to see any reputable importer agree to deal with them anymore, not to mention a dealer network likely to be reluctant to do so after this mess. I do know people who are using them and getting good performance out of them; I know more (like me) who have had nothing but problems - even when being properly set up to maintain them. I wouldn't be surprised in a few years to see them try to re-brand, hoping people have a short memory. Good luck with that. By then most folks in the market for a high-end battery solution will have figured out a path to lithium and moved on. I also expect lithium to be more price competitive over time, pushing alternatives like Firefly to obsolescence.
My single firefly lost about 30-40% capacity after 4-6 months of use. I also have a sterling pro charge ultra charger (at dock) and manually turned it on/off so never floated. Didn't make any difference. Firefly still lost a ton of capacity. Interestingly the damn battery seems to have stabalized at its current capacity. I get maybe 30Ah usable capacity out of it. Glad i only bought a single battery to try. Silver lining is that it absolutely sold me on lithium. No more FLA for me except starting battery.
That's fascinating BAD ORCA. The two Fireflies I still have in the basement that are toast are also only good for around 30ah as well, after a year or less and two attempts at restoring. The one that's still good I can't figure out what to do with it. Its def not going on the boat. What a total waste of money, in my case. On a positive note, the Victron Super Cycle batteries that Ocean Planet sold to me at wholesale in lieu of warranty (my choice) on the Fireflies are doing great this season, so far.