Is this the ultimate reserve starter battery?

[kjretlaw]

I’m using 2 GP 31 batteries for my house bank and was looking for a small compact 12V AGM for my backup starter battery.

StarkPower’s “ULTRA” Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)battery it’s very small and has 180 CCA is this enough for a 2GM20F

My question is will it work with the echo charger I already have will the echo undercharge the LiFePO4 battery.

This thing is very small 5.8” X 1.4” X 3.2” only 119.00 on Amazon

http://www.starkpower.com/
I have no affiliation with this company

 

[Steve Dion]

Why don't you contact the distributor and mfg of these batteries for their opinion?

 

[syoun10]

Why don't you contact the distributor and mfg of these batteries for their opinion?

and please let us know the outcome. It looks interesting to me too

 

[DougM]

Lithium ion batteries are notorious for overheating. They have been known to cause fires.. if you plan on using one I would suggest sealing it inside an old ammo box.
My son had an experience with one he was recharging for a radio controlled. Helicopter. it overheated and started his car on fire.... total loss.

 

[kpgraci]

Isn't that the type of battery that grounded the Boeing 787 fleet?

My son says: Boats and fire don't mix.

 

[Benny17441]

Kind of an overkill for a simple backup. A wet cell group 24 starting battery can be found for around $65. A little Larger and heavier but they are proven for the desired task and should have no issues with recharging.

 

[Tom G P-21]

If this is for backup starter purposes why not get a jumpstart unit. Most have built in charging, (you plug an extension cord into it, don't get the ones with a wall wart that can get lost), some have a meter and even USB ports. Most have sealed AGM batteries

Here is an example,
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...mp-starter/_/N-2629?itemIdentifier=298616_0_0_

 

[dwain6805]

Isn't that the type of battery that grounded the Boeing 787 fleet?

My son says: Boats and fire don't mix.

Short answer=NO!

It is not the same as the Boeing battery. Or laptop Batteries, Or cell phone batteries.
The LifePo4 batteries can be safer than LA batteries with a few precautions.

They are not prone to thermal runaway (although you can achieve it if you try, severe overcharge and 400C+) there is no acid or gassing, they don't heat when charging/discharging (especially at our charge rates), they are VERY voltage stable.

Their biggest issues are similar to LA, they are damaged by overcharging and severe discharging. they don't blow up or catch fire, they just lose capacity. Since they are a bit pricey, damaging them might seem catastrophic. I'm running a 700 amp LI bank with NO issues. I just charge to 13.8 volts on all of my charge sources and I'm very conservative.

To answer the original poster, you probably wouldn't want to charge that Lifepo4 battery with the same charging profile your using for your current LA batteries, plus it's probaby a bit small.

 

[kjretlaw]

Update from Martin at Stark

The lithium starter battery will work very well to start the 2 cyl engine.

Yes, using the charger you described to turn off at 14.4V is good.

However, having the lithium battery in parallel with the lead acid battery is not a good idea since the lithium battery has a slightly higher resting voltage the lead acid battery could drain the lithium battery if they are in parallel.

A couple ways to go around the problem might be:
1) have a blocking diode in place to avoid Lithium battery drain.
2) disconnect lithium battery when not in use, they have an exceptional shelf life many years if left alone.

For some of the replies.
I don't have room under the settee for a group 24, I'd have to give up space somewhere else.
As for the Jumper pack, I'd thought of one of those, for the larger units the prices are about the same and I have the Echo Charger already.

Since I only have a 2 cyl 180 should crank the engine just fine.

My thoughts were for a permanant installation with very little managemeant required.

Thanks for the inputs I see this is the technology we'll all move to in the future the 100AH batteries they sell are still quite expensive 899.00 each.

Dwain how much time do you spend managing the batteries and do you charge them back to 100% always.

 

[Maine Sail]

Since I only have a 2 cyl 180 should crank the engine just fine.

Yanmar 2 cylinder:

Dwain how much time do you spend managing the batteries and do you charge them back to 100% always.

With a proper installation there is very little management. A proper BMS will cut loads if the voltages get too low and cut charging if voltages get too high. A properly isntalled system does not just "balance the cells" it cuts charging and loads when it should to save the bank.

Cell balance is a minimal issue. Our bank has well over 100 cycles on it now and the cells are still within .007V of each other....

LiFePO4 does not need to get back to 100% as they do not sulfate or suffer from this sort of thing. They in-fact prefer to sit below full...

Our LifePO4 bank is stiting at approx 50% SOC as I type. We literally manually turn off the alternator at times because the bank charges so fast. Once charged there is no further need to continue charging LiFePO4 and no "float" is needed... We can charge at about 100A at just a tick over idle or about 1100 engine RPM.. No need to worry about getting current back in.

I would urge anyone to stay away from the "drop in" replacement LiFePO4 banks for now. Like LED bulbs lots of companies are trying to get in the race and lots of them are doing it quite poorly.

Genasun, Mastervolt and Victron are a few companies making solid marine LiFePO4 offerings. Other than that it is currently a build it yourself kind of deal. Look for an AGM lawn & garden battery or motorcycle battery. They have the oomph..

 

[dwain6805]

Yanmar 2 cylinder:
]

I would urge anyone to stay away from the "drop in" replacement LiFePO4 banks for now. Like LED bulbs lots of companies are trying to get in the race and lots of them are doing it quite poorly.

Genasun, Mastervolt and Victron are a few companies making solid marine LiFePO4 offerings. Other than that it is currently a build it yourself kind of deal. Look for an AGM lawn & garden battery or motorcycle battery. They have the oomph..

What Main sail said +1
My system is a DIY I had to assemble individual cells, BMS, case, ect. I don't believe a full "balancing" BMS is required for these, however, at the price for the BMS (if your doing it yourself), it's cheap insurance. And from MS's pov as a vendor or tradesman I wouldn't think of selling/installing these without some serious controls to save the typical owner from themselves. Look how long LA has been around and how many manage to destroy them.

PS: MS the B-tape arrive 2 days after ordered!

 

[kjretlaw]

Main Sail and Dwain

Thanks for the great information, and advice, I'll look for a small AGM to squezze in the space I have.
LiFePo4 will have to wait for now.

 

[Benny17441]

Another consideration might be getting a replacement should it fail during a trip. I can hop ashore and find a 12v wet cell battery at any Walmarts or auto parts store. Have done that in the Bahamas where finding an Li battery in the Out Islands is probably unheard of.