Lithium Batteries - Cold Protection?

[BadWolfe]

Has anyone had to purchase a battery "blanket/heater" for their Lithium batteries? I'm reading that Battle Born Lithium batteries do not charge under 23 degrees. Other Lithium batteries state that they do not charge under 32 degrees (or so). Is this a real world problem people have experienced?

[steve2777]

Yes, I have two 100wh Battle Borns, and installed a 12 watt heating pad under each. Discussed it beforehand with BB tech, and he confirmed the wattage was a safe amount. I haven't actually used them yet, but with winter coming they will get the test. Here is what I purchased from Amazon, 11 bucks each:

GAOHOU Hive Electric Heater Plate Beehive,Silicone Heating Heater Mat/Pad,12V 12W

[Pappion]

Battle Born sells heating wraps too.
Generally do not charge LiFeP04 below 32F. Discharge ok to 20-25F.
Heaters can be thermostat controlled and feed by solar controllers load output. Some people place them in an insulated storage compartment outside and duct in some air. Some place them inside the cabin, under bed or under seat storage.

[jcussen]

I have mine in a insulated bay compartment with a 200 watt ceramic heater on a thermocube that turns it on at 32 and off at 38f. Solar controllers are down there too, so some heat in that compartment in the daytime.

[BadWolfe]

steve2777 Yes, I have two 100wh Battle Borns… Here is what I purchased from Amazon, 11 bucks each:
GAOHOU Hive Electric Heater Plate Beehive,Silicone Heating Heater Mat/Pad,12V 12W
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Thank you steve2777. I’ll look at those. Please report back on how they work this year.
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Pappion Battle Born sells heating wraps too.
Generally do not charge LiFeP04 below 32F. Discharge ok to 20-25F…. Heaters can be thermostat controlled.. place them in an insulated storage compartment..
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Thank you Pappion. I do not have the option of placing them inside, so it sure sounds like a wrap/pad/mat is in my future.
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jcussen insulated bay compartment with a 200 watt ceramic heater on a thermocube that turns it on at 32 and off at 38f.
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Thanks jcussen. I actually use a thermocube for the inside of my RV. I hadn’t thought about that option for the battery compartment.

[mjbenedict]

If you’re concerned about cold, you should purchase a battery with built in heat instead of dealing with heating blankets. That way the BMS can protect the battery properly. While the BMS in a battle born will protect it, you will have the added expense and maintenance of the heating pad or whatever heating system you put in place. If you are installing inside the rig then you should be fine as long as heating up the rig before charging. I have a LiFEBlue battery at 300ah with built in heat. ReLion makes them as well. Make sure you get a high current version if you are also starting a generator.

LiFEBlue- https://www.lifebluebattery.com/rv-b...ies/index.html

ReLion- https://relionbattery.com/low-temperature-series-line

[KanzKran]

I wrap my single 600 Ah LiFePO4 battery in this 6 ft long blanket . . .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049NJ80M...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

. . . and control it with this wifi thermostat . . .

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Tempe...01WCFCHQ566WDR

. . . but I cut the wattage down to 40-50W using a slide dimmer for a table lamp, connected at the heater output of the thermostat. The thermostat gets line voltage. The dimmer reduces the cycling so the battery is more evenly heated. The thermostat probe lays on top of the battery, and I cover the whole thing in a thermal blanket to keep the heat in.

I can monitor the temperature, including history, from my phone since the controller is just within range of my home wifi. I can also adjust the set points remotely, but it still works whether it's within range or not.

The charge controller reads the actual battery temp, and won't charge below 32F, but it does allow discharge down to something closer to 0F.

[mjbenedict]

Another thing on the heated batteries I mentioned above. They draw power from the charger to heat before charging. Mine requires at least 15A charge to run the heat which is no problem with the magnum in my rig.
This is another consideration given most self-installed heating systems draw power from either 110V or 12V (the battery). While that’s ok, it’s one of the reasons I went with the built-in heating. That way I don’t need to be concerned with drawing battery down to keep the heat.
A lithium can be drawn down below the charging temperature with no detrimental effects. The charging is the problem.
Note: even lead-acid batteries can be damaged at these temperatures. Few bring this up because they are cheaper to replace.