Lithium Batteries

[Joe C]

Does anyone have experience with storing your trailer outside with the solar lithium batteries? I have my trailer outside in Wyoming. It is winterized and plugged into shore power. I monitor my battery temp and the lowest temp I have seen is 39 degrees, however, it will get much colder this winter. I am concerned that my external heating pad will be unable to keep up. I am considering removing the batteries and bringing them inside. Is this an extensive process? Any suggestions would be appreciated  

Joe C

Hull #1447

[dewdev]

I would call the battery manufacuture (or OTT) and tell them your winter weather temperatures and ask them what they recommend for storage and degree of charge on the batteries prior to removing. 

If you do remove your batteries I recommend:

- Shut off the power switch from your solar panels to the battery compartment.

- Take a picture of the batteries-wires prior to removing the wires-batteries.

- Mark  where the wires are connected to and maybe bag the battery wire ends just to be safe.

[Rivernerd]

2 hours ago, Joe C said:

Does anyone have experience with storing your trailer outside with the solar lithium batteries? I have my trailer outside in Wyoming. It is winterized and plugged into shore power.

Inside vs. outside should make little difference (even in Wyoming where wind chill can be brutal) because when in the battery compartment, the batteries are fairly well protected from wind.  The connection to shore power should keep the battery warming mat, on what must be your 390 Ah Lithium Pro Package, well supplied with power.

For what it's worth, we store our Hull #1291, with the Lithium Pro Package and the battery warming mat, in an enclosed but unheated shed, connected to 30A shore power, during our central Idaho winters.  We get nighttime lows barely below 0 F at times, and have not had any issues.  Lows much colder than that are rare.

What night time lows do you commonly get in your part of Wyoming in the "dead of winter"?  If much colder than 0 F at any time, I would open a service ticket through which to ask Oliver Service what the temperature limits of the battery warming mat are, even when continually supplied with shore power.

 

[Joe C]

Thank you very much. Our winters are very cold on occasion. I will open a ticket and ask. 

[Geronimo John]

5 hours ago, dewdev said:

I would call the battery manufacturer (or OTT) and tell them your winter weather temperatures and ask them what they recommend for storage

I was 100% in agreement for Dewdev's post, up to the word storage.  Beyond that and assumptions can come into play and bias the discussion. 

Recommend you advise your battery mfg if your rig will or will not need to be used during extreme conditions.  Then just ask the question as modified above.  Some battery mfg's have no problem with their Litho's freezing hard so long as there is zero draw or charging happening until well after they thaw. 

If you bias the discussion, you may not get their "Full Monte" of understanding the specifics for your batteries in your location during worst case events.

GJ