Lifepo4 Batteries

[KyleR]

would two 30amp chargers putting out a combined 60amps be advantageous?

You would get the extra 10amps of charge each hour, but we only have a 200amp-hour house bank so even if it were nearly dead it would be recharged in 4 hours with the 50amp charger vs 3.5ish hours with two 30amp chargers. Not that big of a deal for us. If we had 1000+ amp-hours of batteries that extra 10amps/hr would probably add up over time.

Plus, with this one I only had to install one unit and two breakers which obviously is simpler (and cheaper) than going with two 30amp units, four breakers, more wiring, etc.

Also, they say the 50amp unit has some overall improvements including allowing it to operate cooler and not get so hot.

Personal preference really.

[mikesparker]

Ok, next question...I've got two Crusader 270s (350cid) with what I believe are OEM alternators, which would put them at only 55amps. I've read that you should only draw 50% to 70% of the alternator's rating...which would mean I would set the XS for 30 to 37.5amps of output...is that gonna be enough to charge a 600ah bank efficiently?

[KyleR]

Depends on how long you "typically" run and how low you "typically" let your house battery get.

If you only drain it 25% on a typical day but run your boat for 5 hours a day, you're breaking even. You just kinda have to do the math for your cruising style.

Plus, if you anchor out and run a generator you're probably charging the house bank some then too.

And if you only go out for day trips but go to a marina at night you will be changing via shore power all night long.

So, you can see there are lots of variables to consider. We've been full-time liveaboards for almost two years now and are just finally figuring out what we really want/need for our cruising style!!

[mikesparker]

So really, two Orion XS's in parallel would give me a 'safe' 70amps?

We anchor for up to 4 days at a time...only using the inverter for the OEM Norcold 828 fridge, an ice maker, a CPAP, charging phones/laptops/tablets/bluetooth speaker and the single-cup pod coffee maker. I'm still debating whether to go with a 2kw or 3kw inverter/charger...

[KyleR]

Sounds right, plus room to grow if you upgrade your alternators in the future, if your engines can handle the extra load. I'm definitely no expert so please use other sources to back up my comments, but sounds like you're on the right track.

Keep us posted when you get your system set up - helps us all to learn!

[Midnightsun]

Source of the post So really, two Orion XS's in parallel would give me a 'safe' 70amps?

We anchor for up to 4 days at a time...only using the inverter for the OEM Norcold 828 fridge, an ice maker, a CPAP, charging phones/laptops/tablets/bluetooth speaker and the single-cup pod coffee maker. I'm still debating whether to go with a 2kw or 3kw inverter/charger...

DC to DC charger and anchoring have no correlation so to say. Your DC to DC charger/s will only work if the main engines are running and spinning the alternators which is normally while under way. You will be dependant on generator run time and shore power charger output capacity and any additional charge source such as solar when at anchor. I should mention if you do have a decent size shore power charger this will activate when you run the generator causing the DC to DC charger to start charging along with your lithium bank charger. The bigger the shore power charger the more the DC to DC charger will output.

I did look into the new 50a Orion XS and wow, nice improvement compared to their previous 30a unit. If I had to do this today I would have installed dual 50a units. Heck, if I get bored I may just swap out the exiting units and upgrade but then again we anchor a LOT and travel little so not really worth the $660 US upgrade for 2 units.

Here is a good vid comparing the new gen to the old.

[mikesparker]

Thanks again, Hans...yes, I saw that video while researching the XS vs the Smart...I think it'll be worth the extra dinero.

[mikesparker]

Ok...so I ripped out all the wiring, old batteries, disconnects and ACRs and installed the (2) 300ah LPF batteries in parallel and the Multiplus 12/3000/120. The charging of the LPFs is handled by the Multiplus, of course...with the (2) 12v LA starting batteries having their own ProMariner charger. So right now I have the LPFs paralleled with 250a MRBFs on each positive terminals which then go to a 300a class T. Besides the LPFs, the class T is connected to the Multiplus positive (and negative) as well as the positive (and negative) DC loads. Both engines ground to one start battery, then cabled to the aft LPF, the fwd LPF, the 2nd start battery and then to the class T. The LPFs are getting proper charge from the Multiplus, the start batteries are charging from the ProMariner. I have 12v to the DC load center. I haven't tried inverting yet.

Questions: where should the disconnect switches go? Can I use an ACR between the start batteries to achieve redundancy? I already have 2...so it's not an extra cost.

I'm excited...but tired!!!

[Midnightsun]

Not sure why you took out the disconnects. I used the exiting one for my LifePo4 house bank and the other 2 for the start batteries remained unchanged. In my case I did not have 1/2/all disconnects, only on/off.

I can see why you would want to change/remove yours if they were able to combine lithium with lead acid just for safety reasons. That being the case, I would just install on/off switches where the old ones were or anywhere as long as you have good access. ACR between the starts is no issue. I did the same except I am using the original factory isolator to perform the same function.

[Viper]

If this is all installed in the engine bay, unless something has changed class T fuses themselves aren't ignition proof unless they are mounted in an ignition proof holder. I would check and ensure these are okay to use in a gasoline application now. This is why ANL fuses have usually been used for this type of application.