Howdy! Just bought 8 of the Battle Born 100 amp-hour LiFePO4

[temu]

Decided to put the old Trojan L16's into permanent retirement.

Figured I'd build a high R value Styrofoam block case for them, but was looking for inventive ways to keep them above freezing, even thinking a small 25w fish tank heater in the box submerged a gallon of water may do the trick. Any ideas? Those mats they offer are way overpriced.Our lows are usually above 10 degrees, but they happen from time to time.

[chrisski]

How are configuring these? 1S8P, 4P2S?

[Mike90250]

Some Li batteries have limits of how many can be series or paralled, find out for sure before you buy

[temu]

Some Li batteries have limits of how many can be series or paralled, find out for sure before you buy

Installation
Our batteries are rather straight forward to install, simply connect your positive cables to the positive terminals and your negative cables to the negative terminal. Our batteries work great in either parallel or series configurations (up to 36v).Our batteries come standard with a flag style terminal post. These terminals include a 3/8” hole that allows for most ring terminals to work well with our batteries.
For the best connection,we recommend either copper or brass ring
terminals

.ParallelMultiple BB10012 may be mounted in parallel in order to increase the current capacity of the system. When batteries are mounted in parallel, the voltage of the system does not change, but the current limits are additive. For example, two BB10012 batteries mounted in parallel can deliver 200A continuously and 400A for 30 seconds. Three BB10012 batteries mounted in parallel can deliver 300A continuously and 600A for 30 seconds. Therefore, all cables and connections MUST be able to accommodate the high currents that can be delivered by the battery. Appropriate fuses and circuit breakers are also highly recommended to protect downstream components from current spikes and short circuits.

SeriesTwo BB10012 may be mounted in series to increase the voltage of the system up to a 24V system. When batteries are mounted in series, current capacities remain the same, but the system voltage is additive. Two BB10012 batteries mounted in series to form a nominally 24V system should be charged using a bulk and absorption voltage of 28.8V, and a float voltage below 27.2V

[temu]

Hmmm....posted a response but was marked as 'potential spam'....possibly because I quoted their website?

[SunEagle]

Hmmm....posted a response but was marked as 'potential spam'....possibly because I quoted their website?

I have approved your post.

[temu]

I have approved your post.

Thanks...didn't know what the mishap was. But to answer others, I will be linking in series for my 24v Outback system. Just looking for clever solutions to keep them above freezing on those chilly nights. They will not take a charge below 24 degrees.

[SunEagle]

Thanks...didn't know what the mishap was. But to answer others, I will be linking in series for my 24v Outback system. Just looking for clever solutions to keep them above freezing on those chilly nights. They will not take a charge below 24 degrees.

You are welcome.

I also do not know all of the reasons the forum software puts posts into the "wait" bucket, but I try to review them a few times a day every day.

[Mike90250]

......... Just looking for clever solutions to keep them above freezing on those chilly nights. They will not take a charge below 24 degrees.

You better double check. AFIK, ALL Li based batteries are NOT TO BE charged below 0C (freezing) I would strive to keep them above 4C, just for some safety margin, and because the cells really slow down the colder they get. Since they have such low internal resistance, they have very little self-heating.
A water bath seems like a good idea, but will the added humidity cause issues with corrosion of nearby metal parts or the innards of the BMS ?

[temu]

You better double check. AFIK, ALL Li based batteries are NOT TO BE charged below 0C (freezing) I would strive to keep them above 4C, just for some safety margin, and because the cells really slow down the colder they get. Since they have such low internal resistance, they have very little self-heating.
A water bath seems like a good idea, but will the added humidity cause issues with corrosion of nearby metal parts or the innards of the BMS ?

From the website:
Battle Born Batteries protect themselves from charging in cold temperatures and won’t accept a charge once the internal cell temperature drops to 24°F. At this point they will continue to discharge even down to -4°F. At this temperature we recommend no longer pulling power to avoid damaging the batteries.
Insulated battery boxes, heating blankets, and placing your battery bank inside your RV will help keep the temperature stable. On the high end of temperature range, the batteries will shut down once 135°F is reached.

They also state moisture will not hurt them, just don't submerge. One of those fish tank heaters cost very little...good up to 3 gallons, the 50w is twice as much. I do want to keep them above freezing just because.

I wonder if a 25w light bulb would do the same? I can seal these up real good since there will be no gassing.

[Weldman]

I would suggest distilled water to prevent mineral build up which then could prevent most corrosion due to lack of minerals.

[temu]

I would suggest distilled water to prevent mineral build up which then could prevent most corrosion due to lack of minerals.

Good point. Hadn't considered that.

[Mike90250]

I would suggest distilled water to prevent mineral build up which then could prevent most corrosion due to lack of minerals.

Wrong. but not because of mineral buildup. The internal parts of the battery (The BMS circuit board) is unlikely to be conformal coated as in spacecraft or marine installations. Moisture from the nearby water vapor will get in (and the water vapor is distilled water) and condense on the circuit board, where it can cause corrosion - because of the high humidity environment. Distilled water will still corrode steel, even with no minerals. Distilled water does not support electrolysis, could be considered a form of corrosion, but to keep a bucket of distilled water chemically pure, is not likely..

[temu]

Now I am wondering if these may do the trick...

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Labs-Ceramic-Emitter/dp/B01KVC3I6Y/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=25W+Nano+Ceramic+Heat+Emitter&qid=1612959685&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-5

[temu]

This may be even better...only 8 watts!

https://www.amazon.com/Tikaton-Reptile-Heat-Pad-Temperature/dp/B0813CQ4C9/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=reptile%2Btank%2Bheater&qid=1612969156&sr=8-2&th=1