This video is OLD. These batteries have been overpriced for over a year now. The cheapest battery is a 12V CHINS: chins-battery.myshopify.com/collections/chins/products/12v-100ah-lithium-battery-built-in-100a-bms-2000-cycles-each-battery-can-support-1280w-power-output-perfect-for-rv-caravan-solar-marine-home-storage-and-off-grid?ref=h-cvbzfahsek If you want other cheap lifepo4 batteries, check them out here: www.mobile-solarpower.com/lithium-batteries.html *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community!* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out EnergyPal! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: energypal.com/diysolar/ *My Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Ecoflow Delta* My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 *AmpereTime* Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Its nice that you go back and add notes to some of your older videos... on your website people will quote your videos as if you are godlike and then we have to tell them that you need to go watch a video 3 or 4 later where WILL may have modified his opinion of doing this or using this ... by you going back and updating them NOW with the most current info you are saving allot of ppl heartache that don't watch ALL your videos but only the one ... (I hope that all makes sense) ... and YEP right after you mentioned these batteries - literally an hour later - the prices literally doubled and has been that way for at least a year ...
I don't know about your income level, but that link references a 100Ah battery on Amazon for 580$. That's very expensive for me. I will just stick to other and cheaper battery types.
Your excitement is so moving, keep your enthusiasm going. I am so thrilled to see young people tackling technological challenges to improve the quality of life.
As an Instructor, it is always an awesome sight when you see a student, who really wants to absorb, learn, and experience a learning situation. At the end, you were so "stoked" and with a smile from side to side about what you just learned, I search for people who want to learn as you do. Cool Beans, my kids would say. Cheers, Greasemonkey.
So are you filming in a motor home or trailer? Hope your parents are paying you to upgrade their RV. Lol, jk it’s yo look young for your depth of knowledge. Nice vid kid.
Wow now that information truly helps me. I am in the first of a four step disease actually almost to the second phase this disease is slowly killing me without any chance of survival. Anyway I am doing all I can to learn solar and wind so I can start buying components to build our own solar system so my wife has her own power and doesn't have to rely on traditional power that's very expensive in our area actually the most expensive in the country so yes I am making sure we do break free of this thieves while I am able to do so. Your making this so much easier and better everybody wants to sell a bunch of crap and never actually help figure anything out myself. A great big thank you. I will be buying your book and watching every one of your videos. What a blessing!!
Dwayne Howe And is happy to stand corrected. Simply because he doesn’t think of himself as a genius but as a patio ate individual who relises he gets so much more from that kind of intellectual feedback. I only say this because I read a few that have commented on mistakes and he learns from them.
William, again, you knocked it out of the park. Your Videos are fun to watch. Love your enthusiasm. Note to self. Stop touching your probes and battery terminals with live current. Your body will thank you 20 years down the road. God Bless You young man...
Just bought some for a van conversion hoping to end up with enough to run an induction cook top and a 12v fridge/freezer. This is the best video I have seen to get affordable power for a budget van build. The fact that they are used only makes me happier. I saw some that are damaged and the cords are cut it would be nice if you bought some of those and repaired them.
The Sultan Of Solar saving us money, keeping us ahead of trends and pre-testing products, allowing us to buy online with more confidence. Everyone check out comments because Will answers many questions but look for already answered questions first. Thanks Sir.
Hey Will, just wanted to THANK YOU for all the help you have provided me through your videos! I've learned a lot from you this year. I did covert my RV to lithium and could not have done it with your help.
I viewed this between 230pm and 330pm on Tuesday and Ebay only had 1 battery left at a decent price...while I was getting myself together,,,it sold....wow...
I love your presentatIon THEN BOUIGHT THE AMPERETIME 200 as you suggested. I am right now testing it at 9600ft in the Rockies. I have watched many of your infos and love em all. Your a good teacher, gave me confidence to take on a bigger system. Thanks Joe
Will, An interesting tidbit of information that I learned about having these batteries hooked up to an isolator. My regular battery in my 2018 Ford Transit mid roof van started conking out on me. It was showing signs that it needed replacing. Little did I know that if I turned on the isolator the engine would start off of 2 of these valence batteries that I have running off a 190 watt solar panel that is running a Natures Head toilet, a 12v ICECO fridge and 2 MaxxAir fans. These batteries that you suggested have been a Godsend. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and education people like me about these types of things. You are truly a blessing. Have a great day!
I agree and see your point, but perhaps for him it's not about the $'s, but more staying informed and educated. After all, money is still, just a piece of paper, knowledge however, you can't place a value on. Just my 2 cents. I don't know him, but I have followed his vids and have enough confidence, through his "practical" testing to believe that he understands the technology to know what he's saying.
@ that's unfortunate. I moved around 10 yrs ago to a country in Europe. I say that to say that furthing your education in this region is encouraged and not looked at as a money maker. They, well most countries in the EU, look at it as, the more and better educated our next-generation is, the better our country will do in the future. Universities and colleges in the country I live in are cheap. In some EU countries, it's free.
cheap for LiFePO4 batteries! Maybe you just lucked out, getting 90% rated capacity from used batteries tho. With no guarantee, still makes it a hit and miss purchase. Happy you got some good ones. With 2000 cycles possible...you might still get a few years of good service in a solar system. cheers!
I'm mainly impressed with the young man with brain capacity to do something constructive with his life even if it's possibly only a hobby . I hope other young men and women consider him as a role model instead of the junk the main stream media pushes . I give you 4 thumbs up for constructive information !!! 👍👍👍👍 😎
More youtubers need to cut to the chase like you did in this video and the most important part was communicated well before the 9 mins was up. But your enthusiasm is infectious so I watched 'til the end. Nicely done. I'm tired of sifting through 20 minutes of blabber for 15 seconds of content. Keep it up!
I like you are testing these batteries for us. I tried to build a system, back in 1014. I was in Saskatoon, and only one battery shop was available. I did not buy any batteries as expensive. Your video is extremely, valuable.
I really like your shows, you explain things so well. I live in an RV and I'm going to put in solar and you have been so much help, because I am a total beginner. Thanks 😎💞
Thank you for all of the videos you have posted. It’s a real help for those of us that don’t have an advanced degree in batteries lol. I’m sure you get pestered by people that are clueless and genuinely need assistance but they typically don’t understand that you have hundreds if not thousands of people all clamouring for your attention lol. Again thank you for helping out the solar/battery/off grid community by posting such excellent videos. Cheers mate
Hey thanks for for the 'Heads up' I never thought about 2nd hand batteries. I live in Australia and have checked out 2nd hand "Standby" Batteries used by our telecommunication companies. They 'Retire' these batteries after 5 years. Expensive units usually on a trickle charge, sold off at a fraction of the cost with lots of life left in them. COOL!
I have that same exact inverter I bought off Amazon sometime ago I’m thinking maybe five years ago or more,,, so far it works I haven’t used it heavy however I have used it usually to run my refrigerator
William Foreman : I'm looking for a solid solar system to COMPLETELY power a cabin for full time living for 2 . You said You powered a fridge , tell Me about Your setup ( what it is , where I can get it , what will it power , how much ?$ , anything else You can think of ) PLEASE !!!!
john howard i’ll try and get back with you in the next day or so right now I have to get ready for work if money is no option contact morning star solar you could maybe get in on one of their free webinars and you can try to talk to someone there also and tell them what you want to do and they will help you design a system MorningStar would be very good for a remote location because if it’s very high reliability,,,mine System is a cobbled together System I’ve got 700 Watts of solar panels and they’re all Renorgy solar they’re OK however be careful with Renorgy I bought a fancy charge controller from them their commander it worked until it ran out of warranty and completely stopped working they won’t replace it they won’t fix it and they don’t care,,,again if you have money contact MorningStar they would be glad to talk to you i’m thinking about buying some more MorningStar equipment myself.
@@william38022 I have a little money ( a couple thousand or so ) . I thought I'd at least try to buy much as I can before end yr for tx credit . If You're talking REAL money , afraid not so much , right now . I've seen some of the systems on youtube , THEY'RE worth more than My 5ac !!
These are the same batteries that were used in the battery system, of the "Smith Newton" all electric box trucks, I think they said they used 96 of those batteries to power the truck!
@@beebob1279 Those packs are heavy, over 1344 pounds for both packs! 13.4 per battery! Plus connections and electronics! Probably 1500 pounds with everything!
@@thesurvivalist. Thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out how to set up a battery system to keep charged for our black outs. I don't want to replace my insert wood stove but need electricity to run it. It doesn't take a lot of power plus a refrigerator. The rest I've got covered. Later will be panels on the roof I guess.
@@beebob1279 You might want to get a chest freezer to replace the refrigerator, I picked up three of them two months ago, I lowered the temperature on one that I use as a refrigerator, to .4 to .6 tops. They uses far less energy then refrigerators, and you do not lose your cold air every time you open them to get something out! I did a week long test on my battery bank, to see if I could power them on my system! It worked just fine, the solar recharged the batteries everyday, and I could go 3 days with having to worry if the freezers would defrost! I even forgot to plug in a freezer for 2 days, looked inside and everything was still frozen. Chest freezers are the ways to go on solar generators, I have my freezers set to 1.5 tops!
@@beebob1279 check out Will Prowse channel DIY Solar, they can save a lot by buying used solar panels, the large panels. I use poly panels my self, they produce even if they get covered or are partially in shadow!
Ian Murdock [below] quotes 4 Ah per week self-discharge due to BMS. This is insane - my small solar system would lose several percent of its output just to keep a BMS warm? I still recommend careful bottom balancing prior to battery assembly when using LiFePO4 cells - we know from EVTV that quality LiFePO4 cells thereafter do not diverge in capacity, so no need for BMS parasitic drains that can actually unbalance the battery if no charger power available! Nevertheless, these batteries would be an ideal starter system for newbies. Thanks for testing them! Keep up the good work.
These batteries have a total self-discharge of 166 mAH/day which equals 1.162 Ah/week in park (active) mode. There is no BMS but it does have internal FETs to protect from over or under voltages.
One video turned me into a fan. Nice work DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse. Well done without the usual fluff...super informative and I love the energy. Ive "Liked" the video and you've certainly earned my subscription. Look forward to seeing more. Peace!
This reminds me of Cornelius kegs for brewing beer. When the soda industry stopped using them, the piled up collecting dust until someone realized they could be used for storing home brew. Suddenly you could not find them anymore.
Congratulations on reaching 100k! I turn my back and look what happens! Will, you SO deserve reaching this milestone. You're such an asset to the vanlife community. Thanks for all the hard work you do making solar something we can better understand.
Entertaining and encouraging. My goal is to make a generator for my refrigerator and lights and TV. I'll keep the heat and air on grid. Iwhenever I learn more I may make an on grid system but it definitely seems the quicker way to have a system pay for itself is just to remove a portion of the bill. I'll check your videos to learn why on grid systems that don't even have batteries are priced so much higher than parts to me make sense to do.
Hard to compete Generac advertisement: 7kW system starting at $2100. It uses natural gas which is the cheapest it's ever been. I live in California, near San Francisco, so losing power seems to be an everyday concern. But, love your videos and I am a subscriber. Keep up the good work.
I have about 100 of the original version 1 Valence U27 12XP modules which were part of a big contract for converted Ford transit vans in the UK done around 2010.. The conversion contract went horribly wrong when the converted vehicles were all found to be overweight and they were very quietly scrapped. The Transits sat around in a yard completely ignored and uncharged for years before they went to salvage auction and a year or so after this (2016/17) I got hold of them. I remain simply staggered that many of them still have their full original rated capacity of 130Ah, even after I have thoroughly abused many of them principally by over discharging. They are not the most energy dense formats available by a long chalk, but boy are they resilient. Your versions (with the green cases) are a lot more recent than mine, but it sounds like the fundamental battery chemistry is next to bulletproof! Oh… and (IMO) it’s pronounced ‘Vay-lence) as in the chemical bond thing…
So I ordered 2 from your link: Valence 40ah both used. When they arrived I realized I should've only bought 1. The reason: 1 was charged(green light) with all the cables and connections but the other... dead as could be and obviously the shipper knew that. The cables were cut and pulled apart at their bases so no way to connect with other battery unless I purchased brand new cables and connectors. I can't even charge it!
@@WillProwse Nice, I wish you all the best and brother, you're doing a great job, thanks for that. I am almost done with my DIY lithium ion power wall. I just need to mount my devices. I went with TracerA 40amp, bit budget friendly as well :)
Hey Will, thank you so much for sharing these lessons online! I was gung-ho to build my first battery block using your lessons, but honestly, I hesitate now to purchase lithium batteries because of the human rights violations involved in the mining of lithium and cobalt. Everyone, please consider the reports in recent years by Amnesty International about the detrimental effects on the environment and how indigenous people and child workers are abused in the process of mining these substances. I implore everyone I know to research this and understand alternative battery chemistries, or alternative lifestyle practices to avoid purchasing lithium batteries before those companies come clean about their supply chains. Have a heart, I will purchase lithium batteries AS SOON AS COMPANIES STOP VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS.
Ha ha ha. They say great minds think alike. Ive been researching building my own DIY back up system. Today I was lucky to find a ANAFI 502 wH solar generator. Paid $52.75. Yep. Ive seen people have paid like $329 on Ebay or $190 today and $150 on Amazon. I'm thinking about ordering another tomorrow. Yeah, $52 isn't bad.
@@brianroberts5740 Wow $52 thats a hell of deal more like a steal if you ask me lol let me know how it turns out .. Thats something i can definitely get behind on .. A diy backup.. Also thanks for the awesome videos and content keep em coming please ..
@@2cyclebikeraricstreet195 I can't complain. It isn't the most robust unit, but it works. I think the compass is a bit off but i didn't buy it for the compass.
William; your delivery and sense of humor is great. Would like it if you related your amp and watt qualifications to a refrigerator or small air conditioner. How long will they power a 750 watt refrigerator for; for example. Things people will likely want to at minimum want a back up for. And if you did the math on a dry erase board I will personally send you an A+. As it is you still get an A.
Great video in it's quality and information as well. For a guy like me who only uses solar on my RV to charge my 4 golf cart batteries the cost isn't worth buying anything but cheap lead acid, has worked for me since solar was invented.
Thanks for the video! A friend will sell them for $80 once he tests his 2 skids of them. I will buy one for lite camping. 🏕️ My price will be less...no shipping and a cash discount. 😁
A friend of mine told me about Valance brand used batteries on eBay. He bought one and uses it in a 100 Watt solar system for his amateur radio. Been eyeing them but likewise wasn't sure of their capacity. Thanks for the test. Checking out the eBay pages.
Thanks to this video I got myself 2 Valence U27-12XP for $925 locally. These are 138aH so essentially around 3500wh for the pair. Love these, works great. I actually had reserved an Eco AC200 for $1199 but I canceled that.
Wow. Great find. I'd spray with disenfectant. Lots of equipment has a lifespan but that doesnt mean its broken. You will get bored with them in a year or so anyways.
Ok, I have an idea that I haven't heard before(but i'm sure someone has thought of it).. tell me if you think it's crazy. You know how RV's are starting to have larger battery banks, enough to run an a/c, provide heat, and power other large appliances. The company "advanced rv," is installing larger systems on mainly sprinters which can accomplish those tasks but it's super expensive to set up the high voltage generator on the engine and it's questionable on whether the engine should idle for longer periods to charge that type of system.. Of course, with enough money, anyone can do anything. People are really wanting to have off grid power which can power what they need... So, why not design a system with a stage 2 charging port on the side and a battery bank maybe half (or larger) of the size of an EV like a leaf? Sure, solar panels can help, but will not meed the demand of most that plug into shore power and spend tons of money per night.. There are more and more charging stations and many are free. For example, the one's at whole foods down by my house are free because they want people to shop while they charge.. Now, someone might say that those stations are only for EV or plug in hybrid.. That might be an issue for a 5th wheel or trailer.. however, one could stick a hybrid emblem on their class C or B van, and that might be enough to slip by and many may not care if your paying for the charge... or have the charge port connected to the tow vehicle which sends power to the trailer batteries.. Anyway, don't you think this might be the future of RV travel? You could be off grid for weeks, depending on power needs, in a class B or C with a full charge. In summary.. large battery bank.. 12 or 24Volt or larger, with stage 2 port which can plug into the thousands of stations over the country!!
Your Commentary is very valuable but Hey Listen ya haven’t said anything about HOW OLD THOSE BATTERIES 🔋 ARE! Wouldn’t that be course 101 Purchasing used merchandise to find out how old the merchandise is I think That’s !
Ty Will... i have been wanting to switch from lead acid to lithium ion for some time, & i always seem to be a day late & a dollar short... your videos are always clear & informative, time saving, & $'s saving... thanks again...
If you search for Lithium Leisure Batteries there're some decent 100Ah 12v LiFePo4 Batteries with built in BMS that come out about £450 ish maybe a bit more. No fancy pre installed BMS leads but they still look like a decent battery.
Hate to resurrect a dead horse, but now that Tesla Model S battery modules are ~$300, how do we feel about those for a lithium solar setup? I understand you can only use 80% of their capacity, and you have to find customizable hardware, but I just don't see a better bang for your buck. Right?
We use these in the computer carts at the hospital I work at, they're deep discharged way more often than you'd think, mostly because nobody ever remembers to plug them in
@terry waller we'll use them at the hospital until they either won't charge or someone complains it's getting less than an hour or 2 of use. When we were using lead acid that was 1.5 to 2 years. We've been using these for around 3 years, but I don't know about very many of them being replaced. They'll most likely be used until dead
At a guess these batteries may well have been used on gear connected with life support systems. I know that medical gear is usually overspeced and will be replaced well before the expected life limit. It is like buying an ex cop car in the UK, they are maintained regardless of cost, a friend bought a Ford Granada with less than 150 miles on a new engine and drive train, it's time had come to go, so it went to auction with over 200k miles on the clock, so it was cheap. ( a mutual mate works in the cop garage and let him know to look out for it, and so he got a bargain!) No doubt some stuff is run till it drops, but if you find out which battery fits life support or other vital kit, you can be sure to get good gear, at a decent price. Interesting vid, have liked and subscribed, I am a Radio Ham (callsign M7BXT) and am looking for power when going portable.
OMG when you turned it on and it beeped, I went into panic mode for a quick second because that's the exact sound my system makes when it shuts down, LOL
Will, (or others) hold on, are you sure they have internal over current protection? I read the Users Information and I didn't see that specifically. Is says they have over-voltage, over-temperature and over-discharge protection, but I don't see anything on over-current. Certainly seems to have the ability to shut down, and to measure current, so seems like it could do this, but does it? I have mine on 40A DC breakers, which would have blown instantly if I'd have done what you just did! I have FOUR in parallel and they trip the breakers if I pull much over 1,000 watts off the inverter. If the batteries were each supplying an equal share of the current this wouldn't happen. (unless the breakers aren't really 40A - note that 40A blade fuses do NOT blow) But that's not what happens, one battery apparently supplies most of the current, trips its breaker, this overburdens the other three and about two seconds later the other 3 trip. I can actually influence which one trips first by giving it a lower gauge wire! It's that "unstable". Buuuut, I'd love to find out they can really really handle their own overcurrent conditions by shutting off their own current flow! Maybe they'd even do it in a PWM fashion! Then I could feel safe to remove those breakers and easily power my induction stove to its full 1500W capacity.
These would be great to run a 12v fridge/freezer and a simple water pump for a shower/sink faucet in my camper. Also a 12v thermostat controlled water heater probe.
They are only used as a backupsystem when the mains go out, and need replacing every other year for safety reasons. Chances are they've never been used.
Hello! Love the video! Just bought 2 of these batteries off of eBay for a little bit more than what you paid. I paid $386.84 with taxes and shipping so I still think I got a good deal. What kind of charging monitor is that you are using to test the battery capacity?
Will, I got two U27-12XP's, and I connected them together, and they don't appear to be balancing. One was at 13.15V, the other was at 13.6V, 8 hours later, still same voltages. I just reversed the order and plugged in the other male-female connectors and report back. Interestingly, once I connected them this way, the voltages went up to 13.24V and 13.68V. We'll see if it works. If that doesn't work either, I'll search your videos for another way to balance them.
Thanks for all the great content. When it comes to battery storage systems have you ever looked at the Carbon Foam AGM technology from Firefly? I have a 400 AH FLA battery bank on a sailboat and looking to upgrade. Looks like my options, in descending order of costs, would be new lithium batteries, most likely Battlebornes, used Lithiums, such as the Valence batteries, or new Carbon Foam batteries from Firefly. From the literature available, it seems like the Carbon Foam batteries offer most of the lithium advantage at about half the cost. Plus, I would not have to change much of my existing charging system.
I am a complete novice to batterypack building. Can you recommend any books or videos that are for beginners. I am building an electric foilboard. Trying to build it as cheap as possible, buying most of the stuff from aliexpress. Buying cheap 18650 battery packs to run a 12 volt electric motor. Never heard of a BMS before today. Using lithium ion batterys will require somekind of cooling system it seems. A new e-foil is 10 grand and above, a bit out of my wallet reach:) Grateful for any pointers from a clever guy like you. Also a friend of mine is looking to build an off grid solar and wind energy system so these videos will of great help. Keep up the good work.
Isn't his first calculation incorrect at in the beginning of the video at 1:24 ? (40ah x 12v) x 2 = 960 watt hours so .96 kWh total... how did he calculate 1.02 kWh?
In Houston we see the 25 to 40 for lead but that 80 quote for 100ah or even 50ah would be the cheapest I've seen anyone world wide. Buying pallets a quarter we are always looking for the best value. Never seen 80 for 100ah.
Did you see these "Valence Lithium Battery U27-12XP 138AH" - I'm sure you did but they have sold for a 'non-hype' price of 650 free shipping and $500 + 77 bucks shipping heavy sur but more is usually better no?
papajohn fitbyfaith yes, but unfortunately they sold out. They have gotten another shipment in but the price went up to $500 each. The number to reach the seller is 817 994 0678 Chad.
Where i live there are several junk yards (auto salvage) that sell batteries, I've bought several over the years and never had an issue. WITHOUT CORE you can buy a truck battery for about 50 bucks, for another 5or 10 bucks you can up the warranty from 30 days to a year. Pretty safe bet.
I'm trying to figure a lot of this stuff out. I don't have solar panels. Could I still charge these batteries from the grid and have them ready for black outs? I would only need the fridge and the fireplace insert fan. This is cool. Instead of using a big gas generator I could potentially have a power system ready to go. Also, if I got solar for charging the batteries I would assume that when the power went out the system just switches automatically? So cool. I can do basic wiring but this would need an electrician for me
This video is OLD. These batteries have been overpriced for over a year now. The cheapest battery is a 12V CHINS:
chins-battery.myshopify.com/collections/chins/products/12v-100ah-lithium-battery-built-in-100a-bms-2000-cycles-each-battery-can-support-1280w-power-output-perfect-for-rv-caravan-solar-marine-home-storage-and-off-grid?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
If you want other cheap lifepo4 batteries, check them out here: www.mobile-solarpower.com/lithium-batteries.html
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*My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:*
*Signature Solar*
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*Current Connected*
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currentconnected.com/?ref=wp
*Ecoflow Delta*
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us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7
*AmpereTime*
Cheapest 12V batteries around:
amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
*Renogy*
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Its nice that you go back and add notes to some of your older videos... on your website people will quote your videos as if you are godlike and then we have to tell them that you need to go watch a video 3 or 4 later where WILL may have modified his opinion of doing this or using this ... by you going back and updating them NOW with the most current info you are saving allot of ppl heartache that don't watch ALL your videos but only the one ... (I hope that all makes sense) ... and YEP right after you mentioned these batteries - literally an hour later - the prices literally doubled and has been that way for at least a year ...
Everybody seems to be saying,"dirt cheap" lately.
EXACTLY how much is "dirt cheap"?
EXACTLY!!!??
I don't know about your income level, but that link references a 100Ah battery on Amazon for 580$. That's very expensive for me. I will just stick to other and cheaper battery types.
Hi Will, the Valence batteries are Lithium Iron "manganese" Phosphate, how are they different from LifePo4?
@@ronaldsandstrom1570 half the price of a battleborn. Maybe a little more. Depends on what you need
Your excitement is so moving, keep your enthusiasm going. I am so thrilled to see young people tackling technological challenges to improve the quality of life.
As an Instructor, it is always an awesome sight when you see a student, who really wants to absorb, learn, and experience a learning situation. At the end, you were so "stoked" and with a smile from side to side about what you just learned, I search for people who want to learn as you do. Cool Beans, my kids would say.
Cheers, Greasemonkey.
Were you half as bright as this kid is when you were his age? He really seems to know his stuff.
@@amywalker7515 oh, he is a genuine genius, I'm sure his IQ is so far off the charts , it's unbelievable
Since the pandemic I seen that we lost alot of schooling, I'm proud to be his student.
So are you filming in a motor home or trailer? Hope your parents are paying you to upgrade their RV. Lol, jk it’s yo look young for your depth of knowledge. Nice vid kid.
aS aN iNsTuCtOr
Knew nothing about solar until I found your channel. thank you so much. Just 100 Watts on my minivan, but it's all I need so far.
Awesome!!!
@@WillProwse Sir can you please forward me your contact information in regards to a best choice.
Mohamed. New York.
I love the way you speak so fluently, calmly and smoothly 😌
Wow now that information truly helps me. I am in the first of a four step disease actually almost to the second phase this disease is slowly killing me without any chance of survival. Anyway I am doing all I can to learn solar and wind so I can start buying components to build our own solar system so my wife has her own power and doesn't have to rely on traditional power that's very expensive in our area actually the most expensive in the country so yes I am making sure we do break free of this thieves while I am able to do so. Your making this so much easier and better everybody wants to sell a bunch of crap and never actually help figure anything out myself. A great big thank you. I will be buying your book and watching every one of your videos. What a blessing!!
Dude you're my off-grid hero.
Republic of Cascadia forever!
Pacific Northwest
Cascadia represent! :D
I love your honesty, it's rare nowadays your passion for what you do is amazing and I would like to thank you for your video's....
Smile Dwayne
Dwayne Howe And is happy to stand corrected. Simply because he doesn’t think of himself as a genius but as a patio ate individual who relises he gets so much more from that kind of intellectual feedback. I only say this because I read a few that have commented on mistakes and he learns from them.
@@olpallix Oh, absolutely. If I was better funded, I would have NO problem doing business with this gentleman!
William, again, you knocked it out of the park. Your Videos are fun to watch. Love your enthusiasm. Note to self. Stop touching your probes and battery terminals with live current. Your body will thank you 20 years down the road. God Bless You young man...
???
Thank you for the update on the battery company. Most of the reviews are favorable.
Just bought some for a van conversion hoping to end up with enough to run an induction cook top and a 12v fridge/freezer. This is the best video I have seen to get affordable power for a budget van build. The fact that they are used only makes me happier. I saw some that are damaged and the cords are cut it would be nice if you bought some of those and repaired them.
The Sultan Of Solar saving us money, keeping us ahead of trends and pre-testing products, allowing us to buy online with more confidence. Everyone check out comments because Will answers many questions but look for already answered questions first. Thanks Sir.
Hail to the Sultan !
Hey Will, just wanted to THANK YOU for all the help you have provided me through your videos! I've learned a lot from you this year. I did covert my RV to lithium and could not have done it with your help.
I viewed this between 230pm and 330pm on Tuesday and Ebay only had 1 battery left at a decent price...while I was getting myself together,,,it sold....wow...
I love your presentatIon THEN BOUIGHT THE AMPERETIME 200 as you suggested. I am right now testing it at 9600ft in the Rockies. I have watched many of your infos and love em all. Your a good teacher, gave me confidence to take on a bigger system.
Thanks
Joe
Will, An interesting tidbit of information that I learned about having these batteries hooked up to an isolator. My regular battery in my 2018 Ford Transit mid roof van started conking out on me. It was showing signs that it needed replacing. Little did I know that if I turned on the isolator the engine would start off of 2 of these valence batteries that I have running off a 190 watt solar panel that is running a Natures Head toilet, a 12v ICECO fridge and 2 MaxxAir fans. These batteries that you suggested have been a Godsend. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and education people like me about these types of things. You are truly a blessing. Have a great day!
Will, you should assemble LiFePO4 batteries with BMS and sell them. I'll buy them because I trust your work.
Agreed, every time you build something in a vid, u should definitely sell it
I agree and see your point, but perhaps for him it's not about the $'s, but more staying informed and educated. After all, money is still, just a piece of paper, knowledge however, you can't place a value on.
Just my 2 cents. I don't know him, but I have followed his vids and have enough confidence, through his "practical" testing to believe that he understands the technology to know what he's saying.
@ that's unfortunate. I moved around 10 yrs ago to a country in Europe. I say that to say that furthing your education in this region is encouraged and not looked at as a money maker. They, well most countries in the EU, look at it as, the more and better educated our next-generation is, the better our country will do in the future. Universities and colleges in the country I live in are cheap. In some EU countries, it's free.
Just curious, what are you using these batteries for? I'm trying to figure out my own use cases.
cheap for LiFePO4 batteries! Maybe you just lucked out, getting 90% rated capacity from used batteries tho. With no guarantee, still makes it a hit and miss purchase. Happy you got some good ones. With 2000 cycles possible...you might still get a few years of good service in a solar system. cheers!
I'm mainly impressed with the young man with brain capacity to do something constructive with his life even if it's possibly only a hobby . I hope other young men and women consider him as a role model instead of the junk the main stream media pushes .
I give you 4 thumbs up for constructive information !!!
👍👍👍👍 😎
Dont count on it! This guy is one of a kind. Everyone else is too busy texting and taking selfies.
C W care to elaborate on this?
We put here. Starting from scratch. In a few months I'll be a solar pro.
ok boo... just kidding 😁
@C W Haha okay. Even if one was to happen, im sure it wouldn't affect small off grid systems, because of the lack of long lengths of wire.
More youtubers need to cut to the chase like you did in this video and the most important part was communicated well before the 9 mins was up. But your enthusiasm is infectious so I watched 'til the end. Nicely done. I'm tired of sifting through 20 minutes of blabber for 15 seconds of content. Keep it up!
I like you are testing these batteries for us. I tried to build a system, back in 1014. I was in Saskatoon, and only one battery shop was available. I did not buy any batteries as expensive. Your video is extremely, valuable.
I really like your shows, you explain things so well. I live in an RV and I'm going to put in solar and you have been so much help, because I am a total beginner. Thanks 😎💞
he is the battery expert he knows everything you need to know
Thank you for all of the videos you have posted. It’s a real help for those of us that don’t have an advanced degree in batteries lol. I’m sure you get pestered by people that are clueless and genuinely need assistance but they typically don’t understand that you have hundreds if not thousands of people all clamouring for your attention lol. Again thank you for helping out the solar/battery/off grid community by posting such excellent videos.
Cheers mate
The 'Will Prowse effect' that causes the price in battery stocks to jump up and down :P
Hey thanks for for the 'Heads up' I never thought about 2nd hand batteries. I live in Australia and have checked out 2nd hand "Standby" Batteries used by our telecommunication companies. They 'Retire' these batteries after 5 years. Expensive units usually on a trickle charge, sold off at a fraction of the cost with lots of life left in them. COOL!
I'm a mobility scooter user in Ireland also an experienced lifelong engineer. Respect Sir! And a big thank you.
I have that same exact inverter I bought off Amazon sometime ago I’m thinking maybe five years ago or more,,, so far it works I haven’t used it heavy however I have used it usually to run my refrigerator
William Foreman :
I'm looking for a solid solar system
to COMPLETELY power a cabin for
full time living for 2 . You said You
powered a fridge , tell Me about
Your setup ( what it is , where I can get it , what will it power , how
much ?$ , anything else You can think of ) PLEASE !!!!
john howard i’ll try and get back with you in the next day or so right now I have to get ready for work if money is no option contact morning star solar you could maybe get in on one of their free webinars and you can try to talk to someone there also and tell them what you want to do and they will help you design a system MorningStar would be very good for a remote location because if it’s very high reliability,,,mine System is a cobbled together System I’ve got 700 Watts of solar panels and they’re all Renorgy solar they’re OK however be careful with Renorgy I bought a fancy charge controller from them their commander it worked until it ran out of warranty and completely stopped working they won’t replace it they won’t fix it and they don’t care,,,again if you have money contact MorningStar they would be glad to talk to you i’m thinking about buying some more MorningStar equipment myself.
@@william38022 I have a little money ( a couple thousand or so ) . I thought I'd at least try to buy
much as I can before end yr for tx
credit . If You're talking REAL money , afraid not so much , right
now . I've seen some of the systems on youtube , THEY'RE
worth more than My 5ac !!
@@johnhoward7298 They used to make propane fridges
These are the same batteries that were used in the battery system, of the "Smith Newton" all electric box trucks, I think they said they used 96 of those batteries to power the truck!
Was the truck heavy from all those batteries? I mean, how heavy is one battery?
@@beebob1279 Those packs are heavy, over 1344 pounds for both packs! 13.4 per battery! Plus connections and electronics! Probably 1500 pounds with everything!
@@thesurvivalist. Thanks for the info. I'm trying to figure out how to set up a battery system to keep charged for our black outs. I don't want to replace my insert wood stove but need electricity to run it. It doesn't take a lot of power plus a refrigerator. The rest I've got covered.
Later will be panels on the roof I guess.
@@beebob1279 You might want to get a chest freezer to replace the refrigerator, I picked up three of them two months ago, I lowered the temperature on one that I use as a refrigerator, to .4 to .6 tops. They uses far less energy then refrigerators, and you do not lose your cold air every time you open them to get something out!
I did a week long test on my battery bank, to see if I could power them on my system! It worked just fine, the solar recharged the batteries everyday, and I could go 3 days with having to worry if the freezers would defrost!
I even forgot to plug in a freezer for 2 days, looked inside and everything was still frozen.
Chest freezers are the ways to go on solar generators,
I have my freezers set to 1.5 tops!
@@beebob1279 check out Will Prowse channel DIY Solar, they can save a lot by buying used solar panels, the large panels.
I use poly panels my self, they produce even if they get covered or are partially in shadow!
Ian Murdock [below] quotes 4 Ah per week self-discharge due to BMS. This is insane - my small solar system would lose several percent of its output just to keep a BMS warm? I still recommend careful bottom balancing prior to battery assembly when using LiFePO4 cells - we know from EVTV that quality LiFePO4 cells thereafter do not diverge in capacity, so no need for BMS parasitic drains that can actually unbalance the battery if no charger power available! Nevertheless, these batteries would be an ideal starter system for newbies. Thanks for testing them! Keep up the good work.
These batteries have a total self-discharge of 166 mAH/day which equals 1.162 Ah/week in park (active) mode. There is no BMS but it does have internal FETs to protect from over or under voltages.
I truly will never tire of these videos
Thanks for the Tip. Used Battery and Used Solar panels. Your making it really cheap to go Solar back up for Emergency. Thanks Will.
Damn you Will, anything you test and get excited about, sells out and the price goes up!.
Yes! Links! Thank you for taking my advice, it's super easy now to view the product pages!
One video turned me into a fan. Nice work DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse. Well done without the usual fluff...super informative and I love the energy. Ive "Liked" the video and you've certainly earned my subscription. Look forward to seeing more. Peace!
Same here. One video and I too am hooked on his/this channel. 👍
Building out my van in the next 18 months. Really want to do llithum ion. With around 1000 watts of solar. This is very encouraging!
This reminds me of Cornelius kegs for brewing beer. When the soda industry stopped using them, the piled up collecting dust until someone realized they could be used for storing home brew. Suddenly you could not find them anymore.
Congratulations on reaching 100k! I turn my back and look what happens! Will, you SO deserve reaching this milestone. You're such an asset to the vanlife community. Thanks for all the hard work you do making solar something we can better understand.
Ok you got my subscription, I can learn quite a bit from this guy. I live in a Travel Trailer and want to hook up solar power on top.
Love your channel! It's so nice to see all of these tests done by someone with a clearly impressive knowledge base. You're my hero
You thinking he is right and smart, just because he is smarter than you...doesn't mean he is correct
Entertaining and encouraging. My goal is to make a generator for my refrigerator and lights and TV. I'll keep the heat and air on grid. Iwhenever I learn more I may make an on grid system but it definitely seems the quicker way to have a system pay for itself is just to remove a portion of the bill. I'll check your videos to learn why on grid systems that don't even have batteries are priced so much higher than parts to me make sense to do.
Hard to compete Generac advertisement: 7kW system starting at $2100. It uses natural gas which is the cheapest it's ever been. I live in California, near San Francisco, so losing power seems to be an everyday concern. But, love your videos and I am a subscriber. Keep up the good work.
Battery internal cut off is 10V according to data sheet and your inverter cut off @10.7, so there was little bit more juice you did not scoop up...
Dang it!! good point!!!
I really enjoy your shows. They are very informative and follow an understandable flow of logic. Great editing and content too!
I just started watching your videos. They are very informative and fun to watch. Thanks so much.
I have about 100 of the original version 1 Valence U27 12XP modules which were part of a big contract for converted Ford transit vans in the UK done around 2010.. The conversion contract went horribly wrong when the converted vehicles were all found to be overweight and they were very quietly scrapped. The Transits sat around in a yard completely ignored and uncharged for years before they went to salvage auction and a year or so after this (2016/17) I got hold of them.
I remain simply staggered that many of them still have their full original rated capacity of 130Ah, even after I have thoroughly abused many of them principally by over discharging. They are not the most energy dense formats available by a long chalk, but boy are they resilient. Your versions (with the green cases) are a lot more recent than mine, but it sounds like the fundamental battery chemistry is next to bulletproof!
Oh… and (IMO) it’s pronounced ‘Vay-lence) as in the chemical bond thing…
So I ordered 2 from your link: Valence 40ah both used. When they arrived I realized I should've only bought 1. The reason: 1 was charged(green light) with all the cables and connections but the other... dead as could be and obviously the shipper knew that. The cables were cut and pulled apart at their bases so no way to connect with other battery unless I purchased brand new cables and connectors. I can't even charge it!
No wonder it delivers a good performance, u mentioned it is from a hospital equipment, therefore, reliability and durability is a must, isn't it?
Exactly. I am studying more of their data sheets and these batteries are cream of the crop. Amazing technology.
They also cost around $1200 each new. I love mine and wouldn't go back to a bigger lead acid.
And with hospital equipment, they have to change out the batteries on a schedule that is essentially 100% certain the old battery is still good.
@@WillProwse Nice, I wish you all the best and brother, you're doing a great job, thanks for that. I am almost done with my DIY lithium ion power wall. I just need to mount my devices. I went with TracerA 40amp, bit budget friendly as well :)
@@UniWonder These are around $400.00 new.
Hey Will, thank you so much for sharing these lessons online! I was gung-ho to build my first battery block using your lessons, but honestly, I hesitate now to purchase lithium batteries because of the human rights violations involved in the mining of lithium and cobalt. Everyone, please consider the reports in recent years by Amnesty International about the detrimental effects on the environment and how indigenous people and child workers are abused in the process of mining these substances. I implore everyone I know to research this and understand alternative battery chemistries, or alternative lifestyle practices to avoid purchasing lithium batteries before those companies come clean about their supply chains. Have a heart, I will purchase lithium batteries AS SOON AS COMPANIES STOP VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS.
Wow you will wait a long time
Hard to find cheap lipo batteries, dang! Lol Grateful for your videos, rundown and provided research. Thanks for sharing.
Beat presentation on the subject I've seen. VERY well done .
He is so excited. Lol. Contagious...i dont even need those right now and i wamt em
Thank you for finding these. We aren't ready to purchase yet, but we'll be keeping our eye on these.
LOL i love the fact that you were like Am ordering more before i post the link... hahahaha Same thing crossed my mind
Ha ha ha. They say great minds think alike. Ive been researching building my own DIY back up system.
Today I was lucky to find a ANAFI 502 wH solar generator. Paid $52.75. Yep.
Ive seen people have paid like $329 on Ebay or $190 today and $150 on Amazon. I'm thinking about ordering another tomorrow. Yeah, $52 isn't bad.
@@brianroberts5740 Wow $52 thats a hell of deal more like a steal if you ask me lol let me know how it turns out .. Thats something i can definitely get behind on .. A diy backup.. Also thanks for the awesome videos and content keep em coming please ..
@@brianroberts5740 how did it work out?
@@2cyclebikeraricstreet195
I can't complain. It isn't the most robust unit, but it works. I think the compass is a bit off but i didn't buy it for the compass.
Literally read your comment as he said it haha.
William; your delivery and sense of humor is great. Would like it if you related your amp and watt qualifications to a refrigerator or small air conditioner. How long will they power a 750 watt refrigerator for; for example. Things people will likely want to at minimum want a back up for. And if you did the math on a dry erase board I will personally send you an A+. As it is you still get an A.
Great video in it's quality and information as well. For a guy like me who only uses solar on my RV to charge my 4 golf cart batteries the cost isn't worth buying anything but cheap lead acid, has worked for me since solar was invented.
Another Quality video Will!
Thanks for all the work and detail you put into your videos!
Thanks for the video! A friend will sell them for $80 once he tests his 2 skids of them. I will buy one for lite camping. 🏕️ My price will be less...no shipping and a cash discount. 😁
Location?
@@justinanteau9697 Alfa Centauri.
@@williamkunte5361 That's not too far!
A friend of mine told me about Valance brand used batteries on eBay. He bought one and uses it in a 100 Watt solar system for his amateur radio. Been eyeing them but likewise wasn't sure of their capacity. Thanks for the test. Checking out the eBay pages.
Thanks to this video I got myself 2 Valence U27-12XP for $925 locally. These are 138aH so essentially around 3500wh for the pair. Love these, works great. I actually had reserved an Eco AC200 for $1199 but I canceled that.
Wow. Great find. I'd spray with disenfectant. Lots of equipment has a lifespan but that doesnt mean its broken. You will get bored with them in a year or so anyways.
I've never seen someone get so excited about a battery😂😂😂👍
Oh yeah, i did, it's allways batteries, generators and batteries ;-)Oh, and batteries too.
Shocking!!
Ok Hill Billy youre in *charge* now. And there is a new tech (new to me)
Air/zinc batteries. Serviceable, zinc is common compared to lithium.
Stick around when your wife's vibrator dies.....
I have seen someone in the mirror.
Ok, I have an idea that I haven't heard before(but i'm sure someone has thought of it).. tell me if you think it's crazy. You know how RV's are starting to have larger battery banks, enough to run an a/c, provide heat, and power other large appliances. The company "advanced rv," is installing larger systems on mainly sprinters which can accomplish those tasks but it's super expensive to set up the high voltage generator on the engine and it's questionable on whether the engine should idle for longer periods to charge that type of system..
Of course, with enough money, anyone can do anything. People are really wanting to have off grid power which can power what they need... So, why not design a system with a stage 2 charging port on the side and a battery bank maybe half (or larger) of the size of an EV like a leaf? Sure, solar panels can help, but will not meed the demand of most that plug into shore power and spend tons of money per night..
There are more and more charging stations and many are free. For example, the one's at whole foods down by my house are free because they want people to shop while they charge.. Now, someone might say that those stations are only for EV or plug in hybrid.. That might be an issue for a 5th wheel or trailer.. however, one could stick a hybrid emblem on their class C or B van, and that might be enough to slip by and many may not care if your paying for the charge... or have the charge port connected to the tow vehicle which sends power to the trailer batteries..
Anyway, don't you think this might be the future of RV travel? You could be off grid for weeks, depending on power needs, in a class B or C with a full charge.
In summary.. large battery bank.. 12 or 24Volt or larger, with stage 2 port which can plug into the thousands of stations over the country!!
Great idea. Patent that. Before someone else does. Never mind. It's now public knowledge. Make a few and sell them. You'll be rich.
Dude, great job of doubling the price of these used batteries! lol
Wish I had a product for you to endorse
Doubling? Even more now. Can't get the 138ah for any less than $549 on eBay.
@@user-rr8dn5yl7d HAHAHAHAHAHAH thats exactly what i was thinking
Your Commentary is very valuable but
Hey Listen ya haven’t said anything about HOW OLD THOSE BATTERIES 🔋 ARE! Wouldn’t that be course 101 Purchasing used merchandise to find out how old the merchandise is I think That’s !
Ty Will... i have been wanting to switch from lead acid to lithium ion for some time, & i always seem to be a day late & a dollar short... your videos are always clear & informative, time saving, & $'s saving... thanks again...
5 months later and the price has more than tripled in some cases.
From 150 to 600+
low supply, high demand
i am going to do a bad review on this battery
so that i can buy it myself after the price tank
wish me good luck, lol
They saw this video and took advantage. lol
@@Hchris101 $950 now
If you search for Lithium Leisure Batteries there're some decent 100Ah 12v LiFePo4 Batteries with built in BMS that come out about £450 ish maybe a bit more. No fancy pre installed BMS leads but they still look like a decent battery.
Thank you. I wish I understood more. My takeaway is this is a good brand to consider for batteries.
Sadly in the EU it's against the law to sell used batteries, they have to go to a licensed recycler.
Hate to resurrect a dead horse, but now that Tesla Model S battery modules are ~$300, how do we feel about those for a lithium solar setup? I understand you can only use 80% of their capacity, and you have to find customizable hardware, but I just don't see a better bang for your buck. Right?
Thank you for your video, audio, tutorial, clarity, simplistic & non
condescending explanations 👍👍
Awesome video
The reason that they have good capacities is they were used in a hospital they're not being deeply discharged on a daily basis
We use these in the computer carts at the hospital I work at, they're deep discharged way more often than you'd think, mostly because nobody ever remembers to plug them in
@terry waller we'll use them at the hospital until they either won't charge or someone complains it's getting less than an hour or 2 of use. When we were using lead acid that was 1.5 to 2 years. We've been using these for around 3 years, but I don't know about very many of them being replaced. They'll most likely be used until dead
At a guess these batteries may well have been used on gear connected with life support systems. I know that medical gear is usually overspeced and will be replaced well before the expected life limit. It is like buying an ex cop car in the UK, they are maintained regardless of cost, a friend bought a Ford Granada with less than 150 miles on a new engine and drive train, it's time had come to go, so it went to auction with over 200k miles on the clock, so it was cheap. ( a mutual mate works in the cop garage and let him know to look out for it, and so he got a bargain!) No doubt some stuff is run till it drops, but if you find out which battery fits life support or other vital kit, you can be sure to get good gear, at a decent price. Interesting vid, have liked and subscribed, I am a Radio Ham (callsign M7BXT) and am looking for power when going portable.
OMG when you turned it on and it beeped, I went into panic mode for a quick second because that's the exact sound my system makes when it shuts down, LOL
Same here !
lol
Wife came out of the kitchen "What's wrong, problems" ?!lol
My little daughter thought the carbon monoxide alarm went off .n . she raaaan!!!!
Will, (or others) hold on, are you sure they have internal over current protection? I read the Users Information and I didn't see that specifically.
Is says they have over-voltage, over-temperature and over-discharge protection, but I don't see anything on over-current. Certainly seems to have the ability to shut down, and to measure current, so seems like it could do this, but does it?
I have mine on 40A DC breakers, which would have blown instantly if I'd have done what you just did! I have FOUR in parallel and they trip the breakers if I pull much over 1,000 watts off the inverter. If the batteries were each supplying an equal share of the current this wouldn't happen. (unless the breakers aren't really 40A - note that 40A blade fuses do NOT blow) But that's not what happens, one battery apparently supplies most of the current, trips its breaker, this overburdens the other three and about two seconds later the other 3 trip. I can actually influence which one trips first by giving it a lower gauge wire! It's that "unstable".
Buuuut, I'd love to find out they can really really handle their own overcurrent conditions by shutting off their own current flow! Maybe they'd even do it in a PWM fashion! Then I could feel safe to remove those breakers and easily power my induction stove to its full 1500W capacity.
They do NOT have over current protection or a BMS. They do have FETs on board for over or under-voltage protection.
If four of these were in series for a 48v golf cart, would they be able to discharge enough amperage to work?
These would be great to run a 12v fridge/freezer and a simple water pump for a shower/sink faucet in my camper. Also a 12v thermostat controlled water heater probe.
They are only used as a backupsystem when the mains go out, and need replacing every other year for safety reasons. Chances are they've never been used.
They have way longer life span than Lead Acid ones.
Hello! Love the video! Just bought 2 of these batteries off of eBay for a little bit more than what you paid. I paid $386.84 with taxes and shipping so I still think I got a good deal. What kind of charging monitor is that you are using to test the battery capacity?
Can i use a lithium iron car batteries from walmart for this project?
Probably as the batteries here are for medical equipment.
Could be from beds. There will be lots available if that is the case. Beds adjustable on the move. Replacement cycle is probably two years.
Will, I got two U27-12XP's, and I connected them together, and they don't appear to be balancing. One was at 13.15V, the other was at 13.6V, 8 hours later, still same voltages. I just reversed the order and plugged in the other male-female connectors and report back. Interestingly, once I connected them this way, the voltages went up to 13.24V and 13.68V. We'll see if it works.
If that doesn't work either, I'll search your videos for another way to balance them.
Do u know if I can use them to run my electric trolling motor for fishing
I use LiFePo4 for my trolling motor. 20ah lasts me nearly all day.
Thanks for all the great content. When it comes to battery storage systems have you ever looked at the Carbon Foam AGM technology from Firefly? I have a 400 AH FLA battery bank on a sailboat and looking to upgrade. Looks like my options, in descending order of costs, would be new lithium batteries, most likely Battlebornes, used Lithiums, such as the Valence batteries, or new Carbon Foam batteries from Firefly. From the literature available, it seems like the Carbon Foam batteries offer most of the lithium advantage at about half the cost. Plus, I would not have to change much of my existing charging system.
Always like your videos. To bad I can’t get my husband on board.
Find a new Husband.
Oh boy, same here but booting my hubby is not an option. Ill just travel without him. Lmao
@Duke Holiday is it down by the river tho?
Janette Hammons - To bad I can’t get my wife on board! 😝
@Yar Nunya lol
I am a complete novice to batterypack building. Can you recommend any books or videos that are for beginners. I am building an electric foilboard. Trying to build it as cheap as possible, buying most of the stuff from aliexpress. Buying cheap 18650 battery packs to run a 12 volt electric motor. Never heard of a BMS before today. Using lithium ion batterys will require somekind of cooling system it seems. A new e-foil is 10 grand and above, a bit out of my wallet reach:)
Grateful for any pointers from a clever guy like you.
Also a friend of mine is looking to build an off grid solar and wind energy system so these videos will of great help.
Keep up the good work.
FYI quick look at the Valence 138Ah today 4-7-20 lowest ebay price I saw was about $400 with shipping and also much higher from some sellers!
Isn't his first calculation incorrect at in the beginning of the video at 1:24 ?
(40ah x 12v) x 2 = 960 watt hours so .96 kWh total... how did he calculate 1.02 kWh?
He uses the nominal LiFePO4 voltage of 12.8v.
So: (40Ah x 12.8v) x 2 = 1025Wh or 1.024kWh.
Local to me - used 100 Ah deep cycle 12 V - $40. Lithium are $80.
Can you provide a source, please?
In Houston we see the 25 to 40 for lead but that 80 quote for 100ah or even 50ah would be the cheapest I've seen anyone world wide. Buying pallets a quarter we are always looking for the best value. Never seen 80 for 100ah.
Thanks for sharing info on all this bro, I really appreciate it
We had those batteries before. Very nice but it's hard to find a power supply that can give the batties the 14.4v @20A that they want when charging.
Another great video! I used to say that the only thing I used the internet for was to watch RUclips. Can't say it anymore I checked out your website.
Did you see these "Valence Lithium Battery U27-12XP 138AH" - I'm sure you did but they have sold for a 'non-hype' price of 650 free shipping and $500 + 77 bucks shipping heavy sur but more is usually better no?
Ahhhh Crap, the “Supply-n-Demand” effect has taken over and these used batteries have just skyrocketed in price...... Back to hydro usage.....
Gosh you’re smart !!!
I wish I knew all this stuff, makes my head spin 🥴
your a lifesaver dude! Too bad that the prices went up and they are mostly out of stock. Hope you find more cheap batteries.
Always,I love watching your review
I know where I can get the Valence u-charge XP Series 138ah used for $400 is this a good price now.
Oh can you please share?
papajohn fitbyfaith yes, but unfortunately they sold out. They have gotten another shipment in but the price went up to $500 each. The number to reach the seller is 817 994 0678 Chad.
Price is now 300 for each of those batteries
Outstanding video!
Out of curiosity...how much do these weigh in comparison to a lead-acid battery (group 24 size).
Great question!
Where i live there are several junk yards (auto salvage) that sell batteries, I've bought several over the years and never had an issue. WITHOUT CORE you can buy a truck battery for about 50 bucks, for another 5or 10 bucks you can up the warranty from 30 days to a year.
Pretty safe bet.
I'm trying to figure a lot of this stuff out. I don't have solar panels. Could I still charge these batteries from the grid and have them ready for black outs? I would only need the fridge and the fireplace insert fan.
This is cool. Instead of using a big gas generator I could potentially have a power system ready to go.
Also, if I got solar for charging the batteries I would assume that when the power went out the system just switches automatically?
So cool. I can do basic wiring but this would need an electrician for me