Lion Energy UT 1300 LiFePo Battery Install

MrGGBrown

Wanted to share my recent experience with installing the Lion Energy UT 1300 Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo) 105Ah battery, as it seems to be a little different than reported with other Lithium batteries. First off, it fits in a group 24 battery box, so no change to the standard T@G battery box is needed. I had previously installed a bigger box to support a larger lead-acid battery but reverted to the original battery box when installing the UT 1300. It fits great and only weighs 23# which is significantly lighter.

My biggest concern going into this upgrade was the WFCO 8725P charge controller built into the T@G. I expected it would only charge the LiFePo battery to about 80-85%, since it was not designed for Lithium batteries. To my pleasant surprise, I’ve been able to get the battery 100% charged on shore power using the built-in charge controller. The only downside is that it charges slowly like it would a lead-acid battery, so it takes much longer than it really should. The UT 1300 can be charged at up to 100 amps, and the built-in charger is only charging at 3-5 amps, depending on the battery charge level.

Another factor to consider in this upgrade is you can’t gauge the charge level of a Lithium battery from its voltage, like you can with a lead-acid battery. The battery maintains a stable voltage level throughout its depth of discharge, until it’s near dead. The UT 1300 has a 20-40-60-80-100 level charge indicator on the top, if you’re willing to go open the battery box and check it. As part of my upgrade, I installed a Renogy Battery Monitor and I have to say I love that as much as the battery upgrade. I now know the exact level of the battery charge, as well as how much power each load draws. It’s awesome. This install is a bit more involved, as you must find a place to install the shunt near the battery. I welded in a metal plate to mount it, as well as the battery switch, but there are other ways it could be done.

I mounted the LED display back in the galley, making it very convenient to view. You’ll notice in this picture I’ve made a couple other additions/modifications. After installing the new battery, I installed an 1100W inverter with a remote switch, which is the Krieger plate mounted right above the battery monitor. I also installed a new fast USB 3.0 charger, and those with really sharp eyes will notice I split the electrical outlet such that the top receptacle is powered by the inverter and bottom receptacle is powered by shore power. It makes it rather simple and clean to switch from one to the other.

I mounted the 1100W inverter directly to the top of the battery box. I used an old outdoor extension cord to run the power from the inverter back to the outlet in the galley. I also added another box/receptacle inside the cabin that’s entirely powered by the inverter.

To run the 3 wires (battery monitor, inverter switch, extension cord) from the front storage compartment back to the galley, I installed a new conduit under the trailer, matching the factory method used on the other side.

So if you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering… how did it work? So far we’ve only gone camping once this spring. We had electrical service at the campsite, but I was anxious to see how the battery would perform, so we didn’t plug into shore power nor do any solar charging. All battery capacity. After 2 full days, with the Norcold on the entire time, my wife using a 110V electric blanket almost the entire first night, and then leaving the Fantastic fan on the entire second night, as well as using the TV a total of about 4 hours between the 2 nights, we still had 37% battery capacity remaining. The manufacturer says you can use the battery to a full 100% depth of discharge without damaging it, so we could have gone almost 3 full days without any charging. So far I’m very happy with it. The true test will be our 2+ week trip to the Utah National Parks with no hookups, at which point we’ll be using our Renogy 100W suitcase to keep the battery charged. It seems with adequate sunshine, that should keep us powered the entire time.

Hardware Installed
Lithium Batteries - Lithium Iron Phosphate (lifepo4) - Lion Energy
(Hint - There are a couple YouTube videos posted about this battery which provide a 15% discount code)
500A Battery Monitor | Renogy Solar
KR1100 - 1100 Watt Power Inverter | Krieger Electric (kriegermfg.com)
Quality Copper Battery Cables Made in the USA! - BatteryCablesUSA

JamesDow

Sounds like a great install that is working just like you wanted.
For others who may have an interest, it appears as if CostCo has a pair of these batteries on sale through 05/23/21 for $1399.99
That looks like a good deal.
.

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McNutty195

Awesome post! This setup is very similar to something that I am in the midst of planning/gathering materials for. Its great to see something similar in action and working well. The length of time you got off your battery is also very encouraging! Great job!!!

I'm a little curious about your inverter setup, if possible could you elaborate a little more on how you wired the outlet in the kitchen? Also, how did you get access to run the wire for said outlet?

MrGGBrown

I definitely get your question about access to do the wiring. I should have covered that better in my post because I wondered about that myself before starting the upgrade. I don't remember seeing any posts which made it real clear how the back wall of the trailer is built or included pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures either, so I can only explain.
Between the back wall of the cabin and the back wall of the galley, there’s an air gap that’s roughly 4 inches wide. This is where all the wiring runs are, and what the stereo and outlets are set back into. If you remove the stereo unit - which is mounted with just 4 screws and has wiring long enough to set it on the mattress without disconnecting it - you have relatively easy access to the back of the back wall of the galley in that area.
I ran the old extension cord – and the other 2 wires - from the front box down under the trailer frame via the conduit, and then up into this 4” air gap. If you look under your trailer you’ll see how they did this on the other side of the trailer to get the wiring from the battery to the power center. I changed out the original GFCI outlet with a standard decora outlet so it could be split to support 2 separate power inputs. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, I could take a picture of another outlet and indicate exactly how you do it.

McNutty195

@MrGGBrown said:
If you remove the stereo unit - which is mounted with just 4 screws and has wiring long enough to set it on the mattress without disconnecting it - you have relatively easy access to the back of the back wall of the galley in that area.

Ahh, that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I was aware of the 4" air gap along with all the wiring and what not that runs back there based on my own experience and a few other posts I've seen on here. Figuring out a good way to get access to that area without taking the entire trailer apart or cutting big holes has been rather challenging though.

Your idea of taking the stereo unit out temporarily to gain access to that area is a good one. Honestly, not sure why I didn't consider that, as I've had the stereo out before for a different reason. (Don't remember what that was now haha)

I don't know off hand how to split the decora outlet, but I'm sure I could find that through google pretty quick. Sounds fairly standard. Though if you do have a picture handy I'd certainly appreciate it. I will probably end up following in your footsteps on the outlet stuff, so any information is much appreciated. What are your thoughts on dropping the GFCI outlet given it is outside+in a kitchen? I wonder what the impact of keeping the GFCI and wiring a second outlet down stream of that would be so that it is still somewhat GFCI protected.

MrGGBrown

Here's a picture I found online where someone has shown how to split the outlet. After breaking the tab on both sides of the outlet, run power wires to each of the screws independently for each receptacle.

With the GFCI outlet, you don't have the ability to split the receptacles, which is why I replaced it with the standard outlet. I did consider the safety aspect of doing this, but decided personally the risk was low. The outlet is on the opposite side of the galley from the sink, and we rarely camp in the rain, so I thought the risk was low. If I ever changed my mind, the simple solution is to replace the circuit breaker in the power center with a GFCI breaker. At this point I doubt I'll do that, but each person can determine there own comfort level.

McNutty195

That looks pretty easy.

Yeah, I don't worry too much about the sink. My wife and I rarely if ever even use it anymore. We basically just do our dishes in a portable camping basin because it is bigger than the sink and allows easier use of the hot water from our electric kettle thing. We carry our water in portable jerry cans too. Honestly, this is probably divisive to some people, but we are discussing taking the sink and water tank out entirely and reclaiming the storage and counter space. We'll see though, pretty big modification there.

I would be a little more concerned about rain though. The idea of just using a GFCI breaker is a really good one!

MrGGBrown

For the benefit of people who might be considering this upgrade, here's an update on our experience 4 months post-upgrade, and after about 5 weeks of camping over 4 different trips ranging from 3 days to 2 weeks.

Charging-
I've not been able to determine why, but occasionally the stock WFCO8725P charge controller will not charge the LiFePo battery at all while on shore power, even when the battery is 70-80% capacity. This isn't the norm, but it has happened at least a couple times. Most of the time, the battery does get charged to 100% on shore power, so my best guess is that it has to do with the voltage level of the source, because I can think of no other reason. We've also had times where it seems charging via the TV alternator is slower than normal, but I honestly haven't paid close enough attention to state the differences. Charging via our 100w Renogy solar panel always works great. We're able to get 5+ amps (6.3 amps highest seen) of charging with direct sun.

Capacity-
As they say, your "mileage" may vary, because there are a lot of variables in this equation, but on our most recent trip we were able to see 100% capacity recovery during the day with our 100w solar panel - occasionally repositioned to directly face the sun - and roughly 9 hours of direct sunlight. We typically use about 20-25% of the battery capacity overnight, and are able to recover this entirely during the next day. Our typical usage pattern is this:

• Norcold fridge running 100% of the time, set at 40 deg F, from when we leave home until we get back. This last trip to the Tetons (6,500ft elevation) the overnight low was about 40 deg F, and the daily high was near 80 deg F.
• Fantastic fan running on low from the time we go into the trailer in the evening, until we get up in the morning. This is typically about 10-11 hours/day. Cabin air change is essential and we like the "white noise" while sleeping.
• Jensen TV/DVD playing for anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours/evening, using either the DVD player or a FireStick if we have WiFi/cellular reception. Otherwise a master switch cuts all power to the unit for the remaining time.
• Two mobile phones charging overnight
• Occasional water pump use

Conclusion-
With adequate sunlight and our typical usage pattern, we could exist off the grid for an extended time. With NO recharging whatsoever, we could make it about 4 full days/nights on the battery alone. Some of the other things we've been able to do with our LiFePo battery and 1100w inverter: use a 700w toaster for decent toast in the morning, use a 110v electric blanket for shoulder season camping, and most recently use a portable ice-maker. All of these of course have to be used judiciously because they put a much higher drain on the battery.

Would I do it again? Yes, absolutely. The initial cost is definitely a little hard to swallow, but you tend to forget about that over time. And what you're left with is a much better camping experience. BTW - I stick with my earlier comment that I love the battery monitor just as much as the battery upgrade. Without the monitor I wouldn't have nearly as good an understanding of what's going on with our battery.

ras

Just in case you, like me, don't read the manual until you have a problem.. Did you change the setting on the Voyager controller to LifePo when yo installed the new battery?

MrGGBrown

If you zoom into the picture of the controller above you'll see that I did.