Our Battery Journey

We have been fulltime Rvers for six years now and our favorite way to camp is boondocking.  We spent many years relying on our generator for power. While this worked when we needed it, it wasn’t the most cost effective or environmentally friendly option.  We didn’t love sitting out in the middle of nowhere with this noise pollution as a distraction.  With the rising cost of gas, we also don’t love that free comping really wasn’t free anymore.

Last year we began researching our options for solar and battery bank.  We went with the cheapest option of used panels and a set of 8 AGM batteries.  This lasted us a few months before the AGM’s began to fail us.  We have always held off on Lithium batteries because of the high price point.  The math didn’t work out until we moved west and began relying on boondocking more and more.  After our frustrating experience with our AGM batteries, we decided to begin researching Lithium solutions.

Signature Solar Lithium Battery (and All-In-One Inverter)

I first discovered SignatureSolar server rack batteries from Will Prowse YouTube channel. The low price point of these batteries blew away all the competition.  We chose the 24V 200AH EG4-LifePower4 Lithium Battery because our Growatt Inverter is 24v. (24V 200AH is the same as a 12V 400AH). Most RVers do not upgrade the system to a 24v system. I highly recommend doing this because the higher Voltage the Inverter/Battery system is, the more efficient it is. Also the All-In-One Systems are only available in 24v and 48v.

Ease of Install

The batteries have a great warranty and an exceptional Battery Management System.  Everything is built into the battery itself, which made this such a simple add to our system.  The circuit breaker/ shut off for the battery and the battery monitor are all in one.  So all I had to do when it arrived was connect my Growatt-All-In-One to the battery, positive and negative.  That’s it!  Icing on the cake was all the added weight we shed from removing the 400 pounds of 8 AGMS. The new Lithium Battery only weighs in around 100 pounds.

Battery Weight

So how did 400 lbs of AGM equate to 100 lbs of Lithium?  With AGM batteries you can only count on 50% of the rated capacity.  I had 8- 100 amp hour AGM’s, which equals 800 AMP hours which I could only use half of (400 AMP hours).  On a Lithium Battery, I can use all of its rated capacity.  This Battery is a 24 volt, 200 AMP hour battery (again same as 12v, 400 Ah)and works at full capacity.  At the end of the day 800 AMP hour AGM is equal to 400 AMP hours of lithium.

Cons

The only downside to this battery is that it’s a server rack battery.  You do have to keep it dry and out of heat and cold.  Our front bay is perfect for this and we follow good weather, so the temperature extremes aren’t a concern for us. 

Signature Solar

I learned that the owner was homeschooled and started this awesome company himself We are excited to partner with SignatureSolar to share this great find with you. Click on the links so that you can benefit from this HUGE cost savings on your already expensive system.