Lithium Swap

[MCG1238]

Hello! I am trying to convert my Ranger R71 to Lithium. I purchased 2 Renogy 12v 100Ah lithium batteries today online. I was under the impression it was a plug and play swap... Well looking at their page it said "DO NOT string the battery in series. ONLY connect batteries of the same manufacturer and model in parallel."

 

 

I am not a electrical guy, almost no knowledge but could rebuild a motor... I started to look into my boat setup and I'm almost positive my current setup is a series to make my boat a 24v system. I have attached a photo of my current setup but basically the positive of one battery goes to the negative of the other. Does this eliminate the possibility of using the two Lithium Batteries I purchased as plug and play options? 

[Richieg]

You are currently wired in series. You should also check your charger to see if it is compatible with lithium batteries, many are not. 
 

I am not familiar with lithium but if the manufacturer states that is not acceptable to wire in a series then I would follow that statement. If you have a demand for 24 volts you will need to provide that from your source. I believe they make 24 volt lithium batteries but I am not positive.

 

Maybe someone here knows a safe way to tie the two batteries you bought together to get 24 volts.

[Craig P]

Cancel your order. If a battery is not designed to be used in series, only bad things will happen.  I would suggest ordering from the battery suppliers often seen in the boating industry like Amped Outdoors, Ionic, Dakota, Miller, etc. etc.  These suppliers have many variations in Ah at 12v that can be ran in series.

 

Definitely check to see if your charger is lithium compatible. If the manual or specification does not specifically state or have a mode for Lithium, it is not compatible.

 

Lithiums are awesome for weight and power but if you are not good at DC electric, I suggest taking it to someone who is. When lithiums burn, they don’t go out!

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, Richieg said:

Maybe someone here knows a safe way to tie the two batteries you bought together to get 24 volts.

If it says 'Do not connect in series' - there's no way to connect them to get 24v.

 

As suggested, cancel/return and get batteries rated for series connection.

 

41 minutes ago, Craig P said:

When lithiums burn, they don’t go out!

Older Lithium-Ions are notorious for this - the newer LiFePo4 batteries are much safer.

 

41 minutes ago, Craig P said:

Definitely check to see if your charger is lithium compatible. If the manual or specification does not specifically state or have a mode for Lithium, it is not compatible.

Exactly - unless the charger is rated for Lithium batteries, you can severely damage the battery trying to charge it...this also voids any warranty.

 

NOCO Genius chargers are rated for all battery types.

 

Another option is to just go with a single 24v battery. Several manufacturers have 24v LiFePo4 batteries.

[GaryH]

As stated above “DO NOT” run them in series.  When switching to Lithium you need to do your homework and ask questions. I run Ionic lithium LiFePo4 they can be run in series and they will give you a list of chargers that are compatible. You can also buy a 24v battery but remember you’ll need a 24v charger.

[Dirtyeggroll]

I am using lithium batteries in my Ranger R70 with a 24v setup. I have two 12v 100 AH lithium batteries for my trolling motor I charger with a Minn kota precision charger.