Upgrade Lead Acid to Lithium on a 2022 T@b 320

OkieDokie

Newbie question here.  I'm wanting to replace my current Interstate lead acid battery with a LiTime 12V 100Ah Group 24 LiFePO4 Lithium battery or similar.  Once installed, do I just go into the Victron solar controller app and change the battery to Lithium, or are there other steps or accessories needed for the lithium battery to function as the current battery does?  If I'm out in left field somewhere, could some please point me in the right direction.  Thanks in advance for any feedback!

pthomas745

The Victron solar controller, and the shunt, if you have one, will have to be configured properly to get a full charge from the solar panels.  Not hard to do.

For shore power "complete" charging, check the model number of your WFCO converter.  There are two flavors of "lithium" converters: WFCO model numbers that end with LIS have a simple lithium switch that will allow "complete" lithium charging.  WFCO model numbers that end in AD mean it is supposed to "auto detect" a lithium battery.  It may take some hoops to jump through to actually have that "auto detect" function to work.

If you do not have a "lithium compatible" WFCO, the converter will still charge a lithium battery, but only to around 85 percent.  Many owners simply let the solar do the charging duties.  For shore power charging, any stand alone lithium charger that you can connect directly to the battery will do the job.

This is a guide from Battleborn that shows how simple it is to configure a Victron controller for lithium charging.  This can work for any lithium battery brand: just sub in your battery charging specs for the Battleborn numbers.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/programming-a-victron-smartsolar-charge-controller/

OkieDokie

pthomas745 Thank you for the feedback.  I'll check the converter Mod# tomorrow and go from there.

OkieDokie

pthomas745, My WFCO model # is WF-8735LiS.  You mentioned the model #'s ending in LiS have a lithium switch, but I'm getting conflicting information from other research on this switch.  Some list the LiS models as being self-detect; some say there is what appears to be a physical switch on the converter, and others recommend buying a newer converter.  My T@b literature says I have a lithium compatible converter, so I'm not sure what is what.  I don't want to drop a lithium battery in my T@b thinking this is a good upgrade and find out it only partially charges the battery.  The lead acid battery I have now seems to work fine, but it's 3 years old and likely in need of a rest.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

pthomas745

Here is a picture of the Lithium Switch.  It is up on the fuse side of the converter near the top. Not sure if it is covered by the panel that covers the internals of the converter or not.  

I have a non-lithium converter in my trailer, a 2017.  My battery charges completely with solar. I also have an ordinary "lithium battery charger" that can plug into a household outlet and attach to the battery with battery clamps if I ever need to.  There are many different work arounds for a "non lithium converter" trailer that would be much simpler than dismantling the existing converter.

In any case, see if this photo helps to find the Lithium Switch.

OkieDokie

I do believe that is it.  I can't believe I didn't see it the first 3 times. After grabbing my glasses, a magnifying glass, flashlight and crawling around on the floor, I spotted the LI and LA above the switch, with it currently in the LA position.  Thank you so much for helping me with this.

pthomas745

LOL.....welcome to Tab Yoga!