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Life of Tab 400 battery?

tbatakistbatakis Member Posts: 3
in Battery/Electrical & Solar
How long does a Tab 400 battery live and how do you know if it is dead?  Mine does not charge up anymore but could that be a problem with the charging system it is it likely the battery?
thanks 
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,363
    Welcome to the Forums!
    Before we can answer this, or any question, we need to know what year your trailer is. 
    For the 400, there are many different battery setups: one giant 225 ah deep cycle lead acid.  Two dual 6V lead acid batteries.  Lithium battery setups started a couple of years ago, and there are many combos of batteries and inverters, etc.
    If: you have a trailer that is about 5 years old or so, and it still has one of the "AGM" or "lead acid" batteries, even if they have been perfectly taken care of, they may be reaching the end of their service life.
    "Not charging up any more" or hot holding a charge is a perfect example of a battery that may not be well taken care of, or just reaching the "end of life" that all lead acid batteries reach.  
    So, tell us what year the trailer is, and which battery you have.  Tell us if you are using a multimeter or the Victron app to help get a status of the battery.  And, get down there in the battery compartment and see what you have in there.  A picture would be great.
    There are many good upgrades for the original AGM's if that is what you have.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • tbatakistbatakis Member Posts: 3
    Thanks!  My rig is a 2021.  We’ve kept it plugged it all the time except a few camping trips w/o hookups.  I’ll get into the battery compartment next and see what type they are. 
    Can lead acid be replaced with lithium directly?

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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,363
    edited November 12
    Great!  A 2021 would have the "dual 6V 225 amp hour" lead acid batteries, if they have not be changed out since 2021.  
    A lithium battery can be a straight replacement.  We would have to check the version of your WFCO converter.  Earlier "non-lithium" converters could charge a lithium, but "only" to about 85 percent.  Newer versions from around your model year might have had a WFCO with a "switch" that told the charger to use lithium charging profiles.  Later WFCO's had "auto detect" chargers that were supposed to detect lithium batteries.
    So, have a look inside your WFCO and check the model number.  It will be something like "8735" and a designation of LiS for the switch model, or AD for the auto detect.  (A 2021 "might" have the LiS version).
    Even with a "non-lithium" converter, owners have used the solar charging to properly charge the battery, or a stand alone lithium charger to do the job when on shore power.
    There is a ton of info about that when you start to look more closely at this.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • tbatakistbatakis Member Posts: 3
    Thank you!  I’ll be getting into it next week. Really appreciate your input!  
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,363
    Here is a picture of the label inside your converter. This one has the "AD" designation, which is the "auto detect" model.  The other version is the LiS, or lithium switch model.  Your 2021 may not have either designation, which would mean it is a "non-lithium" sort of converter. The "non-lithium" would still charge the lithium battery, but only about 85 percent.

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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