I forgot a few things about lithiums here...so have made a blog entry. Please leave in the comments below if there is something else I have forgotten and I will do a follow up blog about the things I forgot..post them below. It will help all your fellow sailors: whereisbrickhouse.com/?p=4743&preview=true
Thank you very much. Yes...life was good, and I’m so glad he didn’t have to live through seeing his health go downhill. That would have been so hard for him. He died at his peak and loved...what more could anyone want I suppose.
I've watched literally dozens of these kinds of videos on LiFePO4 installations and yours was one of the very best as you spent as much or more on the protections and things you need to do alongside "dropping in" replacement batteries. Very well done and it was very nice to see a little of Patrick in this video. Fair winds fair lady.
Thanks Steve. I’ve always kept my sailboat fairly up to date, so I was just lucky that most of my charge controllers already had the custom setting that I needed. The alternator went in months before the lithium batteries so I only had to install the BALMAR maxcharge 614 alternator regulator, the Sterling APD, and the relay as extras.Thanks for the nice compliment.
Wow! Great video. You don't claim expertise, rather you demonstrate it. This is what I loved about Sailing Brickhouse and I am glad to see the continuity. I admit that I'm a know-it-all, and I have been working on my plan to upgrade to a LiFe system, but you got me rethinking a few things. Thank you.
Glad I could add a little more about lithium batteries to your Arsenal. Knowledge is power, literally and figuratively :) There is much that I don’t know...always learning more...
Rebecca, I thoroughly enjoyed your video. You are one of the most courageous woman I know and I firmly believe you set a phenomenal example to all woman cruisers in the world of how strong, independent cruisers can be. Please keep the videos coming. You have a great video presence and I really enjoy your style. Like everyone, I miss Patrick. He would be very proud of you.
Kevin...thanks so much for such a nice compliment. I just do what I do. I wish I could be a stronger example of sailing, sailing solo, but by strength is really the systems of the boat. I loved learning so much about lithium batteries, upgrading the lead acid batteries to lithium, and the different options when it comes to choosing lithium batteries for my sailboat. I really love the systems onboard though sometimes I need someone else t9 make solid connections etc....it’s always about teamwork on a boat.
Thanks Rebecca. I just finished a "drop in" LiFePo4 upgrade to my boat's system and went through a similar analysis and period of indecision regarding DYI / Turnkey, but was unaware of the sort of modular systems you went with. In the end I selected one of the oldest, most respected (and expensive) manufacturers - BattleBorn, and bit the bullet on cost and capacity. upgrading from a 274 Ah AGM bank which was 8 years old and no longer serviceable to 300 ah of LiFePo4, which as noted in your video provides over twice the usable capacity of the old AGM bank in the same space at 1/2 of the weight. Everything you state about the advantages of this newish chemistry is correct, it's safety, charge acceptance, weight and durability are unparalelled in lead-acid technology. The one thing you didn't mention which is absolutely critical for the long term health of your electrical appliances and motors is the uncanny ability of LiFePo4 batteries to provide high current with LOW VOLTAGE DROP. Lead acid batteries suffer from the Perkuet effect - the more load (amp draw) you place on them, the less voltage they are able to maintain, and thus the less efficient the transfer of power through your wiring, and the harder your motors and appliances must work. Your effective battery capacity drops obscenely, assuming it can even meet your demand, which depends heavily on their state of charge and chemistry. High current motors like those serving starter and windlass circuits suffer the most, followed by things like autopilots and inverters. Chronic low voltage high current demands on electric motors will kill them in short order through overheating. Your autopilot might shutdown or reset. Your inverter will wail with alarms if you try to microwave that bag of popcorn, the lights will dim and brown-out and you'll be lucky if 1/2 the kernels pop. I've found that everything WORKS MUCH BETTER with my BattleBorn bank. LiFePo4 is ultimately cheaper if you are able to afford the considerable upfront cost and have proven reliable in EV applications for a long time. Run them between 20% and 80% State of Charge and they should last basically forever, and you can hit 'em as hard as 100% to 0% hundreds of times in a pinch without harming them, giving you robust reserve capacity when the chips are down. I went with BattleBorn because they have an outstanding reputation and customer service, are made in the USA, and carry a 10 year warranty. With such a critical high cost component I wasn't gonna skimp. My biggest concern at this point is lightning. I figure the EMS pulse from a lighting strike could fry the bank's BMSs, which is the one area AGM or similar has a distinct advantage.
Wiener...excellent information. I like the Battleborn batteries and they were first on my choice of lithium batteries had I gone with drop in batteries. And yes absolutely everything on the boat runs way better..the refrigeration in particular! And yes about lightning...one of th reasons I went modular...imagine the internal BMS of the Battleborn gets fried? No choice but to throw out. I like that I can just unscrew the screws and pop in my preprogrammed BMS and put the screws back on and keep going.
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife hi Rebecca and to Weiner as well. All great info as I am thinking about an upgrade now but was wondering if there are any other precautions we can do to isolate the battery system from lightning damage? André
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife You could carefully cut apart a drop-in battery in a pinch with a dremel tool and swap-out a fried BMS with something aftermarket if required. The cells themselves should be fine. I'm considering lining my battery box with faraday foil / screening or similar shielding to protect my investment from lightning in the tropics however. It's also a good idea to keep back-up electronics like a handheld GPS, VHF, EPIRB cell and sat-phones, lapt-tops / tablets etc in an EMP proof pouch. Or a microwave oven - at least when there's thunderstorms rolling in, lol..... =)
Yes, I always do this...unplug my precious chartplotter, turn off the autopilot, etc. I may consider shutting off the batteries during short lightning storms too. I hope someone see this comment and can add more possible answers.
Rebecca, I am a big fan of your and your late husband’s channel. I don’t know what you’re talking about when you say you can’t edit - these videos are fantastic. Informative & well produced. Your use of stock footage/b-roll worked well and editing in general flows well. You’re a natural!
The availability off the self modular solutions was great to see. Thanks. Additionally, I am one of those surprised to learn that you were the techie. A lady presenting technical info is a nice distinctive edge and addition to the community by your channel.
Thanks so much. Yeah. It’s always been kind of my thing, but he liked the video thing etc, so I just let him have that. It was fine by me to be the quiet one behind the scenes. He was the star in much of our lives though...can’t take that away!
OK! My mind is officially BLOWN! WOW! What an absolute plethora of vital information! You could have broken all that down into two or even three videos! I'm going to have to replay it perhaps half a dozen times for my brain to absorb all your finer points, Rebecca! I can see you overtaking Ryan and Rick as the How-To Guru!
Haha..that’s a nice compliment. I love sharing my technical info, but I can’t say I love making technical videos. Maybe it will get easier in time...really takes a lot of thinking and planning!!!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife Perfect! The most successful people here put out one vid per week. Keeps the ball rolling if you know what I mean. So, If you put a month of work into making one of your over the top vids, then split it up, and spread it over four weeks! Absolutely no-one could possibly accuse you of click baiting , because your vids are positively brimming with valuable content.
Definitely do :) The link I have in the description for altestore is a very good place to start...so much info on their site and their people know so much...lddy.no/qsjd
Very informative and educational video. Thank you for your research and the effort putting it all into plain English anyone can follow and benefit from. Much appreciated.
I never thought I would find a lithium battery system fascinating as I have - it has been thought provoking. You and Patrick were a ‘team’ in every sense of the word!
Late to the party but sent the biggest thumbs up I could find. Good to see you smiling and getting back into the groove and, yes, a lot of us who follow you know that you were quite often the brains behind the scenes. As for your filming/editing skills they'll develop just as your skills as a sailor did..one step at a time. :-)
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife No surprises there, sensitive days show you're human not just some ol' crusty sailor. Happy thoughts will get you thru it. Cheers :-)
Thanks Jerry. This lithium battery video was hard to do...and I don’t near the production quality that Patrick did.But yes, I think he’d be glad that I’m trying. It’s a gift he left me...I can’t just put it down.
Great video. We've exchanged messages before, and watched Patrick, RIP, on his DYI videos and learned a lot. Glad to see you taking the bull by the horns and continuing his legacy. I have to watch this video again because this is the route I'm taking. My batteries are due replacing soon, and I'm sailing offshore after the refit. Thank you for all that information.
First time here, hi Rebecca and glad to know you're a mine of information on electronic and electrical systems. Sorry to hear about your hubby and never can understand why the virus affects everyone, different. Your network of loyal friends are wonderful. Looking forward to more videos and hopefully the new vaccines coming on the market will make the pandemic a bad memory. Happy sailing !!
Yeah...even though the serpentine be,t not very exciting, it was all I really had from our last project together...he would be happy to be included in the video :)
So pleased to see new Brick House content. I love your new fresh style and presentation. You are finding your own video legs fairly quickly. I would think that the learning to produce and edit video aspect will be easier than would be getting up to speed on the real meat and potatoes cruising technical side if you were not already. There are many cruising and marine DIY blogs out there right now with slick video production but weak knowledge on the actual subject matter at hand. You are already miles ahead. Video production is mostly just a matter of practice and experience. It will come. I agree that this is a really controversial and divisive subject. As a commercial electrician I appreciated your very thorough and thoughtful take on the matter. I can not dispute any of your points but would like to add that one n the other hand with a VERY small-scale low power-consumption system on an extremely efficient bare-bones cruising boat the cost of FLA batteries and associated charging hardware is hard to beat. We do have a very low-power efficient boat without refrigeration and few electrical bella and whistles (not even pressurized water) so with just four 6v flooded golf car batteries and 250w of solar plus a wind turbine generator we only rarely go below 70% battery charge and reach equalization charge by around noon on a typical sunny day if the previous day was also sunny or the wind gods have been generous. This leaves us with plenty of power for lights, radios, and instruments -all with a total cost for the battery bank and all our charging systems of around $1200. Our wind turbine came with the boat. Here in the USA 6v GC-2 batteries are $80 each so even if we needed to replace them every 4 years it would be less than $400 (or $1000 every 10 years.) Of course this extremely low-power use FLA house battery system doesn't scale well for all the reasons you so eloquently covered in the video, plus there is the lack of much solar panel real estate on a smaller cruising sailboat to expand. At a certain point lithium becomes the better option. That is at least in the long run, if it is rugged enough and properly built so that it actually does last and doesn't fail prematurely. That is one more plus of the cheap FLA 6v batteries. If (or when) you do screw them up replacing the whole bank doesn't break the bank ;)
Great point...if you do screw them up, less expensive to correct your mistake :) I am hoping I did this right and they really do last 20 years :) Having experts so it for me at least at the battery and BMS level makes those chances greater :) I’m not sure how much amperage you have in those batteries...mine are 400ah, which if I’m gentle with them I’m using no more than 360ah before replenishing. 280ah even better. 675 ah of lead acid doesn’t provide anywhere near that in usable ... but if you are getting up to equalization charges on good days that’s darn good!
These 6v are 215AH each so a total of 430AH woth four in series-parallel @12v nominal. But as you explained we don't really get to use but a small fraction of that 430AH without damaging them. Not having refrigeration or many other high-draw electrical devices onboard is key, plus the wind turbine often keeps ahead of the parasitical loads all night so the batteries have a big head start in the morning when the sun comes up. Often at dawn the battery voltage is sitting at 12.5-12.6v as the solar panels come back online and are soon pushing the bank back up towards 13v and right past bulk charge into acceptance charge. Before we know it the solar charger is already producing excess charge and we can plug in stuff like laptops and other larger loads without fear of slowing down the march towards equalization.
Hi this was one of the BEST videos i have heard and seen....this comes with expierience and hands on approach....and for the love of it....thank you sooooo much....from a dry-lander. I will keep watching. Maybe will get there one day.
Wow, what a comprehensive and sophisticated battery management system you have. That is the first system I have seen where the BMS can shut down the charging. I have always thought the BMS controlling the charging would be a good idea, you are the first one to demonstrate such a system. Well researched and well implemented, a very well put together video.
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife I have been heavily researching this as well and found out there doesn't seem to be too many systems that have a BMS send an early warning that you can feed to the alternators smart regulator. I also thought this would be the direction the industry would go is shutting down the alternator field. Otherwise, lots of DC/DCs, lead acid versus LFP separation, etc. for the dreaded battery disconnect voltage spike. (I plan to cut off charging before that happens but as you mentioned, 2nd backup , 3rd backup ...) I have the same alternator disconnect unit in the plans as well. Soooo, my question is what BMS is being used by Freedom? It appears that it talks quite well to Victron product which will be the primary backbone of my system. I do like individual cell monitoring as well.
Holy cow Rebecca, you just blew me away with all of that information. Quite entertaining for a technical video. Well done. I am so happy for you and a tad envious of your new captain. You are a real treasure and I'm sure Patrick is so proud.
Thanks so much Doug. There is so much to know when it comes to lithium batteries. Regarding the new Captain..I got lucky...and yeah maybe he did too ;) ;) ;) 😛😋😝😜😆😎
Hi Rebecca - Thanks for the info on your lifep04 setup. I am currently installing 400ah of lifep04 batteries with a Balmar MC-614 external regulator. I did not want to have a separate starting battery. When you mentioned about a Sterling Alternator Protection Device giving your alternator extra protection. I did some research and that should perfect for my setup. Thank you very much for continuing the informative videos.
Nice job explaining LiFePo4 batteries and what is needed for a proper set-up. Every time I watch something like this, it just reminds me why I have only lights, essential comms, and nav on my boat. The cheapest and easiest battery to deal with is the one that stays on the store shelf.
Hey Rebecca, from our Valiant 40, Mata Hari.. Your info helped so very much. We had just began the conversation here about changing our battery banks. Your info helped us immensely getting started with much needed clarification with understanding of needs and differences. Cheers to you and your new Captain!
Lissa...thanks so much for your comment and letting me know it helped. It was torture making the video, but I knew I had information I hadn’t seen anywhere else and wanted to let people know. I’m really so happy to hear from so many people that they learned a lot of good information on upgrading their batteries to lithium batteries on their sailboat!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife I was. But it becomes too expensive and advantages are not that noticeable for a 25 ft sailboat (without fridge). So I will just be going for new lead acid batteries. Thanks for asking!
Makes perfect sense. Yeah it takes a little bit of analysis to make that decision...and it makes sense with a smaller boat to stick with lead acid batteries.
Very thorough information. Good job. Hopefully you have sufficient spares. Also I hope some of the companies mentioned are helping to sponsor Brick House.👍✌️😊🙏🏼⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️
Thanks so much. At this point we get some nice discounts, though it’s after my decisions to have the product on Brick House. Would never want to choose things based on discounts! Only the best for Brick House...not the cheapest :)
Just ran across your channel today. Can not say how sorry I am for your loss. This is the most informative Lithium upgrade I have seen regarding voltage settings and protections. Am currently looking to install some as well. Thanks, Great Job
Glad to hear that. I think it’s really important to let people know about the options that are out there. I almost turned a blind eye to the Freedom Won Marine batteries because they don’t “look” like batteries...but wow, so impressed with them.
This is the best and complete set of information about lithium batteries upgrade I have seen! Rebecca… you are a master of your art! … I was looking for another point to add on my to do list… I have it now 👍😉. All the best to you and your crew. Note I intend to cross the Atlantic this winter, …. I send you an open restaurant invitation … all the best, Jacques
Hi Rebecca, thanks for the great education on your setup and what to think about. We love spending multiple nights on the hook in the Chesapeake and we're planning longer cruises next year. This is the first CZcams video I've seen where a woman is explaining the electrical system. You were very easy to learn from. That makes you a great trailblazer and I hope other sailing women will follow in your footsteps!
Great information and glad to see you back. My apologies for this criticism. Too much "cute" edit cuts with close up disolves during the presentation. To me, it detracts from the presentation.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing this valuable information, you handle a lot of technical things, like Patrick did. It's great to see you again !! you keep my dreams afloat !! I hope to see you more often, if you come to Patagonia, you can count on me in whatever you need, it will be a pleasure to meet you !!
Rebecca, you are doing so well! You are filling in so much info no one else includes! You have my head spinning and I am for the first time seriously considering lithium ion batts! The trouble is in the US they seem to be 4 to 5 times price of lead acid! If you have any information on options in the USA please let us know! Keep up the great work, you're doing so so well and you're input to the cruising world is so appreciated!
May be worth contacting Freedom Won...they seem to always be growing...so you never know...Make sure you look at the LONG term price of lead acids vs lithium batteries...you may be surprised. Ryan and Sophie have a good video comparing the costs.
I’m so happy for you. You are looking a whole lot better. I’ve had unimaginable tragedy including losing my beautiful son to a drug overdose. Things you think are insurmountable aren’t. It takes time. You never get over it. It stays with you but it just changes. And only sometimes are you attacked by a gnawing in your gut but in between you are who you were.
Thanks Robert. Yes...sometimes I just think about it and don’t know how I am carrying on. Other times I’m just doing what’s coming naturally...living on.
This is my favorite CZcams channel precisely of technical and Patrick's great DYI videos. This is the most practical discussion of Lithium batteries I've seen. Thank you.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing this valuable information, you handle a lot of technical things, like Patrick did. It's great to see you again !! you keep my dreams afloat !! I hope to see you more often, if you come to Patagonia, you can count on me in whatever you need, it will be a pleasure to meet you !!
Hi Jose. It would be so great to get to Patagonia...my dream...keep an aye on my blog...www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com where PredictWind keeps a record of where I am at any one time...ping me when and if I get close by!! Would love to have the help!
I've been looking for you for some time. You look well and seem to be getting along just fine for yourself since Patrick. In fact, your anocemeant of him is the last video I saw of the channel. I'll be watching whatever you produce and do my best to keep up with you. Blessings to you and happy to see you getting along well.💖🌹🌹🌹🌷⛵
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife well life is not easy and no one said it would be, but as long as you do your best is that counts. Sure you will have ups and downs but before you know it you'll have way more ups than downs. Blessings, you will be ok...
Yes...they are way ahead of the curb for solar power, lithium battery energy storage, and off grid living! So yes, it’s a very good place to buy lithium batteries. The Victron gear is considerably cheaper too, surprisingly!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife thank I must look Victron SA prices and maybe get my sister in j/berg to send it to me ireland thanks loved Durban SA lived there 1992
Great job . I retired from Att .in Alaska. And Everything is Triple redundant on all sights from main power to Generators to batteries as the last resort. When I'm finished with my boat she will definitely have a redundant back up system. As I'm doing the electric motor conversion. I'm very impressed with your knowledge on these systems. Always have back ups that's very smart .. happy Sails.
Great content Rebecca - really excellent. Gentle suggestion echoing some other comments - don't worry about the "special effects" and inserting stock film clips here and there and don't worry about background music. You are doing just fine and have a great screen presence. Just be yourself, relax, and say what you want to say. Don't think about a video as a chore (not that you are!) think of it as an opportunity to tell a group of interested folks something that you think they might like to know and that you enjoy telling them. And since many of us are currently locked down to some extent, or wannabes, or ex sailors like myself, trust me that we will find almost any aspect of your sailing life interesting and watchable. Carry on and glad to hear that you've made plans with the captain!
Good advice. I just didn’t want it to be all my face, and it’s hard to film already installed batteries, and make an alternator regulator, relay, SOD and battery chargers deep in cabinets look very interesting ;)
![Provisioning for Sailing an Ocean, [An Exact Sailboat Provisioning List] Patrick ChildressSailing#20](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bZYRQpcIY60/mqdefault.jpg)
I forgot a few things about lithiums here...so have made a blog entry. Please leave in the comments below if there is something else I have forgotten and I will do a follow up blog about the things I forgot..post them below. It will help all your fellow sailors:
whereisbrickhouse.com/?p=4743&preview=true
Just the best,🙂
A Great and informative video on a touchy and complex subject. Thank you!
Thanks for your information on your build. Already suspected you were far more involved and inclined to more than navigating.
Thank you
Thanks so much for watching!
Well done Rebecca with the video. Patrick would be proud.
Thanks. Hoping I get better at the technical videos...at all of them.
I love that you covered things that most people barely mention, like all of your alternator protections. Well done! I learned a lot.
Kevin..thanks. Yeah..the alternator is certainly a VERY important consideration. Overkill is better :)
What a beautiful life he lived. I’m so very sorry for your loss.
Thank you very much. Yes...life was good, and I’m so glad he didn’t have to live through seeing his health go downhill. That would have been so hard for him. He died at his peak and loved...what more could anyone want I suppose.
I've watched literally dozens of these kinds of videos on LiFePO4 installations and yours was one of the very best as you spent as much or more on the protections and things you need to do alongside "dropping in" replacement batteries. Very well done and it was very nice to see a little of Patrick in this video. Fair winds fair lady.
Thanks Steve. I’ve always kept my sailboat fairly up to date, so I was just lucky that most of my charge controllers already had the custom setting that I needed. The alternator went in months before the lithium batteries so I only had to install the BALMAR maxcharge 614 alternator regulator, the Sterling APD, and the relay as extras.Thanks for the nice compliment.
Rest in peace patrick, Im sure he lived a full life, what an inspiration.
Thanks so much
You are a true inspiration, thankyou for making me smile with a tear.
Thank you
Fantastic information Rebecca, the quality of information is why I've loved this channel and that certainly hasn't changed. Thankyou.
Corey..that’s the nicest thing you could have said. Thank you so very very much. Makes me want to get started on the next one right away!
I agree also - I learned a lot, especially about the custom settings importance.
Rebecca, glad to see that things are working out for you. Keep going. We are behind you.
Thanks so much for your support.
Wow! Great video. You don't claim expertise, rather you demonstrate it. This is what I loved about Sailing Brickhouse and I am glad to see the continuity. I admit that I'm a know-it-all, and I have been working on my plan to upgrade to a LiFe system, but you got me rethinking a few things. Thank you.
Glad I could add a little more about lithium batteries to your Arsenal. Knowledge is power, literally and figuratively :) There is much that I don’t know...always learning more...
for an aspiring newbie boat owner, technical IS fun . So glad you did this one.
I’m glad technical is fun ;)
Awesome job Rebecca. I hope you and Michael are sailing well together.
Yes, we are..l
Rebecca, I thoroughly enjoyed your video. You are one of the most courageous woman I know and I firmly believe you set a phenomenal example to all woman cruisers in the world of how strong, independent cruisers can be. Please keep the videos coming. You have a great video presence and I really enjoy your style. Like everyone, I miss Patrick. He would be very proud of you.
Kevin...thanks so much for such a nice compliment. I just do what I do. I wish I could be a stronger example of sailing, sailing solo, but by strength is really the systems of the boat. I loved learning so much about lithium batteries, upgrading the lead acid batteries to lithium, and the different options when it comes to choosing lithium batteries for my sailboat. I really love the systems onboard though sometimes I need someone else t9 make solid connections etc....it’s always about teamwork on a boat.
I am very happy that you decided to keep going. Safe travels
Me too. Thanks.
Thanks Rebecca. I just finished a "drop in" LiFePo4 upgrade to my boat's system and went through a similar analysis and period of indecision regarding DYI / Turnkey, but was unaware of the sort of modular systems you went with. In the end I selected one of the oldest, most respected (and expensive) manufacturers - BattleBorn, and bit the bullet on cost and capacity. upgrading from a 274 Ah AGM bank which was 8 years old and no longer serviceable to 300 ah of LiFePo4, which as noted in your video provides over twice the usable capacity of the old AGM bank in the same space at 1/2 of the weight. Everything you state about the advantages of this newish chemistry is correct, it's safety, charge acceptance, weight and durability are unparalelled in lead-acid technology. The one thing you didn't mention which is absolutely critical for the long term health of your electrical appliances and motors is the uncanny ability of LiFePo4 batteries to provide high current with LOW VOLTAGE DROP. Lead acid batteries suffer from the Perkuet effect - the more load (amp draw) you place on them, the less voltage they are able to maintain, and thus the less efficient the transfer of power through your wiring, and the harder your motors and appliances must work. Your effective battery capacity drops obscenely, assuming it can even meet your demand, which depends heavily on their state of charge and chemistry. High current motors like those serving starter and windlass circuits suffer the most, followed by things like autopilots and inverters. Chronic low voltage high current demands on electric motors will kill them in short order through overheating. Your autopilot might shutdown or reset. Your inverter will wail with alarms if you try to microwave that bag of popcorn, the lights will dim and brown-out and you'll be lucky if 1/2 the kernels pop.
I've found that everything WORKS MUCH BETTER with my BattleBorn bank. LiFePo4 is ultimately cheaper if you are able to afford the considerable upfront cost and have proven reliable in EV applications for a long time. Run them between 20% and 80% State of Charge and they should last basically forever, and you can hit 'em as hard as 100% to 0% hundreds of times in a pinch without harming them, giving you robust reserve capacity when the chips are down. I went with BattleBorn because they have an outstanding reputation and customer service, are made in the USA, and carry a 10 year warranty. With such a critical high cost component I wasn't gonna skimp. My biggest concern at this point is lightning. I figure the EMS pulse from a lighting strike could fry the bank's BMSs, which is the one area AGM or similar has a distinct advantage.
Wiener...excellent information. I like the Battleborn batteries and they were first on my choice of lithium batteries had I gone with drop in batteries. And yes absolutely everything on the boat runs way better..the refrigeration in particular!
And yes about lightning...one of th reasons I went modular...imagine the internal BMS of the Battleborn gets fried? No choice but to throw out. I like that I can just unscrew the screws and pop in my preprogrammed BMS and put the screws back on and keep going.
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife hi Rebecca and to Weiner as well. All great info as I am thinking about an upgrade now but was wondering if there are any other precautions we can do to isolate the battery system from lightning damage? André
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife You could carefully cut apart a drop-in battery in a pinch with a dremel tool and swap-out a fried BMS with something aftermarket if required. The cells themselves should be fine. I'm considering lining my battery box with faraday foil / screening or similar shielding to protect my investment from lightning in the tropics however. It's also a good idea to keep back-up electronics like a handheld GPS, VHF, EPIRB cell and sat-phones, lapt-tops / tablets etc in an EMP proof pouch. Or a microwave oven - at least when there's thunderstorms rolling in, lol..... =)
Yes, I always do this...unplug my precious chartplotter, turn off the autopilot, etc. I may consider shutting off the batteries during short lightning storms too. I hope someone see this comment and can add more possible answers.
Great information, so thanks for that. It was really nice to hear Patrick's voice. Good job Rebecca.
Thanks so much. Glad you liked that little addition...
Rebecca, I am a big fan of your and your late husband’s channel. I don’t know what you’re talking about when you say you can’t edit - these videos are fantastic. Informative & well produced. Your use of stock footage/b-roll worked well and editing in general flows well. You’re a natural!
Wow..thanks. Watch my latest one...you may change your mind on that compliment!
The availability off the self modular solutions was great to see. Thanks. Additionally, I am one of those surprised to learn that you were the techie. A lady presenting technical info is a nice distinctive edge and addition to the community by your channel.
Thanks so much. Yeah. It’s always been kind of my thing, but he liked the video thing etc, so I just let him have that. It was fine by me to be the quiet one behind the scenes. He was the star in much of our lives though...can’t take that away!
Great job! Keep pushing forward!
Thanks...will do...
This is a delightful explanation of Litium battery upgrades. Thenk you.
Glad my lithium battery video was helpful
Love your videos, Keep up the good work. Life is so fragile.
Yes..life definitely fragile. Don’t love making technical videos, but love spreading the info...and it’s all much better than not having life!
Fantastic video Rebecca, it was in-depth ,informative and enjoyable to watch. Two thumbs from, well done and keep up the good work.
Thanks so much!
you rule!.... your presentation is immaculate AND accurate in my experience
Thanks Dale, for your vote of confidence.
OK! My mind is officially BLOWN! WOW! What an absolute plethora of vital information! You could have broken all that down into two or even three videos! I'm going to have to replay it perhaps half a dozen times for my brain to absorb all your finer points, Rebecca! I can see you overtaking Ryan and Rick as the How-To Guru!
Haha..that’s a nice compliment. I love sharing my technical info, but I can’t say I love making technical videos. Maybe it will get easier in time...really takes a lot of thinking and planning!!!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife Perfect! The most successful people here put out one vid per week. Keeps the ball rolling if you know what I mean. So, If you put a month of work into making one of your over the top vids, then split it up, and spread it over four weeks! Absolutely no-one could possibly accuse you of click baiting , because your vids are positively brimming with valuable content.
Great video 👍🌍
Thanks...
Upgrading to Lithium batteries is not as simple as I thought, thanks for the information, I will do my research.. Cheers
Definitely do :) The link I have in the description for altestore is a very good place to start...so much info on their site and their people know so much...lddy.no/qsjd
Wow, you really know your AC from DC. I am an electronics technician and you are right up there with us.
Maybe I need to get a job 🤙haha
Very informative and educational video. Thank you for your research and the effort putting it all into plain English anyone can follow and benefit from. Much appreciated.
Thanks…love my lithium batteries…well LiFePO4. Still 100% capacity and like new after 2+ years now.
I never thought I would find a lithium battery system fascinating as I have - it has been thought provoking. You and Patrick were a ‘team’ in every sense of the word!
Thanks...yes we were...
Keep up the good work Rebecca. Excellent, entertaining and informative video
Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Good job. Thorough, succinct, and good paise. It’s nice to see you’re doing it. Happy sailing , we’ll be watching. Thanks.
Thanks so much Doug.
It brought a smile to my face to see and hear Patric again thank you for including that.
Yeah...how could I not, right?
Late to the party but sent the biggest thumbs up I could find. Good to see you smiling and getting back into the groove and, yes, a lot of us who follow you know that you were quite often the brains behind the scenes. As for your filming/editing skills they'll develop just as your skills as a sailor did..one step at a time. :-)
Just Me...thank you...that made me very happy to read. Sensitive day today so it was nice to read the encouraging note.
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife No surprises there, sensitive days show you're human not just some ol' crusty sailor. Happy thoughts will get you thru it. Cheers :-)
Thanks. Think I’d rather be crusty :)
Very helpful!!! Great video and explanation!
Patrick would be very proud of how well you are carrying on with quality videos.
Thanks Jerry. This lithium battery video was hard to do...and I don’t near the production quality that Patrick did.But yes, I think he’d be glad that I’m trying. It’s a gift he left me...I can’t just put it down.
Great video. We've exchanged messages before, and watched Patrick, RIP, on his DYI videos and learned a lot. Glad to see you taking the bull by the horns and continuing his legacy. I have to watch this video again because this is the route I'm taking. My batteries are due replacing soon, and I'm sailing offshore after the refit. Thank you for all that information.
Thanks so much for continuing to watch...appreciate that. Good to hear you will be going offshore soon ;)
Great to see you Vlogging again I think at no time did anyone doubt your ability to do so.
Thanks. Hasn’t been easy, but plodding along.
Great upgrade, very impressed with your presentation and knowledge.
Thanks so much fir watching!
First time here, hi Rebecca and glad to know you're a mine of information on electronic and electrical systems. Sorry to hear about your hubby and never can understand why the virus affects everyone, different. Your network of loyal friends are wonderful. Looking forward to more videos and hopefully the new vaccines coming on the market will make the pandemic a bad memory. Happy sailing !!
Thanks so much Tom!
the best lithium upgrade video ive seen . thank you so much
Glad you could get through the poor filming and editing...really struggle with that.
Very good video, great that Patric got to be in it too! tnx
Yeah...even though the serpentine be,t not very exciting, it was all I really had from our last project together...he would be happy to be included in the video :)
So pleased to see new Brick House content. I love your new fresh style and presentation. You are finding your own video legs fairly quickly. I would think that the learning to produce and edit video aspect will be easier than would be getting up to speed on the real meat and potatoes cruising technical side if you were not already. There are many cruising and marine DIY blogs out there right now with slick video production but weak knowledge on the actual subject matter at hand. You are already miles ahead. Video production is mostly just a matter of practice and experience. It will come.
I agree that this is a really controversial and divisive subject. As a commercial electrician I appreciated your very thorough and thoughtful take on the matter. I can not dispute any of your points but would like to add that one n the other hand with a VERY small-scale low power-consumption system on an extremely efficient bare-bones cruising boat the cost of FLA batteries and associated charging hardware is hard to beat.
We do have a very low-power efficient boat without refrigeration and few electrical bella and whistles (not even pressurized water) so with just four 6v flooded golf car batteries and 250w of solar plus a wind turbine generator we only rarely go below 70% battery charge and reach equalization charge by around noon on a typical sunny day if the previous day was also sunny or the wind gods have been generous. This leaves us with plenty of power for lights, radios, and instruments -all with a total cost for the battery bank and all our charging systems of around $1200. Our wind turbine came with the boat. Here in the USA 6v GC-2 batteries are $80 each so even if we needed to replace them every 4 years it would be less than $400 (or $1000 every 10 years.)
Of course this extremely low-power use FLA house battery system doesn't scale well for all the reasons you so eloquently covered in the video, plus there is the lack of much solar panel real estate on a smaller cruising sailboat to expand. At a certain point lithium becomes the better option. That is at least in the long run, if it is rugged enough and properly built so that it actually does last and doesn't fail prematurely. That is one more plus of the cheap FLA 6v batteries. If (or when) you do screw them up replacing the whole bank doesn't break the bank ;)
Great point...if you do screw them up, less expensive to correct your mistake :) I am hoping I did this right and they really do last 20 years :) Having experts so it for me at least at the battery and BMS level makes those chances greater :) I’m not sure how much amperage you have in those batteries...mine are 400ah, which if I’m gentle with them I’m using no more than 360ah before replenishing. 280ah even better. 675 ah of lead acid doesn’t provide anywhere near that in usable ... but if you are getting up to equalization charges on good days that’s darn good!
These 6v are 215AH each so a total of 430AH woth four in series-parallel @12v nominal. But as you explained we don't really get to use but a small fraction of that 430AH without damaging them.
Not having refrigeration or many other high-draw electrical devices onboard is key, plus the wind turbine often keeps ahead of the parasitical loads all night so the batteries have a big head start in the morning when the sun comes up. Often at dawn the battery voltage is sitting at 12.5-12.6v as the solar panels come back online and are soon pushing the bank back up towards 13v and right past bulk charge into acceptance charge. Before we know it the solar charger is already producing excess charge and we can plug in stuff like laptops and other larger loads without fear of slowing down the march towards equalization.
Very interesting, and very well done.
Thanks so much
Great vid! Learned a lot about not only lithium batteries but battery systems in general. Many thanks!
Thanks, yes, some of the things that apply to lithium batteries also apply to other kinds of batteries
Hi this was one of the BEST videos i have heard and seen....this comes with expierience and hands on approach....and for the love of it....thank you sooooo much....from a dry-lander. I will keep watching. Maybe will get there one day.
Thanks Kobus...keep going! You will get there!
Wow, what a comprehensive and sophisticated battery management system you have. That is the first system I have seen where the BMS can shut down the charging. I have always thought the BMS controlling the charging would be a good idea, you are the first one to demonstrate such a system. Well researched and well implemented, a very well put together video.
Thanks so much Alan. Yes Freedom a won uses the very best BMS!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife I have been heavily researching this as well and found out there doesn't seem to be too many systems that have a BMS send an early warning that you can feed to the alternators smart regulator. I also thought this would be the direction the industry would go is shutting down the alternator field. Otherwise, lots of DC/DCs, lead acid versus LFP separation, etc. for the dreaded battery disconnect voltage spike. (I plan to cut off charging before that happens but as you mentioned, 2nd backup , 3rd backup ...) I have the same alternator disconnect unit in the plans as well. Soooo, my question is what BMS is being used by Freedom? It appears that it talks quite well to Victron product which will be the primary backbone of my system. I do like individual cell monitoring as well.
Awesome Woman! Awesome person! I hope you have safe travels.
Ah thanks...
Holy cow Rebecca, you just blew me away with all of that information. Quite entertaining for a technical video. Well done. I am so happy for you and a tad envious of your new captain. You are a real treasure and I'm sure Patrick is so proud.
Thanks so much Doug. There is so much to know when it comes to lithium batteries. Regarding the new Captain..I got lucky...and yeah maybe he did too ;) ;) ;) 😛😋😝😜😆😎
Hi Rebecca - Thanks for the info on your lifep04 setup. I am currently installing 400ah of lifep04 batteries with a Balmar MC-614 external regulator. I did not want to have a separate starting battery. When you mentioned about a Sterling Alternator Protection Device giving your alternator extra protection. I did some research and that should perfect for my setup. Thank you very much for continuing the informative videos.
Thanks Craig. I actually do have a seperate starting battery. It’s more like a plan D since I just use the lithiums for starting anyways.
Nice job explaining LiFePo4 batteries and what is needed for a proper set-up.
Every time I watch something like this, it just reminds me why I have only lights, essential comms, and nav on my boat. The cheapest and easiest battery to deal with is the one that stays on the store shelf.
Haha...so true about batteries on shelves in stores! Best place for thrm!
Thank's for sharing your experience.
Fantastic video.
Congratulations
Thanks for watching...
Hey Rebecca, from our Valiant 40, Mata Hari.. Your info helped so very much. We had just began the conversation here about changing our battery banks. Your info helped us immensely getting started with much needed clarification with understanding of needs and differences.
Cheers to you and your new Captain!
Lissa...thanks so much for your comment and letting me know it helped. It was torture making the video, but I knew I had information I hadn’t seen anywhere else and wanted to let people know. I’m really so happy to hear from so many people that they learned a lot of good information on upgrading their batteries to lithium batteries on their sailboat!
Wow, that's crystal clear. I liked those explanations! Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it helps? Are you considering an upgrade to lithium batteries?
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife I was. But it becomes too expensive and advantages are not that noticeable for a 25 ft sailboat (without fridge). So I will just be going for new lead acid batteries. Thanks for asking!
Makes perfect sense. Yeah it takes a little bit of analysis to make that decision...and it makes sense with a smaller boat to stick with lead acid batteries.
Very thorough information. Good job. Hopefully you have sufficient spares. Also I hope some of the companies mentioned are helping to sponsor Brick House.👍✌️😊🙏🏼⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️
Thanks so much. At this point we get some nice discounts, though it’s after my decisions to have the product on Brick House. Would never want to choose things based on discounts! Only the best for Brick House...not the cheapest :)
You continue to amaze and inspire!
Thank you! Cheers!
Just ran across your channel today. Can not say how sorry I am for your loss. This is the most informative Lithium upgrade I have seen regarding voltage settings and protections. Am currently looking to install some as well. Thanks, Great Job
Thanks Michael
Great Video, helps me to understand more.
Glad to hear that. I think it’s really important to let people know about the options that are out there. I almost turned a blind eye to the Freedom Won Marine batteries because they don’t “look” like batteries...but wow, so impressed with them.
This is the best and complete set of information about lithium batteries upgrade I have seen! Rebecca… you are a master of your art! … I was looking for another point to add on my to do list… I have it now 👍😉. All the best to you and your crew. Note I intend to cross the Atlantic this winter, …. I send you an open restaurant invitation … all the best, Jacques
Thanks so much..glad the info about our lithium battery installation was helpful!
Awesome video and congrats on the big upgrade!
Thanks so much!!
Hi Rebecca, thanks for the great education on your setup and what to think about. We love spending multiple nights on the hook in the Chesapeake and we're planning longer cruises next year. This is the first CZcams video I've seen where a woman is explaining the electrical system. You were very easy to learn from. That makes you a great trailblazer and I hope other sailing women will follow in your footsteps!
I hope other woman will too. I think many already do..they just aren’t on CZcams :)
Congratulations on your video. It was excellent. Who knew you were such a techie. Best wishes. Stay safe.
Thanks :)
Awsome video! really impressed! Step by step for any level! 😊😊
Thanks Toby!
Thank you. Very informative
Thanks...glad it’s helpful
'Freedom Won' system is a very practical system using big name components and just the right amount of protection.
Yes, I agree...Freedom Won batteries definitely a star player on SV Brick House
Great information and glad to see you back. My apologies for this criticism. Too much
"cute" edit cuts with close up disolves during the presentation. To me, it detracts from the presentation.
Each to their own. Didn’t detract from my point of view, quite the opposite.
Thanks for the tips!
Great job!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
Dear Rebecca. Thanks for sharing. It is brave that you have taken this step. Keep sailing and discover the world. I wish you nice journeys.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing this valuable information, you handle a lot of technical things, like Patrick did. It's great to see you again !! you keep my dreams afloat !! I hope to see you more often, if you come to Patagonia, you can count on me in whatever you need, it will be a pleasure to meet you !!
Thank you so much!
Thank you Rebecca very informative, Keep up the good work !
Thanks Don. It was tough to make a lithium battery video interesting... so I’m glad u got through it.
Very professional!
You have a future in tech talks with Ryan and Sophie who I follow and am patron of..... Great job doing it your way. Stay safe.
Thanks...but hopefully I get better at the video part :) Thanks!
Very informative, thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Good to see you again....good video, I enjoyed it and look forward to more! Thanks, and fair winds, Andrew
Thanks Andrew. Always nice to see your comments.Thanks for sticking with me!
My condolences.
Patrick is missed.
Your doing great!
Production and editing are first rate.
Thanks!
Nah...I know production and editing aren’t first rate..but thanks for being so nice nonetheless.
Wow, an outstanding technical review.
Thanks Jim. Very happy with the Freedon Won lithium batteries and all the Balmar and Victron gear. Wish it could have been a better video production!
Thx much. Very good. Like the pro solution 👏👍
Thanks...me too..the best way to upgrade to lithium batteries in my opinion.
Now THAT was a lot of information! THX
Thanks David...hopefully something useful :)
Rebecca, you are doing so well! You are filling in so much info no one else includes! You have my head spinning and I am for the first time seriously considering lithium ion batts! The trouble is in the US they seem to be 4 to 5 times price of lead acid! If you have any information on options in the USA please let us know! Keep up the great work, you're doing so so well and you're input to the cruising world is so appreciated!
May be worth contacting Freedom Won...they seem to always be growing...so you never know...Make sure you look at the LONG term price of lead acids vs lithium batteries...you may be surprised. Ryan and Sophie have a good video comparing the costs.
Rebecca. What a gorgeous, stunning, perfect lady you are. What a wonderful video too. If you continue like this, you will be an absolute Wow.
Wow?.what a nice compliment. Thank you ;)
Nice job Rebecca! You've got this youtube thing!
Sort of at least :) Thanks!
I’m so happy for you. You are looking a whole lot better. I’ve had unimaginable tragedy including losing my beautiful son to a drug overdose. Things you think are insurmountable aren’t. It takes time. You never get over it. It stays with you but it just changes. And only sometimes are you attacked by a gnawing in your gut but in between you are who you were.
Thanks Robert. Yes...sometimes I just think about it and don’t know how I am carrying on. Other times I’m just doing what’s coming naturally...living on.
This is my favorite CZcams channel precisely of technical and Patrick's great DYI videos. This is the most practical discussion of Lithium batteries I've seen. Thank you.
Very nice of you to comment...thank you
Wowza--Way over my head, like most things anyway 😜 But Soooooo Happy to see Y'all "Cooking" again 👍🏻 Fair Winds & Safe Harbor be yours 😎
Haha thanks. If you got through this video, you are way smarter than you let on!
Great content. You're a natural and I enjoyed and appreciated the content. Keep em coming👍
Thanks. I’m glad the lithium battery video wasn’t too boring. If you can watch a video about lithium batteries, you can watch anything;)
You did an amazing job with your video! Thanks. J&J
Thank you
Thanks for posting.
Cheers, SV Good Karma
Thanks for watching… there is just so much to know…watch and read everything you can about lithium batteries!
Wonderful, informative! Thank you and keep the videos coming!!
Thanks so much!
Great video!! Keep up the great job
Thanks so much Don
Great technical video. This is why we watch this channel. Well done.
Thank you so much!
Hi Rebecca, thanks for sharing this valuable information, you handle a lot of technical things, like Patrick did. It's great to see you again !! you keep my dreams afloat !! I hope to see you more often, if you come to Patagonia, you can count on me in whatever you need, it will be a pleasure to meet you !!
Hi Jose. It would be so great to get to Patagonia...my dream...keep an aye on my blog...www.WhereIsBrickHouse.com where PredictWind keeps a record of where I am at any one time...ping me when and if I get close by!! Would love to have the help!
I've been looking for you for some time. You look well and seem to be getting along just fine for yourself since Patrick. In fact, your anocemeant of him is the last video I saw of the channel.
I'll be watching whatever you produce and do my best to keep up with you. Blessings to you and happy to see you getting along well.💖🌹🌹🌹🌷⛵
Hi James. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns...but getting through OK. Every day is a new challenge.
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife well life is not easy and no one said it would be, but as long as you do your best is that counts. Sure you will have ups and downs but before you know it you'll have way more ups than downs. Blessings, you will be ok...
Thanks so much James..you are right.
Congratulations! This is far more useful that the other blogs/vlogs/articles that I've read about installing and using lithiumhouse bank.
Wow..thank you for such a nice compliment!!
Wonderful . The south africans have a history to be self sufficient and even off grid so great place to get info that works
Yes...they are way ahead of the curb for solar power, lithium battery energy storage, and off grid living! So yes, it’s a very good place to buy lithium batteries. The Victron gear is considerably cheaper too, surprisingly!
@@SailingBrickHouse-RVLife thank I must look Victron SA prices and maybe get my sister in j/berg to send it to me ireland thanks loved Durban SA lived there 1992
Good idea..you may be very surprised!
Good for you girl go around the world have fun I wish I was there with you and your new companion have fun
Wish you were too. Thanks for being here in spirit!
glad your are still on schedule.
Thanks...me too...
Another well planned and executed video Rebecca. You are doing just fine! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks so much. It was difficult to make this “lithium battery upgrade” video, but I do love the subject matter!
Well done!
Thanks!
You are mind blowingly impress Rebecca... Thanks for all that info on your system design and mindset for it.
Wow, thank you!
Thanks for the information and the fun way it was presented keep up the good work!
Glad it was fun :)
Lot of good info. I am looking at lithium for my bass boat here in the states. Seems that’s the way to go. Sorry for your loss.
Thank you...and yeah if done properly, lithium is a very good option!
Great job . I retired from Att .in Alaska. And Everything is Triple redundant on all sights from main power to Generators to batteries as the last resort. When I'm finished with my boat she will definitely have a redundant back up system. As I'm doing the electric motor conversion.
I'm very impressed with your knowledge on these systems.
Always have back ups that's very smart .. happy Sails.
Yep. Plan A, B and C. Sort of like life…
Awesome job and what a veiw! Wow! Luv&Peace Sean&family Cheers!
Thanks...yeah..have it good here at Royal cape yacht club in Cape Town South Africa,,
Great content Rebecca - really excellent. Gentle suggestion echoing some other comments - don't worry about the "special effects" and inserting stock film clips here and there and don't worry about background music. You are doing just fine and have a great screen presence. Just be yourself, relax, and say what you want to say. Don't think about a video as a chore (not that you are!) think of it as an opportunity to tell a group of interested folks something that you think they might like to know and that you enjoy telling them. And since many of us are currently locked down to some extent, or wannabes, or ex sailors like myself, trust me that we will find almost any aspect of your sailing life interesting and watchable. Carry on and glad to hear that you've made plans with the captain!
Good advice. I just didn’t want it to be all my face, and it’s hard to film already installed batteries, and make an alternator regulator, relay, SOD and battery chargers deep in cabinets look very interesting ;)