Just installed two Lion Energy UT 1300 batteries and a new charge controller in our fifth wheel. Also bought two Easy start that I have to install. Looking forward to getting solar. Thanks for the great video.
ds525252 it is a Home 5000btu model(www.homelabs.com/products/window-ac-unit). Says it is 4.6amps so 550 watts at high. I have about 2400 watts of LiFePO batteries. Also have 3000 watt inverter to run the little AC.
ds525252 I mount thru the side window and remove when driving. I just cut a board to fit over the window and cut a hole in the board for the AC. Think like Breaking Bad :-)
They need to make a mini split conversion Cor RV AC because they are much more efficient like a 20 seer 18,000 but unit is like 900 watts and I think I saw a regular RV fridge you should look for a regular mine fridge that fits well because aside from running off propane they use much less power
fullmoonadventureclub we have seen it done with small efficient low power ad on window units but not much out there testing just regular RV units. I believe you have 1 AC and you are 30amp? I’m a beginner so I hope I am understanding things properly and I’m asking a good question correctly. Oh, many of us love the practical application more than numbers and theory. Thanks.
@@ds525252 correct. I have a Normal RV 30 amp service with a Dometic NXT 15000 BTU air conditioner which is pretty standard. I love doing practical tests because the numbers can be a bit much sometimes. So I'm happy to do the research and show you how it worked out. Thanks for watching and happy camping. Jim
Thank you for an excellent - right to the point video! So tired of first answer to whether you can run Air conditioner on battery the knee jerk answer is no. (Uh... we can power cars on batteries) greatly appreciate someone truly answering that question. And this is much more possible I think than what nay sayers put out there. I mean if I’m looking at buying 2 parallel ran generators that are “quiet”- not only am I at a cost comparable to these batteries, but I’m dealing with a lot more maintenance, weight, and hauling fuel! I do have a novice question. How much solar is needed to get the batteries charged back up say the next day assuming decent weather?
A 15000 BTU air conditioner requires around 1300 Watts per hour so just figure you're going to need about that much solar to put back in what you've taken out of your very large battery Bank. And if you only have a few hours of usable direct sunlight you'll need to jump that number up.
Very cool :) Test. 70 is pretty low though. In our house we have a split air. I know when the temp is 74 it feels really chilly. We often turn the air conditioner up to 74 and run the fan on a medium speed. We're talking survival here though. Maybe you could run the test with these parameters to see how long you can get it to last. 4 hours in the hottest part of the day would really take the edge off the heat in an RV. ps it was 83F outside.
That was the purpose of the test. I could try and get the temperature to equalize inside the RV but that just creates a lot of variables with outside temperatures Etc. This test is just to demonstrate how long you get the AC to run on full blast cooling the entire time. I appreciate the idea but it's going to be different for everyone across the country with their outside temperature and humidity. I might consider it down the road however. Thanks for the comments and happy camping. Jim
Awesome videos. I have a pretty stock coachmen catalina 261rks TT. I am considering one to the Lion ut1300 batteries. I also plan on getting a 2000 watt pure sine inverter. I plan on using it like this: I want to hook up a 30amp TT cable to the inverter (just like shore power) and then plug the cable into my trailer so i can use all outlets. I will then turn off the converter breaker in my panel. #1 Does this sound doable? Mainly doing this for overnight stops so we can have coffee in the morning and my wife can use the blow dryer. #2. How do these Lion UT 1300 batteries get recharged? Will my stock converter charge them when I plug into shore power or will I need a different configuration. Again, your videos are awesome. continue doing what you are doing.
That would work if you do not want to install the battery and inverter. However, lead acid batteries charge to 13.6 volts and lithium charges to 14.6. Your charger will work but you won't get a completely full charge on your new battery. You will need a new charger that can charge up to 14.6 volts.
Great test, Jim. I have a 2018 Airstream with the Easy Start and solar panels.I have two 6 V AGM batteries that work quite well, but within a year or two will have to be replaced. I am planning to go Li ion when I do the switch. Question, do I need any special equipment etc.? Will my inverter and charger work with these batteries? I have seen where installers add new controllers and other special modules. Also, they add something to the tow vehicle so the Li batteries don’t overtax the TV charging system. Any insights would be helpful as my research continues. Thx.
The batteries are plug and play and should just drop right in. You may need a customizable battery charger to make sure you can charge them to 14.6 volts. I could see how the alternator might have extra wear trying to charge the batteries but I have not had any alternator problems in two years with lithium batteries in my motorhome. Good luck and happy camping. JIm
Thank you very much for the excellent video. Multiple questions, I would be really interested in seeing a video of you doing this test with a 5000 BTU window unit. These are very common in cargo trailer camper builds , vans and some people are even putting them in traditional RVs. I suspect you would get a lot of views. I know we can do the math and imagine your 15,000 BTU divided by three and therefore predict six hours but it would be nice to see you actually test it. Next question, do you think the easy start would be beneficial with a little 5000 BTU window unit? Also, it would be interesting to see you run the exact same test with a couple of Battle Borns. You should see if they will give you a couple of free batteries. Lastly, how about running your tests without the easy start for a comparison to gauge the performance of the easy start..
Those are all great video ideas. I have a lot of videos to get through first but I will keep those in mind. I don't think a easy start would be necessary with a 50000 BTU window unit. They require minimal surge to get the compressor going. Thank you for the comment and happy camping. Jim
I'd add that testing with a 12,000btu mini-split in an RV, sould be beneficial as they appear to be significantly more efficient while also being almost silent. you also didn't say what the outside temp is. If outside temp is 75 degrees you'll get significantly more runtime than if it is 95 degrees outside.
Did you do a test with these 2 Lithium batteries with your normal test of 5 amps to see how long they will last. I'm having problems in a little camper with lead deep cycles and want a battery to last thru the nite using a couple lights, tv and whatever power the gas fridge uses.
I did find it but now I am just as confused. I've been seeing lithiums are no good in the cold as we are in mid October here in northern NY.. I saw a good review on Time USB 100 amp hour batteries for 329.00 but not sure if I should buy them and use them till December when hunting is over or buy them and put them away till next spring or just stick with my under performing lead deep cycle batteries?
@@fullmoonadventureclub That won't work since the trailer is only used if I stay the night or if I'm out to my land working for a couple days. Also they are in the front of the trailer compartments. Maybe with the inflation we are incurring I might just get one or two for next spring thru fall and leave these here for the winter as I usually do.
Hi Jim great video, I’m in a 2017 Airstream how did you run the air conditioner? Was it hooked directly to the inverter is there an alternate hook up for that? Is your inverter hooked up to run the entire coach? Mine only runs certain AC outlets and the AIr conditioner is not one of them, thanks
For this particular video I believe I use the shore connection cord to plug directly into the inverters used in the experiment. However most of the time I have a 3000 watt Xantrex inverter that I wired myself to run everything including the air conditioner.
@@fullmoonadventureclub hey thanks for the fast answer, now that is a video I’d like to see you hooking up the inverter to run your entire coach did you bypass the charger/converter? Thanks
@@StrawberryGarcia the Xantrex is an inverter charger so I did bypass the original charger because the Xantrex charges the batteries now. Actually have that video and I'll be putting it out soon.
You used your inverter, right? Best efficiency is @ 88%, which means they produced 223AH's NOT 199AH. That's IMPRESSIVE! Each battery is greater than stated 105AH- more like 110, or so. WOW!!!
Probably not correct. The battery monitor is measuring (assuming typical installation between battery and all loads) the total output of the batteries, regardless of load efficiency. Efficiency could be calculated if actual AC output was known in this test. Assuming your efficiency is correct, the A/C uses about 1.32 kW (0.88*1.5kW).
Hi Jim, In a reply below you wrote: "That was the purpose of the test. I could try and get the temperature to equalize inside the RV but that just creates a lot of variables with outside temperatures Etc. This test is just to demonstrate how long you get the AC to run on full blast cooling the entire time." So just to be clear, the compressor was running for the entire 3 hours? Second question: After the UT1200 fiasco in which the capacity was significantly lower than advertised, I'm very concerned about the *true*, real-world capacity of the UT1300. In your other test they came very close to the 210 Ah claimed for 2 batteries (209 Ah). In this test they put out 200 Ah. That's not terrible, but 210 should mean 210, or ideally, slightly more. Any thoughts on why you didn't get the full 210 Ah? Thanks for the great video!
To answer your first question no, the compressor was not running the entire time. I just meant that there was no way for the air conditioner to cool off to the set temperature in that amount of time so it was trying to cool everything off as hard as it can the entire test. As for the missing 1 amp hour on the batteries it could have been caused by many factors that were probably human error related. The start times and equipment I used could have been off slightly. I believe the batteries delivered everything they were supposed to. I personally was impressed compared to other lithium batteries I have tested. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching and happy camping. Jim
@@fullmoonadventureclub Hi Jim, thanks for the reply! It's no big deal, I'm just curious, but I'm confused about the A/C. If there was "...no way for the air conditioner to cool off to the set temperature in that amount of time..., then that means the compressor had to be running the entire time, right? An A/C compressor runs until the temp gets to the set level. What am I missing? Again, just curious. I have a condition known as technician brain. ;-) I'm concerned (not a lot, but some) about the missing ten (10) amp-hours from this A/C test. As you said, the missing one (1) Ah could be due to any number of factors. 1 Ah out of 210 Ah is less than 0.5%. However, 10 Ah is pretty significant. I'm impressed with what I've seen of the UT 1300 as well. That said, it's fair to say that when people shell out $700-$850+ for a battery, they want to get at least what the mfr claims. If the UT 1300 cost (say) $200 while all other lithium battery prices remained the same, then obviously no one would quibble over a few amp-hours.
@@sajohnson33 the compressor will try to run most of the time but they usually shut down periodically for minutes at a time and then kick back on. I have no idea why realy.
@@fullmoonadventureclub Interesting. I'm not a HVAC tech, but my experience has been that an A/C compressor will run until the set temp is reached -- but again, that's just what I've noticed, apparently some units don't work that way. That explains the 3 hour run time. At least with our 13,500 BTU unit, the amp draw is usually 12-13A, or about 1,500 watts.
So Jim - if we need 15 hours ( assuming sun goes down at 7PM and gets enough heat by 10 AM for solar ) of 5000 BTU AC ( Mini Split ) and also refrigerator and Tv and lights and charging ports for mobile and laptops . Do you think 12 of Lion Safari 1300 batteries would be sufficient ?
A 5000 watt AC unit should draw around 500 watts so after 15 hours you would consume about 7000 watt hours. One of the Lion Energy batteries has 1344 watt hours. So you would need 5.2 Lion UT 1300 batteries just for the AC with no solar. The refrigerator will use some power. It may use around 200 watts for 15 hours is 3000 watt hours. Then with laptops and gadgets I think you are right in the ball park at 10 or 12 105 amp lion safari 1300 batteries. Just a ball park of course but I think you nailed it. If you do end up buying these batteries do me a favor and use my affiliate link. lionenergy.com/discount/adventure?redirect=%2F%3Fafmc%3Dadventure It saves you 15% and that would come out to around $1800.00 dollars off for you. It sounds like you are building a impressive system. Please let us all know how it works out for you. Thank you for watching and happy camping. Jim
@@fullmoonadventureclub thank you Jim , I am buying used Thor outlaw from my friend , I have a motorcycle to haul and I have to upgrade the whole system as it is old , talking to wind turbine folks as well to integrate hydraulic upward access from the coach , excited I can say and I will use your link , cheers Jim
Just installed two Lion Energy UT 1300 batteries and a new charge controller in our fifth wheel. Also bought two Easy start that I have to install. Looking forward to getting solar. Thanks for the great video.
Congratulations. I hope it all works out great for you. Happy camping. Jim
I have been running a small 5000btu window AC for 6 hours on 2 Renogy 100Ah LiFePO batteries. Love AC while boondocking.
tjenkens that’s great. What model AC and how many watts in your system? was working the mountIng hard? Thanks for the info👍
ds525252 it is a Home 5000btu model(www.homelabs.com/products/window-ac-unit). Says it is 4.6amps so 550 watts at high. I have about 2400 watts of LiFePO batteries. Also have 3000 watt inverter to run the little AC.
ds525252 I mount thru the side window and remove when driving. I just cut a board to fit over the window and cut a hole in the board for the AC. Think like Breaking Bad :-)
REAL data! Just what I was looking for! Thanks!
They need to make a mini split conversion Cor RV AC because they are much more efficient like a 20 seer 18,000 but unit is like 900 watts and I think I saw a regular RV fridge you should look for a regular mine fridge that fits well because aside from running off propane they use much less power
I’m back and you delivered. Thanks Sir. Great info!
You should do a similar test with your solar hooked up to see how much more time you get. Nice video:)
Everybody seems to love this topic. I just might do that. Thanks for the suggestion and happy camping. Jim
fullmoonadventureclub we have seen it done with small efficient low power ad on window units but not much out there testing just regular RV units. I believe you have 1 AC and you are 30amp? I’m a beginner so I hope I am understanding things properly and I’m asking a good question correctly. Oh, many of us love the practical application more than numbers and theory. Thanks.
@@ds525252 correct. I have a Normal RV 30 amp service with a Dometic NXT 15000 BTU air conditioner which is pretty standard. I love doing practical tests because the numbers can be a bit much sometimes. So I'm happy to do the research and show you how it worked out. Thanks for watching and happy camping. Jim
fullmoonadventureclub 🤝
sir pls can u do a test with a home stove/stove top burner?
Another excellent video..great info for like minded people. Thank you
Liked for the info up front, awesome.
Thank you for an excellent - right to the point video! So tired of first answer to whether you can run Air conditioner on battery the knee jerk answer is no. (Uh... we can power cars on batteries) greatly appreciate someone truly answering that question. And this is much more possible I think than what nay sayers put out there. I mean if I’m looking at buying 2 parallel ran generators that are “quiet”- not only am I at a cost comparable to these batteries, but I’m dealing with a lot more maintenance, weight, and hauling fuel! I do have a novice question. How much solar is needed to get the batteries charged back up say the next day assuming decent weather?
A 15000 BTU air conditioner requires around 1300 Watts per hour so just figure you're going to need about that much solar to put back in what you've taken out of your very large battery Bank. And if you only have a few hours of usable direct sunlight you'll need to jump that number up.
Very cool :) Test. 70 is pretty low though. In our house we have a split air. I know when the temp is 74 it feels really chilly. We often turn the air conditioner up to 74 and run the fan on a medium speed. We're talking survival here though. Maybe you could run the test with these parameters to see how long you can get it to last. 4 hours in the hottest part of the day would really take the edge off the heat in an RV. ps it was 83F outside.
That was the purpose of the test. I could try and get the temperature to equalize inside the RV but that just creates a lot of variables with outside temperatures Etc. This test is just to demonstrate how long you get the AC to run on full blast cooling the entire time. I appreciate the idea but it's going to be different for everyone across the country with their outside temperature and humidity. I might consider it down the road however. Thanks for the comments and happy camping. Jim
Amazing the difference, thank you very much for this video.
So was the double run time due to the soft start, better batteries, or both?
Awesome videos. I have a pretty stock coachmen catalina 261rks TT. I am considering one to the Lion ut1300 batteries. I also plan on getting a 2000 watt pure sine inverter. I plan on using it like this: I want to hook up a 30amp TT cable to the inverter (just like shore power) and then plug the cable into my trailer so i can use all outlets. I will then turn off the converter breaker in my panel. #1 Does this sound doable? Mainly doing this for overnight stops so we can have coffee in the morning and my wife can use the blow dryer. #2. How do these Lion UT 1300 batteries get recharged? Will my stock converter charge them when I plug into shore power or will I need a different configuration. Again, your videos are awesome. continue doing what you are doing.
That would work if you do not want to install the battery and inverter. However, lead acid batteries charge to 13.6 volts and lithium charges to 14.6. Your charger will work but you won't get a completely full charge on your new battery. You will need a new charger that can charge up to 14.6 volts.
@@fullmoonadventureclub Great thanks. I've been told the OEM led acid charger/converter would work but I had my doubts.
How long will the AC run if the batteries are also connected to solar panels like 2 -200w panels 400w solar ?
How many days can your rv run off the lion batteries with out running aircondition?
Great test, Jim. I have a 2018 Airstream with the Easy Start and solar panels.I have two 6 V AGM batteries that work quite well, but within a year or two will have to be replaced. I am planning to go Li ion when I do the switch. Question, do I need any special equipment etc.? Will my inverter and charger work with these batteries? I have seen where installers add new controllers and other special modules. Also, they add something to the tow vehicle so the Li batteries don’t overtax the TV charging system. Any insights would be helpful as my research continues. Thx.
The batteries are plug and play and should just drop right in. You may need a customizable battery charger to make sure you can charge them to 14.6 volts. I could see how the alternator might have extra wear trying to charge the batteries but I have not had any alternator problems in two years with lithium batteries in my motorhome. Good luck and happy camping. JIm
Thank you very much for the excellent video. Multiple questions, I would be really interested in seeing a video of you doing this test with a 5000 BTU window unit. These are very common in cargo trailer camper builds , vans and some people are even putting them in traditional RVs. I suspect you would get a lot of views. I know we can do the math and imagine your 15,000 BTU divided by three and therefore predict six hours but it would be nice to see you actually test it. Next question, do you think the easy start would be beneficial with a little 5000 BTU window unit? Also, it would be interesting to see you run the exact same test with a couple of Battle Borns. You should see if they will give you a couple of free batteries. Lastly, how about running your tests without the easy start for a comparison to gauge the performance of the easy start..
Those are all great video ideas. I have a lot of videos to get through first but I will keep those in mind. I don't think a easy start would be necessary with a 50000 BTU window unit. They require minimal surge to get the compressor going. Thank you for the comment and happy camping. Jim
I'd add that testing with a 12,000btu mini-split in an RV, sould be beneficial as they appear to be significantly more efficient while also being almost silent. you also didn't say what the outside temp is. If outside temp is 75 degrees you'll get significantly more runtime than if it is 95 degrees outside.
Did you do a test with these 2 Lithium batteries with your normal test of 5 amps to see how long they will last. I'm having problems in a little camper with lead deep cycles and want a battery to last thru the nite using a couple lights, tv and whatever power the gas fridge uses.
Yes I did. You will have to look or search for it on my channel as I am in a poor cell signal area at the moment. Take care.
I did find it but now I am just as confused. I've been seeing lithiums are no good in the cold as we are in mid October here in northern NY.. I saw a good review on Time USB 100 amp hour batteries for 329.00 but not sure if I should buy them and use them till December when hunting is over or buy them and put them away till next spring or just stick with my under performing lead deep cycle batteries?
I use them inside the RV so they don't get cold. But you can also get a heating pad to keep them warm.
@@fullmoonadventureclub That won't work since the trailer is only used if I stay the night or if I'm out to my land working for a couple days. Also they are in the front of the trailer compartments. Maybe with the inflation we are incurring I might just get one or two for next spring thru fall and leave these here for the winter as I usually do.
Can these batteries power a hair dryer or small espresso machine?
Yes. Definitely.
Hi Jim great video, I’m in a 2017 Airstream how did you run the air conditioner? Was it hooked directly to the inverter is there an alternate hook up for that? Is your inverter hooked up to run the entire coach? Mine only runs certain AC outlets and the AIr conditioner is not one of them, thanks
For this particular video I believe I use the shore connection cord to plug directly into the inverters used in the experiment. However most of the time I have a 3000 watt Xantrex inverter that I wired myself to run everything including the air conditioner.
@@fullmoonadventureclub hey thanks for the fast answer, now that is a video I’d like to see you hooking up the inverter to run your entire coach did you bypass the charger/converter? Thanks
@@StrawberryGarcia the Xantrex is an inverter charger so I did bypass the original charger because the Xantrex charges the batteries now. Actually have that video and I'll be putting it out soon.
I have a 3000 watt pure sine inverter with a 24 volt system and 30 100w batterys why will it not charge my 2021 chevy bolt ev
Can 2 harbor freight solar charge my 4 6v golf car batterys.
You used your inverter, right? Best efficiency is @ 88%, which means they produced 223AH's NOT 199AH. That's IMPRESSIVE! Each battery is greater than stated 105AH- more like 110, or so. WOW!!!
Probably not correct. The battery monitor is measuring (assuming typical installation between battery and all loads) the total output of the batteries, regardless of load efficiency. Efficiency could be calculated if actual AC output was known in this test. Assuming your efficiency is correct, the A/C uses about 1.32 kW (0.88*1.5kW).
Hi Jim,
In a reply below you wrote:
"That was the purpose of the test. I could try and get the temperature to equalize inside the RV but that just creates a lot of variables with outside temperatures Etc. This test is just to demonstrate how long you get the AC to run on full blast cooling the entire time."
So just to be clear, the compressor was running for the entire 3 hours?
Second question:
After the UT1200 fiasco in which the capacity was significantly lower than advertised, I'm very concerned about the *true*, real-world capacity of the UT1300. In your other test they came very close to the 210 Ah claimed for 2 batteries (209 Ah). In this test they put out 200 Ah. That's not terrible, but 210 should mean 210, or ideally, slightly more. Any thoughts on why you didn't get the full 210 Ah?
Thanks for the great video!
To answer your first question no, the compressor was not running the entire time. I just meant that there was no way for the air conditioner to cool off to the set temperature in that amount of time so it was trying to cool everything off as hard as it can the entire test. As for the missing 1 amp hour on the batteries it could have been caused by many factors that were probably human error related. The start times and equipment I used could have been off slightly. I believe the batteries delivered everything they were supposed to. I personally was impressed compared to other lithium batteries I have tested. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching and happy camping. Jim
@@fullmoonadventureclub Hi Jim, thanks for the reply!
It's no big deal, I'm just curious, but I'm confused about the A/C. If there was "...no way for the air conditioner to cool off to the set temperature in that amount of time..., then that means the compressor had to be running the entire time, right? An A/C compressor runs until the temp gets to the set level.
What am I missing? Again, just curious. I have a condition known as technician brain. ;-)
I'm concerned (not a lot, but some) about the missing ten (10) amp-hours from this A/C test. As you said, the missing one (1) Ah could be due to any number of factors. 1 Ah out of 210 Ah is less than 0.5%. However, 10 Ah is pretty significant.
I'm impressed with what I've seen of the UT 1300 as well. That said, it's fair to say that when people shell out $700-$850+ for a battery, they want to get at least what the mfr claims. If the UT 1300 cost (say) $200 while all other lithium battery prices remained the same, then obviously no one would quibble over a few amp-hours.
@@sajohnson33 the compressor will try to run most of the time but they usually shut down periodically for minutes at a time and then kick back on. I have no idea why realy.
@@fullmoonadventureclub Interesting. I'm not a HVAC tech, but my experience has been that an A/C compressor will run until the set temp is reached -- but again, that's just what I've noticed, apparently some units don't work that way.
That explains the 3 hour run time. At least with our 13,500 BTU unit, the amp draw is usually 12-13A, or about 1,500 watts.
@@sajohnson33 No inverter is 100% efficient, it has a draw on the batteries as well so the batteries likely put out more than their started amp hours.
Thanks for the great video.
With those batteries on a 13,500 btu will be enough? And what kind inverted do I need to upgrade as well? Thanks anyone
What is the outside air temp during this test?
So Jim - if we need 15 hours ( assuming sun goes down at 7PM and gets enough heat by 10 AM for solar ) of 5000 BTU AC ( Mini Split ) and also refrigerator and Tv and lights and charging ports for mobile and laptops . Do you think 12 of Lion Safari 1300 batteries would be sufficient ?
A 5000 watt AC unit should draw around 500 watts so after 15 hours you would consume about 7000 watt hours. One of the Lion Energy batteries has 1344 watt hours. So you would need 5.2 Lion UT 1300 batteries just for the AC with no solar. The refrigerator will use some power. It may use around 200 watts for 15 hours is 3000 watt hours. Then with laptops and gadgets I think you are right in the ball park at 10 or 12 105 amp lion safari 1300 batteries. Just a ball park of course but I think you nailed it. If you do end up buying these batteries do me a favor and use my affiliate link. lionenergy.com/discount/adventure?redirect=%2F%3Fafmc%3Dadventure It saves you 15% and that would come out to around $1800.00 dollars off for you. It sounds like you are building a impressive system. Please let us all know how it works out for you. Thank you for watching and happy camping. Jim
@@fullmoonadventureclub thank you Jim , I am buying used Thor outlaw from my friend , I have a motorcycle to haul and I have to upgrade the whole system as it is old , talking to wind turbine folks as well to integrate hydraulic upward access from the coach , excited I can say and I will use your link , cheers Jim
i have 2 chins 12v 300ah batteries and a 3500 watt inverter idk what kind of ac i have on my travel trailer
so what is the warranty on these batteries?
Lifetime I believe.
Sick