6 Months Off Grid Using The Roamer 12V 460Ah LiFePO4 Battery - - Was It Worth The Price?

[@carlos76437]

You have the same problem as I have with lifepo4. The battery can stock a huge amount of power, the power consumption augments but the production doesn't keep up. In a way I solved mine by buying 2 foldable 80w solar panels from Renogy that I can connect solo or in parallel. As they are set up at around 30/40⁰, their power production is way more efficient than the ones on the roof. Especially now that the sun is lower. Bear in mind that your DC-DC shouldn't exceed half of your alternator's max current. Keep up your interesting content. 👍

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Carlos, I think we will still struggle to recoup the 100Amps needed to give us hot water for showers and washing up. I do have enough room for another 160W panel on the roof, then another B2B, which will go a fair way to solving the problem. Reinstating the gas to the water heating plus the additional electrics will, I think, solve the problem? Still be an expense though..!!! ATB, Steve

[@carlos76437]

@@TheWrinklyNomads in your case, 100Ah a day just for hot water is a lot... You said you use your hot water to do the dishes. Have you tried using an electric kettle to boil/heat some water for the dishes? It uses a lot of electricity but they're fast, so in the end it may use less Ah than your boiler. Foldable portable solar panels are more versatile and offer a better performance than roof mounted panels. Besides, you can park your van in the shade if you need to and still have some power production. I give you my example: we're in Brittany right now. Our 200w roof mounted panel is producing at best 120w when the sun is at its peak and clear from clouds. The foldable ones can produce close to their max power all day as I can rotate them to track the sun. It's a bit of a faff to put them on ground but they save us when we park without mains for a few days.

[@marcdewilde518]

Definitely another very useful video Steve!. As I am in the middle of a (rather long) proces of converting a Sprinter into a campervan I was starting to get slightly worried seeing all these vanlifers chucking out their gas cookers. Mine will certainly stay in now... ATB from Flanders!

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Marc, Yes, all electric is proving a problem the way we use it.... So I think reinstalling the hot water to gas heater is going to be favourite for us. However, cooking by induction and air fryer has proved to be quite successful. ATB, Steve

[@roamerbatteries]

Great video and thanks for the kind words! Hot water is a tricky one to do on battery power, you’ll need another 300-400W of solar to get your 100Ah per day back. I’ve got electric hot water in my van but I’ve got double the battery capacity and I’m ok with going on a campsite every 7-8 days. For most people, having the hot water and heating via a diesel heater is the best option (although if you have all the gas pipework in place then that seems like the obvious way to go). Taking the hot water out of the equation, how much do you think you used per day? And how did you find the induction cooking?

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Yes, I'm definitely going to add a small amount of dedicated gas for the hot water, even if it's just for the short-term only. Taking 20% out of the battery each day can be hard for us to replenish at the moment.... This September we've had an average of 1Kw each day from the sun, with no driving. Hence needing to top up and recharge every 4 days - no sun and we are right out of power... Typically we cook using the microwave, air fryer and induction hob, or a combination of all three. To do an evening meal for us uses 12-15% for start to finish. 75 Amps max out of the battery. The battery and 3000W inverter manages these appliance with no problem, although certain combinations will max out and trip when we forget.! Definitely taking Steve's advice and wiring with 95mm cables is the main reason we can run them all without problems 👍 ATB, Steve & Margot

[@lifeadventureprojects]

Thanks Steve, this was super useful. I am planning to buy this exact battery, the van we are building is planning to be 100% electric too.

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Andy and Sophie, Yes, we're very pleased with the Roamer battery and their customer support is 1st class. Steve, the company owner, started by building vans himself and I think that's the reason there such a good company. He understands the problems of van/motorhome lifers. Great bit of kit👍 ATB, Steve & Margot

[@daviscrt]

Great video information. Definitely having propane gas for hot water and cooking more on gas will definitely make a difference. Along with more solar. Very inexpensive fix. I have 270 amps of lithium and 500 watts solar. Still using propane fridge and for water. Thanks again Don

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Don, Yes, a bit over enthusiastic on my part thinking I had enough solar... Basic error. As things stand now, the gas alternative is the easiest and cheapest route without a doubt. Plus, we know for sure we can run pretty well everything else if we're not heating the water. Every days a school day eh...!!! 🤓 ATB, Steve

[@barrydavies2977]

Have you considered a calorifier heat exchanger from your engine for hot water? Running your engine for an hour along with another dc to dc charger will put 60 amps back in your battery and give you free hot water. They have a built in electric heating element so can act as a direct replacement for your current boiler. They are expensive though.😢 Many thanks for the very informative videos.

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

I did have a little look at calorifiers, but I agree, it would mean a big expense. Definitely going to add another B2B though. At the moment reinstating the gas is much easier and cheaper 🤷‍♂️

[@andrewstanden]

Very informative. Well made video. Thank you. Have you ever considered fitting a hot water tank heated from the engine I use to have that set up on a yacht. Might work well for your trip... help take heat from the engine and put it to good use.

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Andrew, Yes, I've looked at a few options like that. The van has a decent Truma hot water heater tank already fitted (gas & 240V electric) so it seems like an unnecessary expense to rip all that out and put in another system to get to the same result. Seeing as it will be relatively cheap just to reinstate the gas to the heater only, I may we go down that route 🤔 Electric water heating was definitely a failure on my part.! Plus we often stay in place for a week, so not really running the engine. But, hey ho, every days a school day eh...... ATB, Steve

[@andrewstanden]

@@TheWrinklyNomads any heating is going to use a lot of battery. Good to see you managed cooking well. Always interested to see your videos. Nice to see a couple keeping it real. Keep the good work up. Best regards Andrew

[@paulbryant7372]

Instead of going back to using gas for your hot water. Have you considered using diesel instead. I’m looking into using a Bobil vans hybrid hot water system and setting up a solar dump within the Victron system to heat the water for “free” when the battery is almost full.

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Yes, I’ve looked into that as well. Definitely don’t want to use gas if I can help it. Just everything works out very expensive these days!!

[@edwardhughes352]

Nice video. If you put another Battery to battery charger in, does that mean the lesure battery will charge quicker while driving?

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Edward, Yes, that's right. Two Victron B2B chargers will give 60Amps charge into the battery. That's in perfect conditions, of course. Correct sized cables, B2B cooling, suitable alternator etc. Realistically I would still expect a total of 45 Ah or more going into the battery when driving though. ATB, Steve

[@caravanlifenz]

I prefer gas for cooking in my caravan. The gas flame can be adjusted instantly, unlike electric elements that take a while to heat up or cool down.

[@johncorlett3699]

induction cooktop are instant heat, instant off

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Induction is far safer than an electric hob. There's no heating up or down, it's instant.

[@DeFiDuke]

what inverter did you use for this to run your air con? thanks

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Our motorhome doesn’t have an air conditioning unit. However, the inverter is a 3000W Renogy. ATB, Steve

[@DeFiDuke]

cool!! can someone please do a head to head comparison of all the new 460ah lifepo4 batteries that are coming out? redodo bird, roamer, litime, epoch, basen, VATRER, power drag queen, etc.. thanks in advance!@@TheWrinklyNomads

[@samebloke]

Thanks for the videos. Do you think the battery could handle a barista van running a 2 group machine, grinder, fridge and led lights for one day at a time?

[@TheWrinklyNomads]

Hi Jeff, Yes, this amount of battery Ampage will power all the appliances you have mentioned, assuming the fridge is 12v and the barista machine is only used occasionally during the day. Best way is to add up the maximum ampage and time you think everything will be used for. Plus this battery can be run from 100% down to 0% if required without any damage due to the inbuilt battery management system. Hope this helps 👍

[@samebloke]

@TheWrinklyNomads Thanks, it is primarily a coffee business so will likely be making coffees at least every 5 at times and sometimes every 2-3 minutes