Can I charge my lithium battery with a lead acid charger? - Enerdrive (2024)

FAQs

Can you use a lead acid charger on a LiFePO4 battery? ›

We do not recommend using a lead acid charger with LiFePO4 batteries as lead acid batteries charge at a lower voltage than LiFePO4 batteries require. As a result, SLA chargers will not charge your batteries to full capacity. Furthermore, chargers with a lower amperage rating are not compatible with lithium batteries.

There is no need to replace your existing charger(s) you've been using on a lead acid battery and upgrade to lithium battery chargers. A lead acid charger will do the job.

It is important to note that trickle charging is not acceptable for lithium batteries. "Trickle charging" means that a certain current is forced into the battery even when full. Trickle charging is used in lead acid, NiCad, and NiMH batteries to keep them topped off.

Differences Between Lead Acid and Lithium Chargers:

The major difference between these two batteries is how they monitor the state of charge. A lead acid power battery will mimic an elevated level of discharge which can kill the lithium battery since it has a different optimal discharge level.

Most, if not all, lead acid chargers have an equalization mode. On some chargers this mode may be automatic and can't be turned off. Lithium batteries do not require any form of equalization. Applying an equalization charge of 15v+ to a lithium battery will damage the cells beyond repair.

Using a lithium battery with a lead-acid charger is a different matter. You can use a lead-acid charger to charge lithium batteries as long as you can set the maximum voltage of the charger and as long as the charger does not have an automatic equalisation mode enabled.

The first on the list is the SkyRC MC3000 that is the most advanced charger for round batteries and the best at it! It can handle many kinds of battery chemistries including NiMH, NiCD Lithium-Ion, Lilo (4.35V), LiFePO4, NiZn and more.

Charging properly a lithium-ion battery requires 2 steps: Constant Current (CC) followed by Constant Voltage (CV) charging. A CC charge is first applied to bring the voltage up to the end-of-charge voltage level. You might even decide to reduce the target voltage to preserve the electrode.

When selling a lithium battery, it is important that you discuss battery charging with the Customer. In most instances using a lead acid charger set to AGM will work fine however explaining the voltage limits will help them understand what is required.

For a lithium-ion battery with a low maintenance charging procedure and battery management system, it's perfectly fine and better than leaving them discharged for long periods. For other types of batteries, not so much.

Do I need a special charger for LiFePO4 battery? ›

Do I need a special charger for lithium? The short answer is no. In order to fully charge a 12V LiFePO4 battery, a charger with a voltage of 14V to 14.6V is required. Most AGM battery chargers are within that range and they would be compatible with Canbat lithium batteries.

This isn't a safety issue: Lithium-ion batteries have built-in safeguards designed to stop them from exploding if they're left charging while at maximum capacity.

The answer is YES, you can absolutely replace lead acid batteries with lithium in marine and RV applications – but here are a few considerations to help you decide if upgrading to lithium batteries is the right lead acid battery alternative for your boat, camper, or RV.

We often get asked if our lithium batteries can be charged with an alternator. In short, yes, they can be, but it is important to make sure you have a quality alternator for the best results. In this video, we'll provide all the details you need to know.

While lead acid batteries are well understood workhorses, lithium-ion batteries are high-performance energy storage solutions that can be easily substituted without all the downsides – making them an ideal choice for replacing and upgrading worn out lead acid batteries.

Voltage and current settings during charging

The full charge open-circuit voltage (OCV) of a 12V SLA battery is nominally 13.1 and the full charge OCV of a 12V lithium battery is around 13.6.

For Ionic 12V Deep Cycle batteries, you should set your charger profile to charge up to 14.6 volts for 30 minutes and then float charge at 13.8 volts. For 24V Deep Cycle batteries, you should set your charger profile to charge up to 29.2 volts for 30 minutes and then float charge at 27.6 volts.

For battery safety, we do not recommend combining different types of lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries. This is because the load characteristics and capabilities of these batteries are drastically different which can lead to safety issues.

Can you jumpstart a lithium battery with an AGM or lead battery? Yes, you can.

Unlike other types of batteries that need to be recharged throughout their storage time, lithium batteries do better at 40%-50% DOD (depth of discharge). Pro-Tip: After every 30 charges, allow your lithium based battery to completely discharge before recharging. This helps to avoid a condition called digital memory.

Is it OK to leave a lithium-ion battery on the charger overnight? ›

Today, we want to answer a common question we get asked, 'Is it ok to leave a lithium ion battery on the charger'? Armed with this knowledge, it becomes clear that if the correct voltage limit is set for the lithium ion battery you are charging, there should be no issue leaving a lithium ion battery on the charger.

The low resistance in the Lithium cells allow the battery to accept the full output from the charger. With a 30 Amp charger, a 100Ah Lithium battery can be fully charged from flat to full in just over 3 hours vs. 10+ for a 100Ah AGM battery.

AGM batteries require a slower, more stable charge than flooded batteries and can't sustain the high charging speeds used by standard battery chargers. If you charge an AGM battery with the wrong type of charger, you will end up under or overcharging your battery.

That being said, there's one rule that you should remember: a battery charger specifically made only for flooded cell batteries should NOT be used on VRLA batteries (including gel and AGM batteries).

Lithium battery has always had the characteristics of self-discharge. If it is not used for a long time and is not charged in the middle time, self-discharge will exhaust the battery power, resulting in too low battery voltage.

When overcharged, lithium ion batteries may overheat, explode and cause fires. Even slight overcharging reduces a cell's discharge capacity, leading to overdischarging, which increases impedance and heat generation, and decreases cell lifetime.

Overcharging of lithium batteries leads to irreversible damage to cell components and may cause serious safety problems. 1 Over- charging of one or more cells within a high voltage multicell stack of the type required for vehicle traction can render the entire stack inoperative.

The most ideal way to charge a LiFePO4 battery is with a lithium iron phosphate battery charger, as it will be programmed with the appropriate voltage limits. Most lead-acid battery chargers will do the job just fine.

The LiFePO4 battery has the edge over lithium ion, both in terms of cycle life (it lasts 4-5x longer), and safety. This is a key advantage because lithium ion batteries can overheat and even catch fire, while LiFePO4 does not.

How many amps does it take to charge a LiFePO4 battery? ›

A 100-amp hour LiFePO4 battery can take 2 hours to charge with a 50-amp charger. Charging time may depend on the used charger for your lithium batteries. For example, a 500AH battery needs 5 hours to charge with a 100-amp charger.

Broken or cracked cases can allow moisture and oxygen to enter the battery and oxidize the lithium components, causing a heat reaction. This can lead to fires or explosions. Overheating, overcharging and shock from dropping or crushing can also cause heat reactions to occur.

Power Sonic recommends you select a charger designed for the chemistry of your battery. This means we recommend using a lithium charger, like the LiFe Charger Series from Power Sonic, when charging lithium batteries.

Whereas batteries made with lead are known as lead-acid batteries. A major difference between LiFePo4 batteries and lead-acid batteries is that the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery capacity is independent of the discharge rate. Lithium batteries also have a longer cycle life than lead-acid batteries.

A 100-amp hour LiFePO4 battery can take 2 hours to charge with a 50-amp charger. Charging time may depend on the used charger for your lithium batteries. For example, a 500AH battery needs 5 hours to charge with a 100-amp charger.

When selling a lithium battery, it is important that you discuss battery charging with the Customer. In most instances using a lead acid charger set to AGM will work fine however explaining the voltage limits will help them understand what is required.

The first on the list is the SkyRC MC3000 that is the most advanced charger for round batteries and the best at it! It can handle many kinds of battery chemistries including NiMH, NiCD Lithium-Ion, Lilo (4.35V), LiFePO4, NiZn and more.

Lithium batteries require a Constant current/Constant voltage (CC/CV) charge type with simple Bulk, Absorption, Float stages. Many lead acid chargers have desulphation and equalisation stages built in, which will pulse high voltages of 15.3-15.8V into the battery.

For battery safety, we do not recommend combining different types of lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries. This is because the load characteristics and capabilities of these batteries are drastically different which can lead to safety issues.

Can LiFePO4 batteries explode? Generally, lithium iron phosphate batteries do not explode or ignite. They are safer in normal use than other lithium or lead acid batteries, but can be dangerous in some extreme cases.

How many years will a 100Ah lithium battery last? ›

Overcharging will cause permanent damage to the lithium iron phosphate battery. Overcharging means charging the battery far beyond its fully charged voltage. The full-charge voltage of a monolithic lithium iron phosphate battery is 3.65V.

The low resistance in the Lithium cells allow the battery to accept the full output from the charger. With a 30 Amp charger, a 100Ah Lithium battery can be fully charged from flat to full in just over 3 hours vs. 10+ for a 100Ah AGM battery.

Overcharging of lithium batteries leads to irreversible damage to cell components and may cause serious safety problems. 1 Over- charging of one or more cells within a high voltage multicell stack of the type required for vehicle traction can render the entire stack inoperative.

We often get asked if our lithium batteries can be charged with an alternator. In short, yes, they can be, but it is important to make sure you have a quality alternator for the best results. In this video, we'll provide all the details you need to know.