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Banbury. Right behind the bakery, behind a shed where they load the lorries with bread before they go off delivering around the country. It is actually Warburtons bread. It’s called the ‘fine lady’ bakery.

Can’t hear a peep from it… The new windows are assisting in this. The only thing I can really make out is the birds. Late night, the industrial lighting keeps them awake and they do a kind of premature dawn chorus. That can be a bit noisy. You get used to it. I think they realise after a bit, it’s not real dawn and shut up. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know you were right in the centre of Banbury. It’s pretty quite.

As well as looking pretty snazzy, the double glasing tint has the additional effect of not allowing the little beasties that frequent the towpath from being able to see in.

Fitting LifePo batteries to the narrowboat

Now that the trees are gone, (leaves), I can get some good solar. Whilst I’m out at work, my batteries are charging. By the time I get back, they’ve added one to two percent which I can see on the app.

My old lead acid AGM batteries bit the dust. The winter weather tends to kill them off. A culling of the weak as it were. Over the last cold period, I was having to start the boat every other day to keep them topped up.

When it’s not the holiday period, that’s simply not practical. I’m not going to be there to run engines. I work until late, and when I get back it maybe 9 or 10pm.

So I got rid of the AGM’s and got some what’s called Lifepo4, which is a chemical acronym. Lithium Iron phosphate.

Fogstar

https://www.fogstar.co.uk

Are a company from the UK based in Redditch.

They make some industry leading products when it comes to Lifepo Lithium Iron phosphate batteries with Battery Management Systems.

Redditch is perhaps a 35/40 min drive from me.

For me, There are two main considerations when buying new batteries:

• Getting them to fit
• Getting them to charge

Fitting the Lifepo batteries onto the boat

The Lifepo replacements are the same width as the AGM. They are longer and deeper. I had to measure the engine bay harnesses for the batteries.

It’s not an easy space to work in. It’s obviously a key consideration that they would fit in the space that was available.

The new batteries would fit in, but I wouldn’t be able to fit 4. Just 2. I’m also keeping one of the AGM, just in case.

The combined AH (amp hours) is 560 compared to the 480ah of the lead acid.

Also the cables needed to reach, as you may have noticed the battery terminals are side by side. Currently, I have the two batteries, in parallel, then to the busbar.

I plan to buy some more cable and terminals and wire the batteries up with some bespoke length cable.

Wiring batteries to the busbar

Initially I wired both batteries to the busbar independently. This lead to the battery with the shorter cables discharging more. It would cycle when the other one was just taking it easy.

They are now wired like this >

You can see both batteries on the app, and they are now charging and discharging equally.

Charging Lifepo batteries with solar

This is the other major consideration.

Many people have much to say about this. I am not one.

As far as I’m concerned, I’m happy with the information provided by Fogstar’s technical staff provided verbally at the point of sale, and that which is written in the manual.

Both say the same.

The charging profile of the Lifepo is as such

• Absorption voltage: 14.2V
• Float Voltage: 13.6V is acceptable for LifeP04 batteries.
• Equalisation voltage: 14.2V (you do not need to equalise Lithium, so you can turn this off, but in- case it ever runs a cycle the batteries will be ok at this voltage).

This is something I can set my current solar controllers to, without replacing them.

That’s what I’ve done.

Charging the LifePo batteries with an alternator

This can be a cause for problems. Alternators run by the engine count on some resistance. Without resistance, they overheat. If the resistance is suddenly removed, (by the Battery Management System), the alternator may overheat or it may, in effect, burn out.

The Battery Management System will stop the lithium’s from charging:

• If there is a problem. Overheating, too cold.
• If there is an error. With the batteries or the software.
• If the batteries are full.

I’ve not had any of those happen yet. I’ve had my batteries about a month and the most they’ve been is 78% full.

It takes a long, long time to charge them.

It’s not a 2/4 hour job like a lead acid battery you can achieve by running the engine for a little while.

On my boat, I have this battery isolator from Victron.

This battery isolator regulates the output of the alternator whilst the engine is running. It automatically distributes the output between the leisure and the starter batteries.

The starter battery, which is lead acid, will always be part of the circuitry whilst the engine is running. This will provide some resistance, even if the leisure batteries have stopped accepting charge.

Hybrid system

I also have a lead acid I didn’t throw away. It’s not currently connected to the system. It’s old and would drag the lithium’s down by having to charge it up, if it were part of the circuit. That would obviously be a waste, would provide no benefit, and would prematurely age the new batteries.

I will keep the lead which I have left over. I intend to use it if the lithiums become full. It’s a failsafe. It has no real purpose apart from to protect the alternator.

I only intend to connect it to the engine current if – the lithium’s Battery Management are in danger of stopping them from accepting charge.

This would only happen on a day long cruise. So is something I don’t have to deal with yet.

But I will buy one of these.

So there we are

The new batteries hold significantly more charge. I’ve not had them to 100% yet.

Spiceball is quite nice.

Here’s a picture.

Went for a walk at Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire whilst I was visiting my mum.

Here’s some picture from there.

And also the canal.

Due to the weather, I’ve not really been out and about taking photos.

That’s all for now!