Dakota Lithium Battery Upgrade
Battery Upgrade Time!
What we had
When we bought our RV used, it had 3 deep cycle lead acid batteries. We knew we wanted to boondock, so we would use a generator and a small portable solar panel to charge them when we weren’t hooked up.
It worked out ok for the first year, but as these batteries have aged, we have found ourselves needing to run the generator more and more to charge them. We prefer a quieter boondocking experience, so we decided it was time to upgrade!
What we upgraded to
We made the decision to switch our system to lithium, which is an investment, but worth it if you enjoy spending time off grid! Lithiums are lighter, last longer, recharge faster and are more efficient than other types. Aaron did some research, and decided to go with three Dakota Lithium 12V 100AH lithium batteries.
Why?
Their specs match up with the best batteries on the market.
They have an industry-best 11 year warranty!
We were not set up with a charger to handle 14.4V, so we had to update our components to work with the new batteries. The items we needed in addition to the batteries were:
Victron Multiplus inverter/charger
Victron Smartsolar for solar charging (not necessary for some, but we wanted it as we will be upgrading our solar soon)
Victron SmartShunt bluetooth battery monitor, which sends battery info to our phone
When we boondock, we currently use the following to charge our batteries:
(We’ve had these items for a while now)
We are looking to upgrade our solar in the near future, but for now, this is our set up!
What would all of this cost?
Well, you have to consider a few things. Is your rig already set up for Lithium? Ours wasn’t. Will you be doing the install yourself? We didn’t.
Here’s a breakdown on retail costs for the items we needed to switch to Lithium.
3 lithium batteries @ $899 = $2,697 (You may want more or less batteries)
Inverter/charger = $1155
Solar charge controller = $119
Bluetooth battery monitor = $129
Parts total: $4,100
Installation took about 5 hours @ $100/hr = $500 (could be less, depending on your current setup)
Grand total: $4,600
Where did it all go?
Our old batteries were in our front storage bay, under the fifth wheel hitch. Our new batteries were able to go in some unused “wasted” space that our electrician found by removing some wall panels in our fifth wheel basement. Lithium batteries don’t have to be in a vented space like lead acid batteries do, so putting them in an inclosed space is fine. It actually is beneficial to them, as the enclosed area they are in now stays warmer, and lithium batteries should stay above 32 degrees Farenheit.
The electrician built a little wooden base with L brackets on it to set the batteries on, and also used straps to secure them for extra stability.
The electrician we used was Don Brown and we really liked him. He is an RVer himself and spends winters in Yuma, AZ and summers in Spokane, WA. If you’d like some electrical work done, you can call him at 509-991-8425
We head out soon on our first boondocking trip since getting the new lithium batteries, so we will update on how it went when we can!
UPDATE: We upgraded our solar panel to Go Power’s 200W portable panel, and we are absolutely loving our new setup!