Hi folks, Someone on FHC must be a solar power guru, right? I have the Harbor Freight 100watt solar panel system, but I haven’t decided on a battery (or batteries) yet. I’d like to keep it relatively small and light. Several companies make a Lithium 4000amp jump starter for starting large diesel or gas motors up to 10 liters. They are relatively cheap (less than $400), small and light compared to dedicated lithium solar batteries (in the thousands $$). Is it possible to charge one of these with a 100watt solar panel system and use that lithium battery as a basis for the system to run a 120v converter for small appliances while camping? Is there a way to figure out the ah of a lithium 4000amp battery jump starter? Thanks! Brian
This unit: NOCO - 4000A Lithium Jump Starter - GB150 lists the recharging specs below which can be used to guess the Amp-hr. rating. Based on recharge times the pack looks to be somewhere around 22 Ah (0.5 x 45 or 1 x 22, etc.). That's not a lot of storage capacity for a backup system.
Back years ago when I repaired battery operated equipment you could only get 80% of the amp hour rating. So if you have 100 ah battery you could get 80 ah out of it. So at a 5 amp draw it would last 16 hours. Have you looked at deep cycle led acid or gel cell batteries?
I’m looking for deep cycle lead or agm batteries. I found this listing recently: Duracell Group 31 Deep Cycle Batteries, New - $80 I have couple Duracell Group 31 Deep Cycle Batteries for sale. Made in Pennsylvania by Deka. 105 Amp Hour. Sticker on batteries show they were manufactured 1/2018. They are new, just purchased at Sams a few weeks ago to use on my Kayak. We are going another route and chose to purchase lithiums to save weight. Has one year warranty, that just started. I have the receipt. $80 Each
I haven’t actually bought one of these yet. This was an ad I found on the local Craigslist. Does it sound like a good deal?
Indeed I am, the deep cycles really aren't my wheelhouse though. That said, Deka is my greatest competitor, and they make great batteries. However, just because they made that Duracell, does not mean it's a good battery. For that price though, I'd probably give em a shot!