Renogy or Roamer

[IestynD]

HI all,
I pay for forum membership so hopefully you don't mind me asking a stupid question!!

I was about to press buy on a Roamer 160S smart battery. 160Ah for £900 - First question, is there a discount code available?

I then started looking at Renogy batteries and they do a 100Ah with self managing heating system for £559.
Both prices include VAT and shipping. Both batteries have BMS

The batteries will be connected to a Victron 75/15 MPPT controller with a roof mounted 160W panel and a Victron Orion-Tr Smart Charger (30A)

Size wise the Renogy is smaller and could be stood upright. The Roamers would fit but would have to be mounted on their side.

The Roamer batteries have a 10yr warranty Renogy only a 5.

So, before i press buy on a Roamer160S does anyone have any thoughts/input please? @Dellmassive you are always amazing at this sort of advise and invaluable when it comes to electrics.

Thank You


Roamer:

160SMART - 12V 160Ah LiFePO4 — Roamer Lithium Batteries

the new ultra-compact 160Ah lithium battery from Roamer fits a huge amount of capacity and power into a standard group 31 case size measuring just 325mm x 173mm x 220mm.

roamerbatteries.com

Renogy:

160SMART - 12V 160Ah LiFePO4 — Roamer Lithium Batteries

the new ultra-compact 160Ah lithium battery from Roamer fits a huge amount of capacity and power into a standard group 31 case size measuring just 325mm x 173mm x 220mm.

roamerbatteries.com

 

[Dellmassive]

in a nut shell the Roamer has better cells which translates to the better warranty.

the roamer also has the better BMS. ( higher power discharge rates)


yes the Renogy Smart - Heated has a heater, but after running that battery in the UK the heater almost was never used. ( its more for ALPS and the like)

Yes the Renogy has a nice APP, but so does the Roamer,

The Renogy SMART version will stand up under the seat, The INC BT version has to lay on its side,

you will need to check the Roamer 160AH versuion dimms to make sure it will fit in your space.

TECH SPECIFICATION​

• Nominal Capacity
  160Ah
• Nominal Voltage
  12.8V
• Max Charge Voltage
  14.6V
• Recommended Charge Voltage
  14.2V
• Recommended Float Voltage
  13.5V
• Max Cont. Discharge
  200A
• Peak Discharge (10s)
  400A
• Dimensions
  325mm L x 173mm W x 220mm H
• Weight
  16kg

++++

out of those batterys i have stuck with the Roamer SB230 ( and sold on the Renogys or repurposed them )

so i would go for the larger capacity battery and longer warranty . . . .


++++
heres mine:

Roamer LiFePO4 Gen2 230Ah Seatbase battery -- "How I Done It" --

Roamer LiFePO4 Gen2 230Ah Seatbase battery -- "How I Done It" -- Its a Lithium LifePo4, its got massive capacity @ 230Ah, its got massive discharge performance 250A/500A, its Bluetooth, its a Roamer !!, its exciting . . . . . its coming soon - the full test . . . . ...

www.t6forum.com

++++
and the link to them:

Roamer - Premium LiFePO4 Leisure Batteries for off grid

For continuous power for non-stop adventures, say hello to Roamer – the next generation in SMART 12v and 24V LiFePO4 leisure batteries for campervans, boats and off grid life. Equal parts power, intelligence and reliability - managed with a smartphone app that puts the power in your hands. 10...

roamerbatteries.com

+++

 

[Deaky]

If your battery is mounted inside the van it's unlikely the self heating feature will be of any use IMO.

 

[Higgidav]

I recently went with the Renogy primarily as it stands under the seat and it was £509 on Amazon. The lowest temp the battery has so far recorded is 9deg but we have not yet had any cold nights so far and more importantly I am planning a lengthy Scandinavia trip and I wanted the self heating option. I’ve no doubt Roamer is the better option but space and price are also important considerations.

 

[IestynD]

Thanks all. Is the 100Ah Renogy enough power for you guys for LED lights and a fridge for a few days off gridding it? LIke you say it stands up and its cheaper.....

 

[Deaky]

Thanks all. Is the 100Ah Renogy enough power for you guys for LED lights and a fridge for a few days off gridding it? LIke you say it stands up and its cheaper.....

You'll get 6% off with this link I can get you a discount at Renogy United Kingdom

But if you think you might need some customer service after you purchase it then you might be better buying it off Amazon

 

[Higgidav]

I am a light power user and only have a fridge, led lights, diesel heater and charge phones etc. I’ve not tested it in anger yet but think I could do 4 days off grid.

I ordered from Amazon and did have some delivery issues but it got sorted quickly.

 

[DXX]

You'll get 6% off with this link I can get you a discount at Renogy United Kingdom

But if you think you might need some customer service after you purchase it then you might be better buying it off Amazon

Definitely, I bought a Renogy inverter a while back, the manual is bit of a joke, looks like the Chinese equivalent of Google Translate isn’t up to much.

 

[Oldrat]

I’m no techie, so I can’t advise on which battery etc.

What I can say is that in choosing, I pinged an email to Roamer very very late on a Saturday night to ask about whether my chosen battery (the underseat 230 ah lithium) would work with my set up.

I was very surprised to get an instant response, and had three of four emails, back and forth that night leading to my placing an order, impressed with the service I’d received.


Scroll forward a few weeks battery now fitted and I sent another Q, this time on a Sunday morning with a picture of my settings on my triple charger to double check I’d got them right.

I wasn’t my expecting a response until Monday at the earliest, but I got an email straight away, and very very helpful it was too. With an offer of help in the future if I had any problems.

So Roamer customer service is FABULOUS. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

 

[Higgidav]

It is currently 9degC in the lovely Peak District and I’ve had a warning pop up that my Renogy Lithium battery that is fitted under the drivers seat is 7degC. My understanding is that it will discharge down to -20degC and activate self heating mode when on charge until the battery reaches 10degC. I’m pretty sure it’s doing what it is designed to do but it’s always a worry when you get error and warning messages.

 

[Dellmassive]

Normal operation.

I've tested these.

 

[Dellmassive]

Normal operation.

I've tested these.

See here for the testing...

Low temperature lithium battery

mid test results added to post above . . current test results. 49 hours in . . . drawing 0.8A from the battery. 88ah @ 5v battery BMS shows battery still at 100% SOC. with no draw and standby status. +++ Vic SS shows battery at 63% SOC with the 0.8A load draw. thats 41ah @ 12v...

www.t6forum.com

.

 

[ei-aprilia]

You'll get 6% off with this link I can get you a discount at Renogy United Kingdom

But if you think you might need some customer service after you purchase it then you might be better buying it off Amazon

Cheers for the discount @Deaky I got an extra £35 off today thanks to you. I was going to go for a roamer battery as my AGM has died but they don't have the battery I wanted in stock so renogy it is

 

[DXX]

Once you own a VW what harm are a few more alarm messages going to do?

 

[Higgidav]

Just been out to check on the van and was surprised to see my battery registering a temperature of -7. It’s under the drivers seat but i never thought the inside would get that cold especially at lunch time. I live in the Peak District.

 

[dErZ]

Be interesting to see how much battery it uses to warm the battery to 10'c and how long. The sun will be going down in 3 hours so not much time to recoup via solar.

 

[Higgidav]

I’ve plugged the charger in now and it’s gradually getting warmer. I think it only heats itself with the charger connected. I also thought it was meant to discharge down -20 but it appears to have stopped before it got to -7 as the trickle charger stopped charging the starter.

 

[Deaky]

I’ve plugged the charger in now and it’s gradually getting warmer. I think it only heats itself with the charger connected. I also thought it was meant to discharge down -20 but it appears to have stopped before it got to -7 as the trickle charger stopped charging the starter.

Mine looked like this this morning. ie no current going out but when I thought about it, the heater etc was using less current than the DC-DC was producing and the battery had blocked any charge going in hence the net zero amps on the battery.

 

[Dellmassive]

The Renogy battery's allow power to outgoing to -20c.

And block incoming charge power below 0c. (Warnings bellow 5c)

Heated versions use incoming charger power.... 4amp for the internal heater. And takes 15mins to 1hr depending on external temps.