Pacific Yacht Systems · video

What this video covers

Swapping a boat's house bank to lithium is not a drop-in replacement, regardless of what battery manufacturers claim.Watch Every charging source aboard must be evaluated for lithium compatibility: shore-power chargers, battery combiners, solar charge controllers, and alternators all require attention.1:14 A charger set for AGM cannot simultaneously charge a lithium bank on one output leg and an AGM engine battery on another; the practical solution is a DC-to-DC charging converter, which takes one battery bank's charge voltage and re-profiles it for a different chemistry.2:17 The presenter uses a 30-amp DC-to-DC converter on his own boat to share lithium house-bank charge with an AGM engine battery.4:06 Battery combiners that parallel banks directly must be replaced with DC-to-DC converters for the same reason.2:43 Solar controllers must be confirmed lithium-compatible or reprogrammed.4:22 For alternator output, a high-output alternator paired with an external regulator — either a Wakespeed or Balmar unit — can be configured for a lithium charge profile while protecting the alternator from overheating.5:09 Pacific Yacht Systems offers remote consultation and onboard design services for boats requiring this conversion.0:13

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