Removing Lithium Batteries for Long-Term Cold Weather Storage
Confirmed Issue:
- Mastervolt lithium batteries need to maintain an internal temperature of -12°F or higher for long term storage
- The CombiMaster Inverter/Charger could become inoperable at device temperatures lower than 14 °F
Affected Units:
Any Vandoit with a lithium battery system
Issue Explanation:
As temperatures drop, you will have two main goals to preserve your system: The first will be to maintain 100% state of charge on the battery, and the second is to keep your CombiMaster Inverter/Charger system above 14 °F. Battery removal should only be considered if neither of these goals can be achieved and the van will be in storage for longer than a month.
Regarding maintaining 100% state of charge: The primary battle you are fighting, so to speak, is with battery discharge, not with cold. Keeping your batteries at a high charge is key in all situations. It is important with all setups and temperatures (hot or cold), to eliminate loads from both DC and AC-powered devices, as this eliminates power draw from the batteries. Higher power draw increases the use of battery cycles, which decreases the life of the battery. In summary, keeping your batteries fully or nearly fully charged and limiting power loads helps in all scenarios, not just cold temperatures.
Regarding temperature: Depending on what charge state the batteries are in, attempting a charge below 23°F may result in the batteries not accepting charge current. Keeping the battery topped off is crucial when it comes to cold temperature storage. At 14 °F, the CombiMaster Inverter/Charger may become inoperable due to low device temperatures, meaning your batteries would stop receiving charge even when plugged into shore power. If the Inverter/Charger shuts down, your batteries will need to be manually isolated to preserve the battery state of charge. This is done by opening the yellow RBS switches. You will lose power inside the van at this point. Stored in this state, your lithium system is now protected down to -12°F. Once battery temperatures reach below -12°F, batteries will need to be removed and stored in a climate-controlled, protected area. All steps in Maintaining the Lithium Battery System in Cold Weather should first be followed before considering battery removal. Please note, BATTERY REMOVAL IS A LAST RESORT when all other options are not feasible.
The best way to keep lithium batteries warm, when kept outside, is by running the Espar heater and keeping the van plugged into shore power. If the van will be kept inside, we recommend keeping the interior of the van warm with a safe space heater. If you do not have an Espar, or if your van will not be plugged into shore power during cold weather, the lithium batteries may need to be removed, but only as a last resort to preserve the batteries.
Vandoit has begun installing heating pads September 1st, 2021 on newer model 2021 vans that have chosen to get the lithium battery system upgrade. If you took delivery of your van after this date, your van will be equipped with a heating pad. The heating pad is attached to the battery and is set to turn on when the internal battery temperature reaches 45°F and turn itself off at 68°F. While this can help, it also causes more draw on the battery levels. Because of this, heating pads are most valuable to a van driven multiple times a week and/or a van that is plugged into shore power, during cold temperatures. To confirm that your battery has a heating pad installed, look (or feel) for the thin black pad in between the two batteries in a LIV, or on the back of the battery in a DO, with red and white wires coming out of the pad (see below).
DO model
LIV model
Battery Removal Instructions:
Required Tools:
- 5mm allen wrench
- 4mm allen wrench
- 13mm wrench
- 2.5mm flat head screwdriver
- flashlight or head lamp
- permanent marker or colored tape
Number of People Needed:
2 to remove the batteries from the van once disconnected
Resolution:
Please find the instructions for lithium battery removal on LIV and DO model vans below. Instructions for reinstalling the batteries can be found at the end of this article.
Make sure batteries are at least 95% charged before taking any steps.
For LIV model vans:
1. Charge the batteries to 95% or greater.
2. Switch all of the breakers off.
3. Make sure shore power is unplugged.
4. Raise the bed to allow enough room to access the driver's side electronics cabinet.
5. Take the black ABS panel off the top of the driver's side electronics cabinet with a 5mm allen wrench. Secure the panel out of the way or have a partner hold it out of the way for steps 6 through 11.
6. Remove the plexiglass covering for batteries with a 4mm allen wrench.
7. Once removed, lock the two yellow RBS switches in the LOCKED-OFF (open) position.
8. Remove the Battery Safety connector, which is the green plug located on top of both batteries in the electronics box. A 2.5mm flat head screwdriver will be required to remove the two screws on the sides of the plug. The green plug can sometimes be challenging to remove; if so, wiggle the plug side to side slowly to remove.
Note: Do not touch the flathead bolts on the top of the green plug. This could lead to potential issues when you later reinstall the batteries if the bolts are disconnected or panned incorrectly.
9. Next, remove the two ethernet data cables by pressing on the release pin on the top side of each plug. Label the cables and their locations using permanent marker or colored tape to ensure that they go back in the correct position when you re-connect your batteries after winterizing.
10. Remove the battery terminals with a 13mm wrench.
11. The power cables will have no power flowing through them at this point, but for safety, cover both ends with electrical tape.
12. The battery should now be free to remove from the storage compartment.
Important: The batteries are heavy (59.5 lbs) and can be awkward to pull out. Removal of batteries is best done by 2 people.
13. Store the batteries in well ventilated environment, free from moisture, at room temperature. The rate of self-discharge, once removed from the van, is approximately 5% per month. High or low ambient temperature affects the self discharge rate of the batteries and natural aging.
For DO model vans:
1. Charge the batteries to 95% or greater.
2. Switch all of the breakers off.
3. Remove the plexiglass covering for the electronics cabinet with a 4mm allen wrench.
4. Reach inside to lock the yellow RBS switch in the open position.
5. Remove the black ABS panel above the battery using a 4mm allen wrench.
6. Remove the Battery Safety connector, the green plug located on top of the battery in the electronics box. A 2.5mm flat head screwdriver will be required to remove the two screws on the sides of the plug. The green plug can sometimes be challenging to remove; if so, wiggle the plug side to side slowly to remove.
Note: Do not touch the flathead bolts on the top of the green plug. This could lead to potential issues when you later reinstall the batteries if the bolts are disconnected or panned incorrectly.
7. Next, remove the two ethernet data cables by pressing on the release pin on the top side of each plug. Label the cables and their locations using permanent marker or colored tape to ensure that they go back in the correct position when you re-connect your batteries after winterizing.
8. Remove the battery terminals with a 13mm wrench.
9. The power cables will have no power flowing through them at this point, but for safety, cover both ends with electrical tape.
10. The battery should now be free to remove from the storage compartment.
Important: The battery is heavy (125.7 lbs) and can be awkward to pull out. Removal of batteries is best done by 2 people.
11. Store the battery/batteries in a dry and well ventilated environment at room temperature. The rate of self-discharge, once removed from the van, is approximately 5% per month. High or low ambient temperature affects the self discharge rate of the batteries and natural aging.
To reinstall the lithium batteries when warm weather returns:
Make sure van is unplugged from shore power before starting.
1. Install the batteries by performing the removal steps above in reverse order, making sure to match the ethernet cables with their correct locations using the permanent marker or colored tape labeling you created in the winterization process. Be sure to tighten the battery terminal bolts to 16 Nm/12 ft-lbs torque.
2. Make sure the yellow RBS switch is unlocked, then plug into shore power.
3. Confirm that the van is charging by checking the Mastervolt screen; it should display positive amperage for Inverter Input Current and "Charging" for the Inverter Device State:
Please contact Vandoit support with any questions regarding this process by creating a ticket in the Customer Support portal or emailing support@vandoit.com.
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