How do I charge my Drift battery?
You can charge your Drift Leisure battery in a number of ways;
- Using a multi-stage LiFePO4 mains charger
- using Solar panels and an MPPT controller
- directly via the vehicles' alternator, and/or
- as part of a B2B or DC-DC charger set-up.
The recommended voltage for charging a lithium leisure battery is between 13.5 - 13.8V Float to 14.2 - 14.4V Bulk.
We recommend Victron equipment is set to a Float of 13.5V and 14.2V Bulk.
The recommended charging current for a lithium leisure battery is typically around 20-30% of the battery's capacity. For example, if the battery has a capacity of 100Ah, the recommended charging current would be around 20-30 amps. We have designed a range of Fogstar Drift chargers to work in cohesion with our battery range, you will find these here.
What is a POV (Pack Over Voltage) warning?
The total voltage of the pack has exceeded the maximum voltage. The BMS has turned off charging so that you do not overcharge the battery. Please discharge the battery.
A Cell Overvoltage (COV) warning just flagged on my battery, what can I do?
You may have noticed some COV’s already registered on your battery - this is only due to our internal quality process and our team testing the BMS response at manufacture.
The COV alerts do not mean the battery has an issue, if anything, it shows that the BMS is working as it should. It's worth pointing out that many leisure battery retailers actually hide this warning from appearing in software - we decided, for transparency purposes, to keep it in.
A COV simply means your battery is charged and ready to use. The BMS is flagging to you that your battery has had enough charge, and you can switch charging off.
What is a Pack Under Voltage (PUV)?
The total voltage of the pack has reached the minimum allowed voltage. Discharge has been disabled. Please charge the battery.
Can I series connect your batteries?
Yes, we modified the JBD BMS at the manufacturing stage to add series and parallel support up to 4S OR 4P.
What size terminals/posts are the Fogstar Drift Leisure batteries?
The Fogstar Drift terminals are all M8 in size, 1.25 pitch, 12mm.
All of our Drift Leisure batteries come with bolts and terminal posts as standard. We do not supply terminal posts at the moment, although we will be adding this to our range shortly.
Our Fogstar Drift PRO batteries utilise a M10 bolt or terminal post. We will send M10 bolts with the product, along with terminal covers.
The recommended Torque is 4Nm.
I’m confused about the point that the heaters kick in on them, I've seen the cells as low as -2.5°c?
You can safely discharge a LiFePO4 battery down to -20°c degrees with no issues, the JBD BMS is set to allow this. The issue is charging the battery, as this can cause damage if done under 0°c.
The Drift heating pads are only activated when the battery is being charged, and are only powered by the incoming charge current, not the battery itself.
If you put the battery on charge, it will heat the battery first, and then allow current through to the battery when the temperature is safe enough to do so.
What are the charging parameters for your lithium leisure batteries?
12V = 14.2V Bulk/13.6V Float
24V = 28.8V Bulk/27.2V Float
48V = 57.6V Bulk/54.4V Float
Is it possible to connect your leisure batteries in parallel if they are different capacities e.g. connecting a Drift 105Ah in parallel with a Drift 280Ah?
No, all batteries connected in series and/or parallel must be the same capacity rating, same make and same model.
This is particularly important for the 105ah and 230/280/300/460/560ah which utilise different size BMS - if you look at the specification sheets for these products, you will see quite a difference in the maximum continuous discharge. The 105ah has a maximum continuous discharge of 100A, and the other variants of Drift have a maximum continuous discharge of 200A.
Would the 230ah battery be OK to use as a leisure battery in my camper van as a replacement for AGM?
The Fogstar Drift range is designed to be a drop-in replacement for Lead Acid batteries, including AGM. Take a look at our blog to find out more about charging your Fogstar Drift battery.
Where can I sign-up to register my Fogstar Drift Warranty?
You can register your 10 year Fogstar Drift Warranty at https://www.fogstar-drift.co.uk/pages/warranty-registration. If you have multiple Drifts, please register them individually.
Where can I find a manual for my Drift Battery?
There is a full version of the Drift manual on the website here.
Can I lay my Drift on its side?
Yes, your Drift battery can be laid on its side, in fact, you can lie a Drift battery in any configuration you wish. All we recommend is that you keep the terminals clear and clean.
Can I use a gel charger to charge my Fogstar Drift Leisure Battery?
Most lead-acid battery chargers will do the job just fine. Lithium leisure batteries have a terminal voltage very similar to that of other Lead Acid variants, such as Wet, Gel and AGM. The core charging parameters for the Drift are 13.5V - 13.8V Float to 14.2v - 14.4V Bulk.
What settings should I use on my charger?
You can normally find the correct settings on the charger User Manual. Generally we advise the following;
Absorption voltage: 14.2v - 14.4v
Float Voltage: 13.5v - 13.8v
Conditioning Voltage: 13.8v
Absorption Time: The recommended settings for LiFePO4 batteries is half an hour per 100ah of LiFePO4 battery - so 30 minutes.
Most chargers have profiles for various different battery parameters (Lead Acid/AGM), you should choose one that fits as close as possible to 13.5V - 13.8V Float and 14.2v - 14.4V Bulk.
What settings should I use on my Victron equipment?
You can opt to choose one of the pre-determined lithium settings in your Victron equipment, or alternatively, use the following;
Absorption voltage: 14.2V
Absorption time: The recommended setting is half an hour per 100ah of LiFePO4 battery (for example if you have x2 105ah batteries select 1 hour).
Float Voltage: 13.5V
Equalisation voltage: 14.2V (you do not need to equalise Lithium, so you can turn this off, but in-case it ever runs a cycle the batteries will be ok at this voltage).
Temperature compensation: should be disabled on Lithium batteries.
Low Temperature cut-off: The Drift PRO batteries have low temperature charging protection built into the battery. You can leave this off.
Discharge Floor: 0%
Tail Current: 4%
Peukert Exponent: Not required - this is for Lead Acid batteries.
