Re: Epoch 12V 460Ah LFP battery on Sabre 362?
|
Allison, ? Great suggestions.? That was essentially what the underwriter I spoke to indicated: they wanted to know / see how the installation was made.? A ¡°professional¡± detailed report / description of what was done, on letterhead of the installer.? A clear diagram should help the process.? He said some people had submitted handwritten notes.? ? On the downside, he also said there are no standards, to which I mentioned ABYC E-13.? ?He sort of ignored that, only later to say ABYC had not come up with standards and maybe they would in another year...? He admitted he had a mental block on electronics and was much more comfortable with physical engineering issues.? One assumes there are other underwriters who are comfortable with electronics, and hopefully one of those people gets your file.? Sort of like building inspectors; there are good ones, and ones you never want to get when they are having a bad day.? ? I seem to recall you had some not so complementary comments on Mastervolt, though not certain if that was some customer¡¯s poor experience, and if that included their LFP batteries or other equipment?? Might be better to take that off list if you prefer. ? Thanks, Brian ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Allison Lehman via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 11:43 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [SabreSailboat] Epoch 12V 460Ah LFP battery on Sabre 362?? One more comment to add. ?There are ABYC standards for LFP. ?I suggest those of you who have LFP already, if professionally done, get drawing by your installer. ?If it is a DIY find some one to draw them for you. This way you are a step ahead of the insurance company in two ways. ?First off many think there are no standards so lets raise the premium and secondly there are some who reject it completely because they thing it isn¡¯t safe. ?By drawing their attention to the ABYC standards not only will you educate them but you might even get (or not lose) your insurance.
Allison Lehman
Swiftsure Yachts
allison@...
Cell: 510.912.5800
Fax: 510.860.4640
On Apr 15, 2025, at 5:01?AM, Nauset Beach via groups.io <nausetbeach@...> wrote: ? I spoke with an insurance underwriter at my insurance carrier and they will cover LFP conversions, on a case by case basis, though do have some base line requirements: US battery manufacturer and ¡°quality¡± [my phrasing] US installation.? They do not, as of yet, require ABYC certified installers.? He / they have seen some nightmare situations of ¡°drop in¡± LFP installations with very poor general boat maintenance, the classic house wiring with wire nuts, unsupported wires, etc. on 30+ yo boats not designed / built to handle the much higher electrical loads of today. ??I mentioned that I doubted any ¡°US¡± LFP battery was entirely US manufactured, importing parts to be assembled, and he was non-committal.? There also would be a premium increase due to LFP being onboard.? They are concerned with the limited track record of these batteries being installed in the marine environment, with salt exposure and near constant motion, which in their collective mind, increases the potential risks of these batteries.?? So worth a call to your insurance company.? Brian, thank you for reminding me to check with insurance on LFP conversion and for the other tips.? I need to do some more reading and checking. Dave, I hear you about single point of failure. Two lighter batteries is also attractive. On Sun, Apr 13, 2025 at 5:14?AM Nauset Beach via?<nausetbeach=[email protected]> wrote: I am looking at the Epoch batteries as well, and did read [possibly in Panbo] the Victron comms in that battery were a bit sketchy and speculation was it would take a while to work the bugs out.? That seems to be the major advantage over the Essentials 460, which also is a shorter height at 8.6¡± [but longer] vs. the 12¡± of the Elite.? Is also IP54 vs IP67 so not waterproof, just water resistant.? But it will not be in an open bay like on an RV or van.? That same article indicated one could get the same information using a Victron Smart Shunt with the Essentials.?? Also read some insurance companies either do not cover LFP, or have very specific requirements if one is making the switch, like having to use a certified ABYC electrician in addition to following all the manufacturer¡¯s installation instructions and charging / maintenance protocols. Unfortunately, according to various online forums, my insurance company seems to be one of the one¡¯s which does not cover LFP.? Need to confirm with them this week.?? Hi all, I've been holding off on LFP battery conversion but the tariff thing is alarming so I'm considering the substantial purchase of an Epoch?12V 460Ah V2 Elite Series battery? for our 362.? Does anyone know if this particular Group D size battery fits under the starboard berth?? This battery is quite a bit taller than the Group 31s I have in there now (and I'm away from the boat and can't measure).? I realize there's more to LFP conversion than swapping the battery. 2003 S362 #261 'Souwester'
?
--
Allison
S426 Kingfisher
SF Bay/Pacifc Northwest
|
