New venture into Lithium

Amps are not the issue. Max voltage is the issue.

You have to be able to select appropriate max voltages on both your mains charger and your solar regulator. 14.2 volts max or lower would probably be ok. Depends on the battery. The seller should be able to provide advice.

Also, the chargers MUST NOT provide a desulphation sequence. If either has one and it cannot be turned off it will destroy your new battery.

Ideally you should get chargers with programmable lithium profiles, but if that is not practical, then a lead acid charger with settable max voltage 14.2 or below would be a workable compromise in a camping environment.

It is not difficult to charge a Lithium but...

Generally people who have been using them for awhile including myself will tell you to charge them at as low a voltage as required to bring them to around 98% SOC which is generally around 13.8V. The GEL setting on most chargers is around 14.2V and this is generally the default profile on a lot of chargers with a Lithium setting. I was looking at an Epever solar charger today and the they group GEL and Lithium together. Generally I charge mine at 13.7V with a mains charger. Cycling daily and charging with solar or DCDC I take them to 14.1V with zero absorption time.

I'm using built up battery packs made from high quality matched cells, 4 per battery that virtually need no regular balancing. I might balance the cells once a year if I remember to. Balancing is done by cell balancers which in my case are mounted on top of the cells and therein lies the catch 22.

In the case of my balancers they start to balance when the cell voltage reaches about 3.5V, so a charge voltage of around 14.1V will just have them activate. At 14.4V there will be around 600mA flowing through the balancers which is ample from them to be able to do their thing, so once a year I'll run them at 14.4V for an hour or so.

Drop in low cost type Lithium batteries tend to be made up of many small cylindrical cells, they won't be carefully matched so balancing will become an issue. What you need to ask is does the battery have integrated cell balancing, if so what charge voltage is required for them to be able to balance the cells, and how often does it need to be done.

Better still, ask them how many cells are there in the battery, how are they configured and what make are they. If they don't know then you know your on your own regarding any technical support.

Could anyone please suggest a good charger? I need to be able to charge 80-90 amps in a few hours with a small inverted generator plus balance cells when necessary. One that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg too. Regards

Boris, sounds as if you have got caught up in the 'greed' cycle - cheaper , cheaper, 'chinese', cshit - i have been there too, and understand that it's difficult to resist. You will no doubt come to the realisation, eventually, that what you have is 'cshit' and soon enough you will decide that the reason you acquired the batteries is so that you have power and not problems. Do your homework, look at all details, the alternatives and options, and resist the urge to just spend your money (or the government's, as these days so many of the folks have been given gifts of cash) and support Australia for Australians and purchase local (of course it will still very likely be from 'china' but you'll have the backing of an Australian business. Sorry in advance if i have upset anyone - at least you/they are awake enough to be upset/unsettled, and not asleep! Just from my experience what you have is circa 50% of the reasonable price for a good quality lithium battery of that capacity and you have to ask yourself was that a bargain - your experience over time will tell, and then you may better appreciate my remarks. Cordially, hd