Is It Bad to Completely Drain a LiFePO4 Battery? (2024)

FAQs

Is It Bad to Completely Drain a LiFePO4 Battery? ›

Unlike traditional lead-acid batteries, LiFePO4 batteries are designed to handle deep discharge scenarios without significant damage. However, consistently depleting any battery to its lowest capacity can hasten the wear and tear of its components, potentially leading to reduced longevity.

In order to operate lithium-batteries safely and optimize their life span, they should not be over-charged or deep discharged.

Extremely deep discharges will irreversibly harm a Li-ion battery. Metal plating on the inside can cause internal shorting, rendering the lithium battery useless and even hazardous.

It's also important to avoid letting your phone's battery drain completely, as this can put strain on the battery and shorten its lifespan. Myth #6: Using a phone's fast-charging feature will damage the battery. Truth: Fast-charging features are designed to quickly charge your phone's battery without damaging it.

You can store a fully charged LiFePO4 battery. It is recommended to fully charge these batteries if you want to store them for longer.

Conversely LIFEPO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries can be continually discharged to 100% DOD and there is no long term effect. You can expect to get 3000 cycles or more at this depth of discharge. "

By fully discharging your lead acid battery, or even discharging it below 80% of its rated capacity, you could damage the battery. The belief that a battery needed to be fully discharged before recharging goes back to the memory effect issue.

LiFePO4 batteries can be continually discharged to 100% DOD and there is no long-term effect. However, we recommend you only discharge down to 80% to maintain battery life.

You can discharge 80% of the battery capacity. The battery should have a minimum State of Charge (SoC) of 20%. After this, it should be connected to a charger. If the battery is used below a 20% charge level, the health and lifespan of the battery will be negatively affected.

Overheating is one of the main causes of lithium-ion battery failures, although physical damage to the battery can also lead to problems. Excessive heat — for example from using a faulty charger and overcharging the battery, or due to a short circuit — can damage the battery cell internally and cause it to fail.

Can you run a LiFePO4 battery flat? ›

Allowing a LiFePO4 battery to discharge completely can be detrimental to its internal structure, potentially impairing its capacity to hold a charge effectively. In severe cases, this deep discharge might cause irreversible damage, rendering the battery inoperable.

It's also important to stay vigilant so that you don't let the battery drain consistently. This will weaken it and shorten its overall life. If you follow the tips mentioned, your battery should have a healthy and long lifespan.

To prolong the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries, it's best to avoid fully discharging them whenever possible. Most modern electronic devices, such as smartphones, laptops and LiTime lithium deep cycle batteries have built-in battery management systems that prevent the battery from being fully discharged.

Conversely, when completely discharged (below 2.7 V), an internal chemical reaction occurs, the electrode oxidizes and retracts, the elasticity changes and the battery ages more quickly.

Charging LiFePO4 batteries to around 80-90% of their capacity for regular use is generally recommended. Charging them to 100% occasionally can help balance the cells, but frequent full charges may reduce their lifespan.

To extend LiFePO4 battery lifespan, it is advisable to maintain a moderate depth of discharge, ideally between 20% and 80%, rather than regularly discharging it fully.

Electrical overload

But a fire can also occur as a result of a deep discharge. If lithium-ion batteries are not used for a long time, they can become completely discharged. Incorrect storage conditions - for example, storage outside the manufacturer's recommended storage temperature - can promote this effect.

Most modern lithium-ion batteries have DoDs ranging anywhere from 80% to 95%, with many best-in-class solutions like the rugged Blue Ion 2.0 battery from Blue Planet Energy sporting 100% depth of discharge and a much longer lifespan.

If the Li-ion battery includes a protector BMS, then simply connect it to a load, such a small lamp. When the cell is fully discharged, the BMS will shut off the current and protect the cells. Otherwise, it gets complicated because you risk over-discharging the cell.

It's because the chemistry of the lithium cell makes it sensitive to over charging, over- discharging (draining until the voltage gets too low), short circuit, and even over temperature. Any of those can damage the cell, or worse, cause a fire.