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Vestwoods

Vestwoods LiFePO4 Lithium Batteries in South Africa

Vestwoods makes lithium iron phosphate batteries with integrated battery management, spanning small backup duties through to serious storage. In a country where batteries cycle daily, the case for LiFePO4 over lead acid is stronger than the price difference suggests. NeonSales carries 5 Vestwoods batteries, from R775 for a 12.8V 7Ah up to R14,999 for a 200Ah.

What Vestwoods products does NeonSales stock?

  • 12.8V 7Ah and 8Ah: alarm panel and gate motor replacements
  • 12.8V 50Ah with BMS: small backup and off-grid duties
  • 12.8V 100Ah with BMS: the common inverter and solar storage size
  • 12.8V 200Ah with BMS: larger household storage

LiFePO4 against lead acid

Sealed lead acid LiFePO4
Up-front cost Lowest Several times higher
Cycle life Hundreds of cycles Thousands of cycles
Usable capacity Around half, before damaging the cells Most of the rated capacity
Weight Heavy for the capacity Considerably lighter
Under daily cycling Often replaced within two years Handles it as designed

That usable capacity row matters more than people expect. A 100Ah lead acid battery discharged below about half its capacity suffers permanent damage, so you effectively own 50Ah. A 100Ah LiFePO4 gives you most of the 100Ah. Before comparing prices, compare usable capacity.

What the BMS does

The battery management system sits inside the battery and protects the cells from over-charge, over-discharge, excessive current and temperature extremes. It also balances cells against each other so one weak cell does not drag the pack down. It is the reason a LiFePO4 pack can be treated more casually than lead acid, and it is why the larger units cost what they do.

Sizing

The 7Ah and 8Ah units are direct replacements for the standard alarm and gate motor battery. From 50Ah upward you are into inverter and solar storage, where the right size follows from how much energy you use during an outage rather than from a rule of thumb. Work out daily consumption in watt hours, then divide by system voltage to get the amp hours needed.

Common questions

Can I drop one into my existing alarm panel? Check that the panel's charger suits lithium. Charging LiFePO4 on a lead acid charging profile is not ideal and can shorten life or trip the BMS.

Can I mix lithium and lead acid? No. Never parallel different chemistries, since they charge and discharge at different rates and the mismatch damages both.

Do these need ventilation? LiFePO4 does not vent gas the way lead acid can, which makes it more suitable for enclosed spaces.

How long will one last? Cycle life is measured in thousands rather than hundreds, so in daily loadshedding use expect years rather than months.

Related: UPS and Solar · Securi-Prod Batteries · Forbatt · Gate Motors · Alarm Accessories