Century Lithium Pro - Best recharging practices

All Century Lithium Pro batteries must be fully charged before their first use. To do this properly, you need a suitably sized battery charger which has a Lithium LFP charging profile built into it – like the Century CC1212-XLi. This is vital not only for the long term lifespan of the battery, but also to ensure you’re not hitting the voltage or current limits of the battery.

For example, the charging voltage for a Lithium Pro should never exceed 14.6 volts – and in fact we recommend 14.4 volts at a maximum. The charging current should also not exceed 100amps. Exceeding either of these limits, may cause the battery’s BMS protection function to activate, and the charging will stop to protect the battery.

You should also ensure the charging is carried out at an ambient temperature sitting somewhere between 0 and 45c. Attempting to charge the battery at temperatures outside this range may cause irreversible damage and create a potential safety risk.

Lithium batteries shouldn’t be recharged for more than 24 hours at a time, so do make sure you disconnect the battery from the charger once it has reached full capacity.

And definitely don’t use a lead-acid battery charger – especially if it has Equalisation or De-sulphation modes. Using this type of charger will not maintain a proper voltage algorithm for Lithium, and will cause permanent damage to your battery.

Lastly, if you have multiple batteries connected in series you do not need to disconnect them and charge individually. However, they should each be fully charged individually prior to being connected together for the first time.