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I’ve recently replaced my 12v 400ah agm battery bank with lifepo4 batteries. I dropped 400lbs in weight and essentially doubled usable capacity. The negatives in that blog don’t seem all that bad unless your specific use case would be specifically affected by them. In my case, the energy density of the new batteries is irrelevant. I’m not overly concerned about cold weather performance, as this is for a recreational vehicle, and we don’t use it often in the winter. Even when we do it’s only a night or two, so reduced capacity in that moment wouldn’t be a problem. It seems the biggest concern is buying your batteries from a reputable source with a decent warranty in the event you get one with manufacturer defects.
At the end of the day, all the various chemistries have their pros and cons. For me, the lifepo4 batteries seemed to fit the nice middle ground between agm and li-ion batteries in regards to weight and price, being both affordable and significantly lighter than agm batteries.
All that said, I’m just some random person on the Internet, with my personal perspective clouding my opinion.
The Fat Electrician on YouTube has a great video on the history of this. In general he has a bunch of great videos in various weird interesting military history.
This is what I came for.
I have a few things I’ve learned over the years.
You don’t have to agree with something for it to be true. As everyone else has been saying in this thread, communication is key. There will come a time when your partner gives you some feedback that you don’t agree with. That doesn’t mean their feelings on the matter are untrue. They may be “wrong” but arguing over their interpretation of your actions isn’t productive. Acknowledge their feelings, and accept the feedback for what it is, an attempt to communicate and problem solve.
Also, don’t go to bed angry. You don’t have to solve every argument before sleep, but at the very least, acknowledge the issue is unresolved, and it should be deferred to the following day. Staying up late arguing is counterproductive, and leads to a shit day the next day.
This one may be a touchy subject for some, but IMO, having some level of joint finances can really smooth out the operation. At a certain point, you are not two people, but a single entity. I have met many people who have no idea about their partner’s finances. I’ve listened to co-workers complain about their bills getting paid and certain bills being “my bill” or “their bill”. The power company doesn’t care who pays the bill, it just needs to get paid. Having some weird power dynamic or line in the sand over money always leads to resentment, and just seems unnecessary. You’re in it together, makes sense to act like it.
From very early in our relationship, my wife and I had a joint bank account, where we pooled money to pay all the monthly bills. Originally, we came to an arrangement where we each agreed to put X amount every month from our personal accounts to cover all the monthly expenses. Over time, we ultimately combined accounts, our income goes into the joint account, and bills are automatically taken out. As a family, X comes in and Y goes. It’s not relevant who makes more or less.