DC House Lithium Battery Review (LiFePO4)
It’s now the top-selling 200Ah LiFePO4 battery in the UK. We’ll talk about why that’s the case, and we’ll do a full breakdown and analysis of its pros and cons. We’ll ultimately provide an answer to the question: is it worthy of the hype?
This is our DC House Lithium Battery Review.
Specifically, we focus here on the 200Ah model; but every point is applicable to the other sizes of battery from this maker. The cells, components, casing, manufacturing processes are identical for each model, just with a different quantity of Lithium cells and casing dimensions.
We wrote as long ago as 2021 that LFP will take over the world of leisure batteries; not saying that was the wildest leap but there can be no doubt it’s happening. Month by month, they’re growing in popularity.
This model, by DC House, is one a new breed which provide a frankly ridiculous number of life cycles, to those of us who have had years of experience with lead-acid.
How accurate is that stated lifespan, and other such questions, we’ll get into in this review.
If you want to check specs and price first, here’s where to see that, on Amazon.
DC House LiFePO4 Battery
- Voltage: 12V
- Capacity: 200Ah
- Weight: 18.0kg (39.7lb)
- Dimension: 18.9 x 36.7 x 27.1cm (LxWxH)
DC House are offering a 5% discount right now, use the coupon code: bfmkftan107
DC House 100Ah Battery
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 100Ah
Weight: 11.5kg (25.4lb)
Dimensions: 25.9 x 16.8 x 23.4cm (LxWxH)
DC House are offering a 5% discount right now, use the coupon code: bfmkftan107
DC House 50Ah Battery
Voltage: 12V
Capacity: 50Ah
Weight: 5.7g (12.7lb)
Dimensions: 23.2 x 13.5 x 18.1cm (LxWxH)
DC House are offering a 5% discount right now, use the coupon code: bfmkftan107
What were the key determinants by which we analysed the DC House battery?
We assessed it for these characteristics:
- Reliability of the stated power delivery
- Extent and usefulness of the BMS features; very much tied into the overall safety of the battery
- Ability to handle low discharge; extended periods in a heavily discharged state
- LiFePO4 cell quality; in particular, are they of the new breed of Lithium cells
Rating the DC House 200Ah Battery
We’ll now get into our deep dive; what’s good, what’s bad, and why is it the UK’s top selling 200AH Lithium battery.
DC House 200Ah Lithium Battery
Pros and who needs it:
It’s likely to last a long time
Why? Firstly, DC House use an excellent quality LiFePO4 cells, and they’re of the new type. Some other Lithium leisure batteries are still using Lithium cells from 5 or 6 years ago; but not his one. Secondly, it’s rated for 4000 cycles. You may or may not be aware of/remember how many life cycles your last lead-acid battery was rated for but it was very possible around the 400 mark. Thirdly, and very significantly, Lithium cells of this quality are a lot less sensitive to being left in a discharged state for a long time; or from regularly discharging to 80-90% and beyond, compared to Lead-acid batteries or, indeed, the poorer quality, early version of Lithium batteries.
The BMS has the right type of protections
We say that because some LiFePO4 sellers will try to bamboozle you a little with their BMS descriptions. They’ll list all their many protections, so you don’t notice that they’re missing a really key protection that you really want a Lithium battery to have. So they’ll describe their fantastic overcharge protection and high temperature cut-off, but they don’t have over-discharge protection. Well, this DC House battery does have the ones you need. Low temperature protection is also an important one, it’ll cut out at -6°C (20°F).
High energy density
Another advantage to having the latest Lithium Iron Phosphate (what LiFePO4 stands for) is that it packs a powerful punch for its size and weight. 200A maximum discharge and 500 Amps maximum instantaneous discharge are hefty indeed. In our testing, we found the DC House Lithium battery was more than able to deal with a heavy power load over an extended time period. If you’re used to lead-acid batteries (perhaps like the classic Silver 9000 series), like we are, then you’ll be amazed at how a battery so small and light (just 18kg, remember) can deliver this kind of power.
We rate it highly for value for money
This price for a battery with top grade Lithium cells and a modern BMS with every safety protection needed? It’s not too shabby at all. We’ve discussed the various qualities in the plus points above, and you’ll see that it lacks a few features that the highest-priced batteries have. But arguably, those features are only bonus features, not ones that most users will need. For value, then, the DC House battery is hard to beat.
Cons and why this model is not for you:
The stated “100% deep circulation”
Now, this is not a phrase our team, with a fair few years in the off grid power game, are aware of. And on a quick check of Google, no-one else is either! Reading between the lines, though, DC House mean “depth of discharge”.
Basically, they’re saying you can discharge it completely, absolutely 100% of its juice. Hmmm. Well, you can. It’s certainly not going to punish you in the ruthless, merciless way a Lead-acid battery would! but we’ve talked to a few manufacturers of Lithium cells and they recommend “almost” draining it. Take it to 90-95% DoD as much as possible.
It doesn’t have the latest smart features
Price has come down a ton compared to even 3 years ago, but this DC House 200Ah LiFePO4 battery is still a substantial investment. And as a product that can last for as much as 10 years, some people may want to get the absolute latest state-of-the-art technology in their choice of Lithium battery. Some of the latest smart Lithium battery models have a built-in heater that can warm the battery at the touch of a button; a simple LED screen giving you the voltage and charge percentage; and Bluetooth, for connecting to an app showing you the current voltage, current, temperature, available battery capacity and more. Fair warning, a battery with these features will cost a couple of hundred quid more.
Where to check it out?
Here’s where to see the latest price and specifications for the 200Ah battery, at DC House UK.
FYI: DC House are offering a 5% discount right now, use the coupon code: bfmkftan107
DC House Lithium Battery Review Summary
That, then, was our review of the DC House Lithium Battery.
TLDR; it’s a high quality battery at a very reasonable price. Particularly so, because it has the latest Lithium cells; not all LiFePO4 batteries are created equally! The energy density and cyclic durability of these cells; combined with a very solid, reliable manufacturer in DC House means you’re likely to get a long lifespan, even if you don’t quite get the 10 years that they espouse as likely.
We don’t reckon they should be even implying you should discharge to 100%, but well, you can give it a go if you want! We wouldn’t. And it doesn’t have the latest smart features like an App or heater.
Check out the 200Ah model here, from DC House, if you feel it’s the right battery for you.
Or here’s the 100Ah model, and the 50Ah model.