Marine Lithium Battery Installation Checklist
Detailed pre-installation and commissioning checklist for a boat LiFePO4 electrical system.
Before purchase
- Daily load audit completed
- Peak inverter load calculated
- System voltage chosen
- Battery kWh chosen
- BMS continuous current checked
- BMS peak current checked
- Battery charge-current limit checked
- Solar target calculated
- Alternator strategy chosen
- Shore charger checked
- Generator strategy checked
- Start battery architecture retained or redesigned
- Battery location inspected
- Flooding risk assessed
- Cable runs measured
Protection
- Main protection selected for available fault current
- Branch protection selected
- DC-rated isolators selected
- Busbar ratings verified
- Inverter circuit protected
- Charger circuits protected
- Cable ampacity verified
- Voltage drop checked
BMS and alarms
- High-voltage protection
- Low-voltage protection
- High-temperature protection
- Low-temperature charge protection where required
- Over-current protection
- Pre-alarm
- Audible alarm
- Visual alarm
- Charger disable path
- Load disable path
Commissioning
- All terminals torqued to specification
- Cables supported
- Battery physically restrained
- Labels fitted
- Shunt calibrated
- State of charge synchronised
- Alternator tested hot
- Solar tested
- Shore charger tested
- Inverter tested at high load
- BMS alarm tested
- Emergency isolation procedure documented
Apply this guidance to your boat
Use this page as one input to a vessel-specific plan. Record the actual equipment, cable runs, charging sources and operating pattern aboard before choosing hardware or changing the installation.
- Measure the real load and its operating time instead of relying on a label or a generic boat profile.
- Check every proposed current against the battery, BMS, protection, cable and connection limits.
- Confirm the result against current manufacturer instructions and the rules that apply to your vessel.
Related pages
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