We experienced a battery fire last week. I am curious of others thoughts on this situation.
We installed 4x LiFePo4 batteries in parallel in February 2023. We also added 2000 watts of solar run to a Victron 150/70 (2s3p) and a Victron 100/50 (2s2p). The system has been performing well since installation.
For sake of detail the panels are Rich Solar 200 watt panels, specs:
20.4 VMP
9.8 IMP
24.3 VOC
10.2 ISC
It is very clear that the fire was coming from one of the four batteries. This battery is now very swollen and has significant damage to the case from the fire. It was hot enough that the battery was stuck to the battery next to it and had to be pried apart.
I contacted the manufacturer, they responded pretty quickly. The very first response from them was the Victron mppt caused this issue. They also immediately offered to replace the battery. They went on say the Victron mppt’s should be swapped for Epever mppt’s. Their explanation is that the mppt sent pv voltage to the battery damaging the bms and causing it to start fire. He stated that the 100/50 in particular is "poorly" designed and not recommended. We have used Victron mppt's extensively with excellent results.
I am having difficulty accepting this as the cause. I am not surprised they want to shift the cause away from their product, but immediately blaming Victron without further details seems suspect. They are also stating the other three batteries are fine and we shouldn’t worry about them.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? I would be very interested in any thoughts on this explanation, particularly if anyone from Victron could weigh in.
Thank you,
Scott