For those who have converted to lithium batteries from lead acid batteries( 7ah)  for gate motors/ garage doors, is there a difference in battery performance. I recently changed to lithium battery, the battery performance is the same as lead acid, even though the load shedding times were a full 12 hours apart , the gate was opened and closed twice in that 12 hour interval. 
Any experience with lithium batteries on gate motors? 

Not sure about 7Ahr batteries, but I know that Solar controllers, MPPT's and DC-DC chargers need to be Li compliant as they require certain charge rates due to the BMS built in. Different charge voltages apparently. Danie will know better.

Mawonga, I don't think you will see any difference immediately.  You will probably eventually find that the battery will last longer, at least that is what I hope for.  I have incidently just this this morning replaced the battery in a UPS powering my internet modem with a lithium battery. I started off with a new lead acid battery about six weeks ago.  Initially it could run the modem for the full two hours of load shedding but now it lasts only about 15 minutes.  This is because a lead acid battery can safely discharge only about 30% or so I read.  The modem must logically therefore drain the battery much more resulting in in failing quickly. I am quite eager to see how the new lithium battery performs.

I by the way replaced a gate motor battery, an normal lead acid unit, just a few weeks ago with another similiar one.  This one lasted six and a half years so clearly it is suitable for purpose even with the constant load shedding.  This is on our garage gate where the gate is opened probably on average less than once per day, so under more strenuous use it might be a different case.  I considered a lithium unit, but the price is almost four times that of a lead acid one and if it lasts this long, I ask no more.

You have been silent for quite a while, so happy to see you again.

My buurman het gister so n battery gekoop....R960 betaal. Die battery is verskriklik lig teenoor standaard batterye wat ons ken. Ek dink nie ek sal daai prys betaal vir n 7amp battery nie. My Centurion motor is oor die 12 jaar oud. Ek het laasmaand sy 3de battery ingesit....dit beteken dat elke battery omtrent 6 jaar diens gegee het. Ek betaal minder as R200 n battery wat beteken dat ek teen lithium prys amper 5 gewone batterye kan koop wat moontlik 30 jaar se diens kan gee.....twyfel of 1x lithium battery 30 jaar diens sal gee

Daar is n Engelse uitdrukking:"fit for purpose". Ons stem saam vir hekgebruik is die loodsuur battery heeltemal geskik, maar nie vir aanwendings wat hom te veel dreineer nie. Jy betaal logies soveel as wat nodig is vir n spesifieke doel en nie meer nie.

I think Rare Breed is worrying about the power failure (I don't call it loadshedding) situation. We all know that once you use the gate a very few times on battery only, it starts to get damaged quickly. With Li battery you can discharge very deeply with no damage.

Correct, that is how I understood it too.  It depends on how many times you open the gate.  At a complex a standby battery will probably not last.  At home, if you open it once to go to work and once when you return, it will probably last.  That is obviously the situation with Geert and me.  Fit for purpose is not the same for everyone.

Maybe a small solar panel 

Relaxed Camper wrote:

Maybe a small solar panel 

Yes Geert, one can get them at the security shops. But, then again it must be mounted out of sight of our affirmative shoppers. Also probably cheaper than lithium battery.

I can't see any real advantage of putting up a solar panel to help charge the gate motor battery at home.  Sure, it will recharge the battery during load shedding, if this occurs during the day and the sun is shining.  I think a case has been made out that deterioration of a lead acid battery is not a factor at home seeing the battery lasts for up to six years.   If it happens that the gate is opened during load shedding, it will quickly be recharged once the power is on again, probably much faster than a smallish solar panel can do this.  We have an Afrikaans expression translated saying you don't scratch where there is no itch, and I think this is such a case.

As daar langdurige krag onderbrekings is, sal n solar paneel definitief help.....sal help dat battery nie heeltemaal leeg tap nie

Dis waar, maar ons is gelukkig nog nie by langdurige onderbrekings nie. Kan maar net hoop dit kom nie soos in Zimbabwe nie. As dit begin gebeur is dit die tyd om iets daaraan te doen, maar op die oomblik dink ek dit is onproduktiewe uitgawes in die geval van hekmotors by die huis. Ek dra ook nie daagliks n sambreel saam vir moontlike reën nie.

Ons het onlangs n 5 dag onderbreking gehad.....weereens te dank aan ons land se klomp patete in beheer. Dis na dit wat ek 3de battery moes insit....met paneel sou moontlik nie nodig gewees het nie, want battery sou nie heeltemaal leeg geloop het en skade opgetel het nie.

Ek het kar versekering op my privaat kar, maar het afgelope 16 jaar nog nie ge-eis nie

Dis erg! Ons het darem nog nie meer as twee uur op n slag gehad nie. Ons kinders in Centurion het eenmaal as 4 uur gehad, maar ek vermoed dit was dalk eerder agv die munisipaliteit as ESKOM. Wat het julle gedoen vir yskaste, warm water, kook en ligte? n Kragopwekker se elektrisiteir is geweldig duur, so 5 dae kan jou breek.

Hier in petroldorp word die son panele lings en regs gesteel my skoonseun sin eergister net verdwyn mokket

Ons het vandag 4.5 uur Eskom loadshedding gehad, afgelope week al ‘n paar keer.

Ek het vandag ‘n SMS van my sekuriteitsmaatskappy gekry waain hulle my waarsku dat die huis se alarmstelsel se battery laag is.

Relaxed Camper wrote:

Ons het onlangs n 5 dag onderbreking gehad.....weereens te dank aan ons land se klomp patete in beheer. Dis na dit wat ek 3de battery moes insit....met paneel sou moontlik nie nodig gewees het nie, want battery sou nie heeltemaal leeg geloop het en skade opgetel het nie.

Ek het kar versekering op my privaat kar, maar het afgelope 16 jaar nog nie ge-eis nie

Fred wrote:

Dis erg! Ons het darem nog nie meer as twee uur op n slag gehad nie. Ons kinders in Centurion het eenmaal as 4 uur gehad, maar ek vermoed dit was dalk eerder agv die munisipaliteit as ESKOM. Wat het julle gedoen vir yskaste, warm water, kook en ligte? n Kragopwekker se elektrisiteir is geweldig duur, so 5 dae kan jou breek.

Was transformer wat ontplof het en aan die brand geslaan het. Ek sal kyk of ek nog daai fotos kan opspoor hoe dit brand....dis ongelooflik.

Ons kry deesdae daagliks n 4½ ure sessie met 3x of 2x 2½ ure sessies daarby

Batterye raak fancy....kry wat jy met Bluetooth link via App op jou foon

Ek het op my huis alarm n 12 volt 85 Ah motorbattery met n smart charger, geen moeilikheid krag kan, maar vir 1 week of langer afgaan geen probleem. .Ek het ook op my sekuriteits heining dieselfde stelstel .Het dit gedoen omdat ek sulke lang tye van die huis af weg is tot 5 maande .Ons het feitlik elke dag 4 ure loadshedding en nog die normale 2 ure tussen in ,dit maak hierdie normale klein batterye klaar hulle hou nie .

Was vandag by Centurion systems se tegniese afdeling. Hulle sê lithium batterye is nie aanbeveelbaar vir hul hekmotors nie. Dit gaan hoofsaaklik oor die krag wat motor neem om te begin loop en stop....battery nie ideaal daarvoor nie. Dan noem hulle dat hul chargers op motors ook nie ontwerp is om lithium te laai nie

Dis interessant aangesien die batterye verkoop word as "drop in" alternatiewe vir die oorspronklikes.  In my rekenaar UPS, wat ek gebruik om my modem/router te bedien, werk die lithium battery egter perfek, maar dis natuurlik ander omstandighede as by 'n hekmotor.