Companion Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station Questions & Answers

I Have a 40hr Companion and it has its own regulator which required that I modify the wiring on my panels so that all of the current flow went to the battery. I have 120w panels not, blanket so any modification probably will be different. My battery paperwork showed the correct procedure. Again, I have panels not blanket.

Thanks for your ‘input’ Chazza!

I charge mine from 130W panels and on a normal day they take around four hrs. to charge, however it all depends on how the blanket is sited and what the output wattage is. Other than that, the battery has its own regulator and as such I had to modify the panel regulator.

I connected by Companion 40Ah directly to my 440w panel set, it started to charge on then a loud POP and smoke from the battery vent, my solar regulator is in the van, not on the panels. Any idea what I did wrong? Thanks Steve W

Connect your CPAP to the PWR STN and the display will tell you how many minutes the run time is.

No need to use the Companion PWR STN while travelling. Just plug fridge into the cars 12v socket. I have recently travelled for 3 hrs with my fridge on. Works fine. Just remember to ensure you disconnect if stopping for refreshment so as not to flatten the car battery. Also ensure the fridge is firmly secured in place.

All my 12 volt plugs are being used, so therefore I need to run my fridge using my power station inside the car. Is safe to do so.

Absolutely it is. Your car socket will charge the power pack. Your power pack will power the fridge. That what it is designed to do. The added bonus is when you stop for lunch etc the fridge will remain powered up. Depending on the power draw of your fridge, you can power the fridge overnight as well

Depending on the current draw of your fridge. Assuming 60w an hour (5 amps) at a duty cycle of 50% a normal battery 16 hours, a lithium you can double that so I would assume a max of 32 hours in reasonable ambient temps and the lid remaining closed the entire time. Equally a 74 litre fridge is large, so I would expect a greater power draw so these numbers would be less.

Have you had any luck with this? Mine is doing the same thing. Ready to go away in 2 days now I'm stumped on what to do.

Yes I go direct into the 40ah and it works well,

hello yes it should easily,

Yes, for how long will depend on the draw of your fridge. If your fridge draws 2Ah, then the battery will last about 16 hours before it needs recharging. Lithium batteries will deplete to about 20% of capacity so the true available power from your battery is about 32Ah, not 40. Still substantially better than the old lead acid ones. Just work out how much average draw your fridge will use, and then divide it into 32 to tell you how long it will last. Ideally, add a solar blanket to the input so that the battery will charge as it is being depleted. Around a 200 blanket should be more than fine.

seems like lack of use. mine still runs 24/7 for weeks at a time, its always plugged in and will charge to 100%. if it states 84%, then it probably is. try to use it constantly and see if it revs up a bit.

Unfortunately it does sound like it wasn't charged often enough. In order to maintain the battery it should be charged fully every three months. If you have only done it around 6 times in 2 years, it is a maintenance issue. Like Johnno said, try using it more often, charging it more often, and even leaving it on charge to see if you can regenerate the battery, otherwise that is about all you will be able to charge it to. They do last a long time if maintained properly, with all those that I have sold in my time the ones that fail are either DOA, or not maintained. See how you go leaving it on charge and discharging it more regularly.

Johnno and Lordie, yep I hear ya.. I now have this running my shed/ute fridge as of today, being topped up by my 130watt panel.. just started it today, after an hour the battery was 100% charged yeha!, with keeping the fridge at -01.. I will see how she reacts over the next few days being used and charged.. I do expect it to fall off once the sun is out of range for the panel.. will keep you posted.. many thanks for you help guys.. appreciate it.. PS: I did contact the OEM in Brisbane.... lol is all I can say... cheers again

Hi Matt. Please contact our customer service team on 1300 362 921 to assist with troubleshooting. Thanks Companion Team

The customer service team at Companion are excellent. If you bought it new, not from eBay, marketplace or a non-retail store, then you are covered under warranty.

long press button connect solar panel anderson plug long press ando plug button

hello im not an expert on lithium battery diagnostics, but old school common sense yarns makes me think that if anything is not used, it deteriorates in performance. I personally have mine plugged in to the car more or less permanently and it gets flogged. I have circumstance where it is needed and justified, my work can, at times, be remote and I need to be autonomous. My fridge, charging uhf, phones, lighting , drone batteries, and whatever fits in a socket gets charged. So far this battery has never let me down and still charges at 100%, mostly 12 volt car socket and occasionally 240 and solar. I have found that it takes a little bit longer to achieve the charging times I originally had when it was fresh out of the crate. I can only openly and honestly suggest that you give it a hard run for a bit and exercise its battery muscles, and stamina. Maybe put it on the kitchen bench and use it as the household phone and tablet charger. I sincerely hope I have helped. cheers Johnno

Yes it is completely safe to let it run overnight. The best way to use the battery is to use it between the fridge and your car. So plug the battery into your ciggy lighter socket, then the fridge into the battery. This will keep the fridge running through the battery, and the battery charged while you drive.

hello completely safe i sometimes leave on for up to a week