What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
@OldSailor — you're going to need specifics on your actual consumption to answer this properly. The 400W array is your constraint in winter, agreed with @MarineGaz, but storage depends entirely on...
Les Wood in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Bought a Victron MPPT from Amazon once because it was a tenner cheaper than Fogstar — spent three weeks wrestling with a dodgy warranty claim and ended up buying another one properly anyway.
Volt Barry in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Fair play on the budget squeeze — T5s are perfect for this sort of thing. What's your battery setup looking like?
Downs Wanderer in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
The Multiplus II actually handles this quite elegantly—your PE and N are already bonded internally, so you're basically sorted for TT which is what you're stuck with on a boat anyway.
Solar Keith in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
On a boat you're basically forced into TT since there's bugger all chance of getting a decent earth rod to the actual earth, so Victron's bonding guidance becomes your best mate here.
Battery Alan in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Has anyone specified whether you're going TN-S or TT earthing yet? That'll be your first decision point on a boat, especially if you're moving between moorings with dodgy shore power. I've got a...
Volt Paddy in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Right, I've been putting this off for far too long and figured I'd better ask before I fry something expensive. Got a Victron Multiplus II 48/5000 in my narrowboat setup, and I'm dead set on...
Kingy in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The 1.6kW cap is sensible for a workshop, but I'd genuinely recommend sorting phantom loads first before you expand. Had a mate with a similar shed setup—his tools were draining 40W just sat idle.
LiFePO4Fan in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a compact front-loader on my boat setup and it's definitely doable, but @LiFePO4Fan's spot on about inrush.
ExChippie94 in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a pair myself in the tiny house setup and they're genuinely hassle-free. The thing that won me over was the built-in heating—keeps them happy through winter without faff, which matters when...
Wardy in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 will refuse to charge below about 0°C depending on your BMS settings, which is the real constraint rather than discharging.
Somerset VanLifer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Thirty years and you're just now joining? Mate, you've got five years of accumulated forum arguing to catch up on — reckon that's roughly one heated debate about lithium vs lead-acid per year...
SIE_Electric in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I had the same lightbulb moment when we first parked the static caravan at the site. Thought lithium was the only answer until I properly looked at the maths versus what we actually use...
Camper Jackie in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 5
Right, couple of things worth adding here. The real decision hinges on your actual usage pattern and ambient temperature range, not just the headline specs. I'm running a Victron LiFePO4 setup in...
Boycie in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Got a 150/35 in my cabin setup and yeah, ventilation's non-negotiable. Mine's mounted on the north-facing wall with about 150mm clearance all round — keeps it well below the thermal limits even in...
Grumpy Builder in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been there with the botched crimp, mate. My van conversion nearly went south when I realised I'd crushed the contact instead of properly crimping it — caused a intermittent fault that took weeks...
John Dixon in Installation Guides 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Had something similar in my van conversion last year — proper frustrating. Since @ForestJenny's already mentioned cell balance and @Wez1961 covered the shunt, I'd add one more thing that caught me...
Paddy Davies in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Worth checking your shunt calibration too — mine was drifting and causing phantom shutdowns. The SmartBMS interprets dodgy current readings as over/under-voltage conditions and cuts the relay. You...
Wez in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I'd check your cell balance first — had exactly this issue in my narrowboat last year. The SmartBMS gets twitchy if one cell drops below the others, especially after a long winter of irregular...
Forest Jenny in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Right, I'm having a nightmare with my Victron SmartBMS cutting out randomly and I'm not sure what's causing it.
Russ Scott in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 4