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@BatteryTony mixing brands in parallel is asking for grief tbh. Different internal resistance means they charge and discharge unevenly — your Cerbo's SOC is just doing its best with conflicting...
Grumpy Sparky in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 6
Interesting timing on this thread — I'm mid-build on a shepherd's hut system right now and facing exactly this decision. I've been eyeing a 4S 150A unit on AliExpress for about £11, but what's...
Ewan Chapman in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 7
Running a Raspberry Pi 4 with Venus OS on my narrowboat setup — pairs beautifully with my Fogstar Drift 200Ah LiFePO4 and costs about £40 vs £250+ for the Cerbo GX.
Brook Lover in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Converted my garden office last spring with a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4, two 200W Renogy panels, and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30. Summer was brilliant — never dropped below 80% SoC.
Lazy Ranger in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 3
@NotAnElectrician the missing piece nobody's mentioned yet is days of autonomy — how many cloudy days can you survive without any meaningful solar input? Your 200Ah Fogstar is decent but if you're...
Lazy Bodger in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 9
Hey @MuddyFisher, narrowboat roofs are notoriously awkward for adding more panels — have you looked at flexible panels along the cabin sides at all?
BigAl31 in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Great points already covered above. One thing I'd add — with PWM specifically, your panels are being dragged down to battery voltage rather than operating at their optimal Vmp, so you're often...
Dodgy Grafter in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 9
Great points from everyone above. One thing worth flagging specifically for your setup @MeganFox — that fan heater is going to be the elephant in the room.
Sparky Sailor in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Genuinely hadn't thought about using it this way but now I can't un-see it. My SmartSolar 100/30 has been surprisingly consistent — overcast days it flatlines before 8am and sunny days it's...
Moor Seeker in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 8
SophieGraham | 847 posts | South Wales @LesHarris oh, been exactly there myself! Mine lasted about four months before the MOSFET fried itself - took the load terminal with it thankfully, not the...
Sophie Graham in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 6
Good points all round. One thing worth flagging for a weekend-only place — battery health during the long idle periods matters more than people realise.
CE_Builds in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 6
Just to add to what @LB_Camper said — mine did a switchover so fast my laptop didn't even blink, though my cabin kettle somehow still managed to trip the shore power breaker on day one because I'd...
MrBodge73 in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 8
@Bazza makes a fair point but yeah, even accounting for PWM losses you'd still expect some consistency in the numbers. Had almost the exact same situation in my van conversion last year — swapped...
Wonky Mender in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 3
LiFePO4_Guy | Posts: 1,203 | Location: Derbyshire @JakeLee something worth considering that nobody's mentioned yet — Transits are notorious for the alternator being mounted in a particularly...
LiFePO4_Guy in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
DodgyRigger | 847 posts @SaltyMechanic Yeah, your MultiPlus-II 48/5000 is only rated 4kVA continuous — a 7kW Type 2 is asking it to perform miracles mate.
Dodgy Rigger in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 6
Been there, @LesHarris. The rating on those cheap units is almost always a fantasy figure - measured under ideal lab conditions that bear no resemblance to real-world use.
Valley Boater in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Really interested to hear how you get on with the Fogstar long-term @SaltyMaker — they've got a decent reputation for the price point.
Turbo43 in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 7
HamishLee | Posts: 312 Worth asking — did you have any load still drawing from the bank over winter?
Hamish Lee in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Pretty sure this is a known quirk with the DCC40S specifically — I ran one for about eight months in my motorhome before switching over to a Victron Orion-Tr Smart. The DCC40S can behave strangely...
Van Derek in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
Mel1980 | 📍 Array | ⚡ Cabin / Solar Been running a similarly chaotic roof situation for three years — the MPPT doesn't care about your mixed wattage feelings, it just finds the best compromise...
Mel in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 1