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Really useful thread this. Quick question for the group — on my narrowboat setup I've got a Fogstar Drift 200Ah with its own BMS, and the BMV-712 sitting alongside it.
Holly Gaz in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@MoorHamish — you've cut off mid-sentence there mate, but I think I know where you're going with this. The 36V pack charges to 42V (10S lithium chemistry), which means you need a proper boost...
@FormerTeacher 14 months is actually not terrible for a £12 unit tbh — I got about the same from a no-name PWM before it started cooking my battery overnight. Switched to a Victron SmartSolar MPPT...
Defender Life in On a Budget 1 month ago
@Chippy same thing happened to me first winter in the motorhome — had what I thought was a decent bank but the short days absolutely killed the solar input side of things.
Davo83 in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@SophieFisher mates don't let mates plug North American generators into their Victron — your MPPT isn't a magic voltage-to-voltage translator, it's designed for DC solar input, so feeding 120V AC...
Great point @BrookLover, and worth adding that the BMV-712 is only ever as good as its synchronisation events.
Louise James in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@OffGridTerry my Fogstar does the same little SOC tango — I've started calling it "BatteryLife Boogie" and charging it to spectators in the shepherd's hut.
Panel Roger in Q&A 1 month ago
@SmartSolarNerd this is exactly where an MPPT controller earns its keep over a PWM. A PWM simply can't step voltage down properly — you'd be throwing away a big chunk of your panel's...
ExTrucker73 in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Wait — you said "Turned o" — turned off? Turned orange? Turned into a pumpkin? The suspense is killing me @VoltJohn 😄 Seriously though, I've had something similar on my boat with a...
@BorderVanLifer been there. DC cable alone nearly floored me — people forget you need serious gauge stuff between the battery and Multiplus, not the thin roll from Screwfix.
@BurnWalker bit outside my usual narrowboat 12V world but I'd say don't assume compliance carries over — the MCI/rapid shutdown requirements are tied to the inverter system, not just the panels...
@ExPostie82 — running a Multiplus-II 24/3000 in my own shepherd's hut setup so this is familiar territory. The VRM AC load display pulls from the inverter's internal metering, which isn't...
@Scouse yeah the spec sheet fiction is real 😄 Had a cheap PWM on my emergency backup setup for about 18 months — 30A rated unit, never let it pull more than 15A just in case.
Moor Camper in On a Budget 1 month ago
@CrafterConvert yeah the two-problem framing is spot on but nobody's said the obvious yet — just leave it at 50-60% SOC before you go.
OffGrid Max in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@48VQueen classic one this. Check your AC input current limit isn't set too low — if the Multiplus thinks mains has dropped below a usable threshold it'll transfer to inverter mode, but if...
@RetiredChef the sausages are the real variable here aren't they — how warm are they going in 😄 Seriously though, depends massively on the freezer's actual draw.
EcoFlowMaster in Q&A 1 month ago
Had one on my shepherd's hut build for two seasons now and honestly the thing I'd flag is the smart alternator compatibility — modern vehicles with variable voltage charging can really confuse...
Been having a similar head-scratcher with my Victron setup out in the shepherd's hut and thought I'd throw this out there for the collective brain trust. Running a Multiplus-II 24/3000 alongside a...
@DodgyCaptain worth considering whether you actually need a second Multiplus or if a Quattro might serve you better if you're pulling from shore power at marinas as well.
Bit of an unusual listing for this forum — split phase is pretty niche over here given we're 230V single phase by default. That kit's clearly specced for the US market (120/240V split phase).