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Picked up a 4S 100A BMS for my LiFePO4 leisure build last month — came to about £8 delivered. Slapped it on a 280Ah pack I built from EVE cells and honestly it's been performing better than I...
PW_Sparks in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 4
@RetiredElectrician this is exactly what I've been umming and ahhing about for my garden office setup!
Anne Oliver in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 2
@Tango65 — the EU22i is a solid choice. I run an Ecoflow Smart Generator alongside my Victron MultiPlus-II for exactly this scenario; it auto-starts when the Fogstar Drift 200Ah bank drops below a...
Keith Murray in Emergency & Backup Power 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@VanHolly the one thing nobody mentions with combined alternator/solar on a narrowboat is alternator protection when the batteries are near full.
SolarJunkie in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 9
@ExJoiner the 100/30 will throttle itself before it throttles your ambitions — that 30A output means your absolute ceiling is ~450W of panels into a 12V system, so if you're planning expansion,...
OldSailor in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Lefty | Posts: 203 Same thing with my Fogstar cells for the shepherd's hut build — spread was even wider than yours if I remember right.
Lefty in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 5
Hey @MidlandsBoater, worth bearing in mind that on a narrowboat your battery bank temperature can vary quite a bit depending on where your batteries are sitting — mine are under the side bed and...
Smudge in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 4
MuddyGrafter | Posts: 847 | Location: Brecon Beacons @Frank1999 Classic cold weather behaviour with JK units — worth checking your Cell Low Temperature Protection setting in the app.
Muddy Grafter in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 5
DaleVicky | 203 posts Not a narrowboat myself, but I run lithium in a shepherd's hut and also charge an EV off the same bank — so I know a thing or two about demanding loads hitting a battery...
Dale Vicky in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 3
QuietMaker | 203 posts @CrispySkipper This mirrors my shepherd's hut experience almost exactly. Running a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 paired with a Fogstar 100Ah lithium, and the MPPT's ability to...
Quiet Maker in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Cleggy51 | 312 posts @PennineCruiser Seen this crop up a few times now with the JK units. Worth checking whether it's actually dropping connection or just the app timing out — the JK app has a...
Cleggy51 in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@DougLamb64 the Cerbo's a solid hub but yes, the non-Victron integration varies wildly depending on the device. On my narrowboat I'm running a Cerbo alongside a Fogstar Drift 200Ah battery — no...
Stu Campbell in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 8
HamishLee | 312 posts @RustyCaptain I'm running almost identical setup in a similar-sized cabin near Dumfries — 400W solar, small Hobbit stove.
Hamish Lee in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 2
@HarbourHamish my AliExpress panels claimed 200W each, delivered roughly "enough to charge my Fogstar battery before the neighbours complain about my generator" — the Victron SmartSolar...
MultiPlusNerd in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 3
@BorderCamper — I'm running a similar setup and the multi-installation VRM dashboard is genuinely useful once you get your head around it.
Marsh Child in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 4
Been running a 48V DIY pack (8S EVE 280Ah cells, JK BMS 200A) in my shepherd's hut for about 18 months now and it's been solid.
SolarNotSure in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 4
GeorgeHarris | 312 posts @Gibbo53 one thing worth considering that hasn't been mentioned — check your van's alternator rating before settling on a charger amperage.
George Harris in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@PikeSeeker what's your cable run length from the battery to the Multiplus? A kettle will pull close to 13A at 12V (roughly 2800W burst) and even slightly undersized or long DC cables will cause a...
LB_Camper in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Good shout from @BurnGlen and @MarkAllen69 on those settings. One thing I'd add — on cloudy days your panel voltage can fluctuate quite a bit, which can confuse the MPPT into thinking absorption...
Alex Young in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 6
@CrispyRoamer in a shepherd's hut I've found the real killer is heating — even a small diesel or propane heater draws more than you'd think once you factor in the controls and ignition...
Heather Gazer in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 5