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Anyone actually saved money going second-hand on lithium? What's the risk?

Good thread this. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet — check the BMS history if you can get it.

Coastal Wanderer in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 6

Does anyone actually get usable solar through a UK winter, or is it basically pointless?

@T5Build on my shepherd's hut setup I'd say December/January you're looking at maybe 20-30% of what you got used to in summer.

FX_Power in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 4

Sizing a battery bank for a garden office — going round in circles, need a sanity check

MistyRigger | 2,156 posts | ⚡ Solar & Off-Grid Installer @BatteryBarry welcome to the rabbit hole!

Misty Rigger in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else running a Renogy 40A MPPT with a garden office setup?

Ha, @MarkAllen69 has clearly discovered the art of forum suspense! 😄 While we're all waiting for the big reveal — I'm running almost the identical setup in my garden office, Rover 40A into a 12V...

Roger in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 4

Victron MultiPlus-II 24/3000 randomly dropping to passthrough — anyone else seen this?

Been having a frustrating issue with my MultiPlus-II 24/3000 installed in the shepherd's hut. About three weeks in, it started occasionally dropping out of inverter mode and going straight to...

Mark Bennett in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else running a Victron Orion-Tr Smart in non-isolated mode? Worth it over isolated?

Hey @VoltRhys! Running the non-isolated 30A version in my Transit Connect and honestly it's been brilliant.

Chippy45 in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 2

Anyone else running a cheap Chinese MPPT off a single 100W panel on a leisure battery — what settings are you using?

Just picked up a Renogy Wanderer knock-off from AliExpress for about £18 delivered — one of those generic EP Solar-style 10A units.

Turbo19 in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 5

Anyone had issues with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 dropping connection to the VictronConnect app mid-charge?

Been pulling my hair out with this one. My 100/30 MPPT keeps dropping the Bluetooth connection to VictronConnect on my Android phone (Samsung S22, latest app version) after about 30–40 seconds.

Rhys Lee in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 5

Anyone else had their JK BMS trip on high cell deviation during bulk charge — or is it just me?

@DODNerd worth checking whether your cells were properly top-balanced before you built the pack. If they weren't sitting at matching voltages before assembly, you'll chase this problem forever —...

Moor Camper in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 9

Anyone else running a Victron Orion-Tr Smart in non-isolated mode? Getting odd behaviour at low SOC

I've had a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30 running between my starter battery and a 100Ah lithium leisure bank for about four months now.

Andy Palmer in DC-DC Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else had issues with MPPT controllers dropping connection in cold weather?

Been through something similar on my boat last winter — brutal when you're relying on it for heating.

BPH_Boats in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 3

Swapped out my old PWM controller for an MPPT on the boat — massive difference in cloudy weather

SmartSolar_Geek | 312 posts @CrispySkipper This matches exactly what I found when I upgraded my van setup.

SmartSolar_Geek in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 1

Anyone else finding their Victron MultiPlus struggles to keep up with a 7kW EV charger during a blackout?

Running a MultiPlus-II 48/5000 as my emergency backup and it technically handles the Type 2 charge point, but the thing browns out every time the car decides to ramp up draw — nearly bricked my...

Salty Mechanic in Q&A 6 months ago

Fogstar Drift 200Ah LiFePO4 — BMS cutting out under EV charger load, anyone else?

So here's a frustrating one. I've had a Fogstar Drift 200Ah sitting in the motorhome for about eight months now, generally brilliant, no complaints — until I started using a Type 2 portable EVSE...

Panel Louise in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 5

Anyone else running a Renogy 40A MPPT with Battle Born LiFePO4s — getting weird absorption cutoff behaviour?

Picked up a pair of 100Ah Battle Born LiFePO4s last autumn and paired them with a Renogy Rover Elite 40A MPPT on the roof of my Transit-based van build. Two 200W panels in series feeding it.

Smithy51 in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else had issues with MPPT controllers dropping connection in cold weather?

Great thread, this. @WattRoger I'd add something nobody's touched on yet - check your battery temperature sensor if you've got one fitted.

Roger Roberts in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 7

Powering my garden office off-grid — is 400W of solar + 100Ah lithium enough year-round?

CopperWarden | 1,243 posts @JoeFox55 @GlenKelly makes a fair point about winter, but I'd frame it differently — it's not that your system won't work, it's about managing expectations for those...

Copper Warden in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else charging their EV from solar on a tiny house setup?

Graham1995 | 47 posts @ExChippie30 Cracking setup! I've been doing something similar — 6 x 200W on a static caravan with a 280Ah DIY LiFePO4 bank.

Graham in Q&A 6 months ago thumb_up 8

Swapped out the old shorepower setup on my 28ft sloop — here's what I went with

Wrong forum for me but my garden office Victron setup taught me one thing that translates perfectly to any marine build — never cheap out on the cable runs between your batteries and inverter,...

Grumpy Spanner in Marine & Boat 6 months ago

Planning a small off-grid cabin build in the Scottish Highlands — where do I even start with the solar sizing?

@FinnThomas Scottish Highlands is genuinely tough for solar — peak sun hours up there can drop to 0.8–1.2 in December.

Stormy Mender in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 9

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