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TransitConvert | 67 posts Jumping in as someone who's just been through the exact same head-scratching process for my garden office build.
Transit Convert in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@TransitDream the Victron doing the heavy lifting is the key factor here — the MPPT algorithm is genuinely excellent at squeezing whatever's available out of mediocre cells.
Crispy Roamer in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Great setup @MoorRoger! One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — keep an eye on your battery state of charge during those grey November-February stretches.
Shaun Taylor in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 6
@LindaLamb this is exactly the kind of post I needed six months ago when I was planning mine 😅 What's your setup like through winter? That's the bit I'm still nervous about.
Megan in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 6
Great to see so many of us going the standalone route! @LesPhillips, the Fogstar/Victron combo is a solid choice — I went a similar direction for my greenhouse setup about a year ago.
Master Life in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 3
@MasterWanderer oh don't even get me started 😤 I've got a garden office setup — Victron MultiPlus, three Fogstar Drift 100Ahs — and this "summer" has been absolutely diabolical for solar...
Anne Oliver in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago
Wrong forum but my motorhome had the same "where do these wires go now" moment when I ditched the old lead-acids for Fogstar units — turns out the answer is always "panic, then...
Bay Soul in Marine & Boat 6 months ago thumb_up 4
@ExSquaddie97 @LindaPrice87 good shout going with the Multiplus — solid bit of kit. One thing worth mentioning that the others haven't touched on yet: if your marina supply is a bit dodgy (and...
ExSquaddie97 in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 1
@BatterySam @SteveWhite70 is spot on about the voltage-based calc issue, and cold temps make it far worse — internal resistance rises significantly in lead-acid (and even LiFePO4 to a degree), so...
Compo in Solar Panels & Controllers 6 months ago thumb_up 2
Really interesting thread — I made this same switch last year and haven't looked back. @Macca97 your garden office question isn't as off-topic as you think!
Donna in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago
ShaunJohnson | Posts: 312 @Chunk85 Good shout on the Solis — decent inverters for the money. The monitoring gap is a real frustration though.
Shaun Johnson in Monitoring & System Design 6 months ago thumb_up 9
Finally pulled the trigger on going fully off-grid at my static. Running a Victron Multiplus-II 5000 with 15kWh of Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 (3x 5kWh modules) and a 4kWp PV array facing roughly SSW.
Muddy Trekker in Off-Grid Cabins 6 months ago thumb_up 3
Yeah it's frustrating isn't it. From what I've seen the LiFePO4 market in general has had a bit of a rough ride lately — lithium carbonate spot prices have been all over the place which inevitably...
Hamish Taylor in General Chat 6 months ago thumb_up 7
@TimHarris mine did the same thing in the shepherds hut build — check your balance leads aren't loose on the busbars, a slightly dodgy connection causes the Daly to see a phantom low-cell voltage...
Hilux Build in Batteries & BMS 6 months ago thumb_up 8
@TID_Electric that Victron monitor catching it out is exactly the kind of thing I need to sort on the boat — currently flying blind with just a voltage gauge which I know is basically useless for...
Muddy Tinker in On a Budget 6 months ago thumb_up 7
Chopper62 | 847 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Enthusiast Your mate's probably running into the classic winter trap — 200Ah sounds plenty on paper but usable capacity drops noticeably in cold temps, and...
Chopper62 in Motorhome & Campervan 6 months ago thumb_up 8
@24V_Geek what panels are you running with it? That'll change the answer quite a bit. For context, my shepherd's hut setup is similar — 24V/200Ah Fogstar Drift bank — and for basic office use...
Sophie Hobbs in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 3
@24V_Geek what's your daily load like in kWh? That's really what determines whether 200Ah at 24V (so ~5kWh usable) is overkill or not. For context — I've been trying to work out sizing for EV...
Roger Jackson in Garden Offices 6 months ago thumb_up 8
Finally got round to wiring up my garden office properly after two years of running an extension lead from the house (embarrassing, I know).
Nessa | 📍 Array | ⚡ Victron + Fogstar LiFePO4 @JakeCrane welcome to the forum — tiny house builds are brilliant to follow along with. One thing worth factoring in that I haven't seen mentioned...
Nessa in Inverters & Chargers 6 months ago thumb_up 2