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@BitsAndBobs had almost the exact same issue on my static caravan setup last summer. Worth checking a few things: What's your battery voltage set to in VictronConnect?
HMK_Sparks in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
HeatherOllie | 847 posts Yes, had almost identical with my Drift pack last February! The BMS was throwing low-temp protection errors around 4–5°C which is actually it working correctly — LiFePO4...
Really resonates with my cabin setup. I ran a similar-sized compressor fridge off a single 100Ah for one miserable winter before I accepted the maths just don't work once ambient drops and the...
Pike Walker in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 7
Really useful thread this. One thing I'd add to what @T6Solar and @MarshPete have raised about profile conflicts — have you considered using a Victron Battery Protect or a simple VSR (voltage...
Kelly Burns in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1
TracyRobinson | 564 posts Something nobody's mentioned yet — think carefully about your usable capacity versus nameplate capacity.
Tracy Robinson in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 9
BreezyDrifter | 📍 Array | ⚡ Narrowboat On the boat I ran the 18A for ages — fine when the engine's ticking over regularly but you really notice it if you're not running much.
Breezy Drifter in DC-DC Chargers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 4
BerlingoWanderer | 📍 East Midlands | ⚡ 3.6kWp / 280Ah LiFePO4 @BorderNomad worth looking at Node-RED running on a Raspberry Pi alongside the Cerbo — it's been a game changer for me with...
Berlingo Wanderer in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5
@LizHunt replied: @SarahFrost I've got four of those cheapies on my narrowboat and they've held up better than I expected, though I did get caught out early on with wildly optimistic watt ratings.
Liz Hunt in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2
I've been running a 280Ah bank of reconditioned 3.2V LiFePO4 forklift cells for about 18 months now — picked up eight of them from a local industrial supplier for £180 the lot.
FormerMechanic68 in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
Chopper84 | 524 posts Nice to see others doing this! I've got a 400W panel on my workshop/office and kept it completely separate from the house system by choice - if one goes down it doesn't...
Chopper84 in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2
BorderCruiser | 1,203 posts Great question @CamperDan. Without knowing your exact loads it's hard to pin down, but as a rough starting point I'd suggest working backwards from your daily essential...
Border Cruiser in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6
@FormerMechanic classic cold-temp BMS behaviour — the Fogstar Drift cuts charging below 5°C to protect the cells, which is correct.
Ed Hamilton in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago
So I've ended up with a bit of a Frankenstein setup on the roof of my Kangoo — two 175W panels from a mate's old installation and one 200W panel I picked up off eBay.
Kangoo Wanderer in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1
Chunk66 | 2,156 posts @Nessa61 One thing worth checking that nobody's mentioned yet — has the SmartShunt ever had a proper full synchronisation since you installed it?
Picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 for the garden office build and it's driving me absolutely mental.
Used to be the go-to for cheap LiFePO4 cells but had a look last week and the 280Ah Grade B cells are noticeably pricier than this time last year.
Jim Kelly in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 3
@Jess1989 and @BrookRunner make a really crucial point there — a decent DC-DC charger (B2B) between the alternator and the lithium bank is non-negotiable in my view.
John Chapman in Marine & Boat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 9
Hey @FormerCop77, similar setup here and yeah, winter is properly humbling. One thing that's helped me is shifting to overnight DC-DC charging from the van's alternator on driving days rather than...
Crispy Rigger in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 3
DuctTapeDave60 | 312 posts Good shout @Rodney. I went twin 100Ah Drifts in parallel rather than a single 200Ah — gave me flexibility to add a third later without replacing the whole bank.
DuctTapeDave60 in On a Budget 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5
Following on from what @T6Solar raised about the MPPT profile — worth double-checking your absorption voltage isn't creeping up and stressing the AGM when both banks are somehow in the same...
Marsh Pete in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5