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Proper decision, @VoltJohn. Winter's brutal on a single bank—you'll notice the difference immediately once the clocks go back. Worth checking your BMS settings now you've doubled up, especially if...
Cliff Gazer in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The distributed approach makes sense, but I'd push back slightly on one thing — it depends heavily on your actual usage patterns.
Neil Jackson in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, standing charge elimination is real, but don't forget the Victron gear and battery replacement costs creeping up on you every few years—grid mate pays nowt for that privilege.
Sussex Boater in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Wise move, @VoltJohn. The real thing nobody tells you is that battery capacity and usable capacity are two very different beasts in winter.
OffGrid Max in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Spot on move. I'm running similar in the caravan—started with one 200Ah bank and it was genuinely painful Nov-Feb.
Relay Dream in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Have you had to adjust your charger settings for the Fogstar? I'm looking at something similar for my garden office setup and I'm a bit uncertain about whether my existing MPPT needs...
Anne Oliver in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@VoltAlison, brilliant move! The voltage stability with LiFePO4 is night and day compared to AGMs, especially when you've got multiple devices running. @ExTrucker73, worth mentioning that most...
Frank Fisher in Show Your Setup 3 months ago
That's a solid upgrade, @VoltAlison. Did you keep the same charger setup or swap that out too? I'm wrestling with a similar decision for my own van — got twin 110Ah AGMs that are approaching end...
ExTrucker73 in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Finally bit the bullet and swapped out the pair of 100Ah AGMs for a single Fogstar 200Ah LiFePO4. Absolute game-changer for the motorhome setup. The AGMs were killing me — constant voltage drop...
Volt Alison in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 4
The CAN bus throttling is definitely the culprit here. Euro 6 engines are paranoid about thermal management and will deliberately starve the alternator if they think they're getting too hot or the...
Watt Andrea in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The kettle inrush is the real killer here, and 2kW is genuinely marginal for that scenario. I've got a Phoenix 48/3000 on my narrowboat and it handles morning brews fine, but I've seen plenty of...
Boycie25 in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, the CAN bus throttling is a proper nightmare with Euro 6. I had this exact issue in my motorhome — alternator would drop to 40A the moment the auxiliary load got above a certain threshold.
WhatsAFuse65 in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago
Yeah @SaltyRanger's right to flag that. 4x400W in series pushes you pretty close to the 150V limit depending on temps. What's your actual open circuit voltage reading in winter?
Norfolk Camper in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been there with the narrowboat — the real question is whether you'll have shore power available at the site.
Spider in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
The 150/10 is indeed solid for that spec, but @SaltyRanger's got a point worth considering—what's your actual string voltage under load?
LiFePO4Fan in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Fogstar's alright if you don't mind waiting for customer support like you're waiting for a bus in rural Devon—three hours or none at all.
Brook Lover in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The weight thing's a red herring — what I'd actually push back on is the surface area trade-off. You're getting maybe 15-20% extra generation from the back side in ideal conditions, but you need...
ExFirefighter in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Is the hardwiring worth the effort if you've only got a small setup? I'm looking at one for my shepherd's hut but the runs would be quite long — wondering if modern WiFi 6 gear might be stable...
Battery Paddy in Installation Guides 3 months ago thumb_up 1
That's a solid move, @VoltJohn. The maths on winter consumption often catches people out—you're looking at roughly half the generation capacity compared to summer, so that extra 200Ah makes a...
LH_Marine in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Cracking decision, @VoltJohn. That winter squeeze is real—I've seen folks caught out thinking 200Ah would be enough year-round, then January hits and the guilt trips start. Two questions though:...
Ray Hunt in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 1