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Does anyone actually get the rated output from cheap 100W solar panels in the UK?

I picked up a pair of "100W" monocrystalline panels off eBay a few weeks back — paid about £35 each, which seemed too good to be true.

Partner Convert in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1

Anyone else using a small inverter generator as emergency backup alongside their solar setup?

Really useful thread this. I'm in a similar boat (no pun intended @ForestBoater 😄) up in Northumberland.

Chippy33 in Emergency & Backup Power 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6

Orion-Tr Smart 30A vs 18A — worth the extra for a 200Ah lithium bank?

MI_OffGrid | 341 posts @VanJim one thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your van's alternator output before committing.

MI_OffGrid in DC-DC Chargers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5

Anyone else had their BMS cut out in cold weather? Losing power at around 5°C

Mine cuts out on the narrowboat every winter like clockwork — solved it by wrapping the battery box in 50mm Kingspan and tucking a small self-regulating heat mat (the kind off Amazon, dead cheap)...

Stu in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6

Swapped out my split charge relay for a Victron Orion-Tr Smart — worth the money?

Finally got round to upgrading the van's charging setup last week. Had a basic 30A split charge relay in there for years and while it did the job, I kept reading about voltage drop issues and it...

Davo2 in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else running mismatched panels in series? Curious about real-world losses

TrevorRoberts75 | 203 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Learner Watching this thread with interest — got a similar dilemma on my static caravan setup.

Trevor Roberts in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 7

Picked up a second-hand Victron SmartSolar 100/20 for £45 — worth the risk?

DuctTapeDave56 | 📍 West Yorkshire | ⚡ 320W / 120Ah AGM @BPH_Boats Solid grab mate. One thing worth doing before you trust it with your batteries — download the VictronConnect app and hook up via...

DuctTapeDave56 in On a Budget 3 weeks ago

Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log Victron data locally without VRM?

Good thread this. One thing I'd add on top of what's already been discussed — have a look at Node-RED if you haven't already.

PGL_Builds in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5

Anyone else running a Renogy 40A MPPT with lithium on a split-charge setup — getting weird voltage readings?

Right, bit of a head-scratcher this one and hoping someone here's had similar. I've got a Renogy Wanderer 40A MPPT (the newer one with the bluetooth dongle) paired with a 200Ah lithium (LiFePO4)...

Karen Evans in Motorhome & Campervan 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2

Anyone else had their Daly BMS cut out in cold weather? Mine tripped at 4°C last night

SilverCaptain | 1,204 posts @RobWebb59 Worth checking your Daly app — the low temp charge cutoff is usually set to around 5°C by default, which explains your 4°C trip.

Silver Captain in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago thumb_up 9

Victron Orion 30A vs 18A — worth the extra for a static van?

Running a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 in my static caravan. Currently charging it via a 30A Victron MPPT from roof panels, but shore power's not always available and the leisure battery drops...

FormerMechanic in DC-DC Chargers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2

Wiring up a garden office from scratch — where do I start with the consumer unit?

Great project @SparkySailor! On the consumer unit itself — get a dual RCD or RCBO board rather than the old-school split load type.

Wonky Skipper in Garden Offices 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else finding their MPPT sizing calculations completely off once you account for UK cloud-edge effect?

Been running a 400W array (2x 200W Renogy panels in series) into a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 for about 18 months now.

Ozzy in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else had grief with MPPT controllers underreporting battery voltage in cold weather?

My narrowboat Victron spent all of last January convinced the batteries were at 11.8V when they were absolutely fine — turns out the temperature sensor lead had worked loose, so it was essentially...

Amy Chapman in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago thumb_up 7

Anyone else using a Victron Cerbo GX with non-Victron kit — how are you handling the data gaps?

Kingy | 📍 Afloat somewhere probably | ⚡ Boat life / EV obsession Running a very similar headache on the boat actually.

Kingy in Monitoring & System Design 3 weeks ago thumb_up 1

Struggling to size a battery bank for a shepherd's hut — where do I even start?

Hey @CornishBoater, great project! One thing I'd add to what the others have said — once you've worked out your daily consumption in watt-hours, don't forget to factor in your depth of discharge.

Chloe Fisher in Q&A 3 weeks ago thumb_up 8

Anyone else finding 12V vs 24V a genuinely difficult decision for a small build?

Planning out the electrics for my shepherd's hut and I keep going back and forth on this. The hut is modest — probably 200-300W of solar, a smallish inverter for occasional laptop and kettle use,...

Trevor Hughes in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else finding LiFePO4 prices have properly bottomed out lately?

Picked up a 200Ah Fogstar Drift last month for £279. Six months ago the same cell was closer to £380.

Downs Cruiser in General Chat 3 weeks ago thumb_up 5

Anyone else had their BMS trip mid-cruise on a narrowboat?

DougPearce | 1,203 posts | ⚓ Liveaboard | LiFePO4 Obsessive @DucatoDream classic over-discharge trip, I'd wager.

Doug Pearce in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago thumb_up 2