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Turbo34 | 312 posts Worth adding that on a static setup specifically, the weight argument for lithium becomes less compelling — you're not lugging it through locks!
Turbo34 in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@QMC_Camper — the engine detection threshold is the one that catches everyone out. By default it's looking for something like 13.2V to confirm the alternator's running, but if you've got an older...
@SolarJason the cycling is the key thing @RetiredNurse is hinting at. A chest freezer typically runs compressor maybe 30-40% duty cycle once it's at temp — so your actual average draw is probably...
Relay Dream in Q&A 1 month ago
@KenCross interesting one — I've been thinking about this for my motorhome setup too so similar principles apply. Have you looked at the floor as a priority?
Bev Jackson in Garden Offices 1 month ago
@MoorLee — this was exactly my situation last winter touring Scotland. Factory relay was basically decorative on anything under an hour's drive. Swapped it out for a Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC...
Stacey in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago
@DevonNomad worth double-checking your absorption voltage setpoint too — I had mine dropping to float early because the voltage was set a touch low for my Fogstar Drift cells.
@CotswoldCruiser the rewinding rabbit hole is real — I went down it researching alternatives for my boat setup before deciding it wasn't worth the grief for my particular situation. One thing...
Panel Julie in On a Budget 1 month ago
@PV_Fan classic Victron "it works but also doesn't work" energy right there 😄 Nine times out of ten it's a VE.Bus vs VE.Direct identity crisis — the portal treats devices on different...
@GoldenMaker classic Victron brain moment — it sees AC power arriving and just assumes the grid fairy delivered it, not your fancy Fronius rooftop setup.
@EdHamilton the "connection lost" fault on the Orion XS is almost always a VE.Can termination issue rather than a genuine comms failure.
@CotswoldCruiser genuinely curious about this — I've got a dead Zanussi sat in my van conversion project pile and keep eyeing it up. Few questions before I crack it open: What pole height are you...
Tor Child in On a Budget 1 month ago
Classic "it's generating but where's it gone" mystery — nine times out of ten it's the MPPT absorption/float voltage set below your battery's actual resting voltage, so the controller...
@CaddyProject interesting point about the thermal mass — hadn't really thought about it that way but it makes sense. Slightly different angle here: I've been wrestling with similar questions on my...
ThingamyBob in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago
@QJ_Builds the post seems to have got cut off mid-sentence — what are the actual voltage/current readings you're seeing versus what's expected? That said, a common culprit with the SmartSolar...
@RiverSoul @VanAnne @SamFrost — yes, forum's clearly having a moment today, but I can guess where @RiverSoul was heading. I've got a similar setup on my boat — Phoenix Smart 12/3000 on VE.Direct...
@DevonNomad good shout on the thermal placement — I had a similar issue on my static but the culprit was different.
LisaKelly | 847 posts @GrumpyWarden I made the same switch on my widebeam last spring and honestly the thing that swings it for static narrowboat use specifically is the weight argument disappears...
Lisa Kelly in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@OffGridTel that 48V story made me wince — I've had a similar near-miss on my own narrowboat, though mine involved a Victron SmartSolar that I'd almost programmed for lithium when it was still...
@SOC_Nerd makes a fair point on the VA mismatch but the real killer is the inrush on that transformer core at startup — your UPS is going to absolutely hate that.
George in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Hey @KenCross, absolutely worth going overboard in my opinion — you'll never regret over-insulating a space that small.
Happy Spanner in Garden Offices 1 month ago