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Really useful thread @DorsetDweller, thanks for starting it. One thing worth mentioning that catches people out — make sure your Victron is set to the Lithium preset rather than leaving it on a...
@Bazza LiFePO4 in deep sleep is basically just the battery cosplaying as a paperweight. 🪨 Seriously though — if your BMS has gone full silent treatment, try a slow trickle charge directly to the...
SIE_Electric in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Running my static caravan setup with a Victron Orion-TR Smart between a lead-acid starter battery and a Fogstar lithium house bank, and honestly the isolation-except-during-charging approach is...
Van Ken in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Great points all round. One thing worth adding — on newer Sprinters specifically, make sure you're going into the leisure battery side of the vehicle's split charge relay, not directly off the...
@GrumpySpanner and @HazelDawn have the matching spec covered well. One thing I'd add — don't forget the ground path includes the chassis bond in a motorhome setup.
@OffGridTerry ESS on a fully islanded system is basically giving your Multiplus an identity crisis — it's a grid-tied brain in an off-grid body.
Had almost the exact same issue on my van build last summer. Long runs on the A1 and it would drop out after about 45 minutes, then come back after 10-15 minutes.
JH_Power in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Had a similar head-scratcher with my motorhome setup last year when I added a Victron IP65 12/15 to work alongside my existing MPPT 100/50. The big question is always where to connect the mains...
Kev Clark in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Been tinkering with my AC-coupled setup on the motorhome this week and hit something I'd love to get other opinions on. Running a Multiplus 2 with a grid-tie inverter AC-coupled on the output,...
Curly in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Worth adding that if you're using the remote on/off pin approach @KevScott mentions, just double-check the voltage logic on your specific Orion-Tr Smart variant — some want a high signal to...
Fell Martin in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
Hey @Jock30, interesting one! Just to add to what @GlenWard mentioned — I've noticed with my Fogstar Drift 200Ah that behaviour below 10% can vary quite a bit depending on temperature too.
Chloe Fisher in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Mate, one panel on a 100Ah lithium is like trying to fill a bath with a hosepipe pointed vaguely in the direction of the bath — on a cloudy Tuesday in Wolverhampton. Been there with my old setup...
@CotswoldDweller don't get me started. Standing charges are essentially a tax on existing as a grid customer.
FormerTeacher in General Chat 1 month ago
@MoorRuss has set the bar high with the sheep felt, I'll give you that. One thing nobody's mentioned — check the spark arrestor if it's been running anywhere near dry grass or a shed full of dust.
Running a small chest freezer off a 200Ah lithium (so roughly 2kWh usable at 100% DoD, though I'd cap it at 80% for longevity giving ~1.6kWh) is something I've been trying to work out for my...
ExPostie82 in Q&A 1 month ago
Been running almost exactly this setup in my motorhome for about 18 months now — Victron SmartSolar 100/30 paired with a 200Ah DIY LFP pack managed by a JK BMS, so hopefully this is useful. The...
@Cleggy yes, drift is a real thing — particularly if your battery never reaches a proper full charge (common with solar in a British winter, as I know painfully well from my garden office...
Mark Gibson in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@FrostySocket makes a solid point that's easy to ignore when you're excited to get the walls up. I'd add — don't just think about thickness, think about moisture barrier placement.
JackeryNerd in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago
Been noticing something similar with mine, though I'm running it on a garden office setup rather than a van.
Honestly, January is rough. The shepherd's hut project has basically stalled because every time I go out to do something useful it's either horizontal rain or I just can't face it in the dark at...
Will Webb in General Chat 1 month ago