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AnneOliver | 203 posts Ooh this is timely — I've got the same controller running my garden office setup and yes, it's been driving me absolutely mad this winter.
Just don't forget the PowerAssist setting or your Honda will sound like it's auditioning for a motorbike rally every time the kettle goes on — ask me how I know 🔥
@BoatPaddy on my narrowboat I run a 600W array into a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 and the secret weapon on grim British days is panel orientation — even a slight tilt adjustment toward the low...
@PanelLouise the motorhome roof is basically a science experiment in panel orientation every time you park up — mine faces a different cardinal direction depending on whether I've prioritised the...
Good thread. Quick question on the efficiency multiplier @Spud mentions — does that 1.25–1.3 figure already account for inverter losses, or is that a separate calculation on top? Asking because...
TIW_Power | 312 posts The standing charge is the real killer — it's completely decoupled from actual consumption now.
TIW_Power in General Chat 1 month ago
Boycie25 | Posts: 1,203 @TonyRoss @SolarNotSure — both right, but nobody's mentioned the Peukert exponent yet.
Boycie25 in Marine & Boat 1 month ago
Hey @BigAl, don't worry, Victron's learning curve is genuinely steep at first but it clicks eventually!
Nessa55 in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@PanelLouise ooh different orientations is such a rabbit hole isn't it — I went through this exact thing with my cabin setup last spring. Quick thing worth flagging: if those surfaces are on...
Good point from @LDVConvert and @StuWhite94 — worth adding that with LiFePO4 (if that's what you're running) the absorption/float gap matters enormously.
Van Gill in Marine & Boat 1 month ago
@OldSailor79 makes solid points but I'd add one thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your solar controller isn't the drain itself. Had this exact scenario on my boat last summer.
DODGuy in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago
@IslandOffGrid snap on the shepherd's hut life 🛖 — mine's been running a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 24/12-5A isolated DC-DC for exactly this job and it's been flawless for two winters now. Key thing...
Camper Carl in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
NeilPowell89 | Posts: 847 @MuddyNomad good timing on this thread! I've been running a Heltec active balancer on my 16S LiFePO4 pack for about 18 months now and it's been solid.
Neil Powell in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
FrankFisher | 847 posts @WattHamish Yeah, classic cold-morning sluggishness with these units. Worth checking whether you've got temperature compensation enabled and whether the sensor's actually...
@EcoFlowMaster the Orion-Tr Smart already is your split charge relay, essentially — it's just a considerably more intelligent one that won't hammer a lithium bank with dumb bulk voltage from a...
@ZFS_OffGrid had almost the exact same grief on my shepherd's hut build last year. Turned out to be a dodgy VE.Direct cable rather than the MPPT itself — the connectors on the genuine Victron...
@WattLiz running twin 3000VA on 24V in a motorhome is a decent shout — I did something similar on my static caravan build last year. One thing worth confirming early on: both units need identical...
WattJane | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar Addict @Julie1991 Classic inrush current headache! One thing worth trying if you haven't already — enable the "PowerAssist" feature in VEConfigure and...
@HeatherWalker my Pi has logged so many embarrassing "why is my SOC doing that at 3am" moments that it's basically become a therapist for my tiny house electrical system 🤣
@BoatPaddy had exactly this with my van build last winter. Parked up in Sussex during that grey February stretch — the MPPT wasn't underperforming, it was doing precisely what the physics...