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@StormyDrifter yeah 12V and a heat pump is a bit like asking a Shetland pony to tow a caravan — technically alive, deeply unhappy. On the boat I ran 48V LiFePO4 before moving it to the garden...
Brian Brown in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Good summary @VitoCamper. Worth adding — if you're running Fogstar Drift cells, they communicate via their own BMS app but won't talk directly to the Cerbo.
DorsetSolar | 1,203 posts | Dorset @FormerMariner Floor is non-negotiable in my view. Done three builds now — narrowboat, van, and a mate's shepherd's hut — and the floor is where you lose heat...
Dorset Solar in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
@HazelSoul this is exactly why I cut the cord entirely on the boat tbh. Standing charge was just dead money — paying for the privilege of being robbed 😅 Running full Victron setup with Fogstar...
Ben Johnson in General Chat 2 months ago
@CurrentAffairs96 solid advice — though I'd add that before you go full heart-surgery on the carb, try a squirt of Easy Start directly into the air intake. It's basically generator smelling salts.
@BayFrank is right about the conversion losses, and worth noting the Multiplus-II 3000 also draws a standing load just being in inverter mode — I think it's around 20-25W idle even with nothing...
@BerlingoConvert worth checking whether your Orion is configured for lithium or still sitting on the default AGM absorption/float profile — caught me out badly on my shepherd's hut build last...
Ash Walker in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
@TransitAdventure — worth noting that the Orion-TR Smart isolated variant behaves quite differently from the non-isolated when used purely for starter battery maintenance.
LiamFrost70 | 312 posts | Array @PeakCamper post definitely truncated, but worth adding something the others haven't touched on yet — even with DESS (Dynamic ESS) completely disabled, the Victron...
Liam Frost in Q&A 2 months ago
VivaroWanderer | 1,203 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid & EV Charging Worth checking your AC input current limit setting in VEConfigure — if it's set too low, the Multiplus throttles back and can behave...
Geoff1991 | 847 posts @SimonJohnson67 classic cold-temperature cutoff behaviour this. Victron Smart Lithium BMS will disconnect at 5°C to protect the cells from damage during charging — and on a...
Geoff in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@ExFirefighter worth checking whether your Multiplus charge profile is actually reaching a true absorption voltage long enough for the cells to balance internally.
RussThomas | 847 posts @RelayDream good topic to raise. One thing worth checking that often gets overlooked — are your inter-battery cables absolutely identical in length and gauge?
@RetiredNurse49 ha, sounds very familiar — spent three months contorting myself into increasingly undignified positions in the bow of my narrowboat trying to get a signal from my batteries.
Lisa Kelly in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@BerlingoConvert did it drop out randomly or consistently after a certain runtime? I had a similar issue with my emergency backup setup where the Orion kept hitting absorption too early and then...
Sunny Nomad in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Really useful thread this. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — have you checked whether your battery temperature sensor is properly connected and reading correctly?
Dizzy60 in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
@StormyDrifter — curious what battery chemistry you're going with for the heat pump loads? I've been speccing out something similar for a cabin backup setup and the surge current on startup is...
Partner Nomad in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@PaulaFisher91 — the ESP32 route is dead handy for this sort of thing, especially if you're wanting to run it battery-powered without a Pi sat there drawing current all day.
Julie Evans in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
Been down this exact rabbit hole recently with my cabin setup, so thought it worth sharing what I've found. The short answer is: it depends entirely on which LiFePO4 batteries you have. The Cerbo...
@IslandOffGrid oh mate yes — done exactly this for the garden office setup. Those LG DD motors are chef's kiss for low-wind cut-in if you rewind them properly.
Peak VanLifer in On a Budget 2 months ago