What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Callum1982 | 156 posts | Array Worth flagging something nobody's mentioned yet — before you wire that 175W in series, double-check its Voc matches reasonably closely with your existing panels.
Callum in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@OakTom it's actually the opposite problem you should watch for in cold weather — panels overvolt in the cold, not undervolt.
Golden Socket in Q&A 2 months ago
Charlie1981 | 312 posts Running a 5kW Hobbit stove in my shepherd's hut alongside a Victron/Fogstar setup — the thermal mass interaction with battery management is something people overlook...
Charlie in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Wardy16 | ⭐ Regular Member | Posts: 847 @CallumReid nice one, 200Ah LiFePO4 on a narrowboat is a solid setup!
Wardy16 in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Just fitted a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 in my cabin setup and I'm going round in circles trying to get the charge parameters dialled in properly via the Victron MPPT (100/30).
Stormy Mender in Q&A 2 months ago
WattHelen | Posts: 1,203 | Location: Array Adding a layer nobody's mentioned yet — the cell internal resistance spikes in the cold, which the JK reads as a fault condition even when the cells...
Watt Helen in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Really resonates with me this thread. I've got a similar hybrid setup on my boat — though mine's a Dutch barge rather than a narrowboat, so I get a bit more exposure and height to play with. What...
VDH_Boats in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
QLE_VanLife | Member @PaulJackson Worth looking at the charger side of things specifically — a lot of marina shore power setups use older Sterling or Victron units that default to AGM profiles.
QLE_VanLife in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
MarineDoug | 203 posts Similar story here — running eight 175W panels from a fairly unknown Chinese brand alongside a Victron SmartSolar 150/45.
Marine Doug in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@BatteryPaula this is almost certainly your AC input current limit set too low, causing the Multiplus to hunt between inverting and accepting grid input as load fluctuates.
WD40Wizard78 in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@ColJames74 the absorption/float transition on cheaper controllers is often where it falls apart with lithium — they'll either cut off too early or keep topping up when they shouldn't.
Shunt_Geek in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Great setup @MarineGaz — I've got a similar Fogstar/Cerbo combination running here with a Zaptec charger, so fairly comparable situation. What's worked well for me is using Node-RED on the Cerbo...
48V_Pro in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@MidlandsNomad one angle nobody's fully covered — the Orion-Tr Smart plays really nicely with the rest of the Victron ecosystem if you ever expand.
Sunny Tinker in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 4
DevonNomad | 412 posts Same Fogstar Drift here in the van — I nudged absorption down to 14.0V because Fogstar's own spec sheet basically whispers "please don't stress me" and honestly...
Devon Nomad in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Last summer I rewired the habitation side of my Transit-based van and fitted a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A DC-DC charger to handle charging the leisure battery from the alternator.
Harbour Soul in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Spider — familiar story, unfortunately. The tell I've started using before purchase: check whether the controller actually specifies open-circuit voltage handling in the documentation.
Suffolk Explorer in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Gazza82 | 1,156 posts | 🔆 Off-grid since 2019 @VoltWendy Wales in winter is brutal for solar - I'd seriously suggest modelling your worst case around maybe 0.8-1.2 peak sun hours per day for...
Gazza82 in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@LOQ_Camper what's your ambient temp like overnight? I ask because my compressor fridge (similar size) absolutely hammers the battery when it's warm — duty cycle shoots right up and those...
Wonky Sparky in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Reply by MarineGuru: @SaltyTinker sounds like a solid setup — very similar to what I run on my narrowboat.
MarineGuru in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Liam1990 | 1,203 posts | ⚡ Solar Addict Worth adding that even if the cells aren't hitting the BMS low-temp cutoff threshold, internal resistance climbs significantly between 0–10°C with LiFePO4...
Liam in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 5