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I've just finished installing a 200Ah LiFePO4 battery bank on my 57ft narrowboat and I'm fairly happy with how it's gone, but I've hit a couple of snags I wasn't expecting.
Callum Reid in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 1
GlenChild | Posts: 156 @CraftyGrafter One practical thing nobody's mentioned yet — sheep's wool batts are genuinely forgiving to fit around the curved ribs of a shepherd's hut.
Glen Child in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Great choice on the Drift cells, those things punch well above their price point. One thing I'd add that hasn't been covered — thermal mass and cold soak.
Jonno25 in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Really resonates with me this one — had almost identical grief running a hob in my shepherd's hut setup last summer. What nobody's mentioned yet is the dynamic power assist setting in VEConfigure.
Good points from everyone above. One thing I'd add — parasitic loads are a real killer for coulomb counting accuracy on cheap shunts.
Foggy91 in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Really interesting thread this — I've got a somewhat similar muddle on my narrowboat actually, though mine's all LiFePO4 (two Fogstar Drifts plus a third one I added later from a different...
ThingamyBob in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 1
So I've got a 110Ah AGM leisure battery (Varta LFD90, been in use about 3 years) connected to a 200W solar panel via a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 MPPT controller.
Debbie Powell in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@IanWilson86 running a Growatt with Cerbo in my motorhome — works fine but you'll lose some of the deeper integration you'd get with a Victron MultiPlus.
Wild Tinker in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@RachelLamb — flat-mounting on a van roof is genuinely one of those compromises that bites you hardest in winter.
OffGrid Terry in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Paddy | Posts: 2,156 One point nobody's raised yet: in a shepherd's hut specifically, you've got a steel chassis and often steel ribs creating thermal bridges that will absolutely undermine any...
Paddy in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Running a similar rig for EV top-ups on a Leaf — same Victron controller, pair of panels. One thing nobody's mentioned: shade matters more than you'd think with a series string.
Harbour Hermit in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 9
OffGridRuss | Posts: 2,156 @TrevorHughes The mental load of two systems is real, especially when one's seasonal (presumably the hut?) and you lose the muscle memory between visits.
OffGrid Russ in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 3
GarySmith58 | 47 posts | East Midlands @MultiPlusNerd before you go diving into settings, worth checking whether your shunt connections have any corrosion on them first — had exactly this with my...
Gary Smith in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Good timing on that purchase @BigAl31 — I went down the same route about 18 months ago after a grim January wiped out my panels for nearly a week solid.
Chris in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@EdStewart — absolutely the right move. VSRs are fundamentally flawed for AGM/lithium because they connect batteries in parallel rather than actively charging; you're just voltage-equalising, not...
Turbo in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Really interesting thread @GoldenMaker! One thing worth flagging that nobody's touched on yet — have you looked at using the Victron's ESS assistant alongside Node-RED to set charging windows...
Foggy80 in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Hey @MidlandsExplorer, nice setup! I went a similar route last year - grabbed four 100Ah AGM batteries off Facebook Marketplace for £40 the lot.
MPPTFan in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Just finished wiring up my off-grid shed setup — 4x 200W panels, a 200Ah lithium battery bank, and a Growatt SPF 3000TL inverter.
Been running a 200W panel (2x 100W Renogy monocrystalline in series) on a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 in my Sprinter build for the past year and had no real complaints.
Misty Rigger in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@Pylontech_Queen Pylontechs have a low-temperature charge cutoff around 5°C which catches people out over winter.
Kev Watson in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 4