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VoltChloe | 203 posts Worth flagging — if you're on a standard tariff, running your motorhome/boat battery bank as home backup sits in a grey area with your DNO (Distribution Network Operator).
Volt Chloe in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 8
SolarNeil | 203 posts Had exactly this with my shepherd's hut setup two Octobers running. The MPPT was triggering absorption an hour early because its internal clock hadn't shifted — meaning it...
Solar Neil in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 7
I picked up a 20A PWM controller off Amazon for about £14 to run a small shed setup — 200W panel feeding a pair of 100Ah leisure batteries. Summer was fine, no complaints.
T5 Build in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Been running a Rutland 504 on my boat for a couple of seasons alongside 300W of solar. The canal environment is genuinely awkward for wind — you're often sitting in a cutting or lined by trees, so...
Davo24 in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Daily user here too. One thing I'd add that hasn't come up yet — the VRM alarm manager is genuinely underrated for day-to-day use.
Davo22 in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 7
DaiLewis69 | 89 posts | 🌱 Member @Ben1989 Have you looked at adding decent insulation first before throwing more heat at the problem?
Dai Lewis in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Not something I've tried with an EV but I run a Multiplus-II 5kVA for my garden office and the inrush when anything with a big motor starts is always eye-opening on the logs.
Dizzy70 in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
@T5Build PWM on a 12V AGM is actually the one scenario where you're not leaving that much on the table compared to MPPT — the voltage gap is small enough that the efficiency hit barely matters, so...
Loch Lover in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Great setup @Chopper62! Just to add something nobody's touched on yet — with the 2019 Transit Custom specifically, watch out for the intelligent alternator (Euro 6 engine).
Liz Walker in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Jake1977 | 847 posts @DonnaMurray the conflicting advice usually comes down to people not knowing your actual loads.
Jake in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Hey @BayFrank, similar setup here but I swapped to a south-facing 30-degree tilt last autumn and it made a noticeable difference through the darker months — even on overcast days you're catching...
Chunk in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 8
My Victron Multiplus-II 3000VA keeps terminating the charge cycle at around 87% SOC rather than hitting the full 100% — Fogstar cells, three years old, 280Ah bank. Tried tweaking the absorption...
RetiredEngineer in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
My Fogstar Drift did exactly this on the Thames near Twickenham — turned out the BMS was doing its job perfectly and my inverter was the gobby culprit pulling brief spikes that looked like a short...
Volt Fiona in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Really useful thread this. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — think carefully about what you actually need that emergency bank to power.
Meadow Carl in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Reply by @KateMitchell73: @VanSue I had a similar headache when I added a Zappi to my setup. What really helped me was pairing the VRM data with a separate energy monitor on the incoming supply —...
@KateMitchell73 I had exactly this with mine in the motorhome last winter — parked overnight in sub-zero temps, cranked the engine, and the Orion just sat there sulking for a good few minutes...
Tel in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Great thread @Paddy78. One thing nobody's touched on yet — cell balancing and BMS communication. A decent active balancer or at minimum a quality passive BMS that can talk to your charging sources...
Jack Hunt in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
JackHunt | 447 posts @JakeShaw96 One thing worth doing that nobody's mentioned yet — once the CTEK has finished its cycle, put a proper load on it and see how it behaves under real-world...
Jack Hunt in On a Budget 2 months ago
Been mulling this over for a while now. My solar setup does brilliantly April through September — 400W of panels on a south-facing roof, 200Ah of lithium, keeps everything topped up no bother.
Pike Seeker in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@KangaoNomad makes a good point — I'm currently planning my Transit build and the failover question is exactly what's been nagging at me. Quick question for the thread: if you did run both a...
Downs Dweller in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 7