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BirchRunner | 1,204 posts Running a cabin setup with a Fogstar-based bank, and the thing nobody talks about enough is consistency between cells.
Birch Runner in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 8
What @Dave1983 said about threshold settings is worth acting on quickly. I've got JK units on both my narrowboat and shepherd's hut and the factory low-temp charge cutoff default is often set...
Volt Chloe in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Been thinking about this a lot lately. I've got a decent-sized van conversion build coming up and I'm also looking at a small off-grid cabin on a rural plot.
JubileeClipHero5 in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Good points all round here. One thing I'd add — for a shepherd's hut that's only seeing weekend use, your cycle count over, say, five years is going to be relatively modest compared to a full-time...
Ray Cross in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 2
GlenKelly | Posts: 312 @CraftyGrafter Worth considering that sheep's wool handles moisture brilliantly - it can absorb and release humidity without losing much thermal performance, which matters...
Glen Kelly in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Hey @SamBennett, sounds like the post got cut off but I think I know where you're going with this! The short answer is — it depends entirely on what relay you've got in there. A standard split...
Watt Gaz in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Running a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 on my narrowboat and the mast shadow sweeps across my two 100W panels (wired in parallel) pretty much every afternoon.
GeorgeSmith97 | 134 posts @Roger1983 cracking project mate. One thing worth flagging if you haven't already sorted it — thermal management is something a lot of people overlook with the gen 1 Leaf...
George Smith in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@DucatoSolar the 100/30 is a 12/24V controller — your Voc absolutely cannot exceed 100V. Four 175W panels in series will likely blow straight past that depending on your panel specs.
SOC_Nerd in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@Nobby yes, massively undershooting it. 100Ah LiFePO4 gives you ~1.2kWh usable. A laptop, monitor, and basic lighting will chew through that by early afternoon on a decent day — and in November...
SolarJunkie in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Hey @SimonGrant, worth also checking your absorption voltage setting whilst you're in VictronConnect.
George Smith in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3
DailyProject | 1,204 posts @BatteryJackie lovely project! To add to what @DustyNomad is saying about load audits — pay particular attention to heating.
Daily Project in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 5
@Scouse one thing worth factoring that I haven't seen mentioned — cell matching. Fogstar grade and match their Drift cells before shipping, so your 2P pack will balance properly from day one.
Boycie in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Good point from @Simon1988 on the lithium charging issue — worth adding that your alternator health is another casualty here.
Andy Robinson in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Went through almost identical heartache with my static caravan setup last winter. Three months in, one cell in my 200Ah bank started lagging noticeably during heavy morning loads — kettle,...
RetiredNurse58 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Jonno25 | 47 posts @AshHermit Completely agree - the difference really shows on overcast days doesn't it?
Jonno25 in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 7
So I've been pulling my hair out this past week. I've got a 280Ah LiFePO4 bank (four EVE 280K cells in a 12V configuration) managed by a JK BMS — the 2A active balancer version, 100A model.
Jane Grant in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Done exactly this on my loch-side cabin build last summer. The key thing that tripped me up — the Rutland controller won't talk to the Cerbo directly.
Loch Walker in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@LDVConvert I've been going back and forth on this exact thing for my static caravan setup. What puts me off second-life EV cells isn't the price — it's the testing headache.
Julie in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 3
DodgyMechanic | 312 posts @FormerMariner1 what's your solar input situation? Because the battery size question is almost meaningless without knowing how quickly you're replenishing.
Dodgy Mechanic in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 9