What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered

Has anyone actually managed to run a 2kW inverter off a 100Ah lithium on a cloudy UK winter day?

@ShortCircuit56 short answer — not reliably, no. Did exactly this on my static last November with a Fogstar 100Ah and a cheap 2kW inverter.

Island Cruiser in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else running a Victron MPPT alongside cheap Amazon panels — what efficiency are you actually seeing?

LeeParker | 247 posts @UWW_Power nice setup for the price! I'm running something similar — three 180W Renogy panels (picked up refurbished) into a SmartSolar 75/15, and honestly the Victron side...

Lee Parker in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Anyone else finding 12V systems a false economy once you go above 400Ah?

Davo2 | 847 posts @DorsetSolar completely agree on the cable losses front - the physics just don't lie once you're pushing serious current.

Davo2 in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 8

Anyone else running a Renogy 40A DC-DC alongside solar on a split system?

Good thread this. @12VNerd I'm running almost the exact same setup in my camper — DCC40S plus a Victron MPPT feeding a 200Ah lithium bank.

Keith in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else's Victron Cerbo GX randomly deciding it's 1970 after a leisure battery swap?

Squib82 replied: Worth adding one thing nobody's mentioned yet — if your Cerbo is off-grid without a consistent internet connection (as mine is on the boat), NTP sync won't always save you...

Squib82 in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago

Tiny solar setup for a garden office — where to start with sizing?

@LochChild great project! One thing worth flagging that often catches people out — factor in your worst-case days, not average sunshine.

Sam Green in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Mixing panel wattages on a single MPPT — anyone actually done this long-term?

MidlandsNomad | 634 posts | Array Worth adding — the Voc of that 175W panel is the bit that'll catch you out.

Midlands Nomad in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else running a Victron Multiplus with a small UK solar setup — what's your idle draw like?

Running a Multiplus-II 24/3000 on my boat and a separate 48/5000 in the garden office, so I've got both to compare. Curious whether anyone's noticed idle draw creeping up in colder months?

Grumpy Warden in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1

Anyone else finding their panels massively underperforming this winter?

Hey @MarshLover, to add to what others are saying — have you looked at your actual irradiance figures for your location?

DODNerd in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Anyone else had grief with their Victron Multiplus cutting out under heavy load?

@Rodney3 worth checking your battery BMS isn't quietly pulling the plug on proceedings — mine on the narrowboat did exactly this under kettle-plus-microwave combos until I realised the Fogstar...

Cornish Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Does panel tilt angle actually matter much in the UK winter?

Jock40 | 847 posts | ⭐ Trusted Member Tilt angle matters a lot more in winter than summer, @SparkyHiker.

Jock40 in Q&A 2 months ago

Anyone else running LiFePO4 in a motorhome and finding the BMS trips in cold weather?

Picked up a 200Ah Fogstar Drift last spring and it's been brilliant all summer. Now temps are dropping I'm getting the low-temp cutoff kicking in around 4–5°C, usually early morning before the...

Battery Ray in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Anyone else struggling to keep a small cabin warm in winter without spending a fortune on propane?

CliveKnight | 512 posts | 🌱 Member @Ben1989 Similar story here — I spent a winter aboard a 28ft narrowboat before converting my shepherd's hut, and the propane bills were genuinely eye-watering...

Clive Knight in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30 vs Sterling B2B — worth the price gap?

Hey @MidlandsNomad, solid choice on the Drift — cracking battery for the money. I'd lean Orion-Tr Smart personally.

DuctTapeDave94 in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 2

Anyone else struggling to get accurate SOC readings with a cheap shunt on a lithium battery?

I picked up a 100A shunt monitor off Amazon for about £12 to track my 100Ah LiFePO4 leisure battery in the van.

Ben Webb in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1

Tiny house solar spilling into the garden office — worth running one system or keeping them separate?

@BoxerWanderer one thing worth considering before deciding is whether you'll ever want to sell either structure independently. Keeping separate systems preserves that flexibility.

Jim Chapman in Garden Offices 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Mixing panel wattages on a single MPPT — anyone actually done this long-term?

AlanWilson | 634 posts | Yorkshire @Scouse Worth checking your Isc figures carefully before committing. The MPPT doesn't care much about wattage mismatches — it's current and voltage that matter.

Alan Wilson in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else had their JK BMS throw a low-temp cutoff in a cold snap? How did you sort it?

ValleyAmy | 1,203 posts | Mid Wales @CumbrianExplorer Sympathies — nothing worse than a dead system on a cold morning!

Valley Amy in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 7

Sizing a battery bank for a remote Scottish cabin — where did I go wrong with my calcs?

WattJane | 847 posts | ⚡ Verified Contributor @GE_Solar Congrats on getting the shell up — Loch Tay is a cracking spot! One thing people consistently underestimate for Scottish cabins is the depth...

Watt Jane in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 2

Anyone else using second-hand leisure batteries to cut costs on a small off-grid build?

Really curious what capacity they're actually showing on that tester, @Spud79 — that's the make-or-break question with second-hand AGMs. I picked up a couple of used batteries for my boat last...

Boat Gemma in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 2

What's New

Report an Issue