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@OffGridDoug this caught me out badly my first winter at the cabin. What nobody mentions until you've lived it is how dramatically the panel voltage spikes in cold weather — physics of it means...
InverterQueen in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
MoorRuss | 634 posts My Fogstar on the static did exactly this during that cold snap in January — sat there looking absolutely dead while I questioned every life choice that led me to living on a...
Moor Russ in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Totally agree with @Lefty72 on the morning brew ritual! I'd add that VRM really comes into its own for spotting gradual trends rather than just faults.
Slim13 in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Been thinking about this a lot lately. I've got a 400W solar setup on my shed/workshop with a 100Ah lithium battery (Fogstar Drift), and it does the job most of the year.
Davo22 in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@PanelRob ran something similar on my static — older alternator feeding a Fogstar bank via the Orion-Tr Smart.
OffGrid Dawn in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Been running a 400W rooftop array (2x 200W Renogy mono panels) on my van since spring and it's been brilliant.
Sparky Hiker in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@ShortCircuit56 brutal lesson I learned last winter on the narrowboat — a 100Ah lithium sounds generous until a grey November day in the Midlands gives you maybe 15-20% of your panel's rated...
Stormy Socket in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Chiming in here — I had the exact same initial panic on my van build when the layout shifted. Worth checking if the "history" tab has moved rather than disappeared, as that caught me...
Silver Warden in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 7
@RussMartin worth checking the overvoltage protection threshold in the JK app. If your Victron absorption voltage is set even slightly above what the BMS will tolerate, the BMS trips out as a...
Chalky12 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 8
VanMark | 156 posts | Regular Member Great thread @SteveBurns. One thing I'd add that saved me a fair bit - don't sleep on second-hand AGM batteries from UPS systems.
Van Mark in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 5
So I've been running a pretty standard leisure setup in my Transit for about two years — 100Ah AGM, split charge relay off the alternator, a basic PWM solar controller.
Trevor in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Running a Cerbo GX in my off-grid cabin and it's been solid for monitoring, but I've got a bit of a Frankenstein battery setup — two Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4s alongside an older Renogy 200Ah...
Watt Andrea in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 6
GazJones | Posts: 1,243 | Joined: 2018 @JackHunt I've had mixed results if I'm honest. Bought three of the same listing over about 18 months and they were noticeably different quality each time -...
Gaz Jones in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 9
I've got a 400W panel array (two 200W panels in series) feeding into a Victron SmartSolar 100/30, with a 200Ah lithium battery bank.
Norfolk Boater in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Running 200Ah of Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 on my narrowboat and it's been solid. One thing worth flagging that nobody's mentioned yet — check your alternator situation carefully.
RKE_Builds in Marine & Boat 2 months ago
Really nice setup @Rob1968, similar scale to what I've got running down in Devon. One thing worth adding to your Pi build — have a look at Node-RED alongside whatever dashboard you're using.
T6 Adventure in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Been running solar on my boat for a couple of years now and winter genuinely humbles you. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — shade from bridge holes and overhanging trees absolutely kills your...
Master Adventure in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Nessa55 | 134 posts @SuffolkOffGrid the Victron/budget panel combo is genuinely underrated. I've got six 180W panels from a similar no-name brand paired with a SmartSolar 150/35, and honestly the...
Nessa55 in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@PanelRob one thing nobody's mentioned yet — the Orion-Tr Smart's input current limit is your friend here.
Sprinter Project in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Compo55 | 1,203 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Veteran Good points all round. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — have a look at your "Tail current" setting in VEConfigure.
Compo55 in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3