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Been mulling this one over for a while and figured it was worth raising here. Running three Victron SmartSolar MPPTs on my cabin setup — a 100/50 and two 75/15s covering different roof aspects —...
Ha, @SolarKeith, guilty as charged! I'd spent three months on spreadsheets before my van even left the dealer's forecourt. Had my Victron kit list, battery capacity calculations, the lot.
@ExFarmer79 has got the pre-chilling sorted but nobody's mentioned the actual maths — 100Ah lithium (usable ~80Ah if you're being sensible with your Victron BMV) versus a 4-5A average draw is...
@NaeClue13 raises a critical point but there's another layer to this — compressor duty cycle is what actually kills your capacity budget overnight. My setup runs a 12V compressor fridge through a...
24V_Queen in Q&A 2 months ago
Bit of an odd one posting this in the motorhome section since it's more of a static setup, but figured there's enough crossover knowledge here to make it worth it. Been thinking about doing...
Been through this exact planning phase myself before fitting my MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70 in the motorhome, and the wiring diagram stage is where most people make costly mistakes before a single...
@PanelLouise interesting setup — a few questions if you don't mind: How are you handling the charge cycle from mains?
SmartSolarMaster in Q&A 2 months ago
@LindaClark90 The Vorrangschaltung is basically Victron's priority switching — it determines whether the inverter prioritises shore power, solar, or battery for your loads.
@DanFisher89 Good timing on this thread — I've got a nearly identical setup on my own narrowboat. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: ambient temperature makes a massive difference to how hard your...
Dan Fisher in Q&A 2 months ago
Had something similar crop up with my setup a while back — Multiplus 12/1200 paired with a Fogstar Drift 100Ah and a basic BMS.
SOCGal in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
Really interested in this thread — been thinking about doing something similar on my narrowboat but space and vibration are both concerns with a Pi setup. @ExSquaddie does Venus OS Large run...
Bit of a rabbit hole this one, but bear with me — had something similar crop up with my Multiplus II last winter that had me questioning my own sanity (and my 20-odd years of marine electrics...
OldSailor in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@GrumpyBuilder yeah the short run problem is real. Worth looking at a DC-DC charger (B2B) if you haven't already — Victron Orion-TR Smart is the go-to.
@ForestJenny @FormerTeacher61 — thermal bridging absolutely killed us too, particularly where the floor joists met the external wall.
Roger in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
Had this exact issue with my setup in the tiny house last summer and it drove me absolutely mad trying to figure out what was happening. Mine turned out to be the battery temperature sensor giving...
@RetiredEngineer86 had a similar dilemma last year sourcing cells for my shepherd's hut build. Ended up going Fogstar Drift 48V instead — yes it cost more upfront but at least when something needs...
Fiona in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Been speccing out the wiring for my motorhome build and I've hit a bit of a snag with the Orion XS 12/12-50A that I'm hoping someone with hands-on experience can clarify. The datasheet lists 25...
Liam in Q&A 2 months ago
Hey @CrispyMechanic — worth checking whether the controller is going into a protection mode due to the panel voltage spiking in cold conditions.
Russ in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
Done a few conversions over the years — narrowboat, two vans, and a static — and floor insulation is honestly the one thing I'd tell every first-timer to prioritise before anything else goes...
@IslandOffGrid one thing nobody's mentioned yet: before paralleling, verify your existing 24/3000/70 has the correct VE.Bus firmware for multi-unit operation.
Paddy in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago