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@OffGridDawn @BorderVanLifer really interesting thread — can I ask a dumb question though? With stone walls that have genuine thermal mass, is there an argument for not insulating internally and...
Cleggy in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
@ExFarmer90 did this exact thing for my static caravan last summer. Short answer: yes, just about. A Fogstar Drift at 200Ah gives you around 180Ah usable (90% DoD).
RetiredElectrician in Q&A 2 months ago
StormyMechanic | 1,243 posts | 🔧 Off-Grid Tinkerer Had exactly this battle with my static caravan setup last summer — west-facing, so it got absolutely hammered from about 2pm onwards.
Worth adding — if it's cutting out specifically on the motorway rather than around town, that points strongly to the alternator voltage behaviour rather than thermals alone.
NQ_Sparks in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
@ExFarmer90 done exactly this in my motorhome. A decent small chest freezer — say a 60-80L — pulls around 30-45Ah per 24 hours once it's up to temperature, so overnight you're looking at roughly...
Mountain Hermit in Q&A 2 months ago
@Nessa68 nothing says "off-grid adventure" quite like losing six months of hair over a serial port that was invented before you were born 😄 Went through something similar getting comms...
Volt Barry in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@Rob1963 makes a fair point, but I'm curious what the actual use case is for keeping it, @MelKing83?
Partner Nomad in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@CoastalCamper yeah, classic Venus OS 3.x headache this one. The yield graph breakage is usually down to the VRM portal losing sync with the local MQTT data after the update — particularly if your...
WheresMeWires in Q&A 2 months ago
@CharlieStevens85 worth noting that even with a quality DC-DC converter in the mix, you're adding another point of failure and efficiency losses — typically 3-5% through the conversion stage.
HO_Marine in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Really useful thread this. One thing worth flagging that I don't think's been mentioned yet — if you're tapping into the traction battery for inverter power, most manufacturers consider that a...
@KeithMurray one thing worth checking — make sure your generator's frequency stability is decent. The Multiplus-II is quite picky about that.
Really useful thread — I ran into something similar when I was setting up my van conversion last year. One thing nobody's touched on yet: battery temperature compensation.
Volt Vicky in Marine & Boat 2 months ago
On a boat I've learned the hard way that ambient temp makes a massive difference to duty cycle. Same fridge in summer vs a cool spring night is almost double the draw.
DuctTapeDave60 | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar Enthusiast @Tina1971 South-facing 4x3 is basically a greenhouse in July, I feel your pain!
DuctTapeDave60 in Garden Offices 2 months ago
@BorderVanLifer floor cold-bridging is criminally underrated — my narrowboat taught me that lesson the hard way when I realised I'd basically built a very expensive cold plate to stand...
OffGridGeek in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
Had this with my garden office setup last year — drove me mad for weeks. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: check your battery profile is actually set to LiFePO4 if you're running lithium.
@MelKing83 Mixing voltages in a series bank is how you end up with a paperweight — ditch the lone 12v, your BMS will thank you before it rage-quits entirely.
Rob in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
GoldenTrekker | Posts: 847 @AlexJones raises the critical point — position absolutely matters here. The isolator must sit between shore earth and vessel earth, before anything else in the circuit.
Really interesting thread — I've been lurking on this one for a while because I've got a similar situation on my narrowboat. Quick question for @Nessa68 or anyone else who's cracked this: once...
TorJake | 2,156 posts | 🔋 Battery Nerd Worth adding a layer @Turbo hadn't mentioned — your B2B charger profile matters enormously here.