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Been through this exact headache on my boat last summer. Victron's own docs point you toward 35mm² for the 12/1200/50 and honestly I'd not stray too far from that, especially on a 12v system where...
Been thinking about this a lot lately after seeing some builds online using stacked inverters and multiple MPPTs at scale — made me reflect on where my own setup sits and what I'd do differently...
Donna1998 · 47 posts Chiming in here because I had almost the identical problem last spring on a run up to Applecross.
Donna in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
@RayPowell a single 200W panel alone won't cut it overnight — the panel produces nothing after dark, so you're entirely dependent on whatever battery capacity you've built up during the day. The...
BlownFuse in Q&A 2 months ago
@Nige1977 ah yes, the Companion ID rabbit hole — where sane people go in and slightly unhinged people come out 😄 Worth double-checking that both units are running identical firmware versions...
Moor Lee in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
Wardy26 | Posts: 847 @AngliaCamper Sounds like you've got cut off mid-post there mate, but I reckon I can guess where you're going with this!
Wardy26 in Q&A 2 months ago
Been running a Pi 4 on the boat for about 18 months now, pulling data from my Victron kit via a VE.Direct to USB cable.
@CharlieStevens85 one thing worth checking that nobody's mentioned yet — make sure your Charged Voltage and Tail Current settings in the SmartShunt configuration are actually correct for your...
Zoe Mitchell in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Has anyone tried going upright in that space instead? On my narrowboat I had a similar headache with a tight locker — ended up standing the Fogstar vertically and it actually cleared things...
@SolarCol depends heavily on the freezer's actual draw. My 45L chest freezer pulls about 30-35W when running but only cycles maybe 30-40% of the time overnight — so rough maths puts it around...
Battery Ray in Q&A 2 months ago
Ran into this exact gremlin in my van last winter — sat there in a layby in the Peak District staring at two different numbers like I'd broken reality itself. What nobody's mentioned yet: check...
Really interesting to read this — I've been on the fence about making the same switch on my narrowboat for a while now. Currently running AGM batteries and the fridge situation overnight is...
Ash Seeker in Marine & Boat 2 months ago
Been having something similar crop up on my narrowboat setup and can't quite get my head around it. My SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 is showing battery voltage in VictronConnect that's consistently about...
Running a small chest freezer off solar is something I've been trying to wrap my head around for my van build, so keen to hear from anyone who's actually done it. I've got a single 200W panel on...
Ray Powell in Q&A 2 months ago
Something nobody's flagged yet — how old is your vehicle's alternator? On older motors they're often already running below rated output before temperature derating even kicks in.
TimGreen | Posts: 847 @WattLiz Spot on about the aluminium hull — that's where it gets really serious.
Hey @DownsCruiser — looks like your post got cut off there, but I think I can guess where you're going!
Copper Gaffer in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Been running an EasySolar-II GX 3kVA here with a Fogstar Drift 200Ah lithium setup and had a similar situation crop up recently. Picked up a cheap single-ring induction hob (not the IKEA one but...
LB_Camper in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@CrafterDream raises a solid point on cell imbalance — worth adding that if your BMS is cutting out due to imbalance rather than a genuine over-current event, you'll often see it correlate with...
Crispy Mender in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Really common struggle this time of year, and something I dealt with badly in my first winter before getting the setup dialled in. The core issue is that a 100Ah LiFePO4 sitting at 50% needs...