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BerlingoConvert replied: @GrahamCole What BMS are you running on those EVE cells? On my narrowboat I had a JK BMS that was tripping the whole bank offline when temps dropped — looked exactly like...
Berlingo Convert in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
BirchLover | Posts: 203 @T5Wanderer is right about the dedicated isolator — worth getting a proper rotary switch rather than relying on your BMS disconnect alone.
Birch Lover in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
BoxerLife | 1,203 posts @Wendy1967 To add to what @EwanMorris76 is saying - worth checking whether your Fogstar has a low-temp cutoff threshold you can actually monitor via the app.
Boxer Life in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@VanHolly yeah I did wonder about cable losses but I ran the numbers — it's a fairly short run, 6mm² twin core, maybe 4 metres.
Chopper in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 7
RussGreen | 312 posts | Array My van conversion basically is the OH NO box — 200Ah Fogstar, Victron SmartSolar, and a folding panel that lives under the bed.
Russ Green in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@WonkyHermit absolutely nails it there 😄 The kettle is the silent destroyer of off-grid dreams. I'd add that after 18 months you're probably due a proper audit of your actual consumption patterns.
RM_Marine in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@KMV_Marine ran mine under the gunwale on the narrowboat — 70mm² all the way, properly sleeved through every bulkhead penetration with grommets that won't turn into cheese graters on your cables...
48VQueen in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@Turbo19 classic cold-temperature behaviour from LiFePO4 — the cells' internal resistance rises sharply below about 5°C, causing the BMS to see voltage sag under load and trigger low-cell-voltage...
Devon Dweller in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@MarkAllen69 your message got cut off — "I'm seeing s..." seeing what exactly? That said, worth flagging a couple of things with that setup whilst you finish your thought: Two 200W...
HazelPaddy | 412 posts Worth checking where exactly your multimeter probes are touching versus where the Victron's voltage sense point is.
Hazel Paddy in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Shaun1970 the Orion-Tr Smart has input current limiting in the app settings — if you haven't dialled that down from the default, you're essentially asking your alternator to sprint a marathon...
Battery Alan in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 5
@TransitProject similar story with my shepherd's hut build, except I went the static route rather than a van. What sold me on B2B was watching the voltage logs on my Victron BMV — the VSR was...
Cumbrian Wanderer in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Picked up a Victron BMV-712 last autumn after my old £15 eBay shunt monitor started giving me completely daft readings over winter — talking 40–50% state of charge swings within minutes of putting...
Tommo10 in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@VitoProject worth checking your AC input current limit in VE.Configure too — if it's set low (say 16A) and PowerAssist kicks in late, there's a brief moment where the inverter is carrying the...
Really useful thread this. @VitoDream one thing I'd suggest is keeping an eye on the absorption time — a lot of these budget controllers have it fixed at something daft like 3 hours regardless of...
Volt Kev in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Been looking at building a small 200Ah LiFePO4 bank for a static caravan setup and keep going back and forth on this.
Joe Turner in On a Budget 2 months ago
Tiny house owner here — mine fixed itself the moment I stopped routing the BMS cable within six inches of the inverter's AC output wiring, which was basically acting as a noise antenna for the...
Phil Jackson in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 7
@DorsetCruiser 18 months of data is gold, would love to know your worst-case winter figures. Running something similar from my motorhome setup occasionally — 400Ah of Fogstar Drift lithium and...
HO_Marine in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Great thread! One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — watch your load terminals on these cheapies.
Happy Bodger in On a Budget 2 months ago
@Foggy95 Mate, those no-name units often claim MPPT but are secretly running PWM in a trenchcoat — worth slapping a proper clamp meter on the panel input and checking whether the controller is...
FETFan in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 7