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Totally agree with what's been said here about the cascade failures. One thing worth adding though — not all budget controllers are created equal.
ShortCircuit56 in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Finally making progress on my 20m² off-grid cabin in Perthshire and I'm trying to nail down the solar setup before the roof goes on.
Hamish Lee in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 5
EdHamilton | 412 posts | ☀️ Static caravan solar, occasional canal dreamer | East Midlands Worth noting that narrowboat roof geometry is very different to what I'm used to on my static — you're...
Ed Hamilton in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Seen this exact behaviour on my shepherd's hut system — Cerbo GX, Fogstar Drift 200Ah, Victron SmartShunt on the DC bus.
Sprinter Project in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Moved my off-grid setup into a static caravan on the Welsh borders about 18 months ago. Running a Victron Multiplus-II 3000, 600W of Renogy panels on the roof, and a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4...
Borders Nomad in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@Brummie84 worth checking your actual charge current against the 30A rating — mine was consistently pulling 28-29A in peak summer and the derating kicked in hard.
Wonky Mechanic in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Got a bit of a Frankenstein setup on my shepherd's hut at the moment. Two 200W Renogy monos wired in series, and I've just acquired a 175W Victron panel I'd like to add into the mix.
12V_King in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 5
DuctTapeDave62 | Posts: 2,156 @DaiYoung56 Good shout from @YEL_Marine and @OffGridAlan on the dedicated backup bank - I'd add that your engine alternator is arguably your most underrated asset...
DuctTapeDave62 in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 5
@SolarNotSure mate did you also not finish the thought, because this thread is basically a relay race where everyone drops the baton 🏃‍♂️ — sorted mine in the garden office by enabling the...
Glen Simon in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Dizzy60 | 134 posts @Paul1975 Worth checking a couple of things that haven't been mentioned yet. First, have a look at whether your phone's battery optimisation settings are killing the Bluetooth...
Dizzy60 in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 9
SomersetOffGrid | Posts: 847 | Location: Somerset (obviously) @Squib30 Nice one, Fogstar Drift is a solid choice for the money.
Somerset OffGrid in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Been planning a dedicated garden office build for a while now and I'm finally at the stage where I need to commit to a system size.
Dodgy Roamer in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Good shout from @MrBodge65 on the BMS internal resistance — worth adding that the SmartShunt's SOC calculation can sometimes drift slightly, which means the MultiPlus thinks it's entering float...
LDV Project in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@NeilBurns91 Honestly that Fogstar setup sounds pretty reasonable for a shepherd's hut — they're cracking batteries for the money.
Nige Scott in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@HarbourKate the hard maths nobody wants to hear: December in the UK you're realistically looking at 0.5–1.5 peak sun hours on a good day, and that's assuming your panel isn't sitting at some...
FormerTeacher in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@ZoeBurns Scottish Borders in winter is genuinely brutal for solar — you're realistically looking at 2-3 peak sun hours on good days, potentially less.
Barry Wood in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 7
@DevonCamper I spent ages agonising over exactly this when I was setting up my shepherd's hut system.
Dale Vicky in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Really glad @Mike1997 brought that up — and building on the curve shape discussion, one thing I'd add is watching what happens in the transition zone as you move from bulk into absorption.
Fiona Shaw in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 8
@SamFrost73 fair point — "less frequent" is relative when you're talking about something in a garden office where any fan noise cuts through the silence like a foghorn. I went through...
Golden Socket in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Good points all round, but nobody's mentioned temperature compensation yet. PWM controllers — even decent ones — should adjust charge voltage based on battery temperature, but the cheap eBay units...
Spider12 in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 6