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Anyone else finding MPPT controllers massively underperform in UK winter conditions?

Same setup in my garden office — two panels in series into a Victron SmartSolar. Worth checking a few things @Scouse16: What's your panel orientation?

Bomber in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Swapped out the old shore power setup on my 28ft sloop — here's what I went with

BerlingoDream | 312 posts @CliveCrane Looks like you got cut off twice there — the forum gremlins are at it again! Really keen to hear the rest of this.

Berlingo Dream in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 7

Anyone else had their BMS cut out during a power cut when they needed it most?

Picked up a Fogstar Drift 12V 100Ah a few months back specifically as emergency backup — the whole point was to have something reliable when the grid goes down.

Mandy Morris in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 4

Anyone else noticed their Victron Orion-Tr Smart struggling to reach full charge voltage in cold weather?

Classic case of your Orion-Tr Smart throwing a sulk because it's Baltic outside — check your temperature compensation settings in the VictronConnect app, because the default bulk/absorption...

NBW_VanLife in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8

Victron MPPT 100/30 showing "absorption" all day — panels barely producing anything?

@MartinParker64 worth looking at your tail current setting in the VictronConnect app. On a 100Ah lithium, absorption ends when current drops to a set percentage of battery capacity — if that...

Kangoo Nomad in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago

Anyone else running a small inverter generator as backup alongside their solar setup? Worth it or overkill?

AmyChapman89 | ⭐⭐ Member | Posts: 234 Running mine on the narrowboat and it's basically the fourth crew member — complains less than the other three and actually produces something useful.

Amy Chapman in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 9

Anyone else struggling to get decent output from budget MPPT controllers in winter?

@HollyGraham87 replied: @EllaDixon71 Just to back up what @GrumpyHermit is saying — worth double-checking which Renogy model you've actually got, as the Wanderer is definitely PWM.

Holly Graham in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 7

Anyone else had grief with a Daly BMS dropping out under load? Trying to figure out if mine's faulty

If the Daly's tripping under load it might just be having a midlife crisis — mine did exactly the same in the static before I realised the BMS continuous rating and the actual continuous rating...

Van Ken in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 9

Anyone else using a Victron Cerbo GX with non-Victron kit — how are you handling the gaps in monitoring?

Just finished wiring up my van build and I've got a Cerbo GX as the brains of the operation. I'm running a Victron Multiplus-II 12/3000, a SmartSolar 100/30, and a 200Ah lithium from a smaller...

Brummie88 in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Narrowboat 12V system keeps browning out on the Ashby Canal — solar not keeping up?

SomersetNomad | Member @DefenderWanderer 600W nameplate on a canal that's essentially a tunnel of alder and willow is largely decorative, I'm afraid.

Somerset Nomad in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 7

Anyone else using a second-hand EV battery as a home backup — what's your setup?

My angle's a bit more modest than @GlenLover's full home integration — I grabbed a Nissan Leaf Gen 1 24 kWh pack specifically for my garden office setup.

AGM_Geek in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago

Fitting a 200Ah lithium bank on a 28ft bilge keeler — where to mount the batteries?

PylontechMaster | 📍 West Midlands | ⚡ Off-Grid & Marine @Shaun1970 Great choice on the Fogstar Drift — cracking value for money.

PylontechMaster in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Static caravan solar setup – worth going lithium from the start or run AGM first?

WrongFuse | Posts: 312 @DerekDixon One thing worth factoring in that nobody's mentioned yet — static caravans can get properly cold over winter, and lithium batteries genuinely don't like charging...

WrongFuse in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Anyone else running a small wood burner alongside solar in a cabin? Struggling to manage condensation

Great thread @MaxYoung80 — the Peak District climate will definitely keep you on your toes with this one! One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet: have a look at your cold bridges,...

WrongFuse in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 8

Victron MultiPlus 12/3000 — is the transfer switch fast enough for sensitive electronics?

TerryScott72 | 203 posts | Running a MultiPlus 2 in my shepherd's hut and had the same concern before install.

Terry Scott in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Anyone else finding 12V vs 24V a genuinely difficult decision for a small build?

For a shepherd's hut that size I'd lean 24V honestly. The moment you're running a kettle through an inverter, your cable runs start mattering.

Taffy62 in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 6

Swapped out my old PWM controller for an MPPT on the boat — massive difference or am I imagining it?

LiFePO4_King | 1,203 posts | ⚡ Scottish Highlands @Owen1991 Worth mentioning that your series wiring is actually the key reason you're seeing such dramatic gains now.

LiFePO4_King in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 8

Anyone else running lithium on a narrowboat? Struggling with BMS and alternator compatibility

I've just finished swapping out the old lead acid bank on my 57ft trad narrowboat for a 200Ah lithium (LiFePO4) setup from Fogstar.

Brian Knight in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 3

Victron MPPT 100/30 running warm — normal or should I be worried?

Good shout from @Jonno88 on the throttling. One thing worth adding — make sure the unit has decent airflow around it.

AGM_Guy in Q&A 2 months ago

Anyone else finding their MPPT sizing calculations completely off once you account for UK cloud-edge effect?

SilverTrekker | Posts: 847 | Location: Scottish Borders @Ozzy @IanStevens - absolutely, the cloud-edge effect is the one that catches everyone out.

Silver Trekker in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 5