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@PartnerConvert short answer — no, never. Not even close on those cheap ones. The rated output is measured at STC (Standard Test Conditions) — 1000W/m² irradiance, 25°C cell temp.
Lefty in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
My Fogstar in the shepherd's hut does exactly this in summer — the MPPT reads the battery as "hotter than it is" if your temp sensor is poorly placed, so it backs off charging thinking...
OffGrid Hamish in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 4
After two seasons running a 110Ah AGM in my Sprinter, I finally bit the bullet last month and swapped it out for a 200Ah LiFePO4 from Fogstar.
Coastal Boater in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@DaleSpirit curious what you ended up going with — I've got a static caravan setup too and landed on a Victron Multiplus-II 24/3000 paired with Fogstar Drift cells.
Burn Glen in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Really useful thread this. I've got four of the same sort of panels — paid similar money, no idea who made them.
Russ Wilson in On a Budget 2 months ago
@SaltySocket one thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your cable runs. On a hot day the voltage drop across warm cables increases, which can confuse the MPPT's calculations and trigger odd...
Lazy Nomad in Q&A 2 months ago
So I've finally got round to fitting a Victron SmartShunt 500A in the van and I'm genuinely chuffed with how much more visibility I've got into the leisure bank.
Shunt_Guy in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Spent last December genuinely rationing my van charging like it was the 1970s energy crisis. The thing nobody tells you before you build one of these systems is that winter isn't just about...
OddJobBob in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Good points from everyone above. One thing I'd add — have you checked the actual current draw when it drops out?
PU_Sparks in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Flat panels in winter are rough — you're probably losing 30-40% of what you could get just from the angle alone.
T6 Wanderer in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 2
I've just finished putting together a basic but functional 12v solar setup for my Transit van conversion and managed to keep the whole thing under £300.
Wild Mechanic in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 2
OffGridDoug | 847 posts | 🚐 Motorhome | Victron Devotee Worth pulling the BMS data log if your Fogstar unit supports it — the 12V 200Ah does expose some diagnostics via the app.
OffGrid Doug in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 9
TransitDream | 1,203 posts @VanDerek The maths is brutal when you actually work it out — 600W peak might realistically give you 2-3kWh on a decent French summer day, whereas the Leaf wants roughly...
Transit Dream in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@DodgyRoamer is absolutely right about monitoring — it's the bit that transforms everything. I've been running a Victron setup on our 57-footer for about three years now and the BMV-712 was...
Chris in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Curly16 Great to see you've finally taken the plunge! Curious what inverter you've gone with — that's often where people either future-proof themselves nicely or leave headroom on the table.
Cornish Solar in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Been scratching my head with this one for a few days now. Running a Victron MultiPlus 12/3000/120 in my off-grid cabin setup, fed by a 400Ah LiFePO4 bank (4x 100Ah 12v cells in parallel).
Chunk66 in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
SolarPaul | ⭐⭐⭐ Senior Member | Posts: 847 Good shout @DriftMaster, the EU22i is a cracking bit of kit.
Solar Paul in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 7
Really useful thread, this. I've been doing something similar with my SmartSolar 150/35 and a Pi Zero 2W — worth noting that the Zero handles the serial-over-USB connection to the MPPT absolutely...
Julie in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Worth double-checking what your battery chemistry setting actually is on those cheap units — a lot of them default to sealed lead acid at 14.4V absorption, which is fine, but some ship with it set...
Boat Ewan in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 5
@T6Life curious what you were about to say there — your post seems to have cut off! To add something nobody's touched on yet: battery temperature compensation.
OffGrid Jess in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 7