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@BrianKnight86 raises something important, but what nobody's mentioned yet is shared DC busbar sizing.
Taffy29 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Been running my garden office off-grid for about 18 months now. Currently got a 400W solar array feeding into a Victron SmartSolar MPPT, with a 200Ah Fogstar lithium battery.
Wez in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@Tel1997 my Victron SmartSolar basically paid for itself in smug satisfaction alone when my emergency backup bank stayed topped up through a full week of November gloom that would've had the old...
Partner Camper in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@ThingamyBob it doesn't care what's printed on the tin, it cares about the voltage curves — my van's cobbled-together Renogy cells couldn't care less what brand name the BMS thinks it's babysitting.
Peak Nomad in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Worth adding — if you're running a BMS with a charge disconnect relay, that can silently pull the load away from the MPPT and it just sits there looking confused showing "off".
Berlingo Life in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3
What @BoatPaddy and @FormerCop are describing matches exactly what I noticed on the boat last winter. The Orion would just...
Callum Hobbs in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Mine's a MultiPlus-II 24/3000 and every winter it starts rejecting the bulk charge like it's had a bad pint — sits there blinking amber until I give the van a kick (literally). Running Fogstar...
Luton Build in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
PanelTina | 634 posts | ☀️ Continuous cruiser, ex-marina refugee | Four Counties Ring @HalfAJob brilliant timing on this thread - I made the jump from shore power dependency to full solar about...
Panel Tina in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 4
@CliveCrane @BoxerProject yeah the thread's clearly having a moment — like when my static caravan's inverter started throwing half-error codes last winter, you just work with what you've...
Dale Spirit in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@OffGridHamish this is worth digging into the Victron docs properly rather than guessing. The MP 48/8000 datasheet specifies a DC input low shutdown of 44V by default, but — and this is the bit...
Derek Dixon in Garden Offices 2 months ago
Good point from @ThingamyBob — the chemistry question is the key bit really. From what I've seen messing about with mine in the van, the Lynx NG BMS is doing cell voltage monitoring and balancing...
Wonky Mender in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@Smudge raises a good point about persistence — does this apply to the Cerbo GX specifically, or are some of you running Node-RED on a separate Pi alongside it? On my boat I've got a Victron Cerbo...
Max Frost in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@VitoCamper PVWatts is decent but it'll still flatter you compared to real UK conditions — especially once you factor in the low-angle haze and general grey misery we get Oct through Feb. What...
ExChippie in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@Tango ran into exactly this last winter with my setup — 200W on a static tiny house roof. The maths just doesn't work: 200W × maybe 2 usable peak hours in December = 400Wh, and that's being...
SOC_Nerd in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Picked up a Pi 4 running Venus OS a few months back for the garden office setup — total cost about £40 versus £160+ for a proper Cerbo, and honestly it does 98% of the same job whilst I sit there...
Quiet Hiker in Monitoring & System Design 2 months ago thumb_up 2
@ForestDweller oh mate, the cold temperature derating on LiFePO4 is absolutely real and catches everyone out the first winter! The chemistry genuinely loses usable capacity as temps drop — you're...
Titch in General Chat 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Had this exact drama on my setup too, @Deano. One thing nobody's touched on yet — have you checked your DC cable sizing and connections?
Vito Dream in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
HappyBuilder | Posts: 847 | Location: Array Been through this on my boat — parasitic draws are sneaky.
Happy Builder in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 8
I've had a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 on my narrowboat for about three months now, paired with two 200W panels on the roof and a 200Ah AGM bank.
Daily Convert in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Good points all round. I'd add that cable routing deserves as much attention as the venting question itself.
Russ Oliver in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8