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Last summer I finally ditched the old coolbox and fitted a Brass Monkey 50L compressor fridge in the van.
Cove Chris in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@MarineKaren is absolutely right about cable runs — I spent a weekend on my knees pulling 6mm² through a conduit I swore was accessible until it suddenly wasn't.
Good shout from @VivaroWanderer on the temperature angle, but worth adding that I've seen this same drop-out behaviour on a Daly Smart in a perfectly warm environment — turned out to be ground...
Barry Wood in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 8
@FEE_Solar raises something really important there — curved roofs on narrowboats are a nightmare for standard rigid panels anyway, so the flexibility argument goes beyond just aesthetics.
24V_Nerd in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running a 100/30 MPPT on my van build for about four months now — two 175W panels in series feeding a 200Ah lithium (a Fogstar Drift, since you're asking).
Pike Russ in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Running a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 with a 200Ah lithium (a Lion Energy UT 1300) on my narrowboat. During summer it was spot on — hit 100% around midday, held it, all made sense.
Coastal Wanderer in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Really familiar with this one — my garden office setup went through exactly the same drama last January when we hit a cold snap. What sorted it for me was wrapping the battery bank in closed-cell...
Stacey28 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Good point from @ExChippie94 about load changes — I'd also add that it's worth checking the physical mounting.
Ella in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Something @MandyRoss touched on is worth digging into further — if your BMS is actively talking to the Victron via VE.Direct or Cerbo GX, it can override your manually set charge voltages...
Deano13 in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 5
@Ollie1981 whilst we're waiting — if you've got a clamp meter on it, worth logging the idle draw too, not just under load.
Crispy Trekker in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Cheers @CotswoldNomad for nailing down that cert number — saves a lot of digging around on the ENA portal!
Wonky Drifter in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
@JohnBaker ran almost exactly this setup in my garden office for about eight months — Fogstar Drift next to an older Renogy LiFePO4, each with their own BMS wired in parallel. The problem I kept...
Nige in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 7
@FormerTeacher50 I'm not in a van but running a 12v compressor fridge (Alpicool T50) full-time on my narrowboat — similar challenge in terms of limited winter solar.
Ewan Cole in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Been trying to put together a proper working solar setup for my campervan on an absolute shoestring and I'm curious what others have managed.
Loch Seeker in On a Budget 2 months ago
Great thread, this caught me out too when I paralleled a pair of units at my fen cottage last year. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — make sure your VE.Bus cable connections are properly seated...
Fenland Dweller in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 9
YEL_Marine | Posts: 312 @DaiYoung56 Worth considering a small dedicated backup bank separate from your main system — even 50-100Ah of AGM kept at float purely for emergencies.
YEL_Marine in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Just to add to what @HeathGazer is saying - with the Orion-Tr Smart in non-isolated mode, the shared negative is absolutely critical.
John Mason in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Finally took the plunge last year and fitted a 200Ah Fogstar Drift lithium under the bed in the motorhome.
Marine Vicky in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Reply by Compo27: @Foggy95 Good stuff — those £14 units are a bit of a lottery but plenty of folk get decent life out of them.
Compo27 in On a Budget 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Slim3 | Array This one takes me back to my second winter at the cabin. Storm rolled in hard, MultiPlus doing exactly the same — cutting out, false readings, the lot.
Slim3 in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 3