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Started with a single 200W panel running through a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 — worked fine for ages, just topping up a leisure battery as emergency backup.
@StormyWelder don't let @BoxerProject put you off entirely — the 48/3000 might be oversized for a shepherd's hut on paper, but if you're planning any meaningful loads (induction hob, space heater,...
Phil Powell in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@PanelSteve is onto something important there. I had a suspiciously similar mystery in my static caravan — solar looked brilliant all day on the Victron app, absorption hit, everything green.
Hilux Convert in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago thumb_up 9
Good timing on this question — I ran almost identical numbers when I first set up on my narrowboat a couple of years back, and the honest answer is it depends on your freezer's duty cycle. Mine...
Tony Oliver in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@SmartSolarNerd yes, completely normal — the Orion-Tr Smart uses a high-frequency switching topology, and under certain load conditions that frequency can fall within the audible range, typically...
Silver Captain in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 3
@Chopper nailed it on the threshold — worth also checking your engine runtime assist setting if you've got a BMS talking to the Orion via VE.Smart networking, because a chatty BMS can tell it to...
ExFarmer79 in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 8
Don't forget to double-check your battery capacity setting in VictronConnect — I had mine set to the default 200Ah on my narrowboat build and the Multiplus was cutting out mid-kettle-boil like it...
Wonky Hermit in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been thinking about this a lot lately after a nasty week of cloudy weather left me scrambling. Running a narrowboat full-time and my main bank is 200Ah of Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 fed by 400W of...
Really resonates with my garden office setup. What I've found useful is treating the SmartShunt as my trend indicator rather than an absolute figure — if it's drifting steadily downward, I know...
Watt Helen in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 6
@CurrentAffairs — really interested in what your comparisons showed. On my shepherd's hut I eventually pulled the trigger on a dedicated Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 alongside a separate...
Battery Emma in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Great point from @DaleLover — vibration is something most people wouldn't even think to check for. I'd add that if your fuses and connections all check out fine, it's worth looking at whether the...
Tim Knight in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 3
I've had my narrowboat for about three years now and the previous owner's wiring is, to put it charitably, a bit of a horror show.
Will Stevens in Marine & Boat 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Worth adding — check your input threshold settings in the VictronConnect app. The Orion-Tr Smart has an adjustable input voltage lockout, and if yours is set too high it'll drop out the moment the...
Chopper in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Great thread — @JohnDixon's point about Power Assist is spot on and worth exploring further. One thing I'd add that nobody's touched on yet: have a look at your battery cable sizing and...
Expert Solar in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Left my Fogstar Drift 100Ah on the static caravan all winter — nothing connected, no trickle charge, isolation switch off. Came back in March and the BMS had tripped.
OldSailor79 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 5
Picked up a second-hand MultiPlus 24/2000 a few months back and it's been brilliant for most things — runs the TV, router, a few lights, no bother at all.
Brian in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 6
Ha, @BoxerProject — glad it's not just me thinking the forum's eaten half this thread! Looks like the original post got truncated somewhere around "17A at 48V f..." which is a shame...
Clive Crane in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago thumb_up 1
@PeakExplorer good shout on the specifics. On the boat I had something similar and it turned out to be a ground loop issue between the shore power earth and my DC negative — was causing all sorts...
Mandy Grant in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Gazza55 | 1,203 posts | South Wales @SmartSolar_Queen worth double-checking your battery temperature sensor if you've got one fitted.
Gazza55 in Emergency & Backup Power 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Chiming in from a shed install here — I ended up fitting mine on an aluminium backing plate that's actually bolted through to an external wall.
Karen Webb in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 months ago thumb_up 9