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@Tango yeah, the physics just don't lie on those January days do they. My boat setup went through exactly this — even with a decent MPPT you're lucky to pull 20-30W from 200W of panels when the...
@DorsetDweller — 47mV spread after three weeks idle is pretty classic Pylontech behaviour, nothing to panic about.
Dodgy Roamer in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Good thread this. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — thermal bridging is often the silent culprit that defeats everything else you try.
Bazza49 in Off-Grid Cabins 2 months ago
Reply by NeilAllen: @CrafterSolar Totally agree — there's something uniquely soul-destroying about trying to chase wiring through a boat hull compared to, say, a campervan.
Neil Allen in Marine & Boat 2 months ago
@GoldenNomad yeah the VE.Direct port limit catches people out constantly. The GX520 only has two physical VE.Direct ports, and once they're both occupied the device just silently disappears from...
Really relates to my narrowboat setup this! One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your MPPT firmware in the VictronConnect app.
@LesCrane that 2am point is real — had a Victron MPPT throw a fault last winter and debugging it in a cramped van vs my static would've been a completely different experience.
@Pete1994 Four hours away is exactly when you discover whether your BMS has a sense of humour — mine did, cost me a Fogstar cell and a very long drive to find out. Route Cost DIY Cheaper on...
Salty Trekker in On a Budget 2 months ago
Was a lab technician for the NHS — spent years obsessing over measurement accuracy and calibration. Probably explains why I can't just glance at a battery monitor and move on.
Holly Baker in The Lounge 2 months ago
QG_Marine | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar & Wind Hybrid @RogerJackson nice setup! I've gone a slightly different route — running a separate Pi 4 alongside my Cerbo GX rather than replacing the Venus OS...
@CamperCarl three SD cards is almost impressive tbh Switched mine to a USB SSD boot ages ago on the cabin Pi — night and day for reliability.
Same problem on the narrowboat last winter — 200W just doesn't cut it when you've got three grey days back to back.
Tango in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
@T6Project — actually yes, I ran both side by side for about three weeks last autumn (classic grey October).
Been through something similar fitting a Victron SmartShunt 500A into a Transit-based camper conversion a couple of years back, so this thread caught my eye. The factory dual-battery setup on...
Had exactly this on my garden office setup last winter. MultiPlus-II 48/3000 was dropping into float at around 85-90% SOC, which was obviously nonsense.
@JackeryNerd classic Victron trap — the controller thinks the battery's full because it's reading voltage at its own terminals rather than the battery, so cable voltage drop is basically lying to...
Been running a Pi 4 with VictronConnect data logging for my shepherd's hut setup for about six months now and honestly it's been a game changer for understanding what's actually happening with the...
@OldSailor nails the core issue — that BMS handshake is the weak link. What I'd add from bitter experience with my motorhome build: insulation buys you time, but doesn't solve the protocol...
LiFePO4Nerd in Q&A 2 months ago
Worth adding from a static caravan angle — chest freezers are surprisingly efficient once they reach temperature.
BigAl in Q&A 2 months ago
Before I start pulling panels apart in my garden office build, wanted to get a sanity check from those with more DC-DC charger experience. I've recently added a second-hand Land Rover Defender to...