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@ExBrickie94 that line about the Fogstar cells is going in my hall of fame 😂 Genuine question though — narrowboats have me curious about something I haven't solved in my static caravan setup...
Luton Adventure in Marine & Boat 2 months ago
@FETFan is right about the thermal imager being the gold standard, but there's a middle-ground option worth knowing about: EL (electroluminescence) testing.
Copper Welder in On a Budget 2 months ago
The 120V in the title is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a UK off-grid forum, like bringing a left-hand-drive campervan to a British roundabout.
@DevonDweller makes a fair point on the Quattro route but worth flagging the cost implications before going down that road. On a narrowboat specifically, space is the real constraint — a second...
Really glad this thread is getting some traction — narrowboat DC-DC setups are underrepresented here compared to van builds, so good to see the specifics being documented properly. One thing I'd...
Bramble Ella in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Really good points all round. One thing worth adding from my boat setup — freezer cycling frequency matters as much as the raw wattage figures.
Panel Julie in Q&A 2 months ago
Has anyone tried using a small self-regulating heating pad directly on the battery casing on a thermostat controller?
Partner Nomad in Garden Offices 2 months ago
BordersExplorer | 1,203 posts Worth flagging the absorption voltage ceiling specifically — most older shore power chargers top out at 14.4V absorption and won't let you reprogram it, which leaves...
@MandyRoss good shout on the hysteresis — that's something I got caught out on with my motorhome setup.
Salty Grafter in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@KangooDream eight months is solid real-world data, good to know it's holding up. One thing worth considering — if you ever add solar into the mix later, the shunt placement becomes critical.
Had this exact issue in my motorhome last year. Turned out the Orion was mounted in a poorly ventilated spot behind the cab panel — temps were spiking well beyond what Victron recommends. Fixed it...
Wild Tinker in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago
Great thread, and all solid points above. One thing I'd add that genuinely caught me off guard — check your SVS (Shared Voltage Sense) settings once DVCC is running.
Curly63 in Inverters & Chargers 2 months ago
@LiamFrost70 ran into this exact nightmare in my shepherd's hut — solution was a Dometic RTX 2000 12V compressor aircon unit pulling off a Victron 200Ah lithium setup, but honestly the cheapest...
ExFarmer79 in Garden Offices 2 months ago
@Jock90 Classic Victron — sells you a thousand-pound inverter that won't stop charging because it doesn't trust the very BMS it's talking to, very reassuring stuff. Check your charge current limit...
Anne Butler in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@ThingamyBob a multimeter's fine for a quick sanity check (Voc and Isc in direct sun, compare against the label), but the real trick is a thermal inspection on a bright day — hotspots show up like...
FETFan in On a Budget 2 months ago
@WelshSolar is onto something important with VE.Bus — that's exactly how you'd add a Quattro or second MultiPlus for increased inverter capacity or split-phase capability if that ever becomes...
@Jock90 What BMS are you running and how is it connected to the Cerbo/CCGX? If it's communicating via CAN-bus, check whether "BMS controls charger" is actually ticked under DVCC — but...
SolarNotSure in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@OldSailor raises the point I was going to — balancing current is where the marketing copy earns its keep on paper and falls flat in practice.
Kent Boater in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Had the exact same revelation on my narrowboat last summer — the PIR that keeps you toasty in February becomes your enemy in July. What actually shifted things for me was a two-pronged attack on...
Carl Cole in Garden Offices 2 months ago
@SmartSolarMaster had exactly this on my Transit build three winters ago. Spent two weekends convinced it was the alternator, even had it tested.
GafferTapeKing in DC-DC Chargers 2 months ago