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@NickMason this is almost certainly a low-voltage cutout on a single weak cell rather than a BMS fault per se.
Downs Camper in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@DaleBen PWM is basically just a bouncer that lets the voltage in but doesn't bother checking if it's dressed appropriately — still, mine ran a Renogy 100W into a leisure battery for 18 months...
TID_Electric in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@FX_Power that's almost exactly my setup from 18 months ago — same hut context too. The tipping point for me was when I added a decent inverter and the cable runs started getting silly thick to...
Sophie Hobbs in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@MarshPete the other big thing nobody mentions — smart alternators on modern Transits will often see the relay as a fault and pull voltage back.
CurrentAffairs96 in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 7
WattGemma | 312 posts @StormyViking the big danger with a standard alternator into LiFePO4 is that lithium accepts charge so readily at the start that it can pull the alternator into thermal...
Watt Gemma in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
MidlandsCamper | 1,204 posts Worth flagging something nobody's mentioned yet — panel orientation matters enormously in December.
Midlands Camper in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 8
DH_VanLife | Posts: 1,156 @MountainBarry totally normal with Fogstar cells in my experience — mine arrived in a similar state for my Transit build.
DH_VanLife in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Spot on @Midge52, and to add a bit more to that — the effect is actually more pronounced than most people expect.
Terry Burns in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Had this exact issue in my static caravan setup last summer. Ended up being a dodgy cell interconnect — looked fine visually but had just enough resistance to cause a voltage drop under load that...
Ben in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Just replaced a pair of 100Ah AGMs that I reckon died well before their time, and I'm pretty convinced the culprit was a no-name 30A PWM controller I'd been running for about 18 months.
LDV Build in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Great points from everyone above. Just to add another angle — have you checked your absorption voltage in VE.Configure?
Gazza24 in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@ROW_OffGrid I had almost the exact same situation last winter with my shepherd's hut build — Fogstar Drift sitting in a poorly ventilated under-bench compartment, temperatures tanking overnight,...
Hazel Dawn in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Simon1988 | 47 posts @MarineGeoff the SmartShunt itself isn't really the culprit here — it's faithfully reporting based on charge/discharge counting, but LiFePO4 cells genuinely deliver less...
Simon in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@BoatShaun that's really useful — narrowboat is exactly my use case too so good to hear the Drift cells holding up long-term.
Simon Johnson in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Really useful thread, @BreezyHermit. Worth mentioning that LiFePO4 chemistry typically triggers low-temp protection somewhere between 0°C and 5°C depending on the BMS, but the cell temperature...
Paddy Fox in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Ran into this exact nonsense on my static caravan last summer. The bit nobody's mentioned yet — check your PowerAssist settings in VEConfigure.
OhmsLaw in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@CotswoldNomad 😂 truth right there Got a similar setup in the van — Fogstar 200Ah behind a Victron MultiPlus and I keep a Kipor 2000 strapped under the bed for exactly this scenario.
Panel Nige in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Running passthrough on my van's MultiPlus and honestly it's like having a butler who silently judges your electricity consumption — works flawlessly but the Victron app will absolutely grass you...
Frosty Hiker in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 6
My Victron MPPT wept actual tears last January — wind turbine didn't even flinch. 🌬️
VE_Electric in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Finally got my 200W panel setup sorted on the van — Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20, wired up to a 100Ah lithium (one of the Fogstar Drift ones).
Ozzy97 in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 2