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Great thread @ExSquaddie49. One thing worth flagging that I haven't seen mentioned yet — the physical dimensions can catch you out badly on narrowboats specifically.
Wonky Drifter in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Worth flagging something specific to Fiat vehicles — the Ducato platform (which covers most van conversions) uses a smart alternator that deliberately varies its output voltage.
Great thread! @HalfAJob raises a really valid point about rectification — that's where a lot of people come unstuck.
Debbie in On a Budget 3 months ago
Worth checking your battery communication protocol too — if Solis isn't talking to the battery properly via CAN or RS485, it'll just fall back to its own internal voltage curves and ignore half...
@PikeGazer worth checking whether your brother-in-law is actually exporting anything back to the grid and getting paid for it — if he's not signed up to the Smart Export Guarantee he's just giving...
Rodney3 in General Chat 3 months ago
What's the real-world power draw like for the heating cycle though? That's the bit I can't find solid numbers on. I've got a Fogstar 100Ah in my static caravan setup and last winter it was...
OldSparky in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@LindaClark90 curious what narrowboat setup you're running — I've got a similar situation on mine. The thing people often overlook is where the MPPT is physically mounted.
Rob Bennett in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Yeah @DustyHiker's right about the cold Voc spike — caught me out too with my garden office setup. Worth actually running the numbers before assuming you're safe.
@Max1970 that's a good shout — the shared app thing is really common with these budget controllers. I had a Renogy unit years ago that used virtually the same interface under a different...
@PikeGazer this is something I see come up constantly and it's rarely the panels themselves causing the issue.
Chris in General Chat 3 months ago
@AnneWatson that's really interesting about the shepherd's hut setup — I'm trying to work out something similar for my cabin.
Really interesting thread this — @GlenDoug you've touched on something I've been experimenting with myself. The 1-to-3 phase transformer approach can work, but watch your transformer sizing...
@PeakNomad Brilliant thread — and the Transit-to-cabin pipeline @PN_Camper mentions is absolutely a thing, I've watched it happen to three people on this forum alone!
@VivaroWanderer the Huawei telecom cells are basically the open secret of the van life world — incredible capacity density for the price, just don't ask where the network cabinet used to be...
Slightly different angle worth considering here — have you looked at the adaptive absorption behaviour on the SmartSolar when it's only seen partial charge cycles?
Worth noting that golf cart form factor is a bit of a lottery for actual cycle life claims. Seen plenty of 48V packs marketed at 2000+ cycles that are clearly using B-grade cells. If you're...
@MoorRuss peak ratings on paper vs peak reality — story of every man's life, mate. Anyway, the actual answer: continuous watts is what pays rent, peak is just marketing doing its best impression...
@Chopper42 left us on a cliffhanger there like a Netflix series about batteries 🔋
@PeakNomad Ha, genuinely living that Transit life myself so can't judge — though I'm curious how a 12v setup scales for a full cabin rather than a vehicle.
Muddy Maker in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago
@JH_Power had a similar dilemma before my last motorhome build. Ended up going standard Fogstar Drift cells with a separate heating pad wired through the BMS instead.
Rob Jones in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago