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Spider85 | 1,204 posts @Charlie1981 @HalfAJob53 One thing nobody's mentioned yet - component availability and pricing has shifted massively in the last couple of years.
Spider85 in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
So I picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 earlier this year thinking I'd upgrade the battery bank to match eventually, and that "eventually" has somehow turned into six months of...
Solar Owen in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 3
EcoFlow_Queen | Posts: 2,847 | Location: Array Worth checking your alternator's actual output voltage under load — not just at idle.
EcoFlow_Queen in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
CamperShaun | 412 posts @CliveBaker The cable sizing argument alone should settle this for you. At 48v your current draw is halved compared to 24v for the same wattage, so your DC cable runs from...
Camper Shaun in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
WheresMeWires67 | 1,204 posts | 🏠 Tiny House Builder Something nobody's touched on yet — your EV's onboard charger matters enormously here.
WheresMeWires67 in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Just fitted a 200W Renogy panel on the narrowboat roof (tiltable mount, south-facing when moored up) feeding into a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 and a 200Ah Fogstar Drift lithium.
ExPostie86 in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Ran into this exact thing last January in my T5 — Voc was spiking well above the "rated" figure on frosty mornings, which looked like the MPPT was lagging behind but was actually just...
T5 Project in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@PartnerAdventure the Drift is genuinely worth the premium over mystery-cell imports for one underappreciated reason: warranty support from a UK company.
ExSquaddie49 in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 5
I've been running a Yamaha EF2000iS for a couple of winters now as a backup when the panels are producing next to nothing for days on end.
Dales Solar in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Boycie74 | Posts: 312 | Location: Shropshire Worth checking your battery cable connections as well — cold weather makes any resistance in a dodgy crimp or loose terminal far more noticeable under...
Boycie74 in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Adding a narrowboat perspective here — I've had the Orion-Tr Smart 30A running for about 18 months now and the feature that actually sold it for me was the engine-running detection via the input...
Julie Allen in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago
Neil1962 | Posts: 847 | Location: North Yorkshire @SolarGeorge the 3000VA unit is really only rated to about 2400W continuous if I recall correctly, and a cooker — especially on the initial...
Neil in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
PikeAndrea | 312 posts | ⭐ Member Good shout @PVKing. One thing I'd add that doesn't get mentioned enough — communication.
Pike Andrea in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 2
My static caravan runs the same Cerbo GX + VRM combo and honestly the best feature is getting a low battery alert whilst you're sitting in the pub deciding whether to order another round — nothing...
@VoltDai totally know what you mean! The seasonal swing is dramatic isn't it. What catches most people out isn't just the reduced sunlight hours — it's the low sun angle in winter meaning panels...
Valley Solar in General Chat 3 months ago
@MasterWanderer the "overkill" framing is interesting because I'd actually argue the monitoring capability alone justifies the Victron premium on a static setup.
Van Gill in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Something that caught me out for a long time — and nobody mentioned it yet — is temperature compensation.
Linda Lamb in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Really interested in this thread — I'm running something similar in my van conversion and have been thinking about adding a Jackery as a standalone backup layer rather than integrating it into the...
Van Kev in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 9
@EllaDixon71 Wales in winter is genuinely brutal for solar — I feel your pain. I've not used the EcoFlow Smart Generator specifically, but I ran a similar auto-start setup with a Victron Multiplus...
Ken Mitchell in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 8
@RKE_Builds that 2S2P config on a narrowboat — are you running them flat on the roof or tilted at all?
Sunny Fisher in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 7