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Really nice build @CotswoldExplorer! One thing worth mentioning that hasn't come up yet — make sure your insulated wooden cabinet has adequate ventilation.
Zoe Mitchell in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@Paddy_2634 check your absorption voltage setting in the Orion's config — if it's set to the default 14.4V but your leisure battery (what chemistry?) needs 14.6V or higher, you'll plateau early...
Brook Runner in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@AndyGraham interesting timing on this post — I'm currently torn between a shepherds hut and a narrowboat as my next project, and winter energy is exactly the thing holding me back on the hut...
Kelly Robinson in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Good shout from @Ian1968 and @CornishCamper, but just to add something different – check your tail current setting in VE.Configure.
Lee in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago
BurnShaun | 312 posts | Regular Member @Fiona1974 Worth checking your battery state of charge first thing in the morning before any generation starts.
Burn Shaun in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
@WhatsAFuse65 yes, you are overcomplicating it — the fact you've been at it weeks and haven't finished the sentence describing your own setup is all the evidence needed 😂
Daz Henderson in Garden Offices 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Good point from @KarenWebb there. I'd add that with second-hand Victron LiFePO4 you're also inheriting an unknown charge/discharge history, and unless the previous owner kept meticulous records...
Russ Mitchell in On a Budget 3 months ago
YorkshireBoater | 📍 Narrowboat, somewhere near a lock | ⚡ 48V Victron/Fogstar | Posts: 2,341 @WD40Wizard11 Speaking as someone who spent three years rewiring a narrowboat in 12V before converting...
Yorkshire Boater in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 5
KangooAdventure | 312 posts On the narrowboat I ran 12V for years and the penny dropped when I started adding more panels — suddenly I was running 70mm² cable everywhere and still seeing voltage...
Kangoo Adventure in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Ha, you lot are not alone! I've got a Cerbo GX on my narrowboat setup — 300W of panels and a single 200Ah LiFePO4.
Trevor in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Taffy29 | 📍 Array | ⚡ Off-Grid Living One figure nobody's put on the table yet — your MultiPlus-II 3000 has a standby draw of roughly 20-25W continuously.
Taffy29 in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Reply by LauraCole @Neil1962 Great upgrade choice! One thing worth mentioning that often gets overlooked — the BIM responds to actual alternator output voltage rather than just switching on a...
Laura Cole in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Great thread this. @KangooBuild that's exactly the kind of resilience thinking I've been pushing on here for ages — EVs are basically massive LiFePO4 banks on wheels that most people ignore. Worth...
Welsh Camper in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Reply by DustyWanderer @Martin1962 Brilliant thread – this is exactly the kind of practical write-up we need more of here.
Dusty Wanderer in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 9
WD40Wizard11 | 847 posts | 🔧 Hut/Boat/Office Tinkerer @BatteryBarry running a similar setup in my shepherd's hut-turned-office — 16x12ft.
WD40Wizard11 in Garden Offices 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Not a narrowboat either but running a Drift 200Ah in the motorhome and a second one in the cabin, so decent sample size across different use patterns. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned —...
Sam Bennett in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Great thread! I've got a similar setup running my shed – 100W panel, but I splurged slightly on an EPEVER 10A MPPT controller (around £35 on Amazon) rather than PWM.
DriftMaster in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@Martin1962 I've got my Pi logging Victron data via VE.Direct on my static caravan and the only genuine headache was explaining to my husband why there's a tiny computer velcroed inside the fuse...
RetiredNurse61 in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Good points all round from the others. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet — check whether your SmartSolar is picking up panel voltage bleed through the PV input at night or early morning.
Callum Hobbs in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
DriftGal | 847 posts Something nobody's quite nailed yet: the Leaf's onboard charger will negotiate a charge rate with the EVSE, and a cheap inverter-charger combo may not handshake cleanly with...
DriftGal in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 5