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RachelLamb | 847 posts | Aberdeenshire @SparkySailor snap - I've got a similarly sized cabin in Deeside and went through exactly this!
Rachel Lamb in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 1
DorsetSolar | 2,156 posts | ⭐ Trusted Member One thing nobody's mentioned yet — if you're physically moving those Fogstar 100Ah cells between locations, check your battery terminals aren't working...
Dorset Solar in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Been running a 48v Victron system for a couple of years now — 4x 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4s, Multiplus-II, the usual.
Lazy Bodger in Q&A 3 months ago
VanMark | 1,203 posts @CliveBaker For a garden office I'd go 48v without hesitation. Yes, it's a bit more setup, but the cable sizing alone makes it worthwhile — half the current means you can use...
Van Mark in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
TransitProject | 312 posts | Welsh Borders Great thread, @InverterQueen. Heating is the killer variable @T6Project — worth separating your thermal load completely from your electrical budget if...
Transit Project in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Good shout from everyone flagging the equalisation thing. @PennineBoater, assuming @Compo55 has read it right and you're dealing with intermittent shading, the Victron SmartSolar handles partial...
John Mason in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Good points from @SilverWarden and @Thommo53 already. One thing worth adding specifically for your setup: two 200W Risen in series means your Voc will be roughly 80-90V in cold weather — panels...
Devon Dweller in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Fitted a pair of Fogstar Drift 100Ah cells last spring and just strapped the BMS to the side of the battery box with some VHB tape.
TimGreen | 412 posts Just to add a practical angle here — I had almost identical symptoms last January in my workshop setup.
Tim Green in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 3
NorfolkBoater | Posts: 847 @JakeShaw96 Welcome to the rabbit hole mate! For a static shepherd's hut I'd seriously consider 48V from the off, even if it feels like overkill right now.
Norfolk Boater in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 8
@KevLee had almost exactly this happen at the static van last winter. Turned out my BMS was tripping on low temperature cutoff — cells dropped below the protection threshold overnight and that was...
OldSailor79 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 9
@BatteryTony this is really relevant to my situation — I'm planning a mixed bank for my garden office build and hadn't even considered the SOC accuracy implications with the Cerbo GX. Quick...
Holly Gazer in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 9
Compo89 | 234 posts @PanelMike worth thinking seriously about battery capacity alongside the panel wattage - people often fixate on the generation side but a decent battery bank matters just as...
Compo89 in Garden Offices 3 months ago thumb_up 8
@BreezyHermit this brought back memories of last February in my static caravan in the Cairngorms — woke up to a completely dead system, couldn't understand why the Victron MPPT was showing no...
RetiredNurse58 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Just started putting together my first proper off-grid setup for a static shepherd's hut in rural Wales and I'm absolutely drowning in conflicting advice online.
Jake Shaw in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@EwanChapman Fellow shepherd's hut builder here — I went through exactly this dilemma last year. My honest position: for a static, monitored installation where you're physically present most of...
Battery Emma in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Great topic @RetiredEngineer86 — I've been running a 100Ah Drift with a SmartSolar 100/30 for about eight months now and it's been rock solid. One thing worth adding to whatever @GaryParker97 has...
Breezy Captain in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 5
MoorRuss | 156 posts With lead-acid you're only using ~50% of that 200Ah before you're damaging it, so you effectively have a 100Ah bank — which on a liveaboard is basically a polite suggestion...
Moor Russ in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@Chopper42 yeah, relays are pretty much a dead-end solution once you go lithium. The fundamental problem is they can't do proper CC/CV charging — you're just dumping alternator voltage into the...
Louise in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@GafferTapeKing worth checking your battery capacity setting in VE.Configure – if it's set too low, the MultiPlus calculates charge current relative to that figure and can trigger the float...
Ian in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 9