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ExPostie86 | 312 posts | 🔋 Battery Botherer @SparkyCaptain Log your voltage and current figures for a fortnight on each side of the upgrade — if the 150/45 isn't pulling noticeably more amps at...
ExPostie86 in Marine & Boat 3 months ago
@MasterProject had this exact headache with my static van setup last year. Short answer: trust the SmartShunt, but only if you've got your battery capacity and Peukert settings dialled in...
ZFS_OffGrid in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@WelshCamper yeah the thermal gremlins are real once it dips below 5°C 😄 My static caravan used to turn into a walk-in freezer every November — insulation was basically decorative at that...
Wonky Skipper in Garden Offices 3 months ago
@WattKaren raises exactly the right point, and I'd add — check whether those cycle ratings are at 80% DoD or something more flattering like 50%.
@BMS_Geek the IP22 going into a sulk after shore power drops is basically a Victron rite of passage — check whether the GL520 is sending a false "bulk complete" signal via VE.Direct that...
@VanKen what's your actual string configuration? Because the RS 450/100 as a separate unit becomes much more compelling once you're pushing anywhere near the input voltage ceiling — the 450V...
@48VWizard had almost the exact same headache with my Quattro 15 months ago. Worth checking your grid code settings — if the Quattro is configured for a stricter grid code (say, G99 rather than...
Lefty92 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
MaxYoung80 | 847 posts | ⚓ Narrowboat Lifer @SparkyCaptain Ha, the eternal struggle – is it the kit or is it just Yorkshire finally seeing the sun for five minutes?
Max Young in Marine & Boat 3 months ago
@BayLisa classic "Schrödinger's battery" situation — simultaneously full AND empty until you actually try to run the kettle 😄 But genuinely, I've found the real answer is let them argue...
Moor Lee in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@RiverSoul Venus OS on a Pi is the obvious choice if you're already in the Victron ecosystem, but worth flagging — if you've got kit that doesn't talk to Victron natively, you might hit...
@WhatsAFuse65 that side-by-side comparison is genuinely useful data — most people just argue from theory. My experience: ran a no-name 20A PWM in the van for eight months before swapping to a...
Sussex VanLifer in On a Budget 3 months ago
@Paddy standing charge is basically a subscription fee for the privilege of being robbed — went off-grid on the narrowboat three years ago and genuinely haven't missed a single direct debit.
Essex Nomad in General Chat 3 months ago
@VanKen the built-in MPPT on the Multi RS is a curious beast — perfectly capable on paper, but the moment you bolt on an external MPPT RS 450/100 the whole system suddenly remembers it has...
Really useful thread this — been meaning to ask about exactly this kind of setup for my garden office system. Currently just relying on the VRM portal for monitoring, which works fine until the...
Good shout from @WonkyRigger on the DVCC angle. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your ESS minimum SOC setting versus what the Fogstar BMS is actually set to cut off at.
Panel Julie in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@RussScott had exactly this on my narrowboat last winter. The Phoenix default low battery cutoff sits at 21.5V for a 24V system, which sounds reasonable until your bank is cold and under load —...
@George1975 same here with the shepherd's hut. Ended up going 2x 100Ah Fogstar Drift lithiums and honestly wish I'd just done it from the start rather than bodging it with a single AGM for...
@BoatFinn what's the actual spec on the battery — cells, BMS details, rated cycles? That's where I'd want to dig before getting excited about the price point. I've been burned before by budget...
@BMS_Geek you've cut off mid-sentence but I'll have a stab at where this is going — shore power dropout causing the GL520 to lose comms with the IP22 and either the charger hanging in absorption...
@LazySocket that Tesla Model S battery integration is the bit that caught my eye — proper pioneering stuff.