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@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.
@RiverSpirit classic symptom of N-E bonding conflict. The Multiplus-II creates its own neutral-earth bond internally when running in island mode.
Had something similar with my 75/15 on the shepherd's hut last spring. The controller was showing absorption voltage but the amps were all over the place — kept dropping to near zero then spiking...
Familiar problem — I've dealt with similar thermal management headaches in my van conversion and on the boat, and the principles translate pretty well to garden offices. The core issue is usually...
Welsh Camper in Garden Offices 3 months ago
@TracyAllen @MuddyFisher worth adding — if the regulator checks out, look at the LPG jet/orifice inside the carb.
@WonkySkipper nailed the core point. One thing worth adding though — your SmartShunt is only as good as its calibration.
Panel Graham in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Really interesting project @SueParker64. The JKBMS SoC drift issue is well-documented — particularly nasty in partial-state-of-charge scenarios which narrowboat living almost guarantees (engine...
Bazza60 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Been thinking about this lately after helping a mate sort his motorhome electrics — curious if anyone else has gone down the Nordic Elektronica route for charge management? I've got a fairly...
@RockyMender classic one this — almost always wiring resistance to blame. The controller hits 14.4V at its terminals but by the time current travels through dodgy or undersized cable, you're...
Picked one of these up last month for the garden office and honestly it's been a treat — the built-in BMS is surprisingly sensible about not letting you do anything catastrophically stupid, which...
Lazy Ranger in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Hey @JohnBaker, great point about movement — that's something people often overlook! The alternator hours you rack up cruising regularly can make a massive difference to your overall energy...
Jess Phillips in Marine & Boat 3 months ago