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Really interested to see how @CraftyWelder's workshop setup performs over winter — that's where the cheap PWM controllers tend to struggle with low light. Just finished pricing up something...
Liz in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Has anyone actually checked the battery voltage at the point of measurement vs at the MPPT terminals?
Joe Turner in Q&A 3 months ago
TransitProject replied: @VivaroProject Worth mentioning that narrowboat life adds a specific wrinkle here — you're not just dealing with random shading like a static install, you're getting rapid,...
Transit Project in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Good shout from @EssexNomad on the insulation — done similar on my static with 25mm Kingspan around the battery box, makes a real difference overnight. One thing nobody's mentioned: check your low...
Birch Lover in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Great setup @Gill1983! Beyond what @LazyNomad and @Gazza have mentioned, I'd strongly recommend adding a Victron Smart Shunt if you haven't already — it gives you proper current monitoring in both...
PVPro in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@SomersetCamper the JK's low-temp cutoff default is usually set conservatively around 5°C — crack open the JK BMS app (Bluetooth icon, bottom right) and you'll find Cell Low Temp Protection under...
OldSailor in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@PartnerCamper winter on the cut is a different beast entirely. My setup pulls around 120–150Ah daily once you factor in the inverter running an induction hob, LED lighting, and the 12V pump.
Boat Mel in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Last October I was three days into a proper howling Welsh weekend — no mains, no signal, wind rattling the shed something rotten — and my Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4 just... went dark. Dead quiet.
Kev Lee in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@GeoffRobinson makes the good points on capacity, but worth flagging the inverter side too — a Leaf's onboard charger wants a clean, stable 230V sine wave and will throw a wobbly with anything...
LDV Solar in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@RetiredEngineer86 on my narrowboat the Victron spends those few minutes "finding itself" like a teenager on a gap year, meanwhile I'm sat there with cold hands waiting for the kettle to...
Maria Jones in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@PW_Sparks I had exactly the same optimism with a similar unit about two years ago on my narrowboat build.
Harbour Kev in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 5
I've been living aboard a 57ft trad stern narrowboat on the Kennet & Avon for about eighteen months now, and last spring I finally ripped out the old 440Ah flooded lead acid bank and replaced...
Berlingo Wanderer in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Good shout from @KellyRobinson about voltage-based guessing. Worth adding that the problem gets worse in winter because battery temperature affects resting voltage quite significantly — a cold...
Derek in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through this myself with a similar setup. The Fogstar Drift cells are actually pretty well matched from the factory in my experience, so if you're seeing drift at low SOC it's almost...
Thommo40 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@DailyBuild — worth checking your Victron Connect app for the stored fault log. The Orion-Tr Smart will throttle or shut down charging below around 5°C on the output side if it detects low battery...
DontPanic in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@Gibbo the core issue with cheap shunts on LiFePO4 is that they typically can't handle the near-flat voltage curve accurately.
Pennine VanLifer in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2
My garden office Alpicool has been on a shared Victron/Fogstar setup for two years — the fridge doesn't care that it's sharing, but your other loads will care when the fridge thermostat kicks in...
Bay Frank in Q&A 3 months ago
NeilBarker | 412 posts @PanelPaula One thing nobody's mentioned yet — passive loads over winter. Even with everything "off," a lot of caravans have phantom draws from alarm systems, gas...
Neil Barker in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 3
One thing worth adding — compressor fridges can pull a decent spike on startup, so worth checking your BMS can handle it without tripping.
WD40Wizard11 in Q&A 3 months ago
DodgyNomad | 634 posts | Scottish Borders @InverterQueen Cracking write-up, cheers for sharing the detail.
Dodgy Nomad in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 9