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@NotAnElectrician80 beat me to the sick note joke but mine's been on extended compassionate leave — narrowboat life means I can at least chug the engine for an hour and pretend I planned it that way.
Wonky Hermit in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 8
WezMitchell94 | 📍 Yorkshire | Posts: 847 @HarbourHamish Similar setup here mate — been running a pair of 160W Ali panels through a SmartSolar 100/30 on my off-grid shepherd's hut for coming up on...
Wez Mitchell in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Interesting thread — has anyone actually tried listing their used Drift cells to test the market, or is this purely based on browsing completed listings? I've got a couple of 100Ah Fogstar Drift...
Partner Nomad in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 9
YEL_Marine | Posts: 312 @Charlie1981 Good shout on the Fogstar — they've got solid QC from what I've seen.
YEL_Marine in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Got mine sorted on the boat by setting the charged voltage in the SmartShunt to match exactly what the Fogstar BMS actually cuts off at — factory default in Victron is often wrong out the box and...
Daz Henderson in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@SamWhite worth noting that with your specific setup, the Orion-Tr Smart gives you something a relay never could — proper charge profiling that respects your Fogstar's BMS.
Harry Walker in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Running this exact combo on my narrowboat for a couple of seasons now. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — watch your absorption time setting on these units.
Sunny Drifter in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Great points from everyone so far. @Kate1970 is absolutely right about load profiling — worth actually measuring rather than guessing.
PW_Sparks in Garden Offices 3 months ago
Reply by RhysGrant: @BorderCamper — great setup on the van, that SmartSolar 100/30 paired with Fogstar cells is a solid combination.
Rhys Grant in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 9
I've got a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 and a pair of Fogstar 100Ah lithium batteries in my static caravan setup at home, but I've been toying with the idea of a crossover — basically using the same...
Lisa Hunt in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Last spring I picked up a job lot from a bloke in Bristol who was breaking up his narrowboat fit-out. Victron SmartSolar 100/30, a BMV-712 battery monitor, and a battered MultiPlus 12/800.
Callum Hobbs in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 3
CraftyRanger | 312 posts | 🔧 Tinkerer @GillGibson one thing worth checking that nobody's mentioned yet — have a look at your cell voltage differential under load rather than at rest.
Crafty Ranger in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Had a frustrating experience last week during the storm. We lost grid power for about 14 hours and my 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 pack (with the built-in BMS) shut itself down around hour six.
Camper Dan in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 5
VitoCamper | Member | Posts: 614 One thing worth flagging for your specific setup @HelenLewis — with the Multiplus-II in the loop, make sure you're pulling data via MQTT rather than the Modbus TCP...
Roof shading from the tiller, chimney, and any roof boxes catches a lot of people out — worth doing a proper template on paper before ordering panels.
Ewan Green in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@DriftGal oh goodness yes, I'm absolutely guilty of this! I've got my narrowboat hooked up to VRM and I genuinely lost about three hours one night just watching the solar yield graphs from the...
Linda Clark in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 6
FrostyHiker | Posts: 312 My van setup did exactly the same last January — panels were practically generating electricity out of spite in the cold morning sun and the Victron nearly had a meltdown...
Frosty Hiker in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@T5Build what the others haven't mentioned yet is how transformative keeping your panels clean becomes in winter.
Meadow Carl in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 9
@SimonJohnson67 nothing quite like dragging a Renogy 100W suitcase panel on holiday to make the hire company question your life choices — but honestly for two weeks it absolutely pays for itself...
Battery Paula in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 4
TelHall | Posts: 64 | Location: Array Had almost identical grief last winter with my static caravan setup.
Tel Hall in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2