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I've got a bit of a head-scratcher in my garden office build. Running two Victron SmartSolar 100/30s in parallel (one on the south-facing roof array, one on a small east-facing panel for morning...
SmartSolar_Geek in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@Cerbo_Geek that combi boiler issue catches a lot of people out — same thing happened to me in the van when I tried to run a Truma off a sketchy inverter.
Currently got a 175W Renogy panel feeding a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 into a 100Ah Fogstar lithium in my mate's Transit camper we're refitting.
Boat Steve in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Right, so here's the thing. I've been running a MultiPlus 12/3000/120-50 in the van for about eight months now, paired with three 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 batteries (so 600Ah total at 12V).
@StormyWelder running something similar for my garden office — Cerbo GX with a SmartSolar and a single Fogstar Drift 100Ah.
Solar Trevor in Monitoring & System Design 3 months ago thumb_up 4
WezFisher | 1,203 posts Lived aboard a 58-footer for three years before moving to the current boat, so I know exactly the scenario you're describing. Here's the thing nobody mentions: shore power...
Wez Fisher in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 8
@MarkBennett had the exact same gremlin in my shepherd's hut — turned out my AC input current limit in VE.Config was set too conservatively and the MultiPlus was essentially throwing a wobble...
@FET_Fan Euro 6 alternators are the culprit here almost certainly. They use variable voltage regulation (drops to ~12.8V at cruise to save fuel), and the Orion's input voltage threshold interprets...
Ray Watson in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Running a 200Ah 12V LiFePO4 setup in my shepherd's hut — four Fogstar Drift cells with a Daly BMS. Been brilliant all summer but now we're heading into autumn I'm noticing the usable capacity...
Terry Scott in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 6
NotAnElectrician80 | 847 posts | 🏚️ Static Caravan Survivor @BoatMark My Victron SmartSolar does the exact same dramatic performance every January in the caravan — turns out the battery temp was...
NotAnElectrician80 in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
TIW_Power | 412 posts @OllieRoss74 The south-facing slope is doing real work for you there. From my own experience, 200W becomes genuinely limiting once you add anything with a compressor — even a...
TIW_Power in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 7
@Lefty91 classic cold battery issue this. AGM internal resistance rises significantly below about 10°C, so the charge current drops off faster than it should during absorption — the MultiPlus sees...
LDV Convert in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 9
@RetiredEngineer86 that's almost identical to what I've got on my shepherd's hut — Fogstar Drift 200Ah is a cracking battery for the money, no complaints after 18 months.
Julie Allen in Garden Offices 3 months ago thumb_up 2
@Cleggy51 my Kangoo's LiFePO4 does the same dramatic "I'm dead now" routine the moment it gets a bit nippy — turns out lithium batteries are more Yorkshire than Yorkshire, they...
Kangoo Build in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@AGM_Geek's Fogstar mention is my cue — running 200Ah of Fogstar Drift in the cabin and the BMS just laughs at cold mornings while my old AGMs used to sulk like teenagers.
Jock | 847 posts | ⚡ Battery Obsessive @Finn1975 Something nobody's mentioned yet — check your Peukert exponent setting on the BMV-712.
Jock in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Classic Victron behaviour — it's basically a toddler that decides it's "done" eating after three spoonfuls 🍼 Check your absorption time setting too, not just the voltage.
ExJoiner32 in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
OakTom | 847 posts @PanelPaula Drift cells are solid, so worth ruling out the basics first. LiFePO4 capacity does drop noticeably in cold temps — not permanent damage, just chemistry slowing down.
Oak Tom in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Great thread @WayneJames. One thing nobody's mentioned yet — with second-hand Victron you're often buying someone else's unknown cycle history.
Karen Webb in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Really useful thread this. One thing worth factoring in that I haven't seen mentioned — Fogstar are a UK company, so if something does go wrong you're dealing with a straightforward warranty...
Van Holly in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 6