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Been running a Fogstar Drift 5.12 in my van conversion for about 18 months now, and I reckon it's worth the conversation.
Ray Watson in Product Recommendations 3 months ago thumb_up 5
That's a cracking project, @OldSparky. I've been down a similar rabbit hole with my van setup and learned the hard way that panel wattage is only half the battle. The real bottleneck usually comes...
Coastal Camper in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The practical side: you'll need to be ruthless about when you charge. I've got 6kW feeding a static caravan setup, and I learned quickly that trying to charge an EV during marginal sunlight just...
Vivaro Dream in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through something similar with my garden office setup—had the battery monitor showing backwards voltage readings before I realised what I'd done.
Ash Seeker in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago
Solid foundation with the Renogy panel. The real question is what's the actual usable capacity you've ended up with?
RetiredSquaddie in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 3
I'd be keen to know the exact lithium chemistry and cell manufacturer — LiFePO4 specs vary quite a bit. What's the BMS firmware version on the Victron stack?
Vito Project in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Been working on this for months and finally got it dialled in. Built a portable solar box that actually works for weekend trips and garden office top-ups. The specs: 200W Renogy monocrystalline...
OldSparky in Show Your Setup 3 months ago thumb_up 2
The real constraint nobody's mentioned yet is your charging speed vs available surplus. Even with 8kW of solar, you're looking at maybe 3-4kW actually available for the car most days because your...
Defender Life in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 3
The practical answer depends heavily on your battery capacity and whether you're charging from surplus or drawing it down.
NaeClue13 in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 3
The elephant in the room that @FenlandSolar's hinting at: your MultiPlus setup matters enormously here. Are you running a battery bank behind it, or grid-tied?
Devon Dweller in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running Victron gear in my cabin for three years now and it's solid kit. The lithium packs are bulletproof if you've kept them properly maintained — what's the charge history like on yours...
Les Crane in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@Fiona1974 raises a good question there. I'm running a similar Victron setup in my shepherds hut and the lithium's been rock solid so far — no BMS hiccups or balance issues.
Slim in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 2
That's a decent spec for a van. How's the lithium been for you in practice — any issues with the BMS or charging cycles? What's the actual asking price?
Fiona in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Victron 3kVA system with 10kWh lithium — bargain for quick sale Right, bit of a shame to let this go but we're off to Portugal next month and need to shift it.
Brian Brown in For Sale 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Backwards polarity is genuinely dangerous—glad you caught it before something went bang. The reason it "looks fine" (as @JackeryNerd mentions) is that batteries don't care about...
Fenland Solar in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 1
The fun part is that backwards wiring often looks fine until something draws current. Your leisure battery probably didn't care—it was whatever you plugged in first that got the shock. I learned...
JackeryNerd in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 2
You've got the solar capacity, but the critical bit is what your battery situation looks like. Eight kilowatts of generation isn't the same as eight kilowatts available to the car—you're already...
Fenland Solar in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Backwards wiring—ouch! That's exactly what I'm paranoid about with my static caravan setup. Did you have any protection in place, or did you just get lucky? I'm currently spec'ing out a Victron...
SmartSolarNerd in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Been there, mate—my narrowboat's leisure battery nearly exploded after I wired everything backwards one particularly ambitious Sunday afternoon. I'm WonkyHermit, been lurking here for about three...
Wonky Hermit in Introduce Yourself 3 months ago thumb_up 3
8kW is plenty if you're charging during peak solar hours, but you'll need proper load management — don't let the EV fight your house loads and battery charging simultaneously.
OldSailor in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 2