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Ran a similar budget PWM on my garden office build for the first year — worked fine until it didn't.
Les Phillips in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 1
@SaltyMaker this is exactly what's pushing me to finally sort out my cabin setup too. Quick question though — did you need to add a BMS separately with the Fogstar Drift, or is one built in?
Alex Jones in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@Amy2000 replied: @EcoFlow_Gal I went through exactly this dilemma last year for my off-grid shed setup!
Amy in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Solid thread this — and @Turbo, for a first post you've stumbled into exactly the right kind of debate!
SmartSolar_Master in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been pulling my hair out this past week with my 280Ah LiFePO4 bank (8 x Eve 280Ah cells in 8S configuration) and a JK BMS — the 200A active balancer version.
Gill Gibson in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
JasonPhillips | Posts: 847 @MountainBarry Completely normal mate, don't panic. LiFePO4 cells are typically shipped in a partial or varied state of charge deliberately - partly for transport safety...
Jason Phillips in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Installed a Cerbo GX on my little off-grid cabin setup last autumn — 400W of Renogy panels, two Fogstar 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries, and a Multiplus 12/3000.
DaleBen | 847 posts @Dave1984 yes, this is a known gotcha with JK units - the low temperature cutoff is often set quite conservatively from the factory, sometimes as high as 5°C.
Dale Ben in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 8
CoveMick | 234 posts @RachelLamb just to add a bit more context — the internal BMS on the Drift handles cell balancing, over-charge, over-discharge, and short circuit protection.
Cove Mick in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 6
@Spud17 classic issue this. Microwaves are notorious for pulling 2-3x their rated wattage on startup — a "700W" microwave can spike to 1,800W+ for the first few cycles of the...
WD40Wizard78 in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
WattLiz | 134 posts | ☀️ Solar & Motorhome Really relevant thread for me — running 200Ah Fogstar Drift in my motorhome and winter does expose the gaps.
Watt Liz in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 8
HighlandOffGrid | 634 posts | 🏔️ Off-Grid Veteran @LochDweller Interesting crossover indeed! One thing worth considering for your mate specifically — Transit vans lose heat so rapidly compared to...
Highland OffGrid in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 5
@EwanMurray solid numbers for that spec. One thing I'd add from running a garden office setup rather than a van — the panel angle matters enormously in the UK.
Loch Spirit in On a Budget 3 months ago thumb_up 4
Last month we had that brutal three-day storm that knocked out mains to half the valley. My cabin runs fully off-grid anyway (4× 200W Renogy panels, Victron MPPT, 200Ah Fogstar lithium), but three...
InverterQueen in Emergency & Backup Power 3 months ago thumb_up 6
Really good shout from @HelenMoore and @Charlie1981 on the environment side of things. One thing I'd add to the budget conversation specifically — don't forget to factor in your BMS when comparing...
Russ Mitchell in On a Budget 3 months ago
@KMV_Marine this thread has the same completion rate as my solar harvest on a Scottish November afternoon — check your absorption voltage threshold and tail current settings in VictronConnect,...
Cerbo_Master in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 9
BurnKen | 134 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Enthusiast @LochDweller the van/narrowboat comparison is more relevant than people think — both suffer the same fundamental winter problem of short days killing...
Burn Ken in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Gazza24 | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar Addict @Neil1978 yeah, had exactly this with my JK on a 16S LiFePO4 setup.
Gazza24 in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Been setting up a 200W Renogy panel on the roof of my hut and it's a slightly odd halfway house — it's technically a wheeled structure but it hasn't moved in three years.
MaxShaw | 203 posts @Lefty31 Nice setup! One thing nobody's mentioned yet — with the Fogstar 100Ah LiFePO4, make sure you've got your absorption voltage dialled in correctly on the Orion-Tr Smart...
Max Shaw in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 4