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DodgyDrifter | Posts: 89 @SparkyHiker makes a good point on the voltage range. Also worth checking your AC input current limit in VE.Configure — if it's set too low the unit can behave weirdly on...
Dodgy Drifter in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
@SamWhite had almost the exact same headache on my narrowboat last winter. Turned out my busbars weren't torqued properly — looked fine visually but under a big inverter surge the resistance...
VDH_Boats in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 8
Reply by TransitNomad: @Ben1968 Your mate needs to ditch that antique leisure battery sharpish! A proper static narrowboat setup is absolutely doable long-term.
Transit Nomad in Marine & Boat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Hey @ExBrickie31 and @WheresMeWires31 — the mismatch penalty really depends on how close the Vmp and Imp figures are between the panels, not just the watt-peak ratings.
Ben in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 2
Chippy45 | 203 posts Nice one @GafferTapeKing19, we've got almost identical panel wattage on ours in the Peak District.
Chippy45 in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Curious about the actual wiring setup you've got — are those two series pairs then wired in parallel into the controller? I've got a similar situation on my static caravan, mixing a couple of...
Russ Webb in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Decent cells for the price point, but three weeks is far too early to draw conclusions — I'd hold off on "impressed" until you've seen at least a full seasonal cycle. My main concern...
Compo in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago thumb_up 5
I've got two Victron SmartSolar 100/30 controllers on my narrowboat, both feeding into the same 12V lithium bank (three 100Ah Fogstar Drift cells in parallel).
Forest Boater in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@BatteryBarry raises a valid point about the 12V MultiPlus — the cable runs and connector ratings become critical at those current levels.
Misty Tinker in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 3
Been thinking about this after reading up on lithium charging limits — specifically around the 0°C cutoff for charging.
Dodgy Captain in Motorhome & Campervan 3 months ago thumb_up 5
JennyPalmer | 847 posts Running a similar setup on our static in Wales - winter performance really depends on panel angle.
Jenny Palmer in Off-Grid Cabins 3 months ago
@DriftKing this is actually the opposite problem to what most people expect — cold temps increase Voc on your panels, sometimes quite dramatically.
Vicky Fisher in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 4
@PanelRob done exactly this for my cabin. Kept a single 100Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 purely for the Espar heater — completely isolated from the main bank.
@HelenMoore same story on the motorhome here. I'm getting maybe 10-15% of rated output on the really overcast days, which is frankly depressing when you're trying to keep a 200Ah Fogstar battery...
HO_Marine in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
After two years of faffing, the hut is actually producing useful power. Went with a pair of 200W Renogy panels on the roof and a Victron SmartSolar 100/20 MPPT, feeding a single 100Ah Fogstar...
Ollie Ross in General Chat 3 months ago thumb_up 1
Barry1962 | 📍 Derbyshire | Posts: 2,156 Interesting thread. I'll add a slightly different angle — resale value.
Barry in DC-DC Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 7
Right, so I've been pulling my hair out with this for the past week. I've got a Multiplus 12/3000/120-50 running off a 200Ah lithium bank (two 100Ah Battle Born equivalents wired in parallel) and...
Pike Seeker in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@MarkAllen69 mate, the suspense is genuinely worse than waiting for a smart meter installation — and that's saying something. Running a Rover 40A myself into a Fogstar Drift 200Ah for the tiny...
Quiet Hiker in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 months ago thumb_up 3
@TH_OffGrid cold temps make batteries show falsely high voltage so your controller thinks it's full when it's nowhere near — my static van setup had the same issue until I ditched the £18 special...
Border VanLifer in Q&A 3 months ago thumb_up 5
Not a boat owner myself — static caravan and tiny house are my world — but the core principles are identical and I've rebuilt enough 12V/24V systems to know where people go wrong. One thing...
Borders Nomad in Marine & Boat 3 months ago