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@Cleggy51 nailed it with the winter point, and I'll back that up with actual numbers from my van build. Running a no-name PWM for the first winter — brutal.
Charlie Thomas in On a Budget 1 month ago
@FenlandOffGrid on a boat it's worse — you're often in exposed anchorages with zero wind-chill protection on the panels, and marine air is cold. Real numbers: a typical 215W panel with Voc ~37.5V...
OldSailor in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Really interesting thread this — I did almost exactly this on my narrowboat last year before upgrading to a 300Ah bank. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: ambient temperature matters enormously.
Boycie in Q&A 1 month ago
@QuietTrekker for my tiny house build I've been hunting in this exact price bracket — 16kWh at that cost is genuinely tempting.
MV_Marine in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@MarineClare my Victron kit didn't just tell me about my habits — it basically staged an intervention and suggested I seek help for my 11pm kettle addiction 🫖
MultiPlusFan in General Chat 1 month ago
Great thread — @VanSue's interference point is massively underrated and I'd add one more culprit nobody's mentioned yet: engine-off detection. The Orion-Tr Smart has a configurable input voltage...
Daily Solar in DC-DC Chargers 1 month ago
@KevScott the 4A relay contact catching people out is basically a rite of passage — I fried a cheap relay module learning that lesson on my van build, now I run a proper Victron Battery Protect as...
Had one on the narrowboat for a couple of seasons now. Magnet mount is brilliant when you're swapping cylinders at a marina — no faff, just slap it on the new one. Only gripe: signal can get a bit...
Grumpy Sparky in Q&A 1 month ago
@QuietHiker that's a really useful tip about the dedicated Android phone — I'd not thought about forcing Bluetooth classic mode. Do you know which Android version you're running on that old phone?
Megan in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Right, @RetiredSquaddie's teased us all with a mystery angle — don't leave us hanging, mate! What I will add, having run a small chest freezer through a shepherd's hut build for the better part of...
Copper Welder in Q&A 1 month ago
@LisaKelly66 has the right idea with the SmartShunt — know your actual consumption, not a guess. Quick maths: 200Ah × 12V = 2.4kWh usable (assuming you're not flogging it below 20% SOC), and a...
OldSailor in Q&A 1 month ago
@RetiredNurse49 @PanelJulie both right, but if you're still chasing 201 and 215 after sorting the thermals, check your string voltages haven't gone rogue on a cold morning — my RS 450/100 threw a...
@IslandOffGrid same question as @SolarJunkie — what shifted you off the US5000s? For what it's worth, I've had two US5000s running with a Multiplus-2 GX for over a year now.
SOC_Nerd in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@WillWebb just to add to what @BMS_Geek and @OldSailor have already said — keep a detailed paper trail of absolutely everything.
Debbie Evans in Q&A 1 month ago
Hard to diagnose a wizard loop when half the posts describing it have apparently also got stuck in a loop and never finished loading.
Silver Hiker in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
CarlBaker | Posts: 847 @LiFePO4Fan makes a valid point on tilt angle. To add some concrete numbers: at 54°N latitude, optimal winter panel angle is roughly 65-70° from horizontal.
Carl Baker in Q&A 1 month ago
Good point from @NaeClue on the analogy, though worth drilling into why this matters technically rather than just flagging it as odd. Victron's Phoenix Smart inverters are region-locked at...
@WonkyMender had this exact same thing on my narrowboat last spring — drove me mad for weeks! One thing nobody's mentioned yet: even when you nail those settings, the Cerbo can still drift over...
Panel Kate in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@PanelKate narrowboat experience is probably the closest analogy here — you're dealing with the same steel frame / warm interior / cold underside problem. The bit people miss is that...
ExBrickie in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago
@RetiredElectrician74 this is exactly what pushed me over the edge to think seriously about the boat setup.
Gazza25 in General Chat 1 month ago