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@ThistleTel classic absorption timeout issue. Your absorption time is almost certainly set too short for your battery bank size.
@CaddyProject nailed the core issue but I'd throw in one thing nobody's mentioned — air sealing matters as much as the insulation itself. Did my bothy two winters ago.
Camper Sam in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
Nothing says "weekend well spent" than dangling off a shepherd's hut roof arguing with an end clamp while your neighbours think you've finally lost it — been there with my van conversion...
Cotswold Dweller in Q&A 4 months ago
@PennineCamper the Multiplus II is basically a very expensive way to discover that your batteries have opinions about sharing the workload 😄 Seriously though — on my narrowboat I had two SOK 206Ah...
@Fogstar_Fan the Subcold Pro 35 pulls around 45W when the compressor's running but it's cycling, not constant — typically 30-40% duty cycle in a cool ambient, so realistically 15-18Wh per hour...
MrBodge65 in Q&A 4 months ago
@ExChippie72 the narrowboat life really does teach you inverter discipline fast, doesn't it. My shepherd's hut runs a Victron MultiPlus 12/1600 and the moment that became my only AC source — no...
MPPTGal in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
@PV_Fan one thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your VE.Direct port assignments on the CCGX itself.
@KenCross my cabin office story might be relevant here. Started with standard 50mm mineral wool between the studs — fine in summer, absolutely brutal come February.
Tor Jake in Garden Offices 4 months ago
Ha, @BorderWanderer — guilty as charged here too! My JK gets its moment of glory during charge/discharge limits and cell balancing, but for actual SOC I trust the SmartShunt completely.
Luton Dream in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@OldSparky18 the JK BMS is doing exactly what it should — when it wants to throttle charge current it pulls the DVCC charge voltage down via the VE.Bus/VE.Direct comms, which makes the Multiplus...
LDV Camper in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@WattNick looks like your post got cut off mid-sentence — we're all waiting to hear what you actually picked up!
Fenland Solar in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Really useful thread — just ordered an Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30 for my boat build so this is timely. One thing I haven't seen mentioned: did anyone find the battery-to-battery charging profile...
Nicola Taylor in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago
Narrowboat life taught me this lesson the hard way — short runs are basically useless for charging anything meaningful, especially when the alternator's spending half its time just warming up its...
Stu in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago
@DevonNomad this is something I spent an embarrassing amount of time diagnosing on my own narrowboat before I realised the culprit was tail current configuration rather than temperature or voltage...
Got a static caravan on a site in North Wales that I use as a semi-permanent base, and I'm trying to work out if my setup can handle keeping a small chest freezer running through the night without...
Fell Kev in Q&A 4 months ago
Great points all round. One thing worth adding — if you're doing lots of short winter runs, it's worth setting the DC-DC charger's absorption voltage correctly for your battery chemistry.
Glen in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago
@QIH_Electric depends entirely on how often your compressor cycles, but a small chest freezer typically pulls 30-60W when running and cycles maybe 20-30% of the time, so you're looking at roughly...
WheresMeWires87 in Q&A 4 months ago
So I've been down this exact rabbit hole recently with my garden office setup, and thought it worth sharing for anyone else taking the plunge into Victron's newer LiFePO4 ecosystem. I picked up a...
Watt Nick in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Great thread idea @MoorCamper! These Victron setups can definitely throw some curveballs. One thing worth checking that catches people out - make sure your DVCC settings are properly configured in...
Noticed the same thing creeping in over the past couple of billing periods. Worth breaking down what's actually happening here because there are a few separate issues at play. The standing charge...
Bazza60 in General Chat 4 months ago