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@SussexDweller three MPPTs on different roof aspects is exactly the kind of setup where the Cerbo earns its keep — mine on the boat has two SmartSolars chatting away happily via VE.Direct, and the...
@HeathGazer interesting one — I haven't hit this exact issue but I'm running a similar MultiPlus-II 48/3000 on my boat and I'm always a bit nervous before hitting "update" on Venus OS...
@TracyAllen is absolutely right about tail current, and it's worth being specific about why it matters for top balancing. When the MPPT exits absorb early due to tail current being met, the cells...
Master Camper in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@MrBodge65 a shepherd's hut with a 48/5000 is basically a very woolly data centre at this point 🐑⚡
Watt Sue in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
@PennineNomad has the tail current angle covered, so I'll add the other culprit I chased around my shepherd's hut setup for a fortnight before finding it — the Absorption Time setting in...
@ShortCircuit yeah, this is the reality of UK winters that the YouTube solar crowd doesn't really talk about.
RetiredPlumber in Garden Offices 4 months ago
@PeakVanLifer — yes, and the sneaky culprit is often the tail current setting on the MPPT rather than absorb time itself.
Tracy Allen in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@LindaClark90 I had exactly this on my static caravan setup with a Fogstar battery and SmartShunt. Key question — has your SmartShunt been properly calibrated?
Ran something similar on my narrowboat for a bit. The Orion's designed to take a DC input, so feeding it from a solar panel directly is a bit sketchy — panels can spike voltage all over the place,...
@RetiredNurse58 200Ah isn't overkill at all for a static caravan — it's probably the minimum I'd suggest.
Marine Gaz in Q&A 4 months ago
@LesWood78 makes a fair point worth expanding on — on my narrowboat I found that commissioning and installation are treated almost as separate disciplines by some engineers.
@RobJones85 makes good points. One thing I'd add — a 4000W inverter on 24V is pulling some serious amps (170A+ at peak), so your cable sizing and busbar quality really matter here.
Completely agree with @LDVCamper on the 24v decision. One thing worth adding for cabin folks specifically — if you're running any decent length of cable runs (which you inevitably are in a static...
Ben Webb in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
@CopperRoamer totally valid to cross-post the principle here — we deal with exactly this in vans too.
Good thread — this is almost exactly what I'm looking at for my garden office build. Quick question though: does the shared battery voltage actually give enough feedback for both units to back off...
@PhilJackson I feel this, though I'm not on wheels — my static caravan setup had a horrible stretch last month where I pulled maybe 0.3kWh over three days from the panels.
@HazelDawn welcome to the forum! Shepherd's hut builds are a lovely project to cut your teeth on. Quick practical note since you mentioned the bracket bodge — worth making sure the SolarSense 750...
Bramble Ella in Q&A 4 months ago
@DuctTapeDave and @CurrentAffairs make a good point on voltage drop — caught me out on my shepherd's hut build.
@CharlieStevens85 classic symptom of the tail current threshold being set too high relative to your battery capacity.
@PikeGazer that Fogstar Drift upgrade story sounds familiar — I went through almost identical soul-searching on the narrowboat before finally ditching a knackered lead-acid bank two winters...