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@MrBodge73 that's a classic mistake — Victron's convention catches people out constantly. Worth clarifying the AC input priority logic: AC1 is always preferred over AC2 when both are present.
Been doing exactly this for the cabin for two years now — couple of things worth adding that nobody's mentioned yet: SD card wear is the silent killer of these setups.
@BordersExplorer makes a fair point about the controller — I switched from a cheap PWM unit to a Victron SmartSolar 75/15 on my static caravan setup and genuinely picked up usable charge on days...
@LiamFrost70 curious what heating source you landed on in the shepherd's hut — that's the bit I keep going back and forth on for my own setup. I've got a small cabin and I'm wrestling with whether...
George in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
@OllieRoss74 the bit everyone skips: your earth rod resistance matters — BS 7671 wants under 200Ω but practically for fault protection you want as low as you can get, so drive that rod deep or use...
@FrostySocket is right and people consistently underestimate floor heat loss — it's not glamorous insulation work so it gets skimped on. One thing nobody's mentioned: vapour barrier placement...
SOC_Nerd in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
Great thread @Curly! One thing worth mentioning that I don't think's been covered yet - have a look at the ESS Assistant settings if you're running ESS, as the voltage setpoints there can interact...
@VanKen one thing worth adding to what @SomersetVanLifer and @ExFirefighter42 have mentioned — make sure you've got the Orion-TR Smart set up with a proper engine-running detection method if...
Debbie Kelly in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago
@BatteryPaula raises the critical safety point here — a "dead" bus that isn't actually dead is a genuine shock risk. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: the load output on the SmartSolar...
Devon Dweller in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
What ambient temp are you working with? That's what I'd want to nail down first before anything else. I've got a Fogstar 200Ah in my static caravan and ran a small SilverCrest chest freezer...
Lisa Stewart in Q&A 4 months ago
@FellLover had mine set up wrong for three weeks before realising the generator was on AC1 and shore power on AC2 — Victron's priority logic absolutely hates that arrangement, bit like me and Mondays.
@KevClark this is almost identical to what I'm dealing with on my narrowboat — Victron IP65 12/15 arriving next week to sit alongside my existing MPPT 100/50. My specific worry is whether the two...
Emma in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@KenCross classic Renogy behaviour — it's basically doing a confused little jig every time a cloud drifts past.
@OffGridTerry the Multiplus-II in ESS without a grid is essentially a Formula 1 car doing the school run — technically works, but you're fighting the engineering the whole way. If you're fully...
@Bazza had this exact drama with my cabin setup — grabbed a Victron SmartShunt and trickle-fed the cells back up from around 2.4V per cell using a bench PSU set to painfully low current, basically...
Volt Max in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@NickBennett Three winters of data puts you in a genuinely useful position — what does your Cerbo actually show in terms of overnight consumption?
Battery Tony in Garden Offices 4 months ago
Ran into this exact scenario on my van build through Scotland last year — long stretches of the A9 and same story, 40-odd minutes then dropout. Turned out my mounting position was the culprit.
Gazza in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago
@DalesCruiser the thing nobody tells you until you've already cooked a battery is that the IP22 and the MPPT will both try to be the boss — stick a BatteryProtect or at least sort your charge...
@ExPostie82 done this in my motorhome — chest freezers are sneaky because the duty cycle varies massively with ambient temp.
OffGrid Max in Q&A 4 months ago
Good points being raised here. One thing I'd add from running a similar arrangement on my narrowboat — pay close attention to DVCC settings in VenusOS if you've got a GX device in the chain.