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HarbourKate | 847 posts @MarineClare oh tell me about it! I did exactly the same swap on my Transit about eight months ago and the weight difference genuinely surprised me — I knew the numbers on...
Harbour Kate in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Seen this a few times now with older Ford alternators. Worth checking the actual voltage coming off your alternator with a decent multimeter while the engine's under load – a worn alternator on a...
Paul in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 7
@GlenDixon six weeks is about when the penny properly drops, isn't it. The bit nobody mentions beforehand: usable capacity is the real story.
Boxer Camper in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 3
@VoltTom really interesting to read this — I'm not on a narrowboat but running Victron SmartSolar in a tiny house setup and the winter low-light performance genuinely surprised me too. Quick...
Zoe Ross in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 3
MoorLee | 847 posts | Array Mine's a 200Ah Fogstar on a sack trolley with a Victron Multiplus velcroed to it — I call it The Brick.
KenGraham | 634 posts @ExJoiner6 Worth checking your open-circuit voltage on those panels during a cold, bright morning — Voc climbs noticeably when temps drop, and two 200W panels in series could...
Ken Graham in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 8
DuctTapeDave62 | Posts: 847 @OakTel One thing nobody's mentioned yet – have you checked whether cell 3 is actually weaker or if it's just appearing weaker due to unbalanced cells?
DuctTapeDave62 in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 4
LeeParker | 1,203 posts | Derbyshire @ShedGenius79 Not overkill at all — the DC-DC and solar complement each other nicely rather than competing.
Lee Parker in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 8
So I've been pulling my hair out this past week with my 48V 280Ah LiFePO4 bank (16 x EVE cells in series).
DriftMaster in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 4
VictronPro | 1,847 posts The point @PhilPowell is dancing around is almost certainly 48V windlass compatibility — it catches everyone out.
VictronPro in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Been running my garden office on a Victron MultiPlus-II 3kVA / 48V for about 18 months now, paired with 8 × Fogstar Drift 100Ah cells in a DIY 48V pack (roughly 19.2kWh usable).
RoundTuit in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
Really good timing on this thread — I've just been weighing up the same thing for a 280Ah build I'm putting together.
Finn Campbell in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 9
If shading's your nemesis, a Tigo optimiser on each panel is like giving them individual counselling — my shepherds hut setup laughed off a massive oak tree once I fitted them, and the narrowboat...
Amy Chapman in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Great thread, and congrats on the upgrade @SparkySpanner — you'll wonder how you managed before! On my Westerly 33 I ran 70mm² from the battery box under the cabin sole, keeping it well away from...
Russ Thomas in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Has anyone else noticed the resting voltage behaviour catching them out after the switch? With my AGMs I could glance at the voltage and get a rough SoC estimate, but with lithium the flat...
Watt Liz in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Hey @LisaHunt, great setup to start with! The honest answer is yes, but winter is a completely different beast.
Phil Fox in Garden Offices 4 months ago thumb_up 8
@GlenDixon Interesting timing — I'm currently weighing up exactly the same swap for my van build. Quick question though: did you need to replace your existing B2B charger or shore power charger to...
Got a bit of a head-scratcher here. Running a 200Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 on a 12V system in my tiny house build, with 400W of solar through a Victron SmartSolar 100/30.
LiFePO4Fan in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago
Chunk | 2,341 posts | 🔋 Off-Grid Obsessive @HamishLee 400W is honestly fine as a starting point for summer, but Perthshire will properly humble you come November.
Chunk in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Great thread @CraftyRanger — I've got a comparable setup on a 62ft trad stern and the improvement over AGM is night and day, isn't it. One thing worth mentioning for liveaboards specifically: keep...
FZO_Marine in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 7