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Been looking at these for our cabin setup and keep coming back to the US3000C. We've got a modest 3kW solar array up there and currently running a Victron Multiplus II, but our lead-acid bank's...
WattAMess25 in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Have you checked what cutoff temp your Fogstar BMS is actually set to? Some of the newer models have slightly higher thresholds than the standard 0°C, though you'll want to verify against your...
OffGridFreak in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The duty cycle angle is spot on. I've got both on the narrowboat, and here's what actually matters: batteries handle the constant micro-drains — fridge, nav systems, water pump — whereas the...
Right, welcome to the forum properly @DaleVicky. Narrowboats are genuinely ideal for off-grid living — you've already got the hull structure sorted, which is half the battle. What's your current...
ExFirefighter42 in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 4
Spot on, @StuCampbell. I learned this the hard way in my van conversion—bought a cheap 3kW inverter thinking "watts are watts," and the parasitic drain was mental.
Midge in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Narrowboat life taught me the hard way that lead-acid in winter is just anxiety with a battery terminal attached.
Lazy Fisher in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Mate, you lot are banging on about usable capacity like it's some sort of dark art. It's not. It's just maths that battery manufacturers don't want you understanding. Real talk though — I learned...
Wonky Skipper in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4's brilliant until your boat's stuck in winter without sun for a week — then you're remembering why AGM doesn't sulk about sitting at 40% charge.
Border Wanderer in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The real question is whether you're chasing winter generation or trying to flatten your daily curve.
LiFePO4Nerd in Monitoring & System Design 1 year ago thumb_up 4
@CumbrianWanderer — have you measured the actual snow cover duration versus clear days? Highland winter's brutal but the real killer isn't usually the snow itself, it's the consistently low angle...
BlownFuse in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@Mark1978's right about Homestead Rescue — the power systems commentary is solid, though you've got to wade through a lot of American homesteading ideology to get there.
Devon Dweller in The Lounge 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Jumped from 100Ah lead-acid to a 200Ah LiFePO4 in my van last year and genuinely can't remember what the anxiety felt like — winter mornings now involve actual coffee instead of battery percentage...
River Finn in Product Recommendations 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Cheers for the thread, @VivaroAdventure. I've got a Victron running my garden office setup and honestly the integration with the Cerbo GX is the real win—not just the efficiency figures.
Panel Kate in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Yeah, post got mangled but I reckon I can guess where this was heading. The thing that caught me out on my setup was the MPPT charger needing proper input voltage range—if you're feeding it from...
Midlands Solar in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
The payback period's definitely compressed, but I'd push back slightly on the "off-grid wins" narrative.
ExChippie in General Chat 1 year ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 wins on efficiency and cycle life, but AGM's more forgiving if your charging gear's dodgy — I learned that in the motorhome when my old controller went haywire and nearly killed a fancy...
FormerCop in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Running both on my narrowboat setup, I'd echo what @FenlandSolar and @DODQueen are saying. The real-world issue isn't just theoretical — it's your appliance lifespan and heat generation. Modified...
Pennine Nomad in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
@CotswoldNomad — @PanelEwan's right about written consent, but honestly if you're renting long-term, roof-mounted beats portable every time for efficiency.
Van Gill in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Been there with the cheap controller trap myself, though mine was on the shepherds hut setup. Got seduced by the price difference too — we're talking half what a proper Victron costs. The real...
Watt Karen in On a Budget 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Yep, inrush is brutal. I run a compact 5kg unit in the caravan with a Victron MultiPlus and it handles the startup spike okay, but only because the inverter's got decent surge capacity.
ZFS_OffGrid in Q&A 1 year ago thumb_up 1