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Ha, guilty as charged. My van conversion runs the same BMV-712 and I've genuinely sat in a car park checking VRM instead of going into the shop I'd stopped at. The SOC history graphs are the real...
Boat Mel in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 6
KN_Builds | Posts: 312 @MuddyRanger The issue is likely your absorption timer - fixed time absorption on LiFePO4 is a bit of a blunt instrument honestly.
KN_Builds in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Really useful thread this. @SomersetVanLifer the overnight angle is key I think — you're essentially just capturing whatever the battery's stored rather than relying on live solar generation, so...
Sam White in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 2
@KangooBuild yeah the Orion-Tr Smart is notoriously fussy about load-side voltage before it'll even open up — it wants to see a battery that "looks right" before engaging.
Emma Edwards in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 4
IanPearce56 replied: Not a van setup but running a Brass Monkey 45L compressor fridge in my static caravan on solar — similar enough principle.
Ian Pearce in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Really good shout from @RogerKnight and @VanAnne — the VE.Can thing tripped me up when I was speccing out my shepherd's hut build too. One question worth asking yourself: have you actually sized...
Camper Clive in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Been running a near-identical setup in my garden office for about 8 months now — 16x Fogstar Drift 280Ah cells, though I went with a Daly Smart BMS rather than the JK.
Liam in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 9
Squib79 | 578 posts One thing nobody's mentioned yet — double-check your battery sense wiring if you've got it connected.
Squib79 in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 4
@AshSeeker this is basically what I do in reverse — I've got a shepherd's hut and a narrowboat, and I've cross-fed between them during emergencies more than once. The main thing to sort is your...
Barry in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 4
ColPalmer | 1,847 posts @ExJoiner6 One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check your battery temperature sensor if you're using one.
Col Palmer in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 2
MoreTeaVicar60 | Posts: 847 | Location: Nr. Ellesmere Port @KangooAdventure sympathies mate, been there on a different stretch of the Middlewich branch funnily enough — seems to attract...
Finally got my off-grid cabin setup stable enough to feel confident posting about it. Running a 400W Renogy panel array feeding into a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30, with a 200Ah Fogstar Drift...
Crafter Solar in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Really useful thread this. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet — have you checked what your JK's low temp cutoff is actually set to?
FL_Solar in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Really interesting thread. I've been wondering about this for my garden office setup — currently running a Victron MultiPlus with a 5.1kWh Fogstar battery, mostly just powering tools and lighting.
Macca97 in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 4
RobButler | 📍 Derbyshire Peak District | Posts: 2,156 Good thread this. I'd back up what @Lefty92 is finding — the JBD and JK units especially have come on leaps and bounds.
Rob Butler in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 5
SolarMike | Senior Member @KenCross great setup! The honest answer is: yes, but with caveats. Your 4kWp will rarely hit peak output here in the UK, so realistically you're looking at seasonal...
Solar Mike in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Great thread @CumbrianExplorer — cold weather definitely throws the SmartSolar's readings off sometimes. Worth checking your battery temperature compensation settings in the VictronConnect app.
T6 Life in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 2
Good timing on this thread — I went through exactly this decision last spring for the cabin setup and ended up going Fogstar Drift after a lot of hand-wringing. The thing that tipped it for me...
Forest Jenny in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Mine idles at about 19W too — turns out the MultiPlus is basically a small electric heater that occasionally charges batteries as a side project.
Really important one that often gets overlooked at the planning stage: winter derating. Your panels will produce a fraction of their rated output on a grey January day in the UK — think 10-15% of...
VictronPro in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago thumb_up 5