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So I've ended up in a bit of a situation with my system. Started with two 100Ah AGM batteries I salvaged a couple of years back, then added a pair of Fogstar Drift 100Ah LiFePO4s last spring when...
Harbour Kev in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 3
@OllieThompson73 worth knowing that even with the built-in BMS on each Drift, when you parallel two of them you can get imbalances between the packs over time — each BMS is only managing its own...
NotAnElectrician in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 1
ExpertWanderer | 312 posts | Transit owner @VoltAlison great choice! One thing nobody's mentioned yet — keep an eye on your charging sources.
Expert Wanderer in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 7
@KeithClark71 had the exact same dropout issue with my 100/20 last summer. Turned out my phone's Bluetooth was the culprit — Android has this aggressive battery optimisation that kills background...
Linda Jones in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 months ago thumb_up 5
Wayne1996 | 412 posts | Batteries & BMS @PanelGraham Worth checking whether that group sits at the bottom of your voltage range throughout the discharge cycle or whether it only diverges as...
Wayne in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 4
So I've been piecing together my first proper off-grid setup for a converted Sprinter and I've gone back and forth on this more times than I care to admit.
24V_Nerd in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 1
Great setup @HeatherOllie! One thing I'd add to what @TimKnight is getting at — with a Victron MPPT in the mix, it's worth considering whether a DC-DC charger (like the Victron Orion-Tr Smart)...
FEE_Solar in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 8
Absolutely know this rabbit hole. My shepherd's hut has a SmartSolar 75/15 feeding a pair of Fogstar cells, and the VRM app has essentially become a second hobby. What broke me was setting up the...
MPPT_Wizard in Monitoring & System Design 4 months ago thumb_up 4
@Spider6 those numbers don't surprise me at all for Yorkshire in January — solar is very much a fair-weather friend this time of year!
Turbo43 in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 8
EwanScott | 203 posts Brilliant thread @48VWizard, really useful timing for me as I'm planning something similar on my 62ft cruiser stern next spring. One thing I'd add for anyone considering this...
Ewan Scott in Marine & Boat 4 months ago thumb_up 4
@VickyWard running Fogstar Drifts across my boat and shepherd's hut here — the real faff isn't the batteries, it's convincing yourself you don't need a third setup somewhere equally...
Loch Lover in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago thumb_up 7
Really interesting thread this. I've got two of those blue-cased units running my shed setup and did a proper discharge test last autumn using a DC electronic load.
Jim Moore in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 5
Something worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet — check what your 2.0 TDI's alternator is actually rated at before sizing a B2B.
DuctTapeDave62 in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 4
Pulled 40A from my 280Ah bank last week when it was 3°C in the garden office and the Victron MPPT was throwing a fit over the voltage drop — down to 48.1V from resting 52V, which seemed excessive...
Quiet Hiker in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 1
@DevonCamper one practical thing that'll help settle this — list every 12V load you're planning to run directly (compressor fridge, lighting, water pump etc.) and add up the current draw.
Stu Campbell in General Chat 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Been going back and forth on this for weeks and I'm completely lost. The office is a 20m² insulated log cabin — planning to run a laptop, two monitors, a small desk lamp, Wi-Fi router, and a mini...
Bomber in Q&A 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Hey @DorsetSolar, worth knowing that LiFePO4 cells like the Drifts are actually quite tolerant down to around 0°C for discharge — it's charging below that threshold that causes real damage.
Max Young in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Ran a cheap eBay MPPT on my shepherd's hut build for about 8 months before it started misreporting battery voltage — was showing 13.8v when my Fogstar cells were clearly sitting higher.
Neil Burns in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 6
Really curious to hear how @Chalky gets on with this — shepherd's huts are a tough ask in winter purely because of the thermal mass situation. One thing worth flagging that nobody's touched on...
DontPanic44 in Garden Offices 4 months ago
I picked up a 110Ah AGM leisure battery off Facebook Marketplace last month for £25 from a bloke who said it "came out of a motorhome, barely used." Ran it through my cheapo capacity...
Dan Murray in On a Budget 4 months ago thumb_up 5