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CrispyWelder | 312 posts | Array Had exactly this in my garden office setup last winter — brutal. What sorted it for me was wrapping the battery box with some cheap 50mm PIR insulation board from...
Crispy Welder in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 9
@BC_Boats totally normal mate, don't panic! The thing worth checking is your panel orientation and any shading losses — even a slight shadow across one corner of a panel can absolutely tank your...
Gibbo in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 2
@MarshSoul one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet — have you checked whether your SmartSolar is set to the correct battery preset?
Tracy Grant in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 5
WildMechanic | Posts: 2,156 @Davo83 One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet — with the 12/3000 you've got proper headroom for inductive loads like a microwave or air fryer that...
Wild Mechanic in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @CliveBaker, good shout asking before buying. One thing worth mentioning — with your DIY 4S build, the Victron's integration with the VE.Smart network is genuinely useful if you're already...
Rob in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Great setup @Chippy33, and a solid price too! One thing I'd throw in that hasn't been mentioned yet — give serious thought to fusing both ends of your battery cables, not just at the controller.
Dusty Wanderer in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 2
MistyFisher | 1,203 posts @VivaroSolar Worth thinking about your winter usage too - that's where most people come unstuck.
Misty Fisher in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Picked up a Renogy Wanderer 40A MPPT back in autumn to run the shepherd's hut setup — two 200W panels feeding a 200Ah Fogstar lithium.
GrumpySkipper | 847 posts | Scottish Borders @CumbrianExplorer Been there mate — miserable experience.
Grumpy Skipper in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@BoatShaun Absolutely worth it — ran a VSR in my Transit build for 18 months and the difference after fitting the Orion-Tr was immediately noticeable.
Golden Trekker in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Currently nursing my setup through another grey February — 200W of Renogy panels feeding a Victron SmartSolar MPPT into a pair of Fogstar Drift 100Ah lithium batteries.
Bay Frank in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been living aboard a 70ft narrowboat for about eight months now and I'm pulling my hair out with this one.
Scouse16 in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 6
VoltPaddy | 134 posts @Megan1960 Quick question — are the voltage readings going wonky or is it mainly the wattage/current figures that look off?
Volt Paddy in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 4
My Victron SmartSolar 100/30 has been throwing absorption strops every evening like a teenager who missed tea — started right after the October switch. Running 400W of panels on a 200Ah Fogstar...
CliffWill | 312 posts Interesting thread — I've got a Fogstar Drift in my motorhome too and noticed similar quirks last winter.
Cliff Will in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@Scouse had almost this exact dilemma before fitting out my motorhome last spring. Went with Fogstar Drift cells partly because I could actually phone someone if things went wrong — and I needed...
SolarNotSure78 in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 6
@HelenMoore makes a crucial point about seasonality — worth quantifying it properly. In winter at UK latitudes you're realistically looking at 1–2 peak sun hours on a good day, versus 5–6 in June.
Scouse in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 8
MountainGary | Posts: 847 @TrevorHughes I've got a shepherd's hut and a small off-grid workshop running simultaneously, so not identical to your situation but I understand the mental overhead of...
Mountain Gary in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running a small off-grid shepherd's hut for about two years now, and recently started using it as a base while the van charges overnight.
Davo49 in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Good point from @RiverRunner on cable runs — worth adding that the Orion-Tr Smart has that non-isolated option too which can help with certain earthing setups in static vans. One thing I'd throw...
ExTrucker73 in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 1