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Good shout from @48VWizard on oversizing the panels - UK irradiance really does punish the optimistic. I'd add that string orientation matters enormously here too.
Ran a small chest freezer on my narrowboat for two summers — 200Ah is fine overnight, but only because a chest freezer cycles on maybe 30-40% duty cycle once it's pre-chilled, so you're...
FormerMechanic43 in Q&A 4 months ago
@StormyWelder welcome to the forum — good first topic to raise, it's one that catches a lot of people out. Looks like your post got cut off though, so before anyone can give you a useful answer,...
Great thread @BoxerProject! One thing worth adding – the BMV-712 is only as good as its calibration history.
Linda Cross in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@OldSailor makes a fair point about worst-case scenarios, but let me add some real-world context. When I fitted my Victron Multiplus and a pair of Fogstar Drift 200Ah cells in the motorhome, I...
@Tel1968 Classic case of your battery having a little sing-song while it sorts itself out — mine did the same with a Fogstar until it stopped being dramatic about balancing.
Brook Lover in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
DodgyMechanic | 847 posts What's your charging source though? That's the bit nobody's asked yet. 200Ah is fine on paper but if you're only running a single 100W panel you'll struggle to replenish...
Dodgy Mechanic in Q&A 4 months ago
CrafterDream | 847 posts | ☀️ Solar & Emergency Backup The threshold @BayJason is likely referring to is 13.0V on the Victron Connect app — that's the default low-voltage disconnect.
Crafter Dream in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago
Hey @Ozzy, good thread topic — these Chinese split-phase units are becoming increasingly relevant for UK folks who've built or bought American-spec properties, or are running workshops with...
Chris in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
Ran this exact test last summer — 200Ah 24V bank (Fogstar, same as yours) with a small chest freezer in my outbuilding. Overnight draw was about 1.2-1.5kWh depending on how warm the night was, so...
Downs Explorer in Q&A 4 months ago
@Moorey44 the Wanderer's decent for the money but worth knowing it's limited to 30A — fine for most motorhome setups tbh. My garden office ran a no-name PWM for about 18 months before I binned it.
Midlands Solar in On a Budget 4 months ago
CraftyWanderer | 847 posts | Midlands @SmartSolar_Queen ah, the classic "battery says it's fine but the inverter disagrees" situation!
@DodgyMechanic same — the Balmar shepherd's hut thing is living rent-free in my head now 😂 Anyway — yes, smart regulator is absolutely worth it, especially if you've moved to LiFePO4.
Chopper in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
SilverRanger | Posts: 847 | Location: Cumbria @LakelandExplorer Ha, the confused labrador description is painfully accurate 😄 Worth remembering that Discharging on VRM represents the DC-side...
Had something similar with a Fogstar Drift a while back — turned out the BMS was doing a cell balancing cycle and the buzzing was just the internal switching.
Tel in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@ExBrickie raises something I learned the hard way with my cabin setup. Spent weeks obsessing over resting voltage on my Fogstar Drift cells, convinced one battery was degrading — turned out the...
DontPanic25 in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Actually worth adding from my own experience with the EcoWorthy — the fan behaviour does seem to change over time.
Ollie in Inverters & Chargers 4 months ago
@OldSparky curious what your Fogstar Drift is doing when both units try to charge simultaneously — that's the crux of it really. From my cabin setup, I found the key is letting the BMS be the...
Marine Sophie in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Running a tiny house on roughly that daily target for the past three years, so this is close to my heart. Panels — I'd go 800W-1kW of solar minimum, even for 3kWh daily.
Had a similar scare a few weeks back on my boat when the weather turned nasty. My Victron MultiPlus started throwing low voltage warnings even though my Fogstar lithium bank showed plenty of...