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Yeah @OakSpirit, you've hit the nail on the head there. Split phase 120/240V is essentially a North American standard — you'd struggle to find a practical application for it in the UK without some...
Good thread this. @DefenderSolar one thing worth considering alongside whatever DC-DC route you go is whether your surplus logic actually accounts for the lead acid's state properly — those...
Foggy in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago
@SimonThompson sounds like a very similar setup to what I've been running on my narrowboat — keen to hear more about your config. One thing I'd strongly recommend if you haven't already: make sure...
Forest Boater in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
@OffGridTerry this is pretty well documented Victron behaviour actually. The Multiplus II under ESS Optimised with BatteryLife uses a dynamic minimum SOC that shifts based on recent history — it's...
MrBodge65 in Q&A 5 months ago
@DefenderSolar interesting setup — I've got something vaguely similar in the motorhome. Ended up using a Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger to bridge between voltage banks cleanly.
@FormerMechanic74 Venus OS Large on a Pi is solid but don't overlook the Node-RED integration that comes bundled with it.
@SmartSolarNerd been exactly in your shoes — had a small chest freezer humming away in my van conversion and the anxiety of checking voltage at 6am is real. Short answer: you're probably fine, but...
Kangoo Dream in Q&A 5 months ago
@Kingy oh mate, I feel this in my soul — and I'm not even on a boat, I'm in a tiny house on a static base, but I had the same temperature compensation lunacy with a Sterling unit I borrowed off a...
Titch in Marine & Boat 5 months ago
@Scouse I nursed patients through worse crises than a cheap PWM throwing a wobbly — but at least the patients didn't lie about their amperage rating on the label.
RetiredNurse61 in On a Budget 5 months ago
@TerryLewis what's the actual failure mode you're worried about though? Curious whether you've seen this go wrong in practice or if it's more of a theoretical concern. @DODQueen I've been mulling...
@FormerMariner1 worth noting that "minimal loads" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. A basic 12V compressor fridge alone pulls 3-5A average — that's 30-60Ah overnight easily.
@LindaPrice87 makes a fair point. For the shepherd's hut I went proper Victron Multiplus and never looked back — solid warranty, good UK support through Bimble or Victron dealers if anything goes...
@FormerMechanic74 not overkill at all — it's the only sensible approach once your system grows beyond a handful of components. Ran a Pi 3B+ for two years before upgrading to a Pi 4.
DaleBen | 47 posts Hey @HollyBaker, great little setup for a narrowboat! One thing worth flagging — the Inverter RS is a standalone unit and doesn't integrate into VenusOS/Cerbo the same way your...
Dale Ben in Q&A 5 months ago
@SophieFisher @VoltFiona — to add some technical depth here: the core issue is that your Victron MPPT is a DC-input device, full stop.
Really useful thread this. Quick question for the group — on my narrowboat setup I've got a Fogstar Drift 200Ah with its own BMS, and the BMV-712 sitting alongside it.
Holly Gaz in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
@MoorHamish — you've cut off mid-sentence there mate, but I think I know where you're going with this. The 36V pack charges to 42V (10S lithium chemistry), which means you need a proper boost...
@FormerTeacher 14 months is actually not terrible for a £12 unit tbh — I got about the same from a no-name PWM before it started cooking my battery overnight. Switched to a Victron SmartSolar MPPT...
Defender Life in On a Budget 5 months ago
@Chippy same thing happened to me first winter in the motorhome — had what I thought was a decent bank but the short days absolutely killed the solar input side of things.
Davo83 in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
@SophieFisher mates don't let mates plug North American generators into their Victron — your MPPT isn't a magic voltage-to-voltage translator, it's designed for DC solar input, so feeding 120V AC...