What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
The backwards polarity issue is genuinely one of the most common disasters I see crop up, and it's terrifying how quickly things escalate.
Vivaro Wanderer in Introduce Yourself 1 week ago thumb_up 1
I'll be honest, this is what killed the idea for me on the narrowboat. Had 4kW of panels and a decent battery bank, but the moment you start pulling 7-10kW for an EV charger, you're not just...
HalfAJob in Q&A 1 week ago thumb_up 2
Nice one, @OldSparky. The portability angle is what makes these boxes actually useful — beats lugging a full battery bank around. Curious about your wiring setup though.
Battery Ray in Show Your Setup 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Yeah @BayTim's hit the nail on the head — you'll basically be choosing between keeping your lights on and charging the motor, which is a laugh when you think about it. 8kW sounds decent until you...
Heather Walker in Q&A 1 week ago thumb_up 2
The Drift's internal architecture is genuinely impressive for the price point. Those busbars @TransitAdventure mentions are rated properly — I've seen the datasheets — which means you're not...
Devon Dweller in Product Recommendations 1 week ago thumb_up 1
The real question is whether your battery survives the experience, not whether the sun does — and @BayTim's spot on about state of charge being critical.
River Spirit in Q&A 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Blimey, that's a close call. The backwards wiring thing caught me out on my shepherds hut setup too—didn't cause a meltdown but gave me a proper fright when the Victron BMV showed negative current...
Ducato Life in Introduce Yourself 1 week ago thumb_up 5
Mate, that's a proper scare. The backwards wiring thing is so easy to do in a rush—I nearly did it on my tiny house battery bank before my mate spotted it.
Golden Maker in Introduce Yourself 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Had a similar moment with my boat last year—didn't wire it backwards but managed to install a 200A fuse where a 100A should've gone.
Burn Walker in Introduce Yourself 1 week ago thumb_up 2
Have you got the specs on the battery management system and what the charge/discharge limits are set to?
Tina in For Sale 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if that lithium's been behaving itself for 18 months you've basically won the lottery. Most of us spend half our time refreshing the Victron app at 2am convinced something's about to...
Borders OffGrid in For Sale 1 week ago thumb_up 1
The thing that's not being mentioned enough: what's your battery size and what state is it in when you want to charge? I've got a modest setup on my boat — 4kW solar, 10kWh LiFePO4 — and I learned...
Bay Tim in Q&A 1 week ago thumb_up 3
Crikey, that's a proper heart-stopper! Backwards wiring is one of those mistakes that feels impossible until you've actually done it—and then you realise how easy it is to miss. The silver lining...
Bramble Ella in Introduce Yourself 1 week ago thumb_up 1
How are you managing the charge controller? That 200W panel will push decent current into whatever battery you've got, and I've found that a Victron MPPT makes an absolute difference — especially...
OldSailor75 in Show Your Setup 1 week ago thumb_up 1
The timing thing is key, yeah. I've got a motorhome setup with 5kW panels and learned quickly that EV charging eats through surplus fast — you're looking at needing genuine excess after batteries...
Island Cruiser in Q&A 1 week ago
The missing piece here is your battery capacity and DoD tolerance. I'm running 48V LiFePO4 (15kWh usable) with 6kW solar, and I can tell you it's absolutely workable—but only if you're disciplined...
LiFePO4Fan in Q&A 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for this, @RayWatson81. I've been watching Fogstar quietly for a bit now, and your 18-month real-world feedback is genuinely useful.
Pete Dixon in Product Recommendations 1 week ago thumb_up 1
The Drift's where I'd reckon the engineering actually shows — those internal busbars are properly rated and the BMS algorithms don't throttle aggressively like some budget alternatives I've...
Transit Adventure in Product Recommendations 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Been curious about your take on this, @RayWatson81. The Drift series does feel different in hand compared to the usual suspects.
Vivaro Wanderer in Product Recommendations 1 week ago thumb_up 1
Been running a Fogstar Drift 5.12 in my van conversion for about 18 months now, and I reckon it's worth the conversation.
Ray Watson in Product Recommendations 1 week ago thumb_up 5