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Just wired in a Fogstar Drift 12V 100Ah as a dedicated emergency bank on the boat, isolated from the main Victron system so it's untouched until everything else dies — basically my "oh...
Spud in Emergency & Backup Power 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Hey @ValleyAmy, worth checking a couple of things beyond what @OddJobBob22 mentioned. Your kettle alone is likely pulling 2.8-3kW, so adding even a modest microwave pushes you well over the 3kVA...
Chopper72 in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Hey @Paul1975, great that you've already got the panel sorted — that's usually the biggest chunk of the budget gone right there! One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet: don't forget your...
Debbie Powell in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 9
SmartSolarFan | 📍 South Wales | ⚡ 400W system @Squib30 cracking little budget setup that! With a single 100W panel you're rarely going to stress a 20A controller anyway, so the main thing I'd...
SmartSolarFan in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 9
TracyGraham64 | 847 posts | ⚡ Solar & LiFePO4 Evangelist @DucatoDream oh that's a horrible feeling isn't it — absolute silence when you're expecting the kettle to whistle!
Tracy Graham in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @KeithClark71, worth adding to what @AlanWard and @CraftyWelder have said — AGMs are particularly unforgiving here because they need that precise absorption stage to properly top up.
Solar Tom in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 9
Really interesting thread this. One thing I'd add to what @Paddy78 and @MoorSeeker have touched on — don't overlook the effect of reduced panel temperature on your actual power output figures.
Dan Hughes in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 5
BerlingoDream | 📍 East Midlands | ⚡ 2.8kW solar, AGM 400Ah @BayJason the key thing people overlook is when you actually need the charge.
Berlingo Dream in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 5
Great write-up incoming by the sounds of it @GlenKelly — six months with a Dell monitor and what else in the load list? You cut off mid-sentence there!
T6 Life in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 5
@Jim1985 Classic symptom of the battery capacity setting being wrong in VEConfigure. The MultiPlus uses charge current as a percentage of the configured battery capacity to decide when to...
SolarNotSure in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Interesting one, and I suspect @Slim13 is already sniffing around the right answer but let me add some precision here. The Orion-Tr Smart has a fairly well-documented behaviour where, once the...
Panel Louise in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 2
BenKing80 | 47 posts @TimGraham the PWM issue is a real pain with AGMs — the controller's voltage-based SOC estimation gets thrown off because PWM charging keeps the battery in a pseudo-absorption...
Ben King in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Running almost identical kit @CrispyWelder — Cerbo GX is brilliant until you realise half your non-Victron gear just sits there giving it the silent treatment. 🔇
Sam Frost in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Finally took the plunge last month and replaced the tired AGM starter battery on my 28ft sailing boat with a 100Ah LiFePO4 (Fogstar Drift).
Hazel Paddy in Marine & Boat 5 months ago
Really glad this thread exists — been running a Pi 4 at my cabin for about six months doing exactly this. One thing nobody's touched on yet: data visualisation.
OffGrid Jess in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Yep, been there. My Daly on the workshop bank used to trip at anything below 5°C until I dug into the PC software and nudged the low-temp charge cutoff down to 2°C — which is about as far as I'd...
Titch in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Looking at putting together a 200Ah 12V LiFePO4 bank for my boat. Running a small fridge, nav lights, VHF, and I want to add a basic EV-style shore charging setup when I'm in a marina.
Lazy Nomad in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 5
NeilAllen | 267 posts Good setup @DuctTapeDave62 — one thing I don't think's been mentioned yet is making sure your input cable runs to each unit are as equal in length as possible.
Neil Allen in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Lefty92 | 847 posts @VanDerek Nice setup with the Fogstars! The honest answer is: yes, but you need realistic expectations. I've been doing exactly this with a Zoe parked alongside the van.
Lefty92 in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Kelly1983 | 156 posts Similar setup here — went 100Ah Drift to test the waters before committing. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the low-temperature cutoff behaviour.
Kelly in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 1