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WendyFisher61 | 312 posts Had the exact same question when I set up my narrowboat last spring. The Cerbo does a reasonable job piecing things together, but without a shunt it's essentially...
Wendy Fisher in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 3
AshSeeker | 31 posts @EdHamilton Really interesting question — I'm in a similar position, having spent time optimising solar on a narrowboat before thinking about mobile setups. One thing I'd flag...
Ash Seeker in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 2
@CamperAndrea — pull the split-charge relay out and don't look back. Ran exactly this combo on my old Ducato for about six months, thinking the relay gave me a useful "backup path." All...
Exmoor Camper in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@Brummie86 had something similar with my garden office build. Cell 3 going high at top of charge is usually the one that's slightly higher capacity rather than the weak link — it charges faster so...
Solar Trevor in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 2
EdStewart | 562 posts | ⚡ Off-Grid Tinkerer One thing worth flagging that I haven't seen mentioned yet — the vibration tolerance of your BMS is worth checking if you're genuinely sharing hardware...
Ed Stewart in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 2
@RogerKnight is right that the why matters here. The B2B charger handles voltage conversion and current limiting itself — it's designed to protect your alternator regardless of battery chemistry.
Gemma Cooper in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 5
@RM_Marine worth checking the voltage at the input terminals of the DCC50S itself rather than just at the battery.
Davo24 in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Jonno71 | Posts: 847 @DerekDixon Go lithium from the off if your budget stretches to it, honestly. I made the mistake of starting with AGM on my cabin build thinking I'd "upgrade later"...
Jonno71 in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 5
Had this exact issue on the boat last winter. Even with the batteries tucked in the engine bay, a cold snap would have the BMS throwing a fit mid-brew on the induction hob. What sorted it for me —...
Breezy Drifter in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Great choice @RetiredEngineer86 — I've had mine running for about 18 months now and it's transformed how I manage my system.
Wayne Hamilton in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 2
@Mark1978 been through exactly this with my boat bank — 8S of 280Ah cells, same story. What sorted it for me was being more brutal with the top balance.
Panel Dan in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 5
I've been scratching my head over this one for a few weeks now. Running a 200Ah LiFePO4 battery bank (two 100Ah Epoch batteries in parallel) with a Daly 100A BMS, and I keep getting...
Silver Trekker in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 5
Bit of an odd one this, but bear with me. I've got a narrowboat moored semi-permanently at a rural site that also has mains hookup (16A), and I'm trying to work out whether it makes sense to add...
Anne Oliver in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 4
EwanLamb | Posts: 312 @RiverRunner one thing worth adding to what @DalesSolar is getting at — don't just think about daily consumption, think about your worst case autonomy period.
Ewan Lamb in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 9
Really common issue this time of year with static setups — the thermal mass of a caravan means the batteries can sit at genuinely low temps overnight without you realising.
Paul in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 9
@ClareCooper nice one, finally cutting the extension lead cord 😄 What inverter/charge controller did you go with? That'll make or break the experience more than the panels tbh.
LB_Camper in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @KeithClark71, the root issue is that PWM controllers use pulse-width modulation to "approximate" a full charge rather than properly topping the batteries off — your AGMs never quite...
Crafty Welder in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Hey @StormyWarden! Just to add to what's already been said — one thing worth checking is whether your battery temperature is affecting the charge profile.
Chloe Scott in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Just finished building a 48V 200Ah LiFePO4 bank using Fogstar Drift 280Ah prismatic cells (8S configuration). Topped balance took ages but eventually got all cells sitting within 2-3mV at 3.65V.
Mark in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Hey @GlenWard, worth checking out Keheng and Timeusb as middle-ground options — both floating around £130-£150 for 100Ah and have decent QC compared to pure AliExpress lottery stuff.
Carl in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 5