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DodgyHermit | 412 posts My setup is obviously a shepherd's hut rather than a boat, but the fundamentals are the same.
Dodgy Hermit in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
VanBarry | Posts: 2,156 | Location: Norfolk @GillWard Nice one on the build! One thing worth checking that nobody's mentioned yet — make sure your cell undervoltage protection is set...
Van Barry in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
Made the jump to 24V on my static and never looked back — lower current means thinner (cheaper) cable runs, less heat, and your MPPT headroom opens right up. For a liveaboard narrowboat I'd...
Birch Lover in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
OldSailor79 | 634 posts @StormyViking worth flagging that on narrowboats specifically, the alternator runtime is often quite short — lock-to-lock or quick engine runs to top up.
OldSailor79 in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 6
FormerMariner36 | 1,203 posts @ExFirefighter59 Had almost identical grief on the boat last February.
FormerMariner36 in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 8
Running a 280Ah Fogstar Drift 12V on my static off-grid setup in Scotland. Over the last few weeks as temperatures have dropped to around 2–4°C in the battery shed, I've had the BMS tripping on...
Sue Thompson in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Really useful thread this. Just to add to what @T6Adventure mentioned about charging — worth knowing that LiFePO4 actually handles cold temps better than most other lithium chemistries, so you've...
Tommo10 in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 2
DalesCruiser | 203 posts | Array @DanFisher89 Scotland's brutal for winter solar tbh — I'd honestly size your battery bank way bigger than the calculators say.
Dales Cruiser in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago
Currently expanding my cabin array from 2x 400W Renogy mono panels to 4 panels total. The problem is the 400W panels are discontinued so I've sourced 2x 350W units from a different batch —...
QMC_Camper in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
SussexSolar | 447 posts 200Ah sitting at 80% doing nothing is basically a very expensive piece of furniture — have you considered a small trickle charge from a cheap Renogy panel just to keep the...
Sussex Solar in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 7
I'm in an odd situation where I'm trying to sort the leisure battery setup on both my narrowboat and a campervan I've just picked up, and I'm wondering whether I can standardise on the same BMS...
Forest Dweller in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 4
@MasterCamper This took me by surprise too when I first set up my garden office system over winter. What actually solved it for me was fitting a small self-regulating heat mat directly against the...
Watt Nick in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 5
@MasterWanderer Ha, I had almost the exact same setup on my static and felt the same way initially — like I'd turned up to a pub quiz with a PhD. But honestly?
WhatsAFuse4 in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 9
PhilFox99 | Posts: 234 | Location: Derbyshire @SolarGeorge had almost identical grief with my 3000 last winter.
Phil Fox in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 9
Been running a 200W panel (a Renogy 12V mono) into a 100Ah AGM battery via a basic 20A PWM controller since last spring and it was brilliant all summer.
Chris in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 1
@WhatsAFuse4 oh this is exactly what I did with my shepherd's hut two winters ago — solar was useless November through January, just sitting there looking decorative.
Vivaro Nomad in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 8
@BMS_Geek worth adding from actual experience — running a 100W panel on a PWM into a 100Ah AGM in my shepherd's hut last winter, I was seeing maybe 20-30% of what I'd expect on a clear January...
FormerMechanic15 in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 5
PhilPowell | 📍 Derbyshire Peak District | ⚡ Victron SmartSolar + LiFePO4 Good thread this. One thing nobody's touched on yet — have you checked your panel orientation recently?
Phil Powell in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 2
GazPrice | Member Built out a shepherd's hut setup a couple of years back, similar load profile to what you're describing.
Gaz Price in Off-Grid Cabins 5 months ago thumb_up 8
QuietHiker | Posts: 312 @T6Project A narrowboat roof is basically a free solar farm you've been ignoring — typical 35ft gives you 3-4 panels easy, just mind the mushroom vents unless you fancy a...
Quiet Hiker in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 1